MTLNOVEL Chapter 175: Gains in the training Hall
After six hours spent poring over the mana tome, Ethan's mind felt like it had been wrung out and hung to dry in a windstorm. Even the act of blinking started to feel like a conscious decision, and the shimmering words on the pages had begun to blur into one another. He was super tired.
Reluctantly, he closed the book and exhaled. "I'll be back," he muttered to it. Then, he walked back to the librarian and returned the book. He was about to head out of the library when he suddenly thought of something and asked the librarian.
"Do you have a map of this academy?"
"Of course", the woman responded with a sly smile. She took out a scroll from under the counter and handed it to him. "That would be 100 gold coins."
Ethan froze mid-reach, his fingers hovering just above the scroll like it was rigged to explode. "You're charging for a map?" he asked, voice dry with disbelief.
The librarian didn't blink. "Of course. This is Blackstone Academy. We only provide the best, and of course, we charge accordingly." The woman spoke as if she was proud of it.
He stared at her for a long moment, then let out a tired, almost admiring laugh. He paid the 100 gold coins. "You people are bleeding me dry." He received the scroll, wondering why the hell this was costing him 100 gold coins.
The next second, the map scroll disappeared, and information flooded his mind. Ethan blinked, and a system map of the academy appeared in front of him. "Wow, this is indeed worth 100 gold coins." Ethan was genuinely impressed.
"I told you so." The librarian winked and walked away.
Ethan then turned and left the library. It was already late afternoon, and he was extremely hungry.
He followed the map's glowing interface and reached the academy's canteen. He wolfed down 150 gold coins worth of food and prepared to head over to the next location, the training gymnasiums.
Both Lysari and the mana book had told him the same thing. A mage shouldn't neglect basic body training. Ethan decided to follow their advice.
With the help of the map shortcuts, he arrived at the facilities in a few minutes.
The training gymnasium looked more like a fortress than a fitness center. Above the wide double doors was a glowing inscription that read: "Tempered Will, Tempered Flesh." Ethan nodded approvingly.
Inside, the space opened up into a sprawling complex—multiple floors, various rooms labeled for weight training, mana endurance, magical resistance conditioning, reflex enhancement chambers, and even something ominously titled "The Crucible."
A few students were already working out. Some used enchanted weights while others ran along vertical walls with gravity-manipulation boots. A guy in one corner was trying to dodge fireballs shot at him by a training golem.
Ethan approached the registration crystal and pressed his hand to it. A prompt flared in front of him:
[Training Preferences?]
– Physical Strength
– Stamina & Endurance
– Reflex & Coordination
– Mana Control Under Strain
– Custom Simulation
He selected Stamina & Endurance and added a secondary option for Mana Control. If he was going to push his body to match his mind, he'd do it with a full burn.
"That will be 100 gold coins." An attendant next to the registration crystal spoke up. A customized training hall is being prepared for you. He pointed to one of the chambers. "If you do not have the coins, feel free to use the common equipment available here." The man pointed to the weights and the vertical wall.
Ethan let out a sigh. At this point, he was no longer surprised. He bit the bullet and paid the fees, extremely curious about the custom training chamber.
One of the rune-etched doors nearby slid open with a low hiss, spilling cool, blue light from within. Ethan stepped through without hesitation.
Inside, the chamber looked deceptively empty at first—smooth stone floors, reinforced walls, and ambient lighting set to a calming hue. But the moment the door sealed behind him, everything changed.
A weighted force slammed down on Ethan's shoulders—not crushing, but definitely enough to make him stagger a step. [Gravity Modifier: +1.3x], the system prompt informed him.
[Training Circuit Initialized.]
[Endurance Simulation: Tier 1 – Duration: 60 minutes]
The floor shifted beneath him, growing uneven, then tilting slightly as the lights dimmed further. Ethan clenched his fists and cracked his neck. "Let's see what you've got."
The first test was physical: a circuit that required him to run, jump, climb, and crawl under shifting conditions. The terrain kept changing every few minutes—steep inclines, sloped turns, sudden walls that rose and dropped.
At the same time, mana bolts would shoot from the walls, harmless if they hit, but draining his reserves like leeches. He had to weave around them while managing his stamina.
Then came the real hell.
A timed section forced him to keep a constant mana channel flowing to a glowing orb on his palm while navigating the course. If the flow broke, the system zapped him—not painfully, but enough to ruin his rhythm and spike his heartbeat.
Sweat poured down his back. His arms trembled. His mana flared, dipped, flared again. But Ethan kept going, teeth grit, lungs burning, mind screaming. This wasn't just exercise. It was war.
By the end of the hour, he collapsed onto the smooth platform that rose beneath him, gasping. His system pinged softly.
[Training Complete. Stamina +1. Agility +1.]
[Total Time Spent: 60 minutes]
Ethan lay flat on his back for a full minute, staring at the ceiling, heart pounding in his ears and limbs buzzing with fatigue. He grinned like a madman, breath ragged, every inch of him aching. He had gained two stat points just like that? This was worth every gold coin he had spent!
He pushed himself up with a groan and rubbed his face, which was still slick with sweat. His clothes were practically clinging to him, but his grin refused to fade. Could he repeat this same thing tomorrow?