MTLNOVEL Chapter 176: Academy days
Ethan calmed down and did not get carried away in the moment. He still had one last training left for the day. He used Convergence and once again practised Water Bullet. He was tempted to use it on Gale, but he decided to keep going with the water bullet. Especially after pouring several hours into that book, he felt closer than ever to figuring something out.
After training for a bit, Ethan finished the transactions with the vendors, going over to an entirely different section where no one recognized him. He finally returned to his room 2000 gold coins richer. With this, his schedule for the day was completed successfully.
He was ready to collapse on his bed, but it looked like there was a final hurdle between him and his soft and comfortable bed. Sienna stood at his doorstep, twirling the purple strands of her hair.
"Woah, Johnny! You look really tired! What have you been up to?"
Ethan groaned inwardly. He really did not have the time or patience for her at the moment. "Nothing much. Just did a little bit of training."
Sienna tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "A little bit? You look like someone ran over you with a battle golem. Twice."
Ethan let out a dry chuckle, rubbing his eyes. "I appreciate the vivid imagery. Now, if you'll excuse me, I plan to enter a deep and meaningful relationship with my pillow."
But Sienna didn't budge. Instead, she stepped forward, blocking the doorway with a dramatic flourish. "Is there space for one more person in this relationship?"
Huh? Ethan was shocked at her blatant flirting but maybe this was the culture in this world. Either way, he did not have the time for these things at the moment.
"I am sorry. I am really tired at the moment." He walked directly in and closed the door on her face.
There was a brief silence on the other side of the door, followed by a small chuckle. "Ruthless," Sienna muttered through the wooden frame, her tone more amused than offended. "But fine. Raincheck it is."
Ethan leaned against the door for a moment, exhaling heavily. His mind was foggy, his body aching, and all he could think about was getting a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.
He shuffled over to the bed and collapsed face-first onto it, not even bothering to take off his boots. The mattress welcomed him like an old friend, and within seconds, he was drifting, consciousness slipping away under a heavy veil of exhaustion.
In his dream, he was a giant slime shooting out water bullets everywhere.
Ethan woke up with a bitter smile as his face sank into the pillow. Of course, he thought. Even my dreams are mocking me now. He rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly, the stiffness in his back reminding him of every hour he had spent training. The dim morning light filtered through the window, casting soft golden lines across the room.
Stretching, Ethan let out a low grunt and cracked his neck. "Alright. Another day. Another round of training." He quickly opened the classes available today and noted that Professor Lysari's class was once again scheduled. It was mentioned that she was going to teach about mana cores. However, this time only limited slots were available. He quickly booked a slot by paying the 100 gold coins.
There was also a Summoner's introduction class available today, which piqued his interest. Ethan registered his name for that class as well. After the two classes he quickly headed over to the library to read some more. This was once again followed by a gruelling hour in the physical training after which he finally ended the day once again by spamming dungeons.
This was the part Ethan looked forward to the most because he was ready to use Arcane Synthesis once again on Gale to see how much higher he could push the wolf. Unfortunately, he hit a wall immediately.
An error message appeared and it looked like Gale couldn't undergo Arcan Synthesis again before his level was high enough. Maybe when everyone breaks into D rank or level 75 he could try again.
Instead, Ethan ended up using Arcane Synthesis on another wolf from the same original pack and coincidentally that wolf also evolved into a wind wolf. However, when he tried to use Arcane Synthesis on it again, it immediately showed the error message even before evolving for a second time.
Ethan concluded that every being had their own innate potential for Arcane Synthesis and he would only be able to slowly nurture them as they grew. He continued using Arcane Synthesis on the wolves to learn more about the skill, deciding to evolve all the wolves and the slimes before proceeding to the next group of minions.
In this way, his days in the academy were starting to take on a rhythm—a strange but satisfying one. Morning classes filled with theory and lectures, followed by afternoons of applied training, library research, and his secret nighttime dungeon grinds.
Pretty much everyone was doing some version of the same, only barely surviving the money-grubbing Blackstone academy.
Something did change the second week. When Sienna popped up in front of him for the umpteenth time, dressed in a revealing top and a short shirt that left very little for imagination, Ethan decided to go for it.
"Ok. Let's do it." He shrugged. The woman had seductive body and a pretty face and he was not some sort of saint who had given up all mortal pleasures. Sienna was not under a slave contract like Lia and there was nothing holding him back. This was simply a mutual relaxation exercise.
The one thing he did was to make sure he was upfront about their relationship. He told her in many many words that he did not have the time or interest in pursuing a serious committed relationship and if she still wanted to spend time together.
He half expected her to run away or shout at him but Sienna didn't seem the least bit surprised when Ethan laid it all out. In fact, her lips curled into a knowing smirk, and she gave a playful salute. "No strings, no drama, no whining if you ghost me for another girl. Got it." Then she stepped inside like she owned the place.
Despite how exhausted Ethan had been the previous nights, having someone warm and flirtatious in his room added a certain spark. Their time together was brief, passionate, and uncomplicated. A welcome distraction in an otherwise grueling schedule.
It also helped that the woman was great in bed. Ethan only had theoretical knowledge about these things, and he had to be honest that the practical version of it wasn't half bad.
As week two bled into week three and week three bled into week four, Ethan was making a lot of progress. His levels were also steadily climbing. With regular dungeon grinding, he was racking up experience points quickly. He was gaining a summoner class level every three days despite having to share it with so many summons.
His mage class level was increasing at a faster pace and he was already nearing level 50. Surprisingly, his level ups suddenly stopped at that point.