Magus Supremacy

"What a dumbass." Thalos muttered under his breath as he watched Grey reading the book with keen eyes and visible excitement on his face.

"We are stuck in a cave with no way of exiting it and he is so absorbed in what he's reading. How do we leave this damn cave though?" He grumbled under his breath.

'Besides, what am I going to be doing while he is reading? I can't just keep watching him. I'm no babysitter. Tch!' Thalos muttered, rising with a sigh and gripping his dagger tightly as he tried to figure out what he could do with his time.

---

"Hmm… fascinating." Grey mumbled as he read the conditions of awakening the wind affinity. "One needs to be hit countless times with the affinity, and to awaken it, one needs to feel and connect with it. Huh? I wonder who hit me several times for me to gain mine." He chuckled softly before flipping the page and seeing the basic skills under the wind affinity.

And they were:

<Wind Pulse

Aerius

Wind Blade

Flight.>

These were the skills listed under the basics of wind usage, and he felt an instant surge of excitement at the prospect of using them.

"So how can I learn them? I don't think I can learn them all, so I will just take the most useful ones and learn them right now, just in case of trouble." Grey muttered under his breath, quickly selecting two skills that looked most helpful.

<Wind Pulse and Flight>Immediately, he began reading the descriptions of the skills and how to use them.

<Wind Pulse: this skill will allow the mage to create a small, long, thin wind projectile in the air, strong enough to cause a gaping hole in the heads of any beings weaker than the mage.>

"Fascinating." Grey mumbled, grinning widely, and without hesitation, he began reading how to use the skill, feel it, and master its techniques.

"To begin using these skills, a mage needs to be certain they have the wind affinity and can enter the meditation state. Step one: go into meditation. Feel the mana coursing through your body, your veins, and the surrounding air. Breathe it in calmly, keep calm and steady yourself. Feel the wind softly brushing your face and body. Do not try to command it but instead, will it to respond to you."

'Okay. Meditation time.' Grey thought, taking a deep breath, closing his eyes, and slipping into meditation almost instantly.

Though he had begun meditating, he hadn't fully immersed himself yet, so he steadied his breath and calmed his nerves.

Within a few minutes, he shut out all sounds and distractions from his mind. His inner vision became clear, and he could almost see his internal body.

What he could see, however, were the energies swirling inside him. First came the Ki, visible as small yellow cells moving fluidly through his body, strengthening his limbs even without conscious effort.

Next, he noticed the mana, flowing calmly like white liquid through every part of his body. Surprisingly, the Ki and mana were not clashing as they used to. Instead, they seemed to coexist in perfect harmony, interacting seamlessly.

He could also feel the mana in the air, swirling effortlessly into his nostrils and replenishing his core with ease.

Thalos, on the other side, still unsure of what to do with himself, noticed Grey sitting cross-legged, completely absorbed.

'I wonder what on earth he is doing,' he thought silently, watching the mage's disciplined focus.

---

'Free your mind. Do not think of anything worrying and just flow with the wind.' Grey thought, taking deep, steady breaths, one at a time.

Each inhale seemed to draw the wind into him, and the wind responded with a loud, hoarse whisper. This rhythm continued for several minutes as Grey recalled the drawings he had seen in the book, visualizing the flow and shape of the wind as he synchronized with it perfectly. He could feel the energy vibrating in his hands, arms, and chest, a subtle hum signaling that his connection to the wind was beginning to awaken.

The foggy cave seemed to fade around him as he delved deeper into meditation, every inhale strengthening his affinity and every exhale harmonizing with the natural air currents. It felt as if the wind itself were teaching him, responding to his intent and guiding his body with invisible hands.

Thalos glanced again, his expression a mix of skepticism and curiosity, as the faint sound of whistling air swirled around Grey, signaling that something extraordinary was beginning to take place.

That's right! Thalos' master had helped draw a human figure in the book, using it to demonstrate how to call upon the wind and execute the skill precisely. With his textbook-like memory, Grey was already picturing the drawing clearly in his mind.

Putting it aside mentally, he referred to the drawing as he moved his hands in a precise, almost ritualistic pattern through the air.

He first pressed the backs of his palms together while holding them in front of his face. Slowly, taking deep, controlled breaths, he moved the formation downward with careful precision.

Then he separated his hands slightly, curving them gracefully in the air for a moment. Right on cue, the wind howled louder, responding to Grey's hand movements, though he was unaware of the power he had just summoned.

Deep within him, where his cores rested, they had been calm for several months since he had not used his affinities. Now, one core surged awake.

Huge tornadoes, swirling with immense force and looking like they could rip entire towns to shreds, erupted inside him. His mana core thumped violently, and his heart leaped a dozen beats in an instant as pain seared through him.

"ARGHHH!" Grey roared into the air as the tornadoes inside his core spun continuously. The wind around the cave grew wilder, drawing Thalos' full attention.

'What's going on? What's he doing? Is it working or should I stop him? Crap! I know nothing about this damned thing called magic. What should I do?' the gargoyle thought in a panic.

Suddenly, Grey snapped his eyes open, a small, confident smile on his face. His gaze fixed on a wall ahead, and without a word, he pointed his finger in its direction, his smirk growing wider.

The wind surged around his fingertip, swirling like an invisible vortex. Then, with perfect timing, he uttered two words.

"Wind Pulse."

Bang!

SWOOSH!

A tremendous sound erupted, and Grey's hands recoiled slightly from the sudden force. A loud bang followed as a small hole appeared in the cave wall. His smile grew wider, his face almost touching the surface he had just struck.

'Fuck! What a monster! He managed to relearn his wind magic and successfully performed a skill on his first try? Who the hell is he?!' Thalos roared internally, stunned and in disbelief.