Chapter 210: Hatching (1)

One week passed after the duel, and the news of Ash defeating Ray spread through the entire academy like wildfire.

At first, many students didn’t even believe it. How could Ray, the prodigy who had always stood at the very peak of their generation, be defeated? It sounded absurd, almost like a bad joke. But disbelief only lasted until the video of their battle began to circulate within the academy’s inner circle.

The footage didn’t spread beyond the academy walls, though—such was the strict control of the academy. They made sure no one outside could witness the overwhelming and destructive power displayed that day, because if they did, it would shake far more than just the academy’s reputation.

After that day, Ash became a name that carried weight... and fear. Even though he never threatened anyone, even though he wasn’t the type to flaunt his power, people feared him instinctively. That’s how humans were—they feared the unknown, the unexplainable, and Ash’s strength was exactly that. It was far beyond comprehension.

He was no longer just another student in their eyes. He had become something different, a figure they couldn’t hope to compete with, an existence that stood far above them.

Ash noticed the changes around him soon enough. Whenever he walked into a class, it felt as if all eyes turned toward him, silently whispering about the events of the duel. It wasn’t admiration... it was fear.

No one could properly focus on lectures when he was there. Some students stared at him openly, while others avoided his gaze, as if meeting his eyes might bring trouble. Their unease was almost suffocating, and it was beginning to distract even the instructors.

So, Ash did what he thought was best—he stopped attending most classes.

Of the five subjects he had chosen, three were purely theoretical, so he could easily study those on his own. As for the combat class, he simply didn’t attend anymore. Instructor Leonard, having witnessed Ash’s power firsthand, didn’t object.

Perhaps he knew there was no point in teaching someone who had already surpassed most of the academy’s students by miles. So, he daily sparred with Ash after all his classes were over.

The only class Ash still attended was Mana Manipulation, taught by Instructor Elva. That class was still useful to him. But the rest of his time? He spent it in the Academy’s Library, where the silence suited him and the shelves of books became his true battlefield.

Now that he had awakened his Soul Library, there was no limit to how much he could absorb and store within his mind. His brain was no longer bound by human constraints. He didn’t just read books anymore—he devoured knowledge. Even subjects he had previously ignored, he now studied with careful attention.

He had also borrowed books from the Dragon Library, which he returned as soon as he finished reading them. Most of those texts were focused on advanced magic theories and breathing techniques. Unfortunately, the breathing techniques didn’t help him much.

Dragons didn’t need such methods—their Dragon Hearts were powerful enough to accomplish what other races needed techniques for. Still, he read them carefully. Most of the breathing methods he studied were ancient, far older and far less refined than the ones currently practiced in this era.

Yet, even these flawed methods carried some interesting insights into mana flow and body enhancement.

Right now, Ash was seated by a large arched window on the second floor of the library, the kind of spot that remained undisturbed by the usual crowd. The window overlooked the academy’s sprawling campus and the distant dormitories.

The sky outside was slowly shifting into the warm glow of the afternoon sun. A cool breeze filtered through the slightly open window, rustling the edges of the book he was holding.

The text before him detailed an ancient breathing technique, one rumored to have been practiced by a forgotten warrior tribe. The method was considered obsolete now, but Ash studied it with an unreadable expression, his fingers lightly tracing the faded ink as if trying to feel the meaning hidden in every word.

"Do not attempt to pour the ocean into a cracked cup."

"When the storm of power is drawn, the mortal frame must become as unyielding as mountain stone, lest it be shattered by the gift it seeks."

The words were weathered and incomplete, forcing Ash to read them again and again, hoping to piece together the deeper meaning that seemed to slip through the cracks like mist.

Reading the sentences wasn’t hard. Understanding them, however, was.

"The spirit is the raw iron, the cores are the hearths, but the breath is the bellows. A gentle, steady breath maintains the embers. A short, sharp gust awakens the sleeping flame, followed by a long, deep draw to make it roar."

Ash tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing in thought. I think this one tells how to breathe... a short breath followed by a long one, like stoking a forge.

His focus deepened, his breathing unconsciously aligning with the rhythm described in the passage, when suddenly a voice broke through his concentration.

"Are you reading the same thing as yesterday?"

Ash looked up, blinking as if pulled out of another world. A faint smile touched his lips. "Yeah, same old breathing techniques. What about you? What did you learn today?"

Elysia slipped into the seat in front of him, her silver hair damp, her face flushed with the warmth of a recent shower. There was a faint, clean scent of fresh water and soap around her, mixing with the smell of old parchment in the library. Her expression was one of tired satisfaction, like someone who had just wrestled with exhaustion but still found a strange kind of joy in it.

"Just repeated the same strike a thousand times and did some basic exercises," she said, leaning back slightly as if even sitting upright required effort.

"I see. Is she teaching you well?" Ash asked, his tone light but his eyes quietly observing her mood.

"Duh!! Of course she is. She’s a saint after all," Elysia replied with a hint of pride, but then her voice softened. "But... I heard people muttering that she took me as her disciple because of you. I don’t know why, but I had mixed feelings when I heard that."

She exhaled slowly, lowering her gaze for a moment as if weighing her thoughts. "On one side I was happy—because of you I got this opportunity. On the other side, I was mad at myself for being so weak."

Ash didn’t interrupt, letting her words settle between them like the soft rustle of pages.

"But after Sai—" She caught herself, quickly correcting her tone. "Master Alice told me that she took me as her disciple not because of you, but because she saw something in me. I don’t know what that is though. She didn’t tell me."

After Elysia woke up—before she even heard the news about Ash and Ray’s fight—Alice had approached her and asked a single, piercing question: did she truly want to become strong? The desperation in her heart gave her answer before her lips could. She agreed without hesitation, without even stopping to think.

From that day, her training started in earnest. Alice pushed her to the very edge, and though Elysia still attended classes when she could, she often had to skip some of them. Her body ached every day, but she endured it, carrying that relentless will to grow stronger.

Now, after taking a fresh shower to wash away the sweat and fatigue, she was here, sitting across from Ash, her expression still slightly weary but softened by the comfort of his presence.

"So, Ash, what do you plan on doing in the future?"

The question made Ash tilt his head, as if weighing it in his mind. Future plans? He didn’t really have any. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do or where he was supposed to go. He was simply moving forward with the flow of events, taking each day as it came.

But there was one thing, at least, that he needed to handle soon.

"I guess I will go to a blacksmith and ask him to make some charm suppressors."

Elysia’s eyes dimmed slightly at his words. She turned her head, glancing to the side.

This quiet corner of the academy library wasn’t particularly famous, and the available seats were few. But every single one of them was taken.

And every single one of those seats was occupied by a girl, while most were standing.

Not just sitting or standing quietly, but peeking at Ash from behind books, pretending to read while sneaking glances. The moment Elysia’s sharp gaze swept across them, they scrambled to focus back on their pages like nothing happened.

Those bitches...

The thought burned in her head, and for a brief moment, she wanted nothing more than to throw a book at each of them.

But this was the library—she couldn’t make a scene here. And she couldn’t stop Ash from coming either, not when he devoured this many books in a single day. It was impossible to carry them all back to his dorm.

Wasn’t that the exact reason she made time to meet him here every day? Even though they spent most of their time together after classes, she still wanted this, the quiet hours where it felt like the rest of the world faded.

"Yeah, you should get that as soon as possible," Elysia muttered, her voice cold enough to make her feelings obvious.

Ash chuckled softly, his amusement clear.

"Don’t laugh."

"Yeah, yeah. I won’t."

They talked for a while longer, the conversation light and unhurried, until Elysia finally had to leave for her next class. But as she walked away, her eyes still burned like fire, glaring at the girls who dared to keep staring at Ash even now, fully aware that he was already taken.

Ash, as usual, paid them no attention.

Once Elysia left, he sank back into his books, letting the silence wrap around him. Ten seconds—no more—passed before it hit him.

A sudden jolt tore through his Soul. It wasn’t just a flicker of mana or a passing sensation. No, this was sharp and cold, something that made his breath catch and his entire body shudder without warning. His eyes widened as if instinct itself was screaming at him.

What...?