Free Web NovelChapter 4: Borrow, Don’t Steal, Got It!
"The Frontier Academy... Interesting."
Silas had no idea how long he had slept, but the AI lady’s repeated alarms eventually woke him. Hours earlier, she had sent him a list of academies that wanted to recruit him.
The list was so long that it took several minutes to scroll to the end. Before he could even consider his options, another message appeared, a recorded video from Ramus.
The old man kept it brief. He explained that receiving invitations from numerous academies was expected, then strongly recommended the Frontier Academy, the same institution he had attended at Silas’s age.
"...They’re a bit eccentric, with hard standards, and a bit dangerous. But they’re still the best academy around. Out of everyone you met that day, they only invited you and one other kid. Think about it."
The two-minute message ended there, leaving Silas speechless.
"Eccentric? Hard standards? A bit Dangerous? What a surprise."
He shook his head before shrugging.
"I can’t even tell the difference between these academies. If the old man says it’s the best, that’s good enough for me."
He accepted the invitation, and a few minutes later, a confirmation message arrived.
[Be ready in ten hours. We will arrive at the Frontier Academy gathering point.]
That left him with several hours to spare.
"That weird sleep... This is the second time I have experienced that since becoming an Enhancer."
The moment he finished reading the message, his thoughts returned to the strange experience.
"The first time happened after I absorbed the core and awakened my Mana Heart. But this time? I just entered that weird water world and watched that clone do everything for me..."
He asked the AI lady to search for common reasons why Enhancers fell asleep after using their abilities. The results quickly came, totally different from what he initially thought.
He thought his weak, malnourished body was the reason. It turned out his new powers were the reason.
"If the Mana inside a transformed body part is depleted, the user falls asleep. My case is different, but the cause is probably the same."
He still didn’t fully understand his powers, but he knew that the mysterious world wasn’t normal. Somehow, he had been continuously using his Time Attribute while consuming Mana.
"I don’t know how much Mana I have, but exhaustion is clearly the first warning sign."
One article mentioned sluggish thoughts and physical fatigue before Mana depletion. Silas immediately recalled how clumsy and mentally slow he had felt before being forced out of that world. Thinking about it reminded him of the Raven ability the shadow had used. freeweɓnøvel.com
"Is there a place where I can train?"
The AI lady answered with actions rather than words. Part of the wall slid aside, revealing a spacious room lined with red-and-black alloy panels that gave it the appearance of a combat arena.
"This is your training room," she said, pointing toward a section of the eastern wall. "You’ll find several weapons there. You may use them here, but you cannot take them outside."
"Borrow, don’t steal. Got it."
The joke did little to ease his tension. This would be the first time he intentionally activated his new ability. In many ways, it felt like the moment that would shape the rest of his life. frёewebηovel.cѳm
The wall compartment opened to reveal rows of weapons, swords, daggers, knives, and even a massive sledgehammer. Without hesitation, Silas picked up a short sword about half a meter long, nearly identical to the one the shadow had wielded.
"What now?"
Holding the sword, he replayed the memory.
"He stood like this... bent slightly... then slashed as if he was throwing it..."
Silas copied the movement with no real expectations. Then the sword shot from his hand.
"Whoa! It worked!"
Heat surged from his heart and raced through his arm. He clearly felt the heat surging from his heart and flowing into his arm the moment he imagined activating the ability. The instant he completed the slash, the sword launched forward like a bolt of lightning and crashed into the far wall.
A loud bang echoed through the room.
"Good thing that’s reinforced. I’m too poor to pay for any damage repairs."
The impact looked powerful enough to damage ordinary metal, yet the wall remained completely untouched. Unfortunately, there was still one problem.
"I still can’t recall it."
Hours later, Silas stood facing the same issue. He could activate the Raven ability consistently and launch the sword every time. He could even feel the connection between himself and the weapon. Yet whenever he tried to summon it back, it felt like attempting to move a mountain with his bare hands.
The answer seemed obvious, his Mana reserves were simply too low to do this part of the ability. The recall seemed to consume far more energy than the initial throw.
"Maybe I should try smaller weapons."
His gaze shifted toward the daggers, thinking if he couldn’t increase his Mana reserves now, he should use a smaller weapon instead.
Yet, a wave of fatigue suddenly hit him. Learning from his past two experiences, he didn’t risk pushing himself any further.
"I’ll rest for an hour first, then try something else. As far as everyone knows, I’m a Buffer. My Wind ability is supposed to help other Enhancers move and attack faster. I should practice that before arriving at the academy."
Silas returned to his room and lay down to recover while his Mana replenished itself. He wondered how he would absorb Mana and increase it in his heart. To others, absorbing a single Mana Crystal would do the trick. But for a reason, he felt like this wasn’t right; this wasn’t the case for him.
With no clue about that point, he began researching the academy he had just joined. Everything he found was impressive and worrying.
The Frontier Academy was widely accepted as the finest academy in the Elfine Kingdom and one of the top ten academies in the human world. Its reputation wasn’t built on student numbers, but on the strength of its graduates.
Seven of the kingdom’s ten active A-Enhancers had graduated from Frontier. Yet another statistic was even more shocking; out of every one hundred recruits, fewer than twenty-five survived to graduation.
The academy’s teaching methods were frequently described as eccentric, harsh, and unforgiving. Though details remained surprisingly scarce.
"It’s called the Frontier Academy because it protects the kingdom’s outer territories from monsters and hostile races," Silas muttered. "They’re basically the kingdom’s first line of defence."
Without more information to dig, he decided to trust Ramus’ advice.
"Even if it’s dangerous, it’s not like I’m an ordinary human either."
After resting, he returned to the training room. He placed the sword nearly ten meters away and extended a hand toward it. Instead of using Raven, he focused on his Wind Element.
The Mana heart responded immediately, sending a surge of heat wave towards his fingers, then outwards.
He wasn’t trying to move the weapon. Instead, he imagined strengthening someone standing nearby, enhancing their speed and attacks.
As far as the world knew, he was a Buffer. And for the longest period of time possible, he should keep the world oblivious to his true powers.
He doubted that his secret would last forever. Eventually, someone would discover the Raven ability, and when that happened, his classification would change from Buffer to Hunter.
Still, until then, there was no harm in practising both. As he trained, the AI lady suddenly spoke.
"The aircraft is approaching the gathering point. Please prepare for departure and proceed to the boarding deck."
There was nothing he needed to pack; just the sword he trained with was reluctantly left on the training ground. Following the map she provided, Silas headed directly for the boarding area.
"You! Hahaha! My wish came true after all!"
The familiar voice made him turn towards its owner. Standing nearby was the second recruit chosen by the Frontier Academy, Darius.
"It’s fate, bro. It’s pure fate, hahaha."
Darius grinned from ear to ear, apparently capable of carrying on an entire conversation by himself. Silas was about to say something when an Enhancer approached them.
"It’s time to leave."
The man pointed toward a row of oval-shaped pods built into the wall.
"Each of you enters one and presses the red button to descend. Further instructions will be provided once you reach the ground."
A moment later, Silas climbed inside. The pod launched from the aircraft as soon as he pressed the button. Then several parachutes deployed overhead, slowing the descent.
From his position, he finally got a clear look at the aircraft. It was enormous, larger than the entire orphanage where he had spent his life, even if he included the garden and the walls.
"Time to see what the Frontier Academy looks like."
The sheer scale of the aircraft filled him with anticipation.
"Even though I might regret it."
He imagined towering buildings, sprawling gardens, and countless Enhancers walking through grand halls. Instead, he was about to encounter something completely different from everything he had imagined.
