Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

Simon had seen people doing it, the [mana aura] of the ogres and the [mana wings] that the Valkyries used were all an application of emitting your mana out of your body. It was just that those people who were able to do it were all above level 500.

Emitting mana out of one body was totally different than casting magic. The former released non-attribute mana while the latter changed the attribute of the mana into that particular element. Changing the attribute of mana to emit it out was just casting magic, it had nothing to do with mana flow.

What Simon wanted to do was not to emit magic but to release mana from his body without consciously trying to give it any element. It was difficult for Simon because he was used to converting mana into different elements to cast his magic.

He had been doing this from the moment he had learned how to use magic… so it was a tall order from him to suddenly release mana without giving it any elemental form subconsciously.

"Ugh…" Simon extended his hand and tried to pick up a stone from the ground by emitting his mana out.

Fwoosh… the stone trembled and was lifted above the ground; however, it was not an application of [Mana Flow] but simple casting of wind magic.

'Damn..' Simon furrowed his brows and started repeating the exercise again and again. The stone would move every time but it was never because of the mana as it was because of the wind element, fire element or the electro element.

Looking at Simon diligently training from the spot the Valkyries had set up, Irene nodded her head. She took a sip from the tea cup that Annette had poured her.

"How is all your training going? I know that you guys all have high levels and plenty of Lost Ancient and higher tier skills. Nevertheless, you guys severely lack experience. You might be able to suppress your enemies with just brute strength for now".

"However, there would arrive a time when your master would have to face strong enemies and it isn't a distant future that I'm talking about. At that time, you won't have the option to go easy on your opponent neither would you have the time to master all of your powerful skills" .

Irene commented glancing in the direction of the valkyries. Even though they were summoned with a part of their strength sealed, all of them were nonetheless still level 699. It was a level enough for the people of this world to consider them a true powerhouse.

"Miss Irene is right… that is why we are focusing on learning the skills that master had bestowed us. We do not want to commit the mistake from the past once again. Thanks to Miss Irene and Master pointing it out, we now know in which areas we have to make progress on to help master in the future" Annette said stressing each word with determination.

Seeing the fire of resolve in the Valkyries eyes Irene did not speak any further and directed her attention back on Simon. The Valkyries did not stay for long, they all teleported to the training floor after seeing their master training diligently, he had invoultarily lit a fire within them.

Out of the twelve heroes, the maids were given the moniker of Valkyries because they were designed and their characters set to be like the valiant warriors in the battlefield. So even if they wore maid dresses underneath their armours, one shouldn't mistake them for delicate flowers.

After the maid teleported to the training grounds and Cecilia went to her village because she was bored, it was only Simon and Irene left in the tranquil pond-side.

How many times have he failed by now? Hundreds or even more.. nonetheless Simon kept on trying to get the hang of emitting his man out. For an untalented person like him, he would have to try it thousands of times or even more before he could start getting a hang of it.

Irene saw Simon struggling and failing numerous times but never once giving up. His dogged perseverance was something even she admired. This was the quality that she liked about him, he never gave up and persistently hanged on until he succeeded.

Perhaps to others, this kind of struggling might look pathetic and just a waste of effort from their standpoint. But in Irene's eyes this feature of him was what made him shine the brightest.

Simon had never received a proper guidance, the magic that he mastered and used today was self-taught and had years of experimentation and efforts put into it. If he had a proper training and given the fact that he was from the demon noble race, one of the few races in Althea known for their strong affinity with mystical energy, his power today would be strong beyond belief today.

"Dammit… it failed again".

Simon cursed. The mana he tried to emit out once again took an elemental form. It was not like he was deliberately attributing an element to his mana, it was a subconscious action whenever he released his mana.

Irene knew what kind of difficulty Simon was going through, people who usually emit their mana from their body in the form of [Mana armour] or [Mana Wings], usually do so after reaching level 500 and turning the mana into a liquid state.

It was much more easier to control liquid mana than the gaseous mana used by those below level 500. Since that was the case, it was no wonder that Simon was struggling to emit his mana out of his body.

His next hurdle will be when he successfully manages to emit non-attributed mana. He then has to learn how to control it outside of his body which needed acute control and extreme concentration.

All along he has been using the [Mana lines] to control the flow of the mana inside his body. Now that there was no such things as pre-laid out paths outside, he would have to control every strands of mana himself or else it would just end up dissipating with the air.

So why was Irene asking him to do something which might come naturally to him once he reaches level 500 and learns to liquidise his mana?

The answer was because she wanted him to master controlling mana  when it was in its most difficult to control state. That way, when he reaches level 500 in the future and the state of his mana starts turning into liquid, he would have a much easier time and a higher level of control at that time.

Not only that, but it would also make mastery over other mana emitting techniques such as [mana Armour] and [Mana Wings] much easier. The [Mana Armour] he would be able to create around his body will not only be sturdier but it will also be faster to evoke.

One cannot stretch on how important of a factor time was in a battle. Those who knew how to take advantage of that factor, can change the course of a battle in a matter of a second.

In the future Simon would find many such opponents capable of doing that thus Irene was already beating it into him from early so that he can face them without suffering a disadvantage. What she was hoping right now was for Simon to build himself a solid foundation that would become his building blocks for growth.

Irene silently sat there observing Simon's progress, she never got impatient no matter how many time he failed nor did she tear away her eyes from him.

Time flowed by quickly and more than half a day had alreadt passed yet Simon was at it without stopping for a rest or break. His sheer perseverance and doggedness to succeed was blazing in his eyes like a flame that refused to die even at the fiercest of breeze.

His determination was so palpable that no matter who looked at him, they would be able to feel the energy like the blazing warmth of a fire. Irene too was no exception to that, she was somewhat astonished and at the same time impressed. Thus she decided him to give a little advice.

"It is all fine and good to be stubborn when trying to achieve something. However one cannot to be too headstrong and inflexible when handling mana. You cannot force it to bend your way and expect to get results. Take some time to rest, allow the mana within you to lead you and you will find out that it is not that difficult to emit mana without confering any element to it".

Haaa..Haaa…

Simon who heard Irene's cold and tranquil voice, stopped exerting his mana. He took a deep breath, lowered his hand and did what Irene told him. He noticed that the mana inside his mana pool that had become turbulent at some point, finally settle down.

SIGH… Simon released a sigh and walked towards the place where the Valkyries had set up a table and chairs. Finding a chair to sit on, Simon reviewed what Irene had told him.

The Valkyries visited him in turns, although they themselves were training they didn't neglect their primary task and that was to take care of their master. It so happens that it was Emma's turn right now to serve him.

"M-M-Master.. Here's you tea" With a voice that was trembling, Emma poured Simon a cup of tea.

"Yeah.. thanks" Simon thanked and took a sip. There was nothing better than having a cup of tea or coffee after working so hard.

As he was enjoying his tea, he looked at Emma who was minding her head down and had an apologetic expression on her face. Although she usually appeared all timid and cry-baby, giving a fake impression of weakness to others. In actuality she was like the worst nightmare for the enemies in the battlefield.

Controlling and restraining her opponents with her invisible threads and robbing them of all freedom.