Since Auric was determined, there was nothing Lindwurm could do. "If that's your decision, then alright. First, you have to change the battle technique slightly.
"If I consider what I want to achieve, that means I have to remove half of them right away, leaving behind only this part where I channel the energy quickly, right? This way, the plant element will naturally enter my body."
"That's right, but you have to make sure of the anchor point as well. You have to direct that flow into your anchor point."
"Oh!" Auric nodded in understanding.
"Since you understand, let me tell you the exact parts you have to remove and how to change the flow. They are—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Auric already replied, "I'm done, though."
A fluctuation of magical energy followed immediately.
Lindwurm was speechless. He sensed the magical energy flowing into Auric's body, moving toward his chest and staying there.
"How…" Lindwurm didn't know what to say. He had been trying to teach him, but all he could do was point him in the right direction.
Auric did the rest himself.
"Are you a monster?" Lindwurm asked.
Auric didn't hear him, as he was too focused on the change in his body. He could feel the particles entering his pores as the blood carried them into his heart.
He simply needed to accumulate the particles in his heart by following the method outlined in the battle technique. The method for creating an anchor point was explained carefully in the battle technique, so Auric comprehended it easily.
Auric gradually opened his eyes before exhaling a long breath. "Huu…"
There was a refreshing feeling he had never experienced before. "Is this what people with an element feel?"
Auric was amused. Without wasting any time, he pressed the bracelet to check whether the method worked or not.
Name: Auric Elfe
Avatar: None
Grade: None
Affinity: None
Element: (Fire 0%) (Water 0%) (Lightning 0%) (Wind 0%) (Earth 0%) (Plant 5%) (Light 0%) (Dark 0%) (Unique 0%)
"It really increases!" Auric was taken aback. Who would have thought someone who didn't have an element could progress this way?
Auric thought for a moment. "Now that I think about it, why don't I sell this kind of technique? I mean, people are willing to pay for this kind of technique, right?"
"That's right. However, if you play it incorrectly, you will be hunted by those people. You know what I mean?"
"I know. It's human greed," Auric answered without hesitation.
"As long as you understand." Lindwurm didn't continue. Auric should be able to figure out the rest and know what to do.
"Besides, the fact that I can possess multiple elements is already suspicious, isn't it?"
"Fair enough, but we can convince them by telling them it's because you don't have an avatar and making them think you are stuck at that point or by saying you have a unique element."
"A wonderful idea." Auric raised one finger. "In that case, we probably have to register as an evolution master first. By using this identity as my defense, I should be able to push away most of my future problems, no?"
Lindwurm shook his head. "Before that, you need to know how to use your element first."
"Ah, right! I almost forgot about that." Auric nodded.
"How high is your element now?"
"5%."
"Say again?"
Auric tilted his head. "5%."
"5%?" Lindwurm was in disbelief. "You… What are you?"
"A human." Auric was confused why Lindwurm would be so shocked. "Is it too low? Should I reach 12% in one go?"
"No, wait." Lindwurm paused and looked down. He was the one who had forgotten that the counter was made of wood. This wasn't ordinary wood. It was a rare wooden log that his father had obtained. "I see."
"What?"
"If you want to accumulate that energy, you need to be close to the source of the energy itself. For example, if you have the fire element, you need to be close to any type of fire. Since you have the plant element, being close to wood like this table will speed up your progress."
"So, that's how it is. That means I should reach 12% in one go. Got it." Auric nodded and closed his eyes again.
"…" Lindwurm was speechless. Auric was doing everything at his own pace, and by the time he realized it, Auric had already finished everything.
As he expected, Auric opened his eyes three minutes later.
"Huu…" Auric exhaled. "This time, I noticed that when I tried to suck more energy, the magical energy simply couldn't stay in my body anymore."
Auric checked his progress again and found the plant element reaching 12%.
"Can you listen to me for a second?" Lindwurm sighed. "Don't think that you're a genius just because you are able to reach it so quickly. Normally, you would need several days or even weeks to reach the maximum limit. The higher the power, the more time it requires. However, this time, you were helped by this wood."
"Isn't that what you said earlier?"
"No. This wood is more special than you think. It's a rare wood that your father purchased a few years back. This is the reason you were able to reach the limit so quickly. Understood?"
Auric nodded. There was no problem in acknowledging it. As he had indirectly shown Eric earlier, he didn't have boundless arrogance, so it was fine to acknowledge that everything wasn't solely because of his efforts.
Lindwurm sighed. "Well, it's time to tell you how to use the magical energy. The way to use magical energy is basically through battle techniques."
"I know that. But since I have modified this technique, I can't use it again as a normal battle technique, right?"
"Indeed. After all, you have changed the anchor point of that technique. If you create another anchor point using that technique, you will end up messing with the circulation of your magical energy."
Auric understood at this point. "That means I have to search for more techniques."
"Or you can simply create one."
"Create one?" Auric didn't expect the suggestion.
"That's right. If you can control your element, you can create battle techniques. In the end, that's how battle techniques are created in the first place. Try extending your hand to this table."
Auric followed his instructions.
"Then try releasing the magical energy from your body into this table."
Auric tilted his head in confusion. He attempted to move the magical energy, but it remained stationary.
"It's normal for you not to be able to do it right away. We will have to practice this before thinking about becoming an evolution master."
Auric didn't respond to him, as he was busy recalling the battle technique from earlier. He had removed most parts, leaving only a clear instruction on how to move the magical energy from one's anchor (affinity) outward.
However, he didn't include the part where he had to absorb the energy. In other words, he dismantled the battle technique into two parts—the accumulation part and the release part.
He used this release part to successfully channel his plant energy.
Auric could see not just magical energy but also the particles within it. Suddenly, a small sprout emerged from the place where the particles were most concentrated.
"!!!" Auric and Lindwurm were shocked for different reasons.
Lindwurm had just said Auric couldn't do it on his first try, but Auric ended up proving him wrong right away.
At the same time, Auric gained a deeper understanding about the particles.
'So, that's how it is. The particles show the concentration of magical energy. People can only sense their magical energy, but I can see the particles and might be able to control them. This way, my control might surpass all my peers.'
Pleased by his finding, Auric nodded to Lindwurm. "Is that how to use it?"
"That's the very basic. I need you to at least create a tree or something similar before becoming an evolution master. But this is good enough for now. You are still wearing your school uniform. So, isn't it time for you to go home?"
"Ah!" Auric panicked. He had just wanted to see the store for a bit before going home, but all this new stuff interested him a lot.
"At this rate, Mom will get angry. By the way, do you have anything to tell me about my dad? Does Mom know all this?"
"I have made an oath that I can't tell you anything. However, I will help you become an evolution master. That's all I can say. If you want to know the rest, you should find out yourself."
"I guess. Before going back, I want to confirm one thing. Does this mean you're my avatar? If I bring you around, won't it be noticeable? People might suspect me of using my avatar all the time."
"You don't have to worry about that." Lindwurm shook his head. "The only ones who can see me are people with your father's bloodline, like you."
If that were the case, he really wouldn't have to worry about Lindwurm. "In that case, I have to go home quickly."
Lindwurm nodded. "Let's go together. I'm going to teach you how to control your energy better."
"That also works. Since you are my father's avatar, my home is your home. Let's go back, Chubby."
"Call me by my name, you brat!"
Auric just laughed as he dashed outside, closed the store, and headed back home.
…
Arina sat in the middle of a plain white room. After receiving Auric's help, she had been curious about whether what he said could really apply to her situation.
She gradually opened her eyes and checked her information.
Name: Arina Teneresa
Avatar: Elf
Grade: Grade B
Affinity: Plant
Element: Plant 111%
"!!!" Arina understood Auric's explanation and thought it was logical, but she couldn't believe it until she saw the result.
"It works?" Arina gasped. "It actually works?!"
Arina clutched her head. "Are all evolution masters just a bunch of greedy people? They offer solutions by buying expensive items, while the solution is simply to stop using that battle technique? It costs nothing."
Arina could only shake her head in disbelief. "Or is that young evolution master just different? I need to investigate that guy."
She rushed out of the room to ask someone to investigate him, but she stopped right in front of the door as another person actually wanted to enter the room.
"Ah! Miss! What are you doing here?"
The one in front of her was a female of the same age. She had long, straight black hair tied neatly into a ponytail with a slight wave at the end. Her eyes were slightly smaller and looked sharp, giving her a different type of charm.
"Arina. What are you doing here? You usually go back home by this time."
"How can I go home if you haven't gone home yet, Miss?" Arina scratched the back of her head.
"Anyway, go home. I need to use this room now."
"Ah, that's right. Miss!" Arina stopped her.
"Don't stop me. If you are going to tell me to go home as well, don't bother."
"No, no. I'm not going to tell you that. It's just…" Arina rubbed her cheek while looking away. "…I encountered something unusual today."
"Gossip can wait until tomorrow."
"No, that's not it." Arina shook her head and hurriedly explained, "It's just… I went to the evolution store earlier. The boss told me to stop practicing my battle technique. No, it would be more accurate to say that the boss changed my battle technique slightly. Do you know what happened?"
"Let me guess. Your battle technique became more powerful?"
"That would be good, but this one is even better. You know I'm looking for an evolution master because my plant element is at 112%, right?"
"Yeah."
"Look at this." Arina showed her result, especially the plant element that had gone down to 111%. "It goes down by 1%. If I continue like this for a bit, the boss claims I can evolve my elf just fine."
"What?!" She didn't want to believe it, but the truth was right before her eyes. "Is that even possible?"
"Just look at this. If you still can't believe it, how about I practice all night? It may go down even further by tomorrow."
The woman crossed her arms before lowering her gaze. "What's the name of the shop?"
"It was supposed to be Elfe's Material Shop, but his son took over. By the way, his son was the one who suggested it. He's also very handsome. He might even be more handsome than that idol, Youn."
The woman ignored the second half of her sentence. "Anyway, we'll go there tomorrow."