The Rings of Samsara operated on a repeating schedule. Each week, an elimination-style tournament would be held. On the final day, a new champion would be crowned. This person was then given the option to either advance or stay in their current circle.
Because Zeke won his fight, he automatically progressed to the second round and had another match today. However, not all of his companions had been that lucky. Compared to the day before, their number was halved. The beginner's group had lost a substantial amount of members. They not only had the largest number of disqualifications but the most deaths as well.
Zeke considered this fact as they made their way through the streets. He had a hard time understanding what the point of it was. He understood the allure of watching people fight, of course, but not the need for death. Even without considering the moral implications, allowing the fighters to kill each other without repercussions was a terrible decision. The overall level of the competitors would be much higher if they were allowed to learn from their mistakes.
He didn't think the spectators were that bloodthirsty, and it was most likely not the fighter's death they craved either. There had to be something else he was missing. Maybe it was the same thing people enjoyed about gambling. After all, gambling was no fun if there weren't any stakes involved.
As they reached the Rings, their group split up. Once more, it was Rohan who accompanied them to the beginner's circle. The old man gave the same speech as the day before and introduced his group to their opponents. However, when Zeke's turn came, he skipped over him without a second thought. Zeke didn't think he would need the information, but he still found this behavior strange. Had he offended the old man somehow? However, the reason for Rohan's actions became apparent when Zeke entered the arena.
Before the fighters could even be announced, his opponent did something unexpected. He raised his right arm and pointed toward the sky with his little finger — the official sign for surrender.
"…the winner is Blood Dragon!"
Nonplused, Zeke returned the way he came. What a waste of time. But he couldn't say that this result surprised him all that much. Ironclad had been an overlord here, but he was killed without the ability to resist. Who in the beginner's circle would dare to fight him after such a display of power?
On his way out, Rohan smirked at him. It was clear that the old man had been aware of what would happen all along. But Zeke still couldn't help but grumble. "Couldn't that guy just have surrendered in advance? It would have saved me the trip."
Rohan shook his head. "That would have been a bad choice. It is important to at least come out and meet your opponent face-to-face. Surrendering is fine, but the people will not tolerate spinelessness."
Even though this system was painfully inefficient, he understood why it had to be like this. After all, the spectators paid to see a show. What did it say about the fighters if they didn't even deign to show themselves?
Zeke nodded, showing that he understood. "I am going back first."
It had only been an hour since Zeke left the school. If he hurried, he would still be able to join the morning practice. Luckily, the free-for-all fight he had witnessed on his first day wasn't a daily occurrence. Their usual morning practice consisted of something completely different — something Zeke was very interested in.
***
Zeke wiped the sweat from his brows as he entered the Lion's Den. With how vibrant the city was, it was easy to forget that they were in the middle of the desert, and the omnipresent heat reached tyrannical levels under the midday sun.
Luckily, the people had learned to adapt. Both mundane and magical contraptions were installed in every house to keep the temperature at a tolerable level. However, in his professional opinion, those solutions were subpar at best. He was already making plans to branch out into this field of engineering when he was back in Tradespire.
Zeke was convinced there was a lot of money to be made — given the right product and connections. Several ideas were already floating around his mind on how to create something that could take over this market altogether.
This was precisely why it was essential to have all kinds of experiences. In this era, knowledge was highly restricted, and most books were limited to academic subjects. It would have been nearly impossible for him to have learned so much about Korrovan without seeing it for himself. After all, who would bother writing a book about existing cooling solutions and their respective advantages? The world was just far too vast to write about everything.
The temperature dropped even further as Zeke entered the training hall. Unlike usual, the room was silent, but it wasn't due to the absence of people. No, it was a different kind of silence. Zeke observed the many Chimeroi sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed. Each face was a mask of absolute focus.
No matter how many times he observed this phenomenon, it was baffling. Everything he knew about Mana told him that what was happening should be impossible — and yet, the proof was right in front of his eyes.
With resolute steps, Zeke arrived next to a particular person. The man had ashen hair, yet he looked barely older than himself. What's more, the hair wasn't limited to the top of his head. His chin, neck, chest, arms, and hands were all covered in the same grey fur.
Zeke had learned that his moniker was Ashen Wolf, and the name fit like a glove. He was a Chimeroi with the blood of the Mistwalker, a wolf-type monster native to the West. Out of all of Ishaan's trainees, he was the strongest.
Ash was competing in the fourth circle of the Rings of Samsara, making him equivalent to a peak Grand Mage. Zeke guessed that out of all his subordinates, only David could match him in combat. However, it wasn't because of his strength that Zeke was interested in him.
Closing his eyes, Zeke surveyed the flow of Mana around the sitting man. Just like every other time, it was moving in circles — like a miniature storm with Ash at its core. The first time Zeke had observed this, he had doubted his senses. Only after Akasha had confirmed his findings did he dare to believe. Somehow, the Chimeroi were able to influence Mana without having a Core themselves.
They called it Mana Breathing.
Ever since Zeke learned of this phenomenon, he had become obsessed with it. Of course, he had already been aware of the fact that monsters were able to strengthen their bodies by absorbing Mana. They did this in different ways, but the most effective one was by eating Mana-rich food. This was the very reason monsters were hostile toward each other in the first place. The flesh of a monster was full of Mana, after all.
However, monsters weren't limited to this one form of Mana consumption. For example, they were able to absorb a certain amount simply by breathing. This was thought to be the reason why they only got stronger with time and never seemed to die of old age. Human bodies, unfortunately, mostly lacked that capability. But Zeke had recently learned that the Chimeroi were able to do the same in a reduced form. They were able to absorb the Mana from the air, just like monsters. After his talk with Ripper and Leo yesterday, he now supposed that this was also the reason they matured so fast.
This was very different from what Mages did. Using their Cores, any Mage would be able to control a far greater quantity of Mana and with much more precision. However, that ability was limited to their Core. Their body, on the other hand, was like a sieve, unable to hold Mana at all. Only the tiniest remnants would linger, barely a fraction of a fraction. It was this residue that was wholly responsible for the improvements to their bodies.
Meanwhile, the Chimeroi were only able to produce a light stir, even at the level of a Grand Mage. However, the portion of Mana their bodies were able to absorb was so much greater that it allowed them to improve at an incomparable rate. Of course, they would forever remain unable to cast spells, but with this technique, they would be able to match a monster in physical might.
Zeke observed every little change in Ash's body: the rhythm of his breathing, the flexing of his muscles, the beating of his heart. In his opinion, the name 'Mana Breathing' didn't do the technique justice. It was an incomparably challenging exercise, demanding both utmost focus and an inhuman level of control. The torrent of sweat running down his body was a testament to the strain he was under.
Out of everyone here, Ash was by far the most accomplished when it came to Mana Breathing. When observing the likes of Ripper, Zeke barely even noticed any changes to the ambient Mana. It was only by watching Ash that he could slowly comprehend how the technique functioned.
Zeke had been told that this form of Mana Breathing was called the Lion's Formula. It was a secret technique exclusive to the Rana Samrat of the Lion's Den. This was one of the aspects that differentiated one school from another. An inferior Mana breathing technique would result in slower growth, while a better one could allow you to create stronger fighters faster. For now, Zeke had nothing to compare it to, but from the fact that the Lion's Den was a reasonably prominent institution, he could guess that it was among the better ones.
As a free agent, Zeke would obviously not be taught the technique, but when had that ever stopped him? It had not even been a week yet, but he had already figured out most of the intricacies of the Lion's Formula. Once he grasped all its peculiarities, he could move on to the next part of his plan. And that was the reason why he was so interested in this technique — his Dragon's heart.
Zeke was almost certain that he could use Mana Breathing to strengthen his body. After all, in some aspects, he was even closer to being a monster than the Chimeroi.
"Don't waste your time, whelp. It will not work," the Dragon said.
Zeke didn't halt his observation. "How would you even know that? I am pretty sure you've never come across anybody in my situation."
"I have not," the Dragon admitted. "But I am certain that this crude ritual has no chance of working on you."
Zeke frowned. The confidence with which the Dragon spoke gave him pause. "What makes you so sure?"
"Pah! It's quite obvious. After all, my essence has yet to change you properly. If I had to guess, I would say that only a sliver of your body has been adapted," the Dragon explained. "Even if you could execute this technique twice as well as that wolf pup, you would not be able to benefit much."
That was a good point. Zeke felt utterly human, and even Akasha had a hard time finding any deviations aside from his heart. However, there was something else in the Dragon's words that caught his interest. "Are you saying that it would work if my body were better adapted?"
"Why wouldn't it?" The Dragon asked. "Do you think we Dragons don't use similar techniques?"
Zeke's eyes lit up. "Are you going to teach me one?"
"No," it said right away, "even if I wanted to, those secrets aren't something I can give away as I please. I would need to ask for permission."
Zeke was confused. "Permission? Whos?"
The Dragon was silent for a long time but eventually still answered. "The King's permission."
The King? Was it referring to the King of Dragons? Zeke had never heard of such a being. Either way, he was sure that he would not receive its blessing. Even if he was able to meet that individual, it was far more likely that he would be killed instead of being taught any secrets.
However, he wasn't too disappointed. The Dragon had all but confirmed that Zeke would be able to use Mana Breathing to strengthen himself in the future. Now, he had all the time in the world to come up with his own version of the technique. This was, after all, what he did best.
Zeke wouldn't be surprised if his own technique ended up being better than whatever the Dragons used!