Chapter 104: Straight into Training

Elias didn’t offer a lengthy explanation. Instead, he instructed Shani to put on a suit that resembled a helmetless spacesuit.

Once she stepped into it, Shani was surprised to find that the material wasn’t nearly as stuffy or hot as it looked.

"Now, try raising your hand forward and shooting essence from your palm," commanded Elias, who was leaning against his desk with his arms crossed over his chest.

Shani stared at him, bewildered, but she raised her hand anyway and attempted to channel energy into it. The palm area of her suit suddenly turned bright blue.

"That’s energy, not essence!" Elias reprimanded sharply.

Shani blinked, caught between shock and confusion.

In theory, she understood the distinction between essence and energy, but she couldn’t seem to differentiate the two inside her own body.

She tried regulating her energy again, making the flow faster and more intense this time. Yet the tips of her suit’s hands remained a stubborn blue.

"Turn back around!" Elias barked in his signature haughty tone.

Shani took a deep breath to swallow her frustration, then turned toward Elias.

"Point your hand at me!" he ordered. Shani raised her arm, positioning her hand as if preparing to strike him.

’Does he think having a target will make me succeed faster?’ she wondered.

At that moment, catching a glimpse of Elias’s dismissive, bored expression set her youthful pride ablaze. She had promised herself never to let anyone look down on her again.

’If only Instructor Rowena weren’t so busy, I wouldn’t have to train with this old man!’

Slowly, the suit covering Shani’s body shifted color to red. Taken aback by the sudden change, Shani gasped, and the suit instantly faded back to white.

"Now, focus whatever you just felt directly into your hand," Elias instructed without so much as a blink.

Shani composed herself, raised her hand again, and channeled her irritation toward Elias straight into her palm.

A red hue bloomed near her stomach before surging up into her arm and pooling at her fingertips.

"I didn’t tell you to regulate it, I told you to shoot it!" Elias barked.

Shani gritted her teeth. ’I was just getting the hang of it! I can try it again!’

Despite her internal complaints, Shani dutifully tried again.

Bit by bit, the red flush no longer originated from her stomach... It started from her chest, then her arm, and finally directly at her fingertips.

Shani wanted to leap for joy at her progress, but catching Elias’s unimpressed glare, she reined in her excitement and pushed forward with her practice.

"Essence power shouldn’t just flow out, it needs to shoot fast. Got it?!"

Shani nodded with a sluggish expression, no longer bothering to hide her annoyance toward this instructor.

She continued practicing, but this time made no significant breakthrough. Converting essence into a sudden blast proved far more difficult than merely controlling where it manifested.

Elias shifted from leaning on his desk to practically slumping back in his chair, yawning repeatedly as he watched her.

Meanwhile, Shani was still struggling. "I can do this... I can definitely do this," she whispered to herself.

At first, she hadn’t felt overly anxious, but Elias’s nonchalant attitude was beginning to get under her skin.

Two hours flew by, with Shani spending a solid hour and a half trying to turn smooth regulation into an explosive shot.

Her stomach let out a faint growl. She and Jeryon had come straight here after resonance class ended at five. They usually ate dinner by six, but it was already seven o’clock now.

Elias didn’t seem to care in the slightest. He pulled out a snack bar and munched on it all by himself.

Whether driven by hunger or sheer tension, Shani dug in her heels stubbornly. She ignored her empty stomach and exhaustion, pushing through repetition after repetition.

After what felt like her thousandth attempt... Puff! A tiny burst popped at her fingertips. The suit puffed up with a vivid shade of red before giving off a small pop.

Shani’s eyes widened, her face lighting up. She jumped in place, overcome with joy. "I... I did it!" she muttered.

Her excitement was short-lived, however, as Elias’s mocking voice cut through the air. "I told you to make a gunshot, not a fart!"

At that moment, Shani’s vision went dark, and she nearly smacked the old man upside the head. Luckily, she retained enough sanity to stop herself.

She took a deep breath, turned to Elias, and flashed a sweet smile. "Instructor, why do you think I can only make a farting sound? Isn’t it because the instructor teaching me is like a fart—oops!"

Elias’s face gradually flushed red. His posture straightened instantly. "You!"

Shani paid his outrage no mind and went right back to practicing. Elias glared at her, thoroughly convinced that he and this student were completely incompatible.

Meanwhile, over in the Ribbon Athletics Club room, Jeryon was suffering just as much as Shani, though his ordeal was less physical and more a test of mental fortitude.

A female student wearing a fitted bodysuit, her bangs damp with sweat, walked over to Jeryon.

"Why haven’t you guys headed to the Training Hall to practice yet?" she asked.

"Oh, hi, Flora! Jeryon hasn’t picked out a bodysuit yet. I’m also still going over the basic techniques with him," replied the male student standing beside Jeryon.

Flora glanced at Jeryon, who looked ghostly pale despite not having left the clubroom all evening.

This president of the Ribbon Athletics Club found herself wondering once again why Jeryon wanted to join this club if he couldn’t even bring himself to pick out a bodysuit.

Earlier, she had been utterly shocked when Revan brought Jeryon over, fearing her eyes were playing tricks on her.

Assuming Jeryon might feel uncomfortable around upperclassmen, Flora had assigned Eric Cassian, a first-year student who was essentially an unofficial club member, to show Jeryon the ropes.

She knew Eric was deeply passionate about this sport, but now she was regretting handing Jeryon over to him.

"It’s nearly eight o’clock, and neither of you has had dinner yet, right? Let’s call it a day and continue tomorrow," Flora said with an understanding smile.

"I’m not hungry yet—"

"Eric, Prince Jeryon is exhausted. Head back for tonight," Flora cut in quickly.

...