Chapter 209 — The Difference

Kael slowly pushed himself off the ground, his body ached —His sword lay several meters away.

He looked down at his trembling hand.

You are weak.

The Shadow's words echoed in his mind, Kael clenched his fist.

He looked toward Robert —Then toward the Shadow.

Both of them moved with a level of power Kael could barely follow.

Kael lowered his eyes.

What's the difference between them... and me?, He thought about the fight.

Their speed.

Their strength.

The way they moved, then it hit him.

Kael's eyes widened slightly and thought inwardly "I'm still Bronze."

He had been fighting alongside people who had already stepped beyond that realm.

Robert was Silver.

The Shadow was an Elite Silver.

And Kael...

He was still Bronze.

Kael looked at Robert again.

Then at the Shadow.

So what makes them different?

His gaze sharpened.

Kael slowly raised his head.

“Mana...”

Kael looked around the battlefield.

The air moved gently around him —Dust drifted through the space between the fighters.

Mana was flowing through everything.

He closed his eyes, He could feel it now.

A faint current.

Constantly moving.

Everywhere.

Kael's breathing became slower.

“If mana is everywhere...”

He opened his eyes.

“Then why can't I use it?”

For a moment—

Nothing happened.

Then the mark on Kael's body began to glow.

His eyes widened.

“What...?”

The mark pulsed once.

Then again.

WHOOSH!

The mana surrounding Kael suddenly began moving toward him.

The air trembled, dust lifted from the ground —Mana poured into his body from every direction.

Kael's expression changed.

He could feel it.

The mark was drawing mana from the atmosphere Kael gritted his teeth as the flow intensified.

The mana surged through him —His body trembled.

Robert turned sharply.

“Kael?”

Even the Shadow stopped.

For the first time, his expression changed.

Kael lowered his head, the pressure around him continued to rise.

His Bronze aura began to shake.

Crack.

A faint sound echoed from within his body.

Then—

CRACK!

The barrier holding him back shattered, a wave of mana erupted from Kael.

BOOM!

Dust exploded outward.

Robert raised an arm against the force.

The Shadow narrowed his eyes.

When the dust began to settle, Kael stood at the center of it.

His sword was still lying on the ground —His breathing was heavy.

But the aura surrounding him had completely changed.

Kael slowly opened his eyes.

Silver light flickered within them.