A few minutes later, Axel stepped out of the bathroom in his full Obsidian uniform—crisp black jacket, tailored pants, the team insignia displayed proudly on his chest. The outfit sharpened his features, made him look taller—like soone reborn.
“So damn handso!” Kaia and Annabelle both lit up instantly.
“This kid’s going to be trouble,” Millers muttered. “A real threat.”
After dinner, Vince called Axel over in private and handed him a slim, matte-black mory stick.
“This has everything—combat training thods, original vein cultivation techniques, all of it. If you get stuck, ask us anyti. Just don’t share it. You’d owe more than your life’s worth if this leaks.”
He tapped the lapel of Axel’s uniform.
“That suit’s a gift from the Syndicate. It can withstand attacks from a first-class Awakener—classified E-tier combat gear. The ‘E’ ans there are better ones out there, but you’ll have to earn or pay for those yourself.”
Axel ran his fingers over the mory stick, a slight frown on his face. Nothing’s free in this world, he thought. And without money, moving forward is damn hard.
“We’re heading out on assignnt tomorrow,” Vince said. “But we’ve booked a hotel for you and Annabelle. Stay in Everton for a few days.”
“Your original veins aren’t stable yet. They could regress at any ti. You have to start training—fast.”
“Soone will take you to Shiverstone soon.”
Hearing the na made Axel’s heart tighten with anticipation. After facing Maxen, he realized just how far behind he still was. He looked at the mory stick again.
This was the start of sothing serious.
.....
Axel had never been one to waste ti. That night, alone in the hotel room, he opened the original vein cultivation thod.
Much like the Body Forging and ditation techniques, this one was simple—stripped of any excessive jargon or convoluted theory. Clear, precise, and incredibly practical.
Whoever compiled this knew exactly what the hell they were doing,* Axel thought. They must’ve had a terrifying grasp of Awakening chanics.
“The first part’s about expansion… already done that.”
He flipped to the next section.
“The second part—consolidation.”
Detailed diagrams of the human body's internal structure appeared, with the original veins clearly labeled and color-coded. It even outlined the proper force flow paths with clean, unbroken lines.
Axel’s furrowed brow gradually eased. According to the thod, he had to guide his internal force through the original veins and weave shallow force threads along them—like spinning a delicate web.
“So that’s how it works...” Sothing clicked inside him.
It reminded him of Body Forging, but with a critical distinction. Body Forging toughened everything—muscles, bones, skin. But this? This was focused. Intentional. It strengthened only the original veins without over-reinforcing them—too much, and they’d harden, stalling future growth.
Smart. Whoever wrote this clearly thought far ahead.
He leaned back, letting out a breath. Wonder if the War Academy has sothing like this?
A few days ago, his classmates were still complaining that everything at the War Academy cost money—information, practice rooms, even basic cultivation materials.
“Progressing in the Syndicate is a hell of a lot faster…”
By the ti the sun rose again, Axel was soaked in sweat, his body aching—but the foundational webbing of his original veins had been laid.
> Stream-level veins could regenerate a tenth of your force every hour.
> River-level, a fifth.
> Flood-level, a full third.
> And Torrent-level... they could regenerate half your force in an hour.
Axel stared at the numbers with sothing close to awe.
The gap was staggering. Maybe it didn’t an much right now, when you could use Origin Stones to recharge—but in a real fight? No one's giving you ti to fish around for recharge supplies.
He sank into introspection.
> Physique: 679/681
> Force: 668/677
> Spirit: 665/680
Since leaving the City of Sin, his stats had climbed steadily. Now, he was nearly ready for the next step.
For a second-level Awakener, the main goal was to widen the original veins. Once the force couldn’t push them any further—that was the signal to begin solidifying them.
If your force surpassed 600 at that point? You could step into the ranks of third-level Awakeners.
“Good thing I’ve still got so life crystals left…”
The fourth-tier crystal he’d earned back in the City of Sin had been used while he was unconscious. The one from Maxen was only half-consud. He had a few smaller fragnts too.
Annabelle had made progress as well. Her ability now reached upper-tier, first-level. Axel had tested it himself. He gave her the crystal shards and kept half of Maxen’s for himself.
“Ti to start the combat thod training.”
With his veins stabilized and little ti before he was scheduled to leave for Shiverstone, Axel decided against returning to Dune. Fortunately, Everton had a Whisper Syndicate training base. Once he picked up the basics, he could test his techniques there.
The combat thod folder was massive. Dozens of files. Written manuals. High-res videos. The whole thing was ticulously categorized—boxing, kicking, evasive movent, weapons.
Each was divided into two levels: Basic and Advanced. A bright red warning at the top read:
> “Do not attempt advanced techniques until you’ve mastered the basics. You will only injure yourself—or worse, stall your developnt.”
Axel nodded to himself. It made sense. Vince had told him even elite mbers still practiced the fundantals.
He scrolled carefully through the options before settling on Basic Leg Techniques. In a fight, speed and footwork were life-saving.
There were twelve listed kicks—each with detailed breakdowns and slow-motion demonstrations.
He started with the whip kick.
> “Straighten your instep. Shift your center of gravity to the right leg. Use the waist and abs to drive the thigh, then snap the calf across. Visualize your body like a segnted whip—every joint is a link in the chain of impact.”
The person in the video demonstrated. The kick detonated the sandbag instantly.
“Holy shit…” Axel muttered.
According to the instructor, that he only used the first-level inferior force. And it still hit like a truck.
Axel trained for hours, pouring himself into the movents. By the end of the day, he had destroyed two sandbag posts.
The gym manager wasn’t amused.
“…Sorry,” Axel said sheepishly, retreating to his hotel room.
He had kept training daily—until his body scread for rest. One evening, he collapsed onto the bed and closed his eyes, ntally running through the forms.
Without aning to, he slipped into introspection again.
And what he saw stunned him.
Three shadows stood beside the towering ancient tree. Their faces were indistinct, blurred like unfinished sketches, but Axel recognized them imdiately—by their silhouettes, their posture, the energy they carried.
Orion.
The assassin from Sin City.
And Maxen.
They didn’t breathe. They didn’t shift. They just stood there like holographic ghosts, frozen in ti.
Axel’s gaze moved to Orion, the one on the far left. Almost instinctively, his thoughts locked onto him—and the projection responded.
Orion moved.
He stepped in with his left foot, lowered his center of gravity, twisted at the waist, and lashed out with a vicious whip kick from his right leg.
As the movent played out, key insights flooded Axel’s mind—how to shift weight, where to focus the force, when to pivot. It wasn’t just seeing the move—it was feeling it. Like muscle mory he hadn’t earned. For a mont, Axel stood there stunned.
Then the realization hit him. This… this is from the life crystals. Holy shit.
All three of them—Orion, the Sin City assassin, and Maxen—had been absorbed into his crystals. Their life energy, their combat experience, all of it had beco fuel for Axel’s developnt. If their level was high enough, their skills transferred.
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