Coming out of the bathroom, Joel was stunned when he saw how muscular his frail body had become, he felt he could slap his former self to death now.
Enough of admiring myself, let me see if the attribute works as it says. And I know the best way to do that, he said as he went out of his room, searching for Lily. According to what he knew, Lily had an affinity for water, one of the four common elements.
Joel, what happened to you overnight? You look different, your body does not look frail anymore, and your skin looks very smooth, Lily said while sorting the clothes in her closet. I awakened an affinity overnight and successfully advanced to the awakening realm. As he said this, he hugged her, using the moment to copy her affinity for water.
Let me see your affinity crest, she said, believing he was just being delusional. Wow, you really did awaken an affinity, and it was even for the water element. Although he awakened his affinity at home, it was not unheard of, albeit rare. The only thing she found unsettling was the colour of his crest. Why is your crest red, and not one of the conventional colours?
I don't know, it just appeared when I awakened my affinity, Joel said while wondering what happened to his crest. In this world, talent affinity was divided into 5 grades, each showing how high the affinity was. There was low tier(dull grey), mid tier(deep blue), high tier(bright green), genius tier(radiant gold), and divine tier(prismatic white), each grade symbolised the potential of the mage. The red grade was unheard of on the Twilight Empire, or more precisely, the entire continent.
You need to cover it, I don't want those crazy researchers using you as a lab rat, Lily said to Joel while rummaging through her clothes in search of a glove. She brought out a blue glovelette and handed it to him.
He wore it over his right hand and clenched his fists, showing the flexibility. Thank you, sister Lily, he said with a beautiful smile.
Sister Lily, do you think the Grand Mage Academy would accept me? Joel asked. I don't know, it depends on how well you do in the entrance exam. The Grand Mage Academy was the leading mage school in the Twilight Kingdom and also on the continent. It was second only to the Zephyron clan when the clan was at its peak, and one of the reasons why it was respected was that anyone could get enrolled as long as the entrance exam was passed, and status was nothing.
Let me go and start practising, Joel said, ready to practice his combat techniques. Wait, aren't you going to eat? Lily shouted from behind, but Joel didn't respond as he sprinted out of the house, heading for the forest on the outskirts.
After running for over 30 minutes, he finally reached the place he was going. This should be good enough, he said as he sat on a rock on the side to catch his breath.
I told her I wanted to practice, but I don't even know what to do, Joel said while looking around. At the awakening stage, I can only strengthen my body with the element.
I should practise my weapon art in the morning and cultivate in the evening. I would have loved to use a sword like my dad and my brother, but I don't want them to see me as a copycat when I see them, so I will use a spear.
He picked up a long branch on the floor, and sharpened it with a rock on the floor, giving It a pointed tip.
That was how his life went in the years that followed, weapon training, cultivation and eating.