Chapter 18: The Breakthrough and Ghost Forest

It was night, and the moon shone its light upon me as I trained diligently with the Supreme Warrior Scripture. The 36 Warrior Fighting Technique was executed repeatedly as I pushed my body to its limits.

Two months had passed since I defeated Anna, but I didn't allow it to consume my mind. While I may have won that fight, in a real battle, I knew I would be the one guaranteed to lose. So, even after my victory, I continued to train relentlessly, never slackening my efforts.

As I practiced, I didn't stop my movements, even though my body felt tired and heavy. Graduation day was nearing, and I needed to advance as fast as possible. Entering the 3rd chapter of the scripture would officially make me a 1-star warrior, and the thought of it filled me with excitement.

After two months of intense practice, I could now execute eight repetitive cycles of the 36 Warrior Fighting Technique. Just one more cycle, and I would be ready to advance.

I executed each move meticulously, synchronizing my breathing with every action. My hands, legs, torso, and even my head moved in perfect harmony. Every part of my body twitched as I pushed myself to the limit, but I ignored the fatigue. Advancing to 1 star was my top priority in that moment.

After a few minutes of intense training, I finally completed the last movement, pushing myself to the brink. "Arrgh!" I let out a scream as the final movement was executed, and then it happened.

Normally, after finishing my training, my body would be so exhausted that I couldn't even move. On a typical day, I would have to rest for 30 minutes just to be able to stand up. But this time, it would be different.

As I completed the ninth cycle, my body seemed to transform into a black hole, absorbing the surrounding mana. I could feel the mana entering me, forming a round object—a star. Condensing this star was how warriors advanced on their path.

The process of star formation in a warrior's body differed from that of a mage. Warriors trained their bodies, and the star condensed within their meridians.

I waited a few minutes for the star within me to fully form. During this time, I immersed myself in the experience, trying to feel the surrounding mana. Unlike ordinary people, I could only directly feel the mana during my breakthroughs. My lack of a mana core restricted me from doing what others could, but I embraced my unique path without lamenting my limitations.

Finally, after a few minutes, the star condensation was complete. I was now officially a 1-star warrior.

Standing up, I tested my newly breakthrough strength. My body felt light, and when I threw a punch, the power it generated shocked me. By my estimation, my normal punch could shatter a 1kg stone.

"Impressive," I couldn't help but voice my inner thoughts. This was only the strength of a 1-star warrior. What unimaginable stage would my physical strength reach when I reached 9 stars?

*****

"William, what happened to you today? You look different," Sarah asked when we met in the library, as usual.

"Of course. Something great happened to me yesterday," I replied, a wide smile spreading across my face. It truly was a remarkable occurrence for me.

Last night, I continued to test myself after my breakthrough until late into the night. Surprisingly, I didn't feel too tired, even after all the tests I had conducted. Perhaps my body constitution had changed after the breakthrough, making me less fatigued than the average person.

"Okay, I don't know what happened to you yesterday, but did you listen to what I was talking about?" Sarah asked, wearing a questioning look.

Of course, I had listened to her. She had mentioned that since the graduation test was in two weeks, she wanted to gather everyone on our team and conduct a training exercise.

Though it had been two months since our team was formed, we had practiced very little. Thomas preferred to train alone, and Anna had suddenly been occupied with a personal matter, causing her to be absent for a while.

Starting tomorrow, we had a week-long holiday, and Sarah thought it would be a perfect opportunity for us to train together.

"I did hear you, but where are you planning to go?" I inquired, as we hadn't discussed this yet.

"Hehe. I knew you would ask. Thanks to my father's connections, I managed to secure a location for us," she said with a smug expression, and then continued, "It's the Ghost Forest."

Her words sent a shock through me. Unexpectedly, it was the Ghost Forest that she had chosen.