The Power To Stay Hidden

Caxon first went to the tavern to get a room. He ended up reserving a room for 2 weeks for 2 silvers before he walked back outside and explored the town.

After continuously walking around the town and watching those who enter and leave the village for a few days Caxon had come to a few conclusions.

First, he realized that most people in the village had a mana core however almost all of them were still at the Hollow core and even low ranks.

He also found out that the reason for this was because it wasn't necessary for these people to have mana cores. They would have to spend time and possibly money to get the supplies needed to improve their mana core and their jobs simply didn't require this.

Caxon also noticed that he could sense the mana cores on some of the people that went through the village. In every one of these cases the people did not stop anywhere and continued walking to where they were going, the guards also treated these people with a lot of respect.

After asking Amon why he couldn't sense their mana cores Amon explained what would become Caxon's most important ability.

'Well in this case their natural mana is simply too dense for your weak mana core to get through so you can't sense their core at all, however if you pay attention, you can tell they are definitely a mage by looking around them instead. In the future however if you can't sense someone's mana core, they may be hiding it and you should be careful because it means they either have the talent to completely stop their mana or they are much more powerful then you.'

Caxon stop walking in the middle of the road.

'Wait you are saying that it is possible to hide your mana core?'

Caxon instantly started going back to the tavern before Amon could even confirm that's what he said. When Caxon got into his room he shut the door and locked it before sitting on his bed and sitting cross-legged preparing to meditate.

'You must teach me how to hide my mana core so others won't think that I am a genius. I will be able to keep my outer appearance as an average child while really being able to fight back whenever needed it is perfect!'

Caxon was delighted by the news but he quickly calmed his nerves as they knew he would need to concentrate for this to work.

'Master this will be challenging and I won't be able to guide you much but I will tell you the basics. If you pay attention to your mana core you will notice that is swirls around while producing more mana. You must completely stop the mana in your core from moving so that now one will be able to see your mana core. This will work as long as you don't use too much mana which will force your core to start working and your strength will be revealed.'

'Then how will I be able to make it so that my mana core looks like it is a lower tier then it actually is?'

Amon seemed to hesitate before he simply stated what was on his mind.

'Master while this should be possible, I have never seen it done. You would have to maintain the mana in your core to swirl in a different way than what it natural wants to slowing it down and purposefully letting the exact amount of mana that naturally escapes your body go. The control it would take to accomplish this … it is not something that would be difficult for someone who has trained their entire life with an extremely powerful core.'

'I understand Amon thank you but this is something that I must do no matter what. I have already realized that my talents are much higher than average as I have heard people complain about how learning one element is hard while I can already partially use 4. There is no doubt I am a genius and I am sure that is why I was chosen to reincarnate. I am not stupid enough to think that I am anymore talented then the participants as I am sure they are all have monstrous talents. This technique is the only think that will keep me hidden. The only reliable sign of being a participant is being incredibly strong. The more I can hide my strength the better my chances of survival. Now I need you to constantly use your sense on me and tell me what you see my strength at.'

With that Caxon sat down and started to feel the mana moving around in his core.

One-week Later Caxon was sitting perfectly still in his bed.

'Now what do you sense from my body.'

Amon kneeled in front of Caxon with his head down.

'I feel nothing, congratulations young master you are the only 16-year-old I have ever heard about that can use the mana void technique. I was a platinum core when I learned it and it took me a month very well done.'

Caxon sighed in relief as he stopped the technique while it wasn't as tiring to sustain it once he stopped his mana it still was a distraction and unnecessary right now so he stopped. Caxon thought back to his progress over the last week, the biggest help was how pure his mana was. The mana had no impurities which made it feel like it was ready to be shaped in any way he needed. While this made the process much easier it still took him a week to hide his mana core, he had also learned that he had more ability to use mana than he thought he would. Caxon thought about the memory the original Caxon had left telling him to take the more difficult path for better rewards in the future and thank him in his heart.

However, Caxon's job was not done this was the last night that he had rented from the tavern so he went downstairs and used the rest of his silver to book the room for as long as he could. He then went outside and sat on a bench in the shade where he closed his eyes seemingly taking a nap.

The truth was he was hard at work memorizing exactly how much mana each core level let out, he also told Amon to do the same. The two spent roughly 3 days sitting outside during the day and discussing their findings at night.

On the fourth day Caxon did not leave his room he stayed inside and started trying to mimic the power of every mana core below him.