Chapter 12: Mastery of Mana Techniques

During their disadvantage, what they didn't know was that Jayven was also having a problem of his own.

'Shit, I forgot that I activated my skill. How much mana did I use again? Hopefully, its effect won't last long.'

As he was having that thought in his mind, he also realized his growth was also something else.

'I really have gotten stronger, huh? If it were me from before, then I wouldn't be able to do this.'

Gradually, his attacks became more precise and controlled. Mana techniques are now included in all of his attacks.

The way he deflects their weapons with his knife and how he counterattacks by punching, kicking, stabbing, and cutting them

Jayven's attack was so precise and decisive that even as they attacked together, they would only hit him when he was blocking or just accidentally hit their allies.

Although different from regular execution, he made iterations of the mana technique that could be used in many ways.

After all, as long as anyone can execute it, it will still be considered a mana technique due to the successful usage of mana.

And this is normal since this is also what most people do. Especially those who can't afford higher-ranking mana techniques.

Which also means that Jayven is breaking the 20% increase and is gradually rising to a new height.

'I can feel it; I am almost there. I can break the limit I haven't reached.'

He was suddenly feeling confident, as he was almost reaching heights he couldn't reach before.

Almost there, almost there, he kept on pummeling his enemies, pushing through his limits until.

BAM! Then, out of nowhere, he was hit by a sudden attack and was knocked away.

"Tch, How useless can you guys get? He you are only using a basic mana technique, how can you guys be defeated so easily?"

"Sorry sir."

"We will do better."

"Don't worry, boss, we can take him down."

"Dont worry? You guys can't even beat a single kid, and you're saying, Don't worry. Just shut up and hold the kid down. Let me torture him first before we kill him."

Hearing that, they rushed at Jayven and hurriedly held him up for their leader to see.

"I was planning to beat you up and take your stuff afterwards, but you ruffled up my boys, so to return the favor, blood has to be spilt, and it's yours."

Hearing that Jayven tried to struggle out of his constraints, he wasn't able to; he was held down, not to mention he wasn't able to break his skill's effect.

"Take this. Then Jayven was continuously attacked. This is just the beginning, kid. I'll slowly increase my strength until you yell in pain as I finish you off with my D rank mana technique."

Hearing that, a realization came to Jayven's mind. So that's why it was strong; the attack has an additional 200% in attack damage so of course it would be stronger.

He felt weak as the attacks continued to hit him. He felt numb as the attacks continued.

"Weak, pathetic. This is what you get, brat!"

As the attack kept on going, the stronger the blow he received. But his words triggered a memory for Jayven.

He thought of the time when he was growing up in the orphanage and was happy until tragedy struck.

He was forced to move with the group of kids. Only to be moved again, and again until they were separated. And he arrived here in this city.

His life was full of discrimination and pain. Not only is he bullied, but others also ostracize him for not wanting to be involved due to his bloodline, which can be seen from the feature of his red left eye.

And when he thought he was free after moving out of the orphanage, he was hit by despair, knowing his future was bleak, but he still didn't give up.

And when he enrolled in a school, he was full of hope. But he was washed in despair as that place also became a place of danger for him.

He almost didn't go to school, but he still stood up and believed in himself. And now here he is being cornered by these guys who feel that they are superior to others.

But what is the difference between this and my past? This question suddenly sparked his mind.

'That's right, nothing. I got up in that hell hole; what difference is it now?'

With his eyes filled with determination, he broke the shackles that surrounded him.

'That's right. No matter what, I am not going down.'

Seeing as the enemy was about to attack, he swiftly shifted his body for the other guy holding him to take that hit.

Surprised by what happened, the enemy boss wasn't able to react as he punched one of his men.

Not letting the chance go, Jayven swiftly kicked the enemy boss' stomach, sending him flying.

He then followed it up with an attack that knocked the other person holding him down. But he dodged, not wanting to hit.

Seeing this, the others also followed up with their own attack. But not wanting them near him, Jayven made a rushed decision.

Since the other guy was not letting go, he lifted him up and used him to smack the other group, making them fly away.

Jayven did not give them a chance to stand up; he gave them a another attack before they could stand up and slammed them down with the body of their ally a second time.

"You bastard, you will pay for this!"

The enemy boss then told him this as he stood up, throwing a bottle to the side. And looking up close, this is definitely a health potion.

"Die! He roared as he used another mana technique."

But knowing the danger it posed, Jayven distanced himself from the enemy.

"Get back here, you coward!" Not heeding his words, Jayven took some distance, analyzing his movement.

And when an opening arrived, he attacked back by kicking his feet, which broke his stance and made him fall headfirst.

'As I suspected, he was so focused on executing the attack that he couldn't incorporate it in a creative way. I almost thought he was at the mana user stage with the damage he gave me.'

"You bastard, you won't get away with this; you will pay! Do you even know who my brother is?"

"I don't know, and I don't care." He then continued to punch him like he had before.

"Stop, stop, please!" As the attack continued, the guy was pleading with him, and not long after, he stopped when he was down and stopped moving.

"Haaaaa, this is painful." He said that as the pain suddenly coursed through him, he felt relaxed.

Walking away, he went to get his stuff, but then.

"Bastard!"

Out of nowhere, a yell came from the back, and the man he thought had already fainted stood up with a knife in hand. Not being able to act fast, the knife stabbed at the gap in his armor.

"Die you bastard, Die ahahahahaha!" Like a madman, he held on to Jayven as the knife was being twisted in his hands.

But before he could twist it even further, Jayven blocked all his senses. Following that were a series of attacks, but this time Jayven attacked and didn't stop till the guy lost strength, pulling out the knife.

"AAAAHHHHHHHhhhh!"

At the exact moment the thunder roared, Jayven screamed as the pain was unbearable.

Following that was the rain showering on them, and like a puppet losing his strings, Jayven fell down and fainted.

--------The next day------

Jayven woke up on the cold, hard ground with the light of dawn as the sign for him to awaken.

He was in a daze as the sky slowly turned brighter, and then it hit him that he was in the forest.

"Ah! huff-huff." Breathing hard, he was at a loss. He stood up to look around and noticed that the number of people around him was the same as before.

'Woah, what happened here?' He was confused as he looked around, and then a question came to mind.

"Why am I still alive? Also, why am I wet?" He was at a loss for what happened, not knowing that a strong downpour of rain occurred, washing away the smell of blood and saving them from being targeted by monsters.

It didn't take long for him to understand his situation, so he stood up and looked at the group that attacked him last time.

"To think I would fall asleep for a very long time was a miracle I was still alive, or maybe thanks to my recovery trait. For starters, let's loot these guys."

With that in mind, he started to get close to a few people, and when he got close, his mind went blank.

Because as he went closer, he noticed that the man has no life; this person is the same guy who tried to kill him, and now he is dead.

He couldn't calm down and looked at the other guys, and there he noticed that they were also lifeless corpses.