Chapter 40 – Mastery Through Repetition

(Alden's POV)

Mastery wasn't about flashy breakthroughs. It was about repetition—boring, tedious, mind-numbing repetition.

And if Alden wanted to master Telekinesis, he had to treat it like breathing. Not just some ability he pulled out in fights, but something integrated into his daily life.

Which was why, at the crack of dawn, he sat cross-legged in his dorm, a coin wobbling midair in front of him.

It wasn't as easy as it looked. Keeping it still required focus. Precision. Control.

He exhaled slowly, smoothing out the tiny tremors in its movement. Then, pushing further, he tried making it spin.

The first few seconds were rough—jerky, inconsistent. But then, the motion evened out.

"Not bad," Kurenai muttered in his mind. "For a beginner."

Shiranui hummed. "At least he's trying."

Alden smirked. "Didn't ask for a commentary, thanks."

Still, they weren't wrong. Lifting a coin was one thing. Using Telekinesis in battle? Whole different beast.

Time to step it up.

He added a second coin. Then a third. His mind strained, but he kept them all balanced. After ten minutes, sweat beaded on his forehead.

Then, he let them drop.

---

Training didn't stop there.

Instead of lifting weights with his hands, he made them hover while he did push-ups beneath them.

Instead of pouring his tea manually, he controlled the kettle midair, pouring precisely.

Even walking down the hallway, he floated a book beside him, flipping through pages effortlessly.

Naturally, this got attention.

Students whispered.

"Wait, isn't that Telekinesis?"

"That's super hard to control."

"I thought he had no affinity?"

Alden ignored them.

---

Later, in the cafeteria, he kept pushing his limits.

No hands. Just pure control.

His fork floated, scooping food to his mouth. His cup lifted, tilting just enough to sip. Every movement precise.

Alicia, a few tables away, raised an eyebrow. Leon glanced over and smirked.

"Show-off."

Alden kept eating.

Kurenai sighed. "Ridiculous."

"At least he's improving," Shiranui chuckled.

---

A week later, his control had improved. He could now:

Lift multiple objects at once.

Move them smoothly without sudden jerks.

Maintain focus longer.

But all that meant nothing if he couldn't use it in combat.

Which was why he stood alone at the training grounds before sunrise, five daggers lined up in front of him.

"If I can control these properly in battle, I'll have an edge."

The goal was simple—lift all five at once and hit a moving target.

He exhaled, activating Telekinesis.

The first dagger lifted easily. The second followed. By the third, he felt strain. The fourth wobbled. The fifth? Didn't even budge.

"Tch… still not enough."

Pushing forward, he launched them at a training dummy.

Two hit. The rest missed.

"Precision needs work."

Kurenai hummed. "Start small. Use one in battle first."

Shiranui added, "More practice."

Alden sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I got it."

---

Later in class, he decided to… test something.

Sitting in the back, he casually hovered a pencil from a desk two rows ahead.

The student didn't notice.

He made it float in front of their face, then placed it back.

The student blinked, confused. "What the—?"

Leon shot Alden a look. "I know that was you."

Alden smirked. "No proof."

Alicia, reading nearby, chuckled. "Childish."

But even she seemed impressed.

---

That evening, Alden challenged a random student to a duel.

"I won't use my sword. Just Telekinesis."

The opponent, a D-rank swordsman, smirked. "No weapon? You sure?"

Alden raised a hand. The duel began.

A dagger floated in front of him, ready.

His opponent rushed in. Alden flicked his mind—sent the dagger at his opponent's leg.

The swordsman barely dodged.

"Still too slow."

The opponent closed in, blade swinging. Alden yanked the dagger back, intercepting the strike just in time.

The duel lasted three minutes before Alden had to concede—his control wasn't refined enough yet.

---

That night, he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Progress was good. But not enough.

To truly use Telekinesis in battle, he needed:

1. Faster control over moving objects.

2. Stronger mental endurance.

3. More experience using it under pressure.

"…Guess I'll start lifting heavier things tomorrow."

Kurenai sighed. "You're ridiculous."

Shiranui yawned. "At least you're determined."

Alden smirked.

"One step at a time."