Iri initially studied Raiden with a bit of suspicion, observing his intentions closely. However, as she continued to watch him, she began to understand his approach better.

Raiden was known for his pragmatic nature; he only invested time and energy into activities that were purposeful and efficient. For him, continuing the match after achieving his goal would be a waste of time, as it no longer served any practical purpose or contributed to his objectives. This mindset reflected his preference for efficiency and effectiveness in all he did.

Eventually, Iri let out a sigh, recognizing that Raiden’s focus on achieving his goal and then moving on was consistent with his character. She came to accept that his approach was simply a reflection of his logical and goal-oriented nature.

"Hehehe, one more step..." Raiden thought. "I want to check if I can use this with a weapon."

All of a sudden, Raiden had an idea... he wondered why never thought about that before... enhancing his weapon with Aura Force . It was a basic concept, but it had some flaws.

By applying Aura Force to a weapon, its impact and overall damage potential are significantly amplified. This enhancement allows the weapon to deal more damage to opponents, making it more effective in combat situations.

The application of Aura Force can make a weapon more versatile. For example, it could increase the weapon’s ability to break through armor or defenses, or even provide additional effects like shockwaves or blasts, expanding its functionality beyond simple physical strikes.

Enhancing a weapon with Aura Force typically requires a significant amount of energy. This can lead to rapid depletion of resources, potentially leaving Raiden vulnerable if he exhausts his supply too quickly or if the enhancement needs to be sustained over prolonged periods.

Relying too heavily on Aura Force -enhanced weapons might limit Raiden’s ability to adapt to situations where such enhancements are not available or effective. It could potentially make him less versatile in combat scenarios where different tactics or tools are required.

Those were all true... it felt like using his own power to improve a weapon would be better, but with Aura Force , the effects would be two times more effective.

Raiden - Lv 29 (0/2900)

HP: 540/540

MP: 2640/2640

STA: 490/490 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Strength: 109

Vitality: 54

Endurance: 49

Magic: 49

Spirit: 264

Wisdom: 54

Dexterity: 100

Quickness: 60

Perception: 54

Fortune: 133.200

Skills: Money is Power (MAX), Lightning Stance Lv 23, Sensory Surge Lv 20

Magic:

Passive: Pickpocketing Lv 01, Sword Mastery Lv 01, Spear Mastery Lv 28, Alchemy Lv 15, Martial Arts Lv 01, Aura Force Lv 48, Force Disrupted Lv 21

In any case, Raiden all of a sudden increased the level of Aura Force Disrupted, and all of a sudden as well, his energy reserves skyrocketed. He felt his body getting a bit hotter like he was alive and full of energy like never before.

"I achieved my goal, but how I can test the technique with a weapon on someone?" Raiden thought.

That could only be done in combat... or with a weapon that didn’t have a blade or point. While he was thinking about all that, Raiden missed a lot of sparring matches the other instructors showed off. They tried to look cool in front of the trainees since they were pretty young as well, so the trainees obtained a lot of knowledge.

"So, is your technique as good as planned?" Iri asked when they began to head to the inn.

"It is, but I want to test if it can be used with a weapon," Raiden replied. "Train with me a bit more."

"All right, I want to find a counter to that as well," Iri said after nodding. "No telling what will happen once the knowledge of Aura Force becomes widespread. Better be ready for anything."

Raiden and Iri dedicated some time to training with staves after lunch, experimenting with their techniques. Raiden was eager to test his idea of applying Aura Force to his weapon, believing it could significantly boost its effectiveness, but that would have to wait. After rigorous practice, Raiden confirmed that he could indeed apply his new technique to a weapon.

However, he soon discovered a notable drawback. The effects were only about half as potent as he had anticipated. This reduction in effectiveness puzzled him initially, but he soon speculated that the issue stemmed from the nature of Aura Force itself. Force, as an energy, was more suited to organic things, living entities like creatures and plants, where it could resonate more naturally. Since a weapon was an inanimate object and not alive, it did not interact with the Aura Force in the same way, leading to a decreased impact.

"What an annoying technique... it makes my energy be depleted annoyingly fast," Iri said with a frown on her face.

"Well, it worked, thanks," Raiden said. "Now, onto the next step."

Iri’s mouth hung open in astonishment as she observed Raiden’s actions. Despite their rigorous training session with the staves, it was clear that Raiden was already poised to develop a new technique. His ability to quickly adapt and keep going was impressive. However, Iri couldn’t help but feel a mix of admiration and disbelief.

She had expected Raiden to approach his training with his usual diligence, focusing on mastering the fundamentals and refining his skills. Instead, his rapid shift to exploring new techniques and pushing the boundaries of what was possible gave him an almost obsessive edge. To her, it seemed that Raiden’s enthusiasm for battle and innovation bordered on being a battle freak rather than merely a disciplined practitioner.

Iri’s initial hope was to see Raiden’s dedication channeled into steady improvement and strategic growth. While his fervor was undoubtedly impressive, it also made Iri question whether his focus was as balanced as she had hoped.

"You know that you need to practice with the technique to make it stronger, right?" Iri asked.

"Hmm? Yeah, of course," Raiden said.

He didn’t seem convinced at all... Iri felt like Raiden had forgotten that sharpening skills and techniques was a thing. Still, while he said that, Raiden spent the rest of the day meditating and considering what path should be the next... he already had speed, perception, and manipulation. He had three options left and not a single thing to help him decide what would be the best option.

"Since developing a passive skill was pretty interesting and effective, perhaps I should do the same with the other paths... having great reserves of energy was never a bad thing," Raiden thought.

Raiden’s eyes sparkled with renewed energy as he contemplated the next steps in his training. He realized that by increasing his energy reserves, he would not only enhance his skills but also feel a surge of vitality and purpose. This information fueled his decision to apply the same intense focus to the healing path, defense path, and strength path.

The healing path caught his attention with a particularly possible intriguing passive skill. The potential benefits of this skill were too promising to ignore, and Raiden’s mind buzzed with ideas on how to develop a technique that could fully leverage its capabilities. He was eager to brainstorm innovative ways to integrate this passive skill into his combat repertoire and elevate his overall effectiveness.

To reach his goal, Raiden would have to devise a comprehensive training plan. He envisioned a regimen that combined rigorous physical conditioning with targeted exercises for that path. His approach would involve experimenting with various healing methods.

"This is a lot more fun than I had expected," Raiden thought while grinning. "It feels like... ugh... where I can... ugh... develop my own... damn it. This headache never gets any weaker."

It seemed that increasing his MP wouldn’t be enough to make his brain stronger. Raiden increased all of his parameters in the last two years, but the headache was as annoying as ever.

In any case, Raiden asked for some tips from Iri about the Healing path and she taught him a lot with a smile on her face. She didn’t mind not being the one of the few people that could do that... she wasn’t that narrow-minded, or she just enjoyed the fact that Raiden was relying on her.

"This is a bit more difficult because it requires some study as well, but you learned how to read in a few months, so that should be easy," Iri said.

Instead of heading straight to the practice, Iri decided to delve into the intricacies of natural healing. She began explaining how the body naturally mends from injuries, detailing the complex process of skin regeneration and wound closure. Her explanation covered the essentials: how damaged skin parts are replaced and how the body replicates tissues to heal wounds. She emphasized the complexity of these biological processes, repeatedly asking Raiden if he understood her.

Despite the technical nature of her explanations, Raiden seemed to grasp the concepts with relative ease. Although he had never formally studied the details of biological healing, the principles Iri described appeared intuitively clear to him. The idea that the body could repair itself by replicating damaged tissues and closing wounds made logical sense, even if he had no prior knowledge of the specifics.