Reincarnated as a Genius Mage

It's been two days since George and I made that unstable plan to build up the troops' soldiers' morale.

Each morning I wake up, I don't eat, I just train until evening, then I eat.

George couldn't keep up with my pace. Hell, he even called me a machine for being able to go a whole day without feeling hunger.

Honestly, I worked hard to attain this absurd ability to tame hunger. Just thinking about those days I suffered back in K's house makes my blood boil.

Forget about it.

But still, George tries his best to train with me everyday. Including Jeriq too. The guy never leaves my side and is always with me, the only times he ever leaves me alone is when he's eating or when I'm going to my tent.

It's..

I let out a soft sigh.

I'm sitting with crossed legs. The shirt of my red uniform lies just beside me, on top of my folded robe, next to my Chakram.

I'm bare chested.

The morning rays sprinkle on my body, and I endure the heat.

My circles within me, they revolve around my heart. They're fiery red, forged from the flames of eternity.

The first circle is filled up; half of the mana in it is flame mana, and the other half is air mana. The second circle isn't filled up, the total amount of mana in it isn't even up to half, but it's almost there, a perfect mixture of flame and wind mana.

I wonder when I'd be able to learn both water and earth breathing.

I shake my head.

No. I should focus on these two first. It's not time yet.

I'm still taking in pure mana from my surroundings, breathing it in through my nose, toward my lungs, and I use my flame breathing technique to turn it to the flame element. Then after that, I'll turn the next set of pure mana I breathe into the air element using the air breathing technique. I keep switching them, one after the other.

But I have to do it like this, to fill up my second circle immediately, and find a way to get the enlightenment needed to advance to the third circle. I don't need the body training part because I've done enough of that.

And there's something I've been thinking of trying..

I open my eyes.

Wind flutters, blowing calmly against my eyes.

I stand up immediately, and I crouch into a combat stance.

I take my right foot forward, and my left foot backward. I raise my right palm up right in front of my face, and I take my left palm to my left waist angle.

This is a stance in Fiery Discord. The martial arts of the Flameworths that I'm not supposed to use in front of George.

There's something about this martial art.

It's always used with flames or flame mana; to disfigure core parts of the opponent's body. So it requires one to be able to harness and harbor killing intent, to control intent and to feel intent. It's not too hard.

Then, I'm curious, can I use this same martial arts, but without flames, but wind?

"I'm sure it's doable." I whisper.

I close my eyes, and I channel the air mana in my first circle to move through my mana pathway, and it circulates; heading toward my two arms.

The palms immediately coat with air mana. As it's manifested physically on my body, it's a hue of green light.

I withdraw my right hand immediately, dragging my right foot back, taking my left foot forward, and in the same motion pushing my air mana coated left palm on the air.

Whoosh!

It's like my palm touches the air itself. It slips through my fingers, and wraps around my palm. It's warm, tender, and.. I don't know how to describe this feeling.

There's something that makes air mana different from flame mana.

It's what they call 'resonance.' to wield and control air itself, your air mana has to resonate with the air in the surrounding. It'll feel like your air mana is working like a magnet, drawing air to it.

That's exactly what I'm doing now.

My first circle alone spins, distributing more air mana through my pathway to my arms. As my palms coat with more air mana, they turn completely green, and I feel that pulse inside my heart. The resonance.

The air in the training ground gathers around me, twirling with vile ferocity. Then the twirling air gradually reduces as they find their way to my air mana coated palms, and they coat my arms completely with air.

The air coats my entire palms, twirling around my palms with cool, yet warm speed.

My heartbeat mellows into this calm moment, beating rhythmically as I move my legs.

When they're coated with fire, I only feel the need to destroy something or someone. I only ever coat my palms with fire when I need to fight.

Now, I possess no killing intent, my heart keeps beating at a steady rate, my eyes are closed, and the calm breeze blows against me as I take my two palms toward my face with my two legs straight. I pause just before the air coated palms reach my face, then I take my left foot forward, and I push my right air coated palms forward, and the air in front of it flutters.

I clench my right fist, and my entire right fist coats with air, and I give a one inch punch in the air.

It's like air moves from my fists directly, pushing forward a gust of wind.

My eyes flutter open, widening as my face lights up with a smile.

Wind step.

I jump up, and I use it again..

Wind step.

My feet touch the air itself as I leap, and I don't land.

Wind step.

My feet touch the air again.

Wind step.

Wind step.

Wind step.

It's like I'm running on air, my leg keeps touching the air, not allowing me to fall.

On the air, I practice the footwork of the Fiery Discord while maintaining the wind step with every single move.

The moment I take a large breath of air into my lungs, I drag my hands left, right, and the air seems to dance along with my hands, then I wrap the air around my hands; a green gust slowly forms the shape of a large basketball that I push forward.

Finally I land softly on the ground.

My toes touch the rocky ground, but I do not feel any pain.

I look up to see the dummies that got destroyed by that ball of air.

"What did I just do? Can.. can that even be called Fiery Discord anymore?" I whisper as I sit on the ground immediately.

"Windy Discord? Pfft. No."

But what even led me to do that? I.. it felt like I wasn't myself..

"It was beautiful.. the feeling of the air. It's different from the harsh flames. Now I wonder, can I use air mana as force too? Can I enforce it on my Chakram? So much to check out."

But..

I hear sounds of incoming footsteps.

It's close. Very close. It means that person has been there since and didn't move until now, and it also means that person is capable of hiding their presence to a certain degree, or I was just too focused on the training.

"You never cease to amaze me." The voice rings out.

My lips widen with a cheeky smirk. "Did you see all that, Jeriq?"

Jeriq is dressed in his red uniform, he just walks calmly with his spear on his left hand. "I came to tell you the soldiers in our troop Captain George said to pay special attention to. But, instead, I think I might have just gained enlightenment."

He walks toward the sandy part of the training ground, and he plants his spear there.

I just watch him calmly.

"Before I tell you the names of the soldiers. Blank, please, spar with me using that technique of yours. I think if you do, I'd.. I'd be able to break into the fourth core!"

I adjust my mask that scratches on my cheeks as I stand up slowly and walk toward him.

"Sure. Come at me."