The Aura Ascendant: A Knight's Unbroken Path

The Fengchi Point was essentially at the junction of the neck and skull, just behind his earlobes and towards the top of his neck…

It may not be the Baihui point, but it was also quite a lethal move…

As a matter of fact, with his Ocularis Lens, this pressure point could be more deadly in combination with other pressure points.

CRUNCH.

Dren's knees buckled as soon as he was hit in this spot…

'What? How did I---' He couldn't understand how he just lost his strength. It happened too quickly!

The moment he realized that Van used some sort of mind technique on him, he already felt weak and was about to fall down!

Just like that, his aura was suppressed, and he collapsed face-first into the dirt.

Then, Van looked at Shania and the Count. There was no need to announce the winner of the quick duel.

Shania's face flushed as she looked at Dren...

She knew that Dren wasn't weak. The man was even capable of fighting against genuine Aura Knights of the kingdom…

However, the fact that he was defeated fair and square by a young boy almost half his size, she just couldn't believe it.

"Y-You, how did you--!"

In the meantime, Julia was elated as soon as she saw that Van won once again…

"You can cry… It's fine…" Julia said as she looked at Shania triumphantly.

The Count, on the other hand, looked very serious now.

He didn't expect that the child who looked so weak in front of his eyes was capable of doing such tricks.

"This changes nothing. Your slave got lucky." He said. But his eyes lingered on Van.

Butler Judge then cleared his throat.

"I believe that concludes our unscheduled entertainment. Unless you'd like to test another?" His gaze flicked to Xiel, who stood like a specter at Julia's side.

The Count grabbed Shania's shoulder, steering her back to the carriage. "We're done here."

As their carriage vanished down the road, Julia grinned at Van.

"You were amazing!"

Julia was excited as she was already thinking about what to reward him. Although he was simply a slave, they had already together for about three years, and she believed that Van had been a very loyal servant.

As a noble master, she must reward her servants when they do good or exceed their expectations for them.

On the other hand, Van said nothing.

After all, his Lens had caught the Count's parting glance, and with his Lens' sensitivity to such actions, it immediately started assessing the Count's threat level.

'Well, I'll be going to the Magic Academy with Julia… I should be safe there.' He mused.

***

Days quickly passed after the Count visited their Manor.

At this time, the Farrell carriage moved toward the Rukh Tower. It was Archmage Farrell's personal Mage Tower and the academy where Julia would begin her formal magical education.

The journey had taken half a day, passing through a couple of city's bustling streets before ascending the steep roads leading to the Tower's base.

Julia pressed her face against the carriage window as she clasped her hands.

It was cold. Her breath was even fogging the glass as she took in the sight.

"It's even bigger than I remember!" she gasped.

Van, seated across from her and remained silent, but once again, his Ocularis Lens was already analyzing the structure. As a matter of fact, he already learned some information about the Tower thanks to the Butler.

'That's only six floors?' Van mused as he realized that despite having only six floors, this Mage Tower was still a bit too tall. It should be equal to about 20 floors in his previous life.

In any case, the Rukh Tower, according to the Butler, was a Mage Tower personally designed by Archmage Farrel, but it was built with the Kingdom's resources.

Apparently, the Royal Family was the only one allowed to construct a Mage Tower… Indeed, they were the sole contractor for any Mage Tower built. It was their business, and it also strengthened their relationship with all the Magicians in the Phyrexia Kingdom.

At this time, his Lens showed the information he had obtained so far.

Well, certain Floors only allowed a specific level of Mages.

1st & 2nd Floors: Apprentice Mages ( Zero-Circle Mages )

3rd Floor: First-Circle Mages

4th Floor: Second-Circle Mages

5th Floor: Third-Circle Mages and above

6th Floor: Tower Master's Private Sanctum ( Restricted Access )

Sarah, the dutiful attendant, adjusted Julia's cloak.

"You'll be the youngest there, my lady. But also the strongest." She said with a smile.

Xiel, leaning against the carriage wall with his arms crossed, said nothing. Although he had already gotten used to his task as a slave, he was still unable to chat so comfortably as Sarah.

Then, his eyes focused on the Tower's entrance—where a group of robed Magicians stood waiting.

The carriage came to a halt at the Tower's grand entrance… Just by standing close to it, they could already feel the intense Mana surrounding them.

It was as if to warn or inform them about the Magic Tower's special ability.

Soon, a tall, white-haired woman in blue robes stepped forward…

"Julia Farrell, I presume?"

Julia nodded eagerly. "Yes! Are you my teacher?"

The woman maintained her polite smile and replied. "I am Instructor Mio, head of the Apprentice Division. And no—your real teacher is the Tower itself."

She gestured toward the open doors. "Come. Your peers are already assembled."

As Julia bounded ahead, Butler Judge turned to Van, Sarah, and Xiel. "Remember your roles. You are here to serve, not to interfere with her studies. However…" His gaze lingered on Van. "Should any unforeseen threats arise, handle them discreetly."

Van gave a slight nod. He was basically the leader of the slaves.

***

The first floor of Rukh Tower was divided into various chambers.

However, at the entrance was a chamber lined with bookshelves… It was such an interesting arrangement.

Nonetheless, there were also alchemical stations and various chambers for Magic Study.

In any case, at the center of the main hall, five other young apprentices were already waiting. They were all around Julia's age, each accompanied by their own servants.

A boy with a haughty smirk elbowed his companion. "Look, the Archmage's daughter finally graced us with her presence."

It seemed that they were aware of her relationship with the Archmage, but surprisingly, they weren't bothered by it at all.

For now, Van just observed the situation as Julia ignored the boy…

Well, she was too busy marveling at the Tower's interior.

Instructor Mio clapped her hands as she called for their attention.

"Silence. Today marks the beginning of your journey into the arcane. You six are the newest apprentices of Rukh Tower. Some of you may rise to become First-Circle Mages within a year. Others… may not." Her eyes swept over them.

"The Tower does not pamper the Apprentices… Instead, you will be learning here and receive various tests to prove your worth... You can't be lazy just because you all passed the requirement to attend the Tower's Academy."

She then gestured to a set of spiraling stairs. "Your quarters are on the second floor. Servants will reside in the adjacent barracks. Tomorrow, your trials begin."

It seemed that the class wouldn't be immediate. Instead, they were all escorted to their quarters to drop their belongings.

***

Just like that, they followed the escorts. They seemed to be servants of the Tower who were probably maintaining the cleanliness or doing menial tasks for the Tower.

At this time, the smirking boy from earlier walked up to Julia. "Gian Alfon. Heard of me?"

Julia blinked. "Nope."

Gian's smile faltered as he heard her reply.

"My father is Third-Circle Mage Johan Alfon! Our family has served the royal court for generations."

It sounded awesome, but the Alfon family wasn't included in the list of families that she had to be wary of.

Julia shrugged as she couldn't recall this family... "Good for you?"

Gian's face reddened as he heard this.

As expected, this girl feels so proud just because this is Archmage Farrel's Tower.

Of course, Gian's father had the right to build his own tower as well. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the wealth to do that. Building it would completely drain their family's treasury, and they'd probably be in huge debt as well.

Although they could also earn a lot once it was built, it would take a long time to recover, and maintaining it was also not going to be very easy.

"You think your name makes you special here? The Tower doesn't care who your father is. It will be all about our skills…" He said.

He was certainly right but there was no need to emphasize this.

Van's Lens flickered as he recorded information about the young man.

[ Subject: Gian Alfon

Threat Level: Low

Observed Insecurity: 92% Probability ]

'Insecurity? You can even compute that? Alright…' Van mused as he did his best to hide his expression.

In any case, the most important thing was the Threat Level of the young man. It came from the analysis of his Mana, physique, and other details.

It should be pretty accurate, especially when he was doing the calculation this near to his target.

Nonetheless, before Gian could continue his rambling, the escort spoke up.

"Enough. Save your energy for tomorrow's trials."