Rubbing his forehead, he looked up at her "So, what do you think?"
Naevora exhaled, her fingers lightly tapping against her knee as she glanced at him with a thoughtful look.
Brandon waited, still resting on her lap as his body ached from their sparring session.
Feeling the warmth of her thighs beneath his head, he sighed happily in his heart.
After a moment, she spoke.
"You've improved..."
"Your ether reinforcement—it's still rough, but you're instinctively using it now. That's a good start."
"A lot of people never get past the stage where they consciously have to activate it every time. If you keep training, it'll become second nature."
"But you still rely too much on your eyes. Your reactions are fast, but your anticipation is slow. You process things the moment you see them, not before they happen. That's why I was able to read you like a book."
Brandon frowned slightly "So, what? I need to predict the future now?"
Naevora scoffed "Idiot. You need to feel the fight, not just react to what's in front of you."
"Your body should move before your mind fully registers what's happening. That's the difference between an amateur and an experienced warrior."
Brandon mulled over her words, his fingers idly tracing a faint crack on the arena floor.
"And that gravity skill, it is good. I have already seen you use it before, so I can predict it... But it's different against inexperienced fighters or those who are not aware of that skill... you can catch them off-guard."
Before he could say anything, Naevora reached down and flicked his forehead again, this time a little harder.
"Ow, what the hell!?"
"That was for ogling my abs earlier."
Brandon looked at her in mild irritation "I wasn't... okay, maybe a little—but can you blame me? You literally threw me on the ground and left me with a front-row seat to your six-pack."
"And you are showing it off, so ofcourse I will ogle at you."
Naevora let out a sigh and stretched her arms behind her head "Well, at least you have good taste."
Brandon closed his eyes "Now you are just complimenting yourself."
Lowering her hands, she cracked her neck a little "First of all things, you need to improve your physique."
Hm? His eyes squinted slightly "My physique?"
With a nod, she replied "I heard from Headmistress about your condition."
"You cannot passively absorb ether from air naturally like us."
"You need a woman to rely on, so you can suck ether from her and even get her skill for a little amount of time."
"But the drawback is both of these are temporary. The ether and skill will fade away eventually..."
"That means if you run out of ether in the middle of a fight and there's no one around to share with you... you're screwed."
"But the only permanent thing will be your physical strength."
"You need to make your physique so strong that even without ether or skill, you can crush your enemies."
"So my training for you would be solely focused on improving your body and ether core."
She raised her arms, showing her muscles "You like these muscles, don'tcha."
Brandon gave her a blank look and nodded his head "Yeah..."
With a smile, she placed her hand on his abdomen, checking his ether core "Hmm... your core is still E rank."
Looking at her, he asked "How can I level it up quickly?"
A soft exhale left her lips "Most ether users can just cultivate... gradually refine their ether core over time, drawing in energy from the world around them."
Brandon nodded. That was the standard method for advancing one's core.
He has heard about it plenty of times from instructors and students.
It was how most awakeners progressed, steadily accumulating ether and strengthening their core through meditation, controlled breathing techniques, and specialized training.
"But you..." Naevora continued, tapping a finger against his chest lightly, "are not 'most awakeners.'"
"Your body doesn't pull in ether from the environment like the rest of us. You need other women's help."
Brandon nodded again. It is quite frustrating, but he had no choice but to work with what he had.
"One way is... you can strengthen your core by using the ether you absorb from women."
Naevora continued "But there is another way, which some people like me use. Actively using ether in the body to fight and constantly pushing your limits."
Brandon's gaze sharpened slightly. "So… Do I need to fight a lot?"
Naevora smiled and tapped his forehead "Bingo."
She leaned forward slightly, "Ether cores don't just grow from absorbing energy. They grow from stress, from exertion."
"The more you strain your core and the more pressure you put on it, the faster it'll evolve. It's like a muscle... the more you use it, the stronger it gets."
Brandon processed her words, already beginning to piece things together.
"So the only way for me to advance is to constantly push my ether to its limits in battle."
Naevora gave a nod "You need to force your core to work overtime, to reach the breaking point over and over again."
"The closer you get to exhausting it completely, the more it'll expand and grow."
"And unlike normal ether users, you don't have the luxury of passively cultivating over time. Your only path forward is through combat."
Brandon exhaled deeply. That explained why even after awakening his abilities, his ether core hadn't grown much.
He only used ether in short bursts, relying on borrowed skills rather than pushing his core itself to its limit.
His gaze narrowed 'I need to take ether from Aunt Ravene and condense it in my ether core...'
Meanwhile, Naevora looked at his body from top to bottom and asked "Where is your genesis mark?"
Hm? Brandon raised his hand and began to unbutton his shirt.
He opened his shirt and showed his chest, where there is a black tattoo.
Looking at the mark, Naevora's eyes squinted "Hm... it is an E rank mark."
Brandon's gaze flickered to her face, her collarbone, then her chest, her breast, and then to her abs.
Naevora noticed his gaze and muttered "In my back..."
"Oh."
He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but for some reason he is slightly disappointed.
Naevora reached out and gripped his forehead between her fingers as she casually lifted his head off her lap before standing up.
Brandon lay on the cold floor and looked at the ceiling for a brief moment before glancing at Naevora.
She extended her hand "Come on, get up... let's fight a bit more."
'Ofcourse, she will kill me today...' He sighed before taking her hand and standing up.
He glanced down at his uniform, which is now slightly ruffled from their previous exchanges.
Considering how much he was about to move, his shirt would only get in the way.
With a resigned sigh, he reached for his collar and pulled his shirt over his head
He balled up the fabric and tossed it toward the shelf where his blazer was resting.
The moment the cool air hit his bare torso, he rolled his shoulders again, loosening his muscles.
His body wasn't as defined as Naevora's, as his build was more lean than muscular... but he is still in shape.
Even so, next to her sculpted physique, he felt like a twig.
Naevora raised an eyebrow "Getting serious now?"
Brandon shot her a deadpan look "Nope. More like trying to keep my uniform from getting ruined."
As his gaze drifted toward her, curiosity got the better of him.
He slowly moved behind to look at her genesis mark and found a beautiful black tattoo below her hips.
But there was one problem.
Half of it is hidden by the waistband of her athletic pants.
"Hoh..."
Naevora tilted her head slightly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye "What?"
Brandon blinked and coughed into his fist "Uh… nothing. Just… admiring the placement."
Her eyes narrowed slightly "Are you sure you weren't tryna get a look under my pants?"
Huh? "What? no?"
Seeing his reaction, she let out a chuckle "Relax. I am just kidding. If you wanna see, all you have to do is just ask."
Wow. Brandon was surprised to hear this "Then can you show me?"
"Again, I am just kidding."
Brandon's lips twitched 'This bitch...'
In the next instant, she moved, and Brandon saw a fist hurling towards his chest.
'Shit'