SSS Awakening: I am the First Legendary Mage

The level ups were satisfying. Alex could tell that each level at his previous rank required tremendous progress, yet this single battle had pushed him forward twice.

Considering how dangerous the fight had been, the rewards were well worth it.

Both his Battle Instinct Spell and Mana Thread Spell had also leveled up twice. It was the first time more than one of his spells had gained two levels in a single battle, which showed just how dangerous the situation had been. Even his newest spell, Mana Sense, had already reached Level 3.

Alex activated Battle Instinct, letting the spell sharpen his focus before casting Mana Sense while remaining where he was.

A thin layer of mana spread outward from his body until it reached roughly fifteen inches. He could feel that the spell was capable of extending farther, but his current Mind was limiting it.

He compressed more mana before directing it toward his brain. His focus immediately sharpened, and his control over mana became noticeably smoother.

With the improvement, Mana Sense extended another inch, reaching sixteen inches away from his body.

It was only a small increase, but it felt good. During the battle, Mana Sense had saved his life several times by warning him of attacks coming from behind.

Without it, he would’ve been forced to rely solely on his vision and instincts, and that would’ve cost him dearly.

After confirming his growth, Alex cancelled both spells and climbed to his feet. He looked around at the battlefield littered with Titan Reef Crab corpses before giving out his orders.

"Frank, Petra, collect all the Gene Potentials. Frank, absorb as many Gene Potentials as you need and raise your Species Rank as high as you can. I know the spoils should normally be divided equally, but none of us are planning to absorb Low-rank Gene Potentials, so it’ll strengthen the party more if you take them for now. You can always return Gene Potentials to us later when you obtain stronger ones," Alex said.

Everyone nodded in agreement, but Yulia spoke before Frank could move. "I’m also going to absorb the Low-rank Gene Potentials."

Alex glanced at her before nodding. "Then, Frank, leave the ones she killed for her."

He was mildly surprised by her decision, but he didn’t show it.

According to Sarah, Joseph had been the one who explained Gene Potentials and Species evolution to her.

That meant Yulia, Joseph’s wife, should understand that absorbing too many Low-rank Gene Potentials would limit her future growth.

Since she had still chosen to do it, Alex assumed she had already made up her mind.

Instead of questioning her decision, he walked over to her. "What happened after Sarah and Petra left? Also, how were you able to fight so many Titan Reef Crabs by yourself? I’m sorry if this sounds rude, but according to Sarah, you weren’t this strong before."

Yulia remained silent for a moment before answering. "After Sarah and Petra left, a giant Titan Reef Crab appeared and broke through the shield. We tried to run, but it became obvious pretty quickly that we couldn’t outrun so many monsters when they kept circling around us."

Her fists slowly tightened as she continued speaking. "That old bastard threw me away and used himself as bait to draw the monsters after him."

Alex looked into her eyes. He didn’t see despair or grief there. Instead, he saw burning anger directed at the monsters.

"And then?" he asked.

"I could’ve escaped, but I didn’t want to." She took a slow breath before continuing. "I started hunting monsters so I could level up enough to save that old bastard. The problem was that every fight made too much noise, so more monsters kept coming until... well, you already saw the rest."

Alex nodded quietly. That explanation matched what he had expected after hearing Sarah’s account.

"What about your strength? Did you become this strong just from hunting monsters and leveling up?" he asked.

"Yes and no. The biggest reason was that I figured out how Aura actually works," Yulia answered.

Alex immediately became interested. Aura was the unique power of Warriors, just as Mana belonged to Mages, and very little was known about either of them.

"Aura strengthening our bodies is only a side effect. Its real purpose is tempering the body. If you circulate Aura through a specific part of your body while pushing that part to its limit, it grows stronger incredibly quickly," Yulia explained.

She pointed toward her legs as she gave an example. "If I circulate Aura through my legs while training them, something that would’ve taken weeks back on Earth only takes a few minutes here, as long as I keep pushing myself until I can’t continue anymore."

Alex immediately understood why her fists looked the way they did. She had poured Aura into her arms and hands before throwing everything she had into every punch.

That had rapidly increased her striking power, but it had also left her fists swollen and battered from the constant abuse.

It was a reckless way to grow stronger, yet it had clearly produced results.

More importantly, Yulia had figured out Aura’s true purpose on her own despite spending so little time in this world. That showed she possessed real talent beneath her desperation.

Alex decided she was worth investing in. If she could already discover something like this by herself, then teaching her [Piercing Punch] would likely allow her to grow much faster.

"Yulia, when you circulate Aura through your muscles, can you sense how they move?" Alex asked.

"I can feel them, but not in much detail," she answered with a confused expression. "Why are you asking?"

Alex nodded. "That’s enough for now. Then do this..."

Unlike Warriors with Aura, Alex could clearly sense how his muscles moved whenever he circulated mana through them.

Because of that, he still remembered exactly how he had killed the Titan Reef Crab at the dungeon entrance by sending vibrations through its body and shaking its brain.

The principle wasn’t complicated, but controlling the muscles precisely enough to produce that effect was difficult.

He decided to teach the technique to Yulia, Sarah, and Frank. Alex wasn’t sharing the information out of pure generosity.

Every action he took now shaped how the others viewed him, and becoming the party’s leader would only increase everyone’s chances of surviving, including his own.

..

Author’s Note: Add the novel to library, and send support if you like it!