The Nethen essence channels mana energy and disperses it to his entire body. Bear in mind that the act of unlocking the Nethen essence has imbued the body with a more potent mana flow, granted greater bodily flexibility, and concurrently strengthened the very fibers of muscles and bones, all contributing to expedited healing. Instead of bestowing extraordinary abilities, the Nethen essence facilitates a rapid regenerative process without requiring any form of activation.
Despite Winston's inability to fully perceive the Nethen essence, experiencing only faint traces because of his current status at the first level, he nonetheless managed to unlock a remarkable two-liter reservoir of mana. Of course, there were ways to sense mana and gather it. However, for Winston to truly perceive the Nethen Essence, he first needed to comprehend its nature and devote time to studying it.
At the moment, that wasn't an option.
For now, all he could do was push himself to his absolute limit in hopes of tapping into the two liters of mana stored within his abdomen.
For the Nethen Essence to regenerate, one important fact had to be understood: Level One of Nethen Essence possesses a limit. For Winston, that limit was roughly equivalent to a one-hundred-meter sprint performed at full capacity.
Once the Nethen Essence was depleted, the consequences could be severe. In mild cases, the user would suffer extreme exhaustion, often collapsing unconscious. In more serious cases, prolonged comas could occur, leaving the victim bedridden for months or even years.
In essence, the Nethen Essence was a reservoir of energy hidden within the human body. It transformed an ordinary person into something far beyond human by continuously supplying energy to their muscles, organs, and nervous system.
Winston, however, knew none of this.
Fortunately, the Core System monitored the Nethen Essence within him. Whenever his reserves neared depletion, it intervened and stabilized his condition, preventing the worst consequences of overusing the mysterious energy.
Winston gazed at his feet and wondered how he could use the speed he had used in the celestial hotel. Winston surveyed the surroundings, noticing a large number of youths present, which led him to question whether they had permission to venture into the adjacent, enclosed woodland. He sighed and pondered for a moment before opening the core system. His gaze settled on the voltage core.
Despite everything that had happened, he still didn't fully understand these awakenings. He had once believed that when both the Nethen Essence and the Voltage core reached one hundred percent, all the answers would reveal themselves. However, that hadn't happened. He was still as clueless as ever.
For now, all he knew was that his speed had increased dramatically. The voltage core was one of the awakenings Winston had obtained alongside the Nethen Essence. Although both had manifested at the same time, they were fundamentally different.
The Nethen Essence provided immense energy, empowering the body beyond its natural limits. The Voltage core, on the other hand, specialized in speed and agility, unlocking levels of movement that far surpassed those of an average human.
Even now, Winston could feel the difference. The Nethen Essence fueled his body, while the Voltage core made him faster, lighter, and far more agile than he had ever been before.
One important detail was that the voltage core could not function on its own. To unleash its speed and agility, it had to draw mana from the Nethen Essence. The Nethen Essence, however, did not rely on the voltage core and could operate independently.
At Level One, the voltage core only allowed Winston to maintain its enhanced speed for a limited duration before exhausting the mana supplied by the Nethen Essence.
The voltage core's effects extended beyond speed alone. It also enhanced the force behind Winston's movements, including his kicks. If he ever applied that power to martial arts, he could easily cripple an ordinary person with a single strike.
The drawback was its enormous mana consumption. Every second the voltage core remained active, its drains the Nethen Essence's reserves. That was precisely why Winston had nearly destroyed his body in the stairwell of the Celestial Hotel. He had pushed the voltage core far beyond its limits, consuming more mana than his body could safely handle.
Winston stood up and continued with his drill until one youth interrupted him, "Do you mind if I join?"
Behind him stood a youth possessing tanned skin, a lean build, and an untidy afro, who also wore a subtle smile. He held a ball on his waist, "Sure, if you can keep up," Winston replied and continued with his drills. Winston found himself taken aback after a brief period, realizing with astonishment that the young individual could maintain the same pace as he did. "So, what's your name? I am Bongani,"
"I am Winston," Winston replied, watching Bongani maneuvering around the lined cones.
"What position do you play?" Winston asked, intrigued by Bongani's stamina.
"I play as a midfielder, though I sometimes switch positions between attack and defense. Personally, I prefer playing in an attacking role, but my coach convinced me to alternate between offense and defense." Bongani said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
So you ended up choosing defense at the end since I didn't see you at the attacking dome, as Winston thought Bongani asked "By the way, Winston, what position do you play? And what's the deal with that instructor at the entrance? Did you do something to him?"
Winston shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I play a striker position, you know I get that a lot. Even right now there are some players who are testing me,"
Upon Winston's arrival at Building D, he was greeted by a number of disdainful stares from the youths already gathered there.
What Winston didn't know was that many of them had been looking forward to relaxing after the season's end. Instead, they now found themselves at the Federation Academy alongside the very player they blamed for making a mockery of the youth league.
As a result, many of the youths in Building D wanted nothing more than to challenge him, strip away his points, and ensure that he never embarrassed the youth league again.
Naturally, Winston could sense the hostility directed toward him. However, he paid it little mind. The opinions of others were the least of his concerns.
His priority was improving his skills and learning how to properly utilize the awakenings he had recently acquired. More importantly, several other awakenings remained at low percentages, waiting to be developed.
"By the way, which test do you take?" Winston asked, intrigued since Bongani played two positions.
"I chose the defensive midfielder, when I got transferred to this city, my mentor advised me to choose a defensive midfielder. Because I played so well in my last few matches back home,"
"Wait, which country are you from?" Winston, now intrigued by Bongani.
"Republic of Dundee, Kliverson, football that side is not that popular as this side," Bongani replied,
As Winston and Bongani engaged in various drills, their conversation persisted throughout the activities, eventually pausing and then resuming. A Federation instructor walked in the yard of the D building and stopped at the edge of the two fields. The D building youths called each other and stopped a few meters in front of the man. Only after all the youths had gathered in one place did, the instructor begin to speak.
"Good evening, football players. I am the instructor responsible for your meals. Dinner is served at 6:00 p.m., breakfast at 6:00 a.m., and lunch at 12:00 noon.
If you miss any of these meals, you will have to wait until the next serving.
Thank you. Now, please follow me to the cafeteria," the instructor walked away, with the youths following behind him.
After dinner, Winston sat on his bed while the other youths remained inside the building. Most were preparing to sleep, while others played card games to pass the time.
Lying on his side and facing an empty bed, he opened the Core System and began to ponder where he could test his awakenings. They were still new to him, and he had yet to fully understand what they could truly do.
Letting out a quiet sigh, he turned over—only to startle slightly at the sight of the youth he had met earlier upon arrival. The boy was standing nearby, staring at him with a strange expression and a furrowed brow.
Winston narrowed his eyes and asked, "Jamison, how may I help you?"
"Oh, sorry, I wanted to come over to ask if you want to play card games with us? Over there,"
Jamison pointed toward the other youths, who were gathered in small groups around the beds, and nodded.
Winston got up from his bed and followed him. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, I am Jamison, and don't worry about introducing yourself, I know who you are."
"Okay, you seem to be familiar with a lot of people in this area. Can you tell me who these youths are," Winston said, watching Jamison in front of him.
"Honestly, I don't know everyone here, I just know a few because we were in the same junior club. And some I met them somewhere in another league,"
It was the very last two words that truly intrigued Winston, causing him to begin speculating about the mysterious league that Alex would often mention during their shared moments of play.
"Another league?"
"Yeah, it's better than this one. There's another competition scheduled a few weeks from now. I don't know the exact date or venue yet—I'm waiting for a friend to send me the details." Jamison turned around and stared straight at Winston and asked, "Are you interested? A few of us are planning to go, but it might not be that easy. The Federation recently upgraded its security."
Winston pondered for a minute, and ever since Alex began discussing the league, Winston found himself increasingly intrigued by its concept. Winston has been interested in the Alex style of play. He hoped to learn more playing styles. Winston nodded at Jamison—who grinned with a smile and turned around and hurried to the youths who were gathered around the beds.