Eureka Moment
When he returned to his room, Xander let out a long breath.
'I'm good.' He thought with relief.
When his father called out his obvious change in behavior, he was almost certain that his secret had been busted. Luckily, the man had come to a logical, albeit inaccurate assessment.
'Indeed. If someone is knew underwent a drastic change just after something very significant happened to them, my first thought would be that they had a rapid change in mindset, not that they had died and someone took over their body.' Then he smiled wryly.
'He thinks his son decided to oppose his fate and belongs to the second group of people he mentioned. Nah he died. If there is a third group, it would be for those who couldn't handle their grief and killed themselves, accidentally or not.' With that said, he took out the small black box from his pocket, but this time, he was no longer as apprehensive.
Carefully, Xander opened the box, and inside of it was an exquisitely made teardrop-shaped bottle that was barely the size of his finger, and the interior of the box itself was covered in all sorts of protective runes that ensured maximum protection for the item withi.
He gingerly took the bottle out of the box and held it up to the light, marveling as the liquid inside shimmered like gems.
Even with it sealed, he could feel his pores opening up, and his pathetic mana pool got active, as though sensing the treasure before it.
'Alright.' He set the box aside before opening the bottle. He considered sitting or doing something else, like going cross-legged, but he decided there was no point. So, as he stood, he tipped the bottle back and poured the Spring water into his mouth.
'Whoa.' His eyes widened. It tasted like water, and yet, somehow...
'That's the best damn water I've ever had.' He thought. And to his surprise, when he drank it, the bottle somehow ensured that not a single drop remained in it, pushing everything into his mouth.
As soon as he swallowed, he felt a warm sensation travel through his body.
"Wh-Whao..." Xander blinked rapidly as the feeling soon spread. His body turned warm, but most of the heat concentrated in his chest. It didn't hurt, but he could feel it intensely.
Amazed, he felt as his mana pool, which had been pitiful thus far, began to expand.
If before it was like a small pond, it rapidly grew to become the size of a small lake, and he observed in shock as his body started to pull in mana from the surroundings like a vacuum.
'Holy shit!' He gulped as he focused on the sensation. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. But at the same time, it felt almost familiar.
He took a breath, and even more mana surged to fill the rapidly expanding mana pool.
'Wait... breathing?' That gave Xander a pause.
What he was experiencing was certainly miraculous, there was no doubt about it. However, the thought of breathing made something in his mind click.
'Breathing, breathing...' He snapped his fingers as he pondered.
'When performing swordplay, one's breathing is extremely important. Coordinated breathing with movement can increase power, stamina, and focus. It can reduce exertion and maintain stable swordplay and thus endurance.' He mused.
Xander knew this, he practiced this. Whether it was on earth or on Tatonia, he controlled his breathing intricately whenever he practiced his swordplay.
One could know different sword styles and techniques and perform them perfectly, but if their breathing was messed up, they would tire themselves out quickly while reducing the effectiveness of their swordplay.
It's said that breathing is just as important as things like footwork or stamina, if not more so.
With all that said, why did Xander suddenly focus so intently on the concept?
'If my conjecture about channeling and using my body to 'cast' the same way mages use their mouths, wouldn't proper breathing be a part of that as well?' He mused.
'Magic of the body shouldn't just be confined to muscles and bones. No, it should encompass all facets of the body, including something as important as breathing. In that case...' Without thinking too much about it, Xander took one of the practice swords from under the bed and entered the center of the room.
He took a deep breath, then he started to swing, the sword form he used being one of fluidity and flow.
As he did it, he also controlled his breathing to match. Exhaling during forceful strikes and movements, then inhaling during recovery or during defensive movements.
While he breathed, he focused on the mana flowing throwing his body, spurred by the 'casting' that was his body movements.
It was already quite potent, especially with his mana pool that had experienced a rapid growth, one that had finally started to slow down.
However, he then tried to do more.
He forced his mana to move in accordance to his breaths as well as his movements.
The first attempt was tentative and experimental as Xander was simply attempting to test his hypothesis. But the results were beyond anything he could have imagined.
Controlling his mana and his breathing, two things occurred.
First, the surrounding mana which had calmed down stirred again, and Xander observed in shock as it got pulled into his mana pool again in tandem with his breaths. Though, it wasn't as forceful as when he drank the Spring water, but it was still much faster than the mana circulation he had been using.
Secondly was the result of swinging his blade.
He exhaled as he performed as swipe from side to side, and his eyes bugged out of his skull when the speed, power, and precision of the strike increased exponentially.
Previously, if Xander were to channel mana into his weapon, he could either augment it, making it sharp or more durable, or he could use it to allow his mana erupt out with far more power, such as when he created that scar in the ground.
Those were all good and fine, but there was a fundamental problem with this.
While the attacks were powerful, Xander's body was still weak.
Sure, the sword was sharper. And sure, he could send his mana out in a sharp crescent or beam. But his body itself was lacking when it came to how fast he could swing the weapon.
Unlike him, mages could perform augmenting magic on their bodies that let them move faster, strike harder, or take hits better.
Xander didn't have that luxury. One good fireball by a semi-competent mage and he was getting burnt to a crisp. Or one decent speed-increasing spell and his hits would never land.
Sure, he was exercising his body to increase his strength and speed. But there was a limit to how much ordinary exercising could take one compared to the near limitless potential of magic.
This was something Xander had pondered over deeply, but up till know, he hadn't figured out a method to help his case.
Until now.
When he swung his sword, he hadn't channeled any mana into it. Or rather, he hadn't augmented it with his mana in any way. It was a simple swing aided by his new understanding of breathing and mana.
But the result was beyond anything he expected.
Barely stopping himself from flinging the sword out of his hands from the spike in speed and strength. He pivoted on his foot as he performed another swing, and once more, he exhaled to increase the the power, this time being more intentional.
His amazement and glee was palpable when the sword created a physical wind pressure as the swing peaked, and the blade itself almost left afterimages from how fast it moved.
He did this a few more times, then he changed both his sword style and breathing as he focused on abdominal breathing. To his amazement, even though he felt the way his mana move suddenly change, it wasn't painful or jarring.
This time, he focused solely on maintaining a stable posture as each of his strikes were controlled.
The change was also clear.
He felt strength fill his entire body, but unlike when he exhaled as he slashed, the increase was a lot more balanced, not just to his strength, but to everything. His speed, strength, and toughness all rose equally. Not incredibly high, but noticeable. His focus and perception also rose a notch, and suddenly he found himself perceiving things as though they were in slow motion.
This one could be used for sustained fighting.
After that, he switched his posture again to a defensive one.
Once more, the way his mana moved shifted suddenly, yet it wasn't jarring, and Xander soon felt how his body had turned far more solid.
The increase to his strength and speed was meager, but his defenses spiked, and he felt like an immovable wall.
He kept at this for a while, swapping between styles and breathing styles, sharpening his movements and use of the sword. After all, the sudden rise in strength caused his control to dip significantly, so he started practicing repeatedly to regain the familiar precision he excelled at.
Something that did not take him long at all.
As he familiarized himself with his new power, something he wasn't aware of was taking place as a result of his actions.
While his mana pool had increased rapidly, it had not yet stabilized. Normally, if a mage experiences a sudden increase to their magic pool, they have to meditate in order to stabilize it.
This is because if one's mana pool is unstable, their control over it will be lessened, and it could lead to various detrimental consequences such as leaking mana unconsciously, unstable spells, and even possible backlash.
However, Xander couldn't meditate before. So his best option would have been to wait it out until it stabilized naturally, but that would have taken ages.
But when he added breathing to the equation, things changed.
For mages to stabilize their mana pools, they need to meditate. This falls under the logic that those who cast use magic of the 'mind' where visualization and manifestation matter.
However, in Xander's case, and in the form of magic he practiced, things weren't so simple.
At the end of he day, the body was the vessel that stored mana. Sure, meditation could stabilize an unstable mana pool. But it wasn't the only method, just the only known one.
However, as Xander performed his sword forms while controlling his breathing and mana, he unconsciously used another way to stabilize his mana pool. Especially since channeling was mostly internal while casting was external, the speed at which his mana pool stabilized was staggering.
And there was something else.
'Something is happening.' Xander realized as he continued to move.
In his mana pool, he felt a pressure. Not like it was overflowing, no, it was something else, and something told him not to stop.
So he didn't.
He didn't move faster, nor did he strike harder. No, he continued to pace himself, continued to breathe, kept his strikes as controlled and precise as before, and his movements as smooth as before.
As he did this, the pressure continued to rise, and Xander gritted his teeth as it started to become unbearable, but he did stop.
'I'm right there. I'm right—!'
CRACK
Something shattered, and Xander paused, his sword halting in a thrusting motion, then his pupils shrank.
'What is...!' He felt his mana pool... change.
It didn't grow. No, it had long done that.
No, it felt different, more... fundamental.
Then a memory struck him.
'Sometimes, when a mage reaches a certain precipice with their magic and mana, their mana pool undergoes a significant change where its foundation becomes firmer. When this happens, the quality of mana within it increases significantly.' He thought as his hand rose to his chest.
Mana quality.
Simply put, the quality of mana determined the strength and effectiveness of spells.
One could have an utterly massive mana pool but very low quality mana. If that person used a low-level spell and someone with a smaller but more qualitative mana pool used the same spell, the latter would produce a far more effective result.
And somehow, through his swordplay, Xander had strengthened his foundation, allowing his mana to undergo a significant qualitative change.
He took a deep breath, held his sword horizontally, then exhaled while swinging it to the side.
The speed and power had spiked again. But that wasn't all.
He turned his head just in time to see that, in the direction he'd swung, the far wall, a line had appeared in its surface. Clean and sharp.
A massive grin broke out on Xander's face as he clenched his fists tightly before pumping them simultaneously.
'Yes! This is it! This is what I've been looking for!' He looked at his sword that was already showing signs of shattering again.
'With this, I won't be inferior to mages at all! I can perceive, react, and defend against their attacks! Haha! This is great! And this is just me using all of this in its most basic form. What about when I start incorporating the adapted magic I'm making into everything? How much will my abilities increase then???' In his excitement, he'd obviously stopped his swordplay and therefore using the adequate breathing techniques.
'Okay, next, order of business. I—' His joyful smile suddenly froze on his face as his body stiffened like he'd been petrified.
His sword slipped from his hand as his body started trembling uncontrollably.
'Wh-What... the...?' Pain shot through Xander's body as he crumpled to the floor like a broken kite.
In his excitement, Xander had overlooked something important.
By channeling his mana through his sword, it would wear down until it inevitably broke apart...
So why would the result be any different if he channeled it through his body to strengthen it.
"Ack!" He gritted his teeth as he felt like every part of his body was getting shredded. He barely had time to curse before he lost consciousness.
***
A few hours later, a maid knocked on Xander's door with a tray of food.
"Lord Xander, your dinner is ready." She said smoothly.
No response.
Blinking, the servant knocked again and called out once more, but there was still no response.
After the third attempt, she began to grow worried. But just as she was contemplating entering the room or calling someone, the door creaked open.
Letting out a relieved sigh, she was just about to say something when she froze.
"L-Lord Xander!?" She exclaimed with shock when she saw the boy before her.
Xander's dark her was disheveled and messy. His eyes were bloodshot and his body looked like it had been under a steam roller. He was trembling so badly that it was a miracle he was still standing.
"B-Bring... it... in..." He said through chattering teeth, his words barely coherent.
The servant covered her mouth with her hands, but she quickly pushed the cart into the room.
She then helped Xander to the bed and took out a spoon to feed him. Clearly, she knew the beneficial effects of the food she served him.
Xander didn't protest as the woman spoonfed him, too week to even hold the spoon properly. Eventually, though, he felt his battered body repair itself enough for him to stop feeling one step away from transmigrating again, though he still hurt like hell.
It was only after more than half of the food had been consumed that he felt mostly functional again, and Xander exhaled.
"Thank you." He said hoarsely to the woman who gave a tight smile.
"It is not a problem milord. I will not ask what you were doing to put yourself in such a condition. Just... please be more careful." She said, and Xander nodded slowly as he took the spoon from her.
Seeing that her help was no longer needed, she made to leave when Xander called out.
"Um... actually, could you... bring more food later?" He said with a forced cough, and something like remembrance sparked in the servant's eyes as she nodded.
"It shall be done." And with that, she stepped out.
When she did, Xander downed the rest of the food like a rabid animal. And only after all of it had been consumed did he feel fully functional again.
'Holy shit.' He fell back into his bed and let out a long breath.
"Never again." He mumbled. He was no stranger to sore muscles, but Xander was confident that what he experienced actually almost killed him.
When he regained consciousness, he realized his blunder in that he'd somehow assumed the damage sustained from channeling only applied to weapons and not the body. As such, what he felt was no different from him breaking down his own body. The feeling was horrific.
'But at the same time...' He held up a hand and clenched his fist, feeling his strength.
'Unlike weapons, the body can heal, and it gets stronger after it heals. Channeling mana through my body will cause it to wear down far faster than normal exercise, yes, but when I heal, the gains will be far more significant. Moreover...' He sat up.
"I can't explain it, but this feels more... fundamental." He muttered to himself.
There was a limit to how much one could train their body alone. At the end of the day, a normal human couldn't punch through a metal wall or tank a bullet with their bare body no matter how much they trained.
That is unless, however, mana enters the equation.
After his body healed, he felt the rise in strength, but he also felt something far more significant going on behind the scenes. And he suspected that healing internal damage caused by his own Mana via channeling would do more than just cause casual strengthening.
'It's faster too.' He noted before scrubbing a hand across his face.
'Alright. Fine. That's what I'll do. I'll channel mana through my body again and then eat to heal. Just...' He shuddered as he recalled the agony that made him pass out in seconds.
"Maybe I'll tone it down... Just a bit."