CHAPTER 3
"GAIA."
Daren sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the empty space in front of him.
"…What should I do now?"
GAIA
[YOU NEED REST AND PROPER TRAINING TO MAINTAIN YOURSELF AND BECOME STRONGER.]
Daren leaned back slightly.
"…Alright."
He exhaled slowly.
"Then how do I become strong?"
GAIA
[YOU MUST BALANCE MEDITATION AND PHYSICAL TRAINING.]
[YOUR MANA IS INFINITE, BUT YOUR ENERGY IS NOT.]
[YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS CONDITION.]
Daren blinked.
"…Infinite mana, but limited energy…"
He smirked slightly.
"…That sounds broken."
Then he stood up and stretched his arms.
"Alright. Before school… I'll train."
He started thinking out loud as if making a plan.
"Ten kilometer run… meditation for thirty minutes… then push-ups, leg exercises, and core training."
He nodded to himself.
"Yeah. That should be enough."
GAIA
[YOU CAN REFILL YOUR ENERGY BY RESTING OR RELAXING.]
"Good."
Daren yawned.
"…I'll sleep first then."
He lay down on the bed, pulling the blanket over himself.
Then he paused.
"…Hey, GAIA."
GAIA
[YES.]
"…Where am I right now?"
GAIA
[USA. NEW YORK.]
Daren blinked.
"…New York, huh."
He stared at the ceiling for a moment.
"…Nice."
Then he closed his eyes.
"…Let's sleep."
When he woke up—
GAIA
[ENERGY REFILLING: 50%.]
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!!"
A loud sound suddenly echoed outside.
Daren shot up from the bed.
"AH—! Why is it so bright already?!"
He rubbed his eyes, still half-asleep.
"…Right. Training."
He quickly got dressed and stepped outside.
Morning Training
"Alright… ten kilometers."
Daren started running.
At first, it felt fine.
Then after a while, his breathing got heavier.
His legs started burning.
"…1, 2, 3… 1, 2, 3…"
He kept a steady rhythm, pushing himself forward.
Sweat started forming on his face.
"…Man… this is harder than I thought…"
But he didn't stop.
After some time—
He finally finished.
He bent forward, catching his breath.
"…I can't breathe…"
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"…But… I kinda like this."
Next.
Meditation.
He went back to his room, sat down quietly, and closed his eyes.
He focused on his breathing.
Slow inhale.
Slow exhale.
At first, his thoughts kept drifting.
But after a few minutes… his mind started to settle.
Time passed.
GAIA
[YOU HAVE COMPLETED MEDITATION.]
[YOUR MIND AND BODY ARE NOW STABILIZED.]
Daren slowly opened his eyes.
"…Feels different."
Next came physical training.
He stood up and started.
"Fifty push-ups…"
He went down.
Up.
Down.
Up.
"…Forty… forty-five… fifty…"
He dropped to the ground for a second.
"…Tired…"
But he pushed himself again.
"Squats… jumping… core…"
He continued until his body felt exhausted.
Finally—
He lay on the floor, breathing heavily.
"…Alright… that's enough for now."
He sat up slowly.
"…I feel stronger already."
He looked at himself in the mirror.
"…Huh?"
His expression changed slightly.
"…I look different."
His face looked sharper. More defined. More mature than before.
"…Not bad."
He scratched his head.
"…Whatever. Let's keep going."
He walked outside and noticed a garage nearby.
"…Huh."
He opened it.
"…This place is dusty…"
Cough cough
He waved the air away.
"…No one's been here in a while."
Daren looked around, then started cleaning.
He moved old items, cleared the dust, and organized the space.
"…This could be a good training spot."
GAIA
[COMMON MAGIC HAS 5 STYLES.]
[UNCOMMON HAS 7 STYLES.]
[RARE HAS 9 STYLES.]
[EPIC HAS 10 STYLES.]
[LEGENDARY HAS 13 STYLES.]
[MYTHIC HAS 15 STYLES.]
Daren paused.
"…Common?"
GAIA
[COMMON MAGIC INCLUDES WATER, FIRE, AIR, AND EARTH.]
"…I see."
He nodded.
"Thanks, GAIA."
GAIA
[YOU ARE WELCOME.]
Daren clenched his fist slightly.
"…Alright. Back to training."
He raised his hand.
"Water magic…"
"…Second form."
The water formed, then pushed forward in a controlled motion.
"…Water push."
He watched it carefully.
"…Yeah. I don't like that slap move. Too chaotic."
He shifted his stance.
"…Let's make it smoother."
He changed his focus.
"Fire magic…"
"…First form."
A small flame appeared.
He moved his leg forward.
"…Fire kick."
He kicked forward, and the flame followed his motion.
"…Whoa…"
He smirked.
"…This feels like taekwondo with magic."
He repeated the movement a few more times.
"…I like this."
He looked at the earth element next but paused.
"…Maybe later."
He pulled out his phone.
Then his eyes widened.
"…Shit."
He quickly checked the time.
"…I'm late."
Daren grabbed his bag and rushed out.
"…First day back… and I'm already late."