Kera and Zeldryn both saw and heard the small explosion that had just occurred.
And for a moment, neither of them said anything.
Both were surprised.
But for completely different reasons.
One of them couldn't believe what had just happened.
Almost as if he were trying to reject the reality right in front of his eyes.
The other, however, accepted it rather calmly.
As though this was exactly what should have happened.
Because that child's potential was...
Zeldryn continued staring at the spot where the small explosion had occurred.
Huh?
That was a coincidence, right?
Zeldryn genuinely wasn't sure.
He had already been close to giving up.
He had tried all kinds of things.
Touching mana.
Blowing on it.
Imagining it moving.
Trying to direct the mana inside his body.
Everything had failed.
Even after nearly twenty minutes of being punched and kicked around by some lunatic he had only met a short while ago, he still hadn't accomplished anything.
All he had gotten in return was endless mockery.
Zeldryn let out a heavy breath.
But before he could think any further about what had just happened, Kera suddenly smiled strangely.
The kind of smile that made Zeldryn feel like the man was thinking about something.
Then Kera released the mana that had been concealing him.
And instantly...
!!??
Zeldryn's eyes widened.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Kera appeared in front of him again.
“So you've been sitting there this whole time, you bastard!” Zeldryn shouted.
It turned out Kera hadn't been far away from him at all.
The man was casually sitting on Zeldryn's bed.
One elbow rested on his knee while his hand supported the side of his face.
He looked far too relaxed for someone who had spent the last twenty minutes treating Zeldryn like a punching bag.
Kera raised an eyebrow.
“I've been here the entire time,” Kera replied casually.
Then he tilted his head slightly.
“Where did you think I was?”
Zeldryn gritted his teeth.
Kera saw his reaction and only smiled wider.
“However...”
Kera looked toward the spot where the small explosion had occurred.
“After all the torment I've put you through for almost twenty minutes...”
He looked back at Zeldryn.
“All you managed to make was something like a firecracker?”
Kera paused.
Then laughed.
“Hah!”
“Hahahaha!”
“You really do deserve to be called a loser of a Young Lord.”
!!??
Zeldryn immediately went silent.
But this time, it wasn't because he was angry.
Nor was it because of Kera's insult.
Something far more important had caught his attention.
Firecracker.
Kera had called the explosion a firecracker.
Which meant...
Zeldryn looked back toward the place where the explosion had happened.
Kera was a Level 3 Manholer.
And just now, someone who clearly understood mana far better than Zeldryn had indirectly acknowledged that the explosion really had been caused by something Zeldryn did.
In other words...
So I really controlled it?
Zeldryn's expression changed.
Kera was still sitting comfortably on the bed, looking down at him.
Meanwhile, Zeldryn remained on the floor, battered from the kicks he had taken earlier.
But this time...
Zeldryn smiled.
A small smile appeared on his face.
Kera noticed the change.
“Hm?”
Zeldryn didn't answer.
His eyes slowly shifted.
Not toward Kera.
But toward several mana particles directly behind him.
More specifically...
Behind Kera's neck.
If I really did that earlier...
Zeldryn focused his gaze.
Let's try it again.
He selected two mana particles.
Then began imagining them moving closer together.
Slowly...
The two particles actually moved.
Closer to each other.
Zeldryn's eyes widened slightly.
It worked.
But this time, he didn't stop at two.
Zeldryn focused again.
A third particle moved.
Then a fourth.
A fifth.
And finally...
Six mana particles began gathering in the same place.
One by one, they moved closer.
Converging.
Zeldryn kept his entire focus on the cluster.
Meanwhile, Kera remained seated on the bed.
Strangely...
The man was smiling.
And that smile was becoming increasingly strange.
As though he had known from the beginning exactly what Zeldryn was doing.
But Zeldryn didn't notice.
His entire focus was on the six mana particles behind Kera's neck.
Just a little more...
The particles moved closer together.
Until finally...
BOOM!
An explosion far larger than the first one erupted directly behind Kera.
The air around the bed trembled.
The remnants of the colliding mana produced small sparks before turning into a thin cloud of smoke that spread around Kera.
In an instant, the upper half of Kera's body was covered in smoke.
His face disappeared completely from view.
Zeldryn could only make out the faint silhouette of his body through the haze.
But Zeldryn didn't smile in satisfaction.
He wasn't that stupid.
Zeldryn knew exactly who he had just attacked.
A Level 3 Manholer.
There was no way an attack this small could kill Kera.
Even injuring him...
The chances were almost nonexistent.
Zeldryn simply stared at the cloud of smoke above his bed while steadying his breathing.
I wasn't expecting to hurt you anyway.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
At least...
I hope that hurt your pride a little, bastard.