Chapter 48: Chapter 48:. Training with Charlotte

Chapter 43

Charlotte was still processing Kael’s earlier declaration when she finally broke the silence.

"So how exactly are we supposed to accomplish this goal of yours?" she asked, her tone a mixture of curiosity and lingering suspicion.

Kael leaned back slightly, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his lips as if the answer was obvious. "We’re going back to the gravity room."

Charlotte froze.

Her eyes narrowed immediately. "Absolutely not." She pulled the blanket tighter around herself like it could shield her from Kael’s presence itself. "You are not making an attempt on my life again and you might actually complete the job this time."

Kael let out a short laugh, catching the pillow she hurled at him with effortless reflex. "Relax. I said I won’t try to kill you this time. That’s a promise."

"That’s exactly what someone says before they try to kill you again," Charlotte shot back, still glaring from beneath the sheets.

Kael shrugged, unbothered. "Then you should be relieved I’m being honest now."

Charlotte sat up slowly, still suspicious, her hair slightly disheveled. "You really were planning to kill me the first time, weren’t you?"

Kael didn’t answer immediately. His expression softened into something unreadable—half amusement, half truth he didn’t feel like unpacking. "You’re very good at using my words against me."

"That’s not an answer."

"It’s the only one you’re getting," he said, turning away. "Get dressed. We’re wasting time."

Charlotte hesitated, then sighed in defeat. "You’re impossible," she muttered, throwing the sheets aside.

The School Gym

The atmosphere in the school gym was quiet, almost eerily so at this hour. The large training facility echoed faintly with distant metallic clinks and the low hum of enchanted equipment. At the center stood the gravity chamber—an imposing sealed room embedded with rune-like markings that pulsed faintly along its frame.

Charlotte stared at it like it had personally wronged her.

"So," she said slowly, "what exactly are we doing here today?"

Kael stepped closer to the control panel. "You’re creating a mana core, Nothing extreme."

"What do you mean a mana core I’m a knight" she said exasperated.

"That I said has the potential to be a Warlock nothing extreme like I said before" Kael replied nonchalantly

Charlotte folded her arms. "Define ’nothing extreme.’"

Kael tapped a few commands into the panel. "We’ll start at 1.5x gravity. Not 3× like the last time ."

"That still sounds extreme and reminding me of what happened before is not helping."

"Understandable I’ll keep that in mind but let’s get to it this gravity should be manageable for you."

Charlotte exhaled sharply. "You have a very disturbing definition of manageable."

Kael ignored her and activated the chamber. The door slid open with a heavy hiss, revealing a dim, circular interior lined with reinforced flooring and faintly glowing sigils.

Charlotte paused at the entrance.

"...Why are you so obsessed with this Gravity rooms in particular there should be multiple other ways to train?" she asked suddenly.

Kael hesitated for the briefest moment. "Because of Dragon—" He stopped himself with a cough. "Because it’s efficient."

Charlotte raised a brow. "That pause was suspicious seemed like you had another reason."

"It’s effective training," he corrected, stepping inside.

Charlotte followed reluctantly.

The moment the door sealed shut behind them, the environment shifted.

Gravity thickened.

It wasn’t crushing like before, but it was immediate—like invisible hands pressing down on her shoulders, legs, and chest. Although she could breathe this time it was still hard to breathe properly with this amount of pressure. Charlotte instinctively bent her knees slightly.

"Ghh... I swear I’ll never get used to this," she muttered through clenched teeth.

Kael, meanwhile, barely reacted.

Charlotte noticed that immediately. "Why do you look like this is nothing?"

"Because it is nothing and like the first time you asked I’ve adapted," he replied calmly.

"That is the most annoying answer you could have given and what does ’I’ve adapted’ even mean."

Kael smirked faintly. " You won’t understand it now till you start glazing me in the future."

Charlotte had an odd expression on her face from Kael’s response

Kael stepped further into the chamber and gestured for her to sit. "Lotus position. Normal. Stabilize your breathing first."

Charlotte hesitated but complied, lowering herself carefully to the ground. The added gravity made even sitting feel like a chore, but she adjusted slowly.

Kael sat across from her, mirroring her posture.

"First," he said, "you circulate your mana."

Charlotte closed her eyes and tried.

At first, it was familiar—she had done basic mana circulation before it was a compulsory exercise. But the moment she attempted to guide it inward, the gravity interfered. It felt like trying to stir thick liquid with broken hands.

Her breath became uneven.

"This is... not helping," she muttered, frustration creeping in. "I can’t breathe properly and you want me to focus on energy flow?"

"Good," Kael said.

"That’s not comforting."

"It helps you skip an annoying part of forming a core."

Charlotte gritted her teeth and tried again, pushing her mana downward through her chest. It stuttered, resisted, then scattered like mist.

Kael observed quietly.

Then he spoke. "You’re forcing it out."

"I’m not doing anything on purpose the gravity is just affecting me", Charlotte replied

Kael sighed " The increased gravity is actually helping you, like I said it’s helping you skip an important part of forming a mana core which is the condensation part the gravity aids you in doing that passively so just circulate your mana normally the gravity will help you do the rest", Kael explained.

Charlotte paused staring at Kael like he had grown two head "how do you know this much", She asked quite stunned. Kael smirked "Because I’m a genius he replied smugly. Charlotte decided to ignore and just follow his advice.

As Charlotte continued attempting circulation, Kael closed his eyes.

His expression shifted subtly.

The air around him felt heavier—not from the chamber, but from something within him. His mana moved differently. Darker. Denser. Less stable.

He attempted circulation.

Immediately, something inside him reacted.

A pressure surged upward from his core like a restrained beast pressing against chains.

Kael’s jaw tightened.

"Tch..."

His hand instinctively clenched against his knee.

"The ring’s suppression is weakening," he thought. "The demonic seed is getting more out of control."

For a brief moment, his breathing became uneven.

Then he forced control.

Managing to stop the flow of demonic mana from leaving him Kael took a deep breath opening his eyes to see, Charlotte, still focused on her own struggle, didn’t notice his condition.

Kael exhaled quietly.

"I might need to meet Lilith," he muttered under his breath.

The name lingered in his thoughts like a warning.

Progress and Pressure

Charlotte opened her eyes again, coughing lightly as she adjusted her breathing. Sweat had begun to form at her temples.

"This is exhausting," she admitted.

Kael stood up. "Which means it’s working."

"You always say that," she said, looking up at him. "Everything is ’working’ with you even when it feels like torture."

Kael glanced at her. "Growth usually feels like that."

"That’s a depressing philosophy."

"It’s .still a philosophy."

Charlotte groaned softly, rubbing her forehead. "So what now? I still can’t properly form the core thing."

Kael moved toward the exit panel.

"Now you keep going without me watching every second you mustn’t form it today that’ll be too fast especially for you."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Wait—where are you going?"

"I need to train as well," he said simply.

"That’s not an answer."

"It is the only one you need."

Charlotte frowned. "And what if something goes wrong?"

Kael paused at the door. For a moment, his expression softened just slightly.

"Then you survive it," he said.

The door slid open.

But before stepping out, he added, "keep on circulating mana until you can’t move anymore. I’ll check on you later."

Charlotte stared at him. "You’re insane."

Kael didn’t deny it.

The door closed behind him.

Alone in the Gravity Room

Charlotte sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the chamber pressing down on her.

Then she exhaled slowly.

"...Fine."

She closed her eyes again.

"This time," she muttered to herself, "I’m not collapsing."

Inside her, mana stirred once more.

This time, she didn’t force it outward.

She let it sink.

Slow.

Heavy.

Controlled.

And for the first time, it didn’t scatter immediately.

It held.

Barely.

But still something.

Kael Outside

Outside the chamber, Kael leaned against the wall for a brief second, exhaling sharply.

His hand rested over his chest.

The suppression ring flickered faintly.

"You’re getting more and more out of control" he muttered to himself. "I need a solution before you decide to make me go berserk like it orginally happened in the game."

His gaze drifted toward the hallway.

"I guess I’ll have to find Lilith, this is why I haven’t attempted to circulate.mana and create a core because my demonic mana would always interfere ." Kael thought with a sigh