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Meanwhile, Raphael continued working inside Ash's body.
Tiny streams of mana flowed through his muscles, soothing the countless micro-tears created during training.
Since Wilhelm was not an Awakened, Ash had not been able to use Invigoration openly to recover his stamina during class.
Nor could he rely on elemental fusion techniques to reduce the strain on his body.
As a result, for the first time in many years, Ash had pushed himself to genuine physical exhaustion.
"It's a good way to temper the body," Raphael thought.
While Ash slept peacefully, she carefully guided mana through every part of his body.
His muscles gradually absorbed the energy.
His bones, tendons, and internal organs were slowly strengthened.
The process was gentle enough not to disturb his sleep yet effective enough to accelerate his recovery.
Hours passed quietly.
Outside, the academy gradually settled into silence as students returned to their dormitories.
Inside the room, Ash remained fast asleep.
His breathing was slow and steady.
The exhaustion from the day had left him sleeping more deeply than usual.
Raphael continued her work throughout the night.
Every cycle of mana made Ash's body slightly stronger than before.
Not enough to produce dramatic results overnight, but enough that the improvements would accumulate over time.
After all, true strength was not built in a single day.
It was built through countless days of effort, recovery, and repetition.
And Ash had no shortage of determination.
By the time morning arrived, most of the fatigue had disappeared, leaving behind only the gains earned through Ash's hard work.
A few days later...
"I accept."
Quylla looked at Ash with a determined expression.
Ash blinked in surprise.
"You haven't even heard the conditions I mentioned yet," he said.
"It doesn't matter," Quylla replied without hesitation. "As long as you can help me become as strong as you are, I accept."
Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Did something happen?"
Quylla shook her head.
"No. I just want to become strong enough."
Ash studied her for a moment before nodding.
"Alright."
He stood up from his seat.
"But before I begin teaching you, you need to know the conditions."
He led her back to his dormitory room.
Once they were inside, Ash closed the door and turned to face her.
Quylla waited quietly, wondering what kind of conditions he was about to set.
Ash finally spoke.
"First of all, you should know that I wasn't the one who came up with these conditions."
Quylla nodded, listening carefully.
"They've existed for a very long time."
"So..." she asked cautiously, "do these conditions come from your master?"
As the question left her mouth, she couldn't help but think,
"That explains it. No wonder Ash is so skilled. He has had a master all along."
Ash paused for a moment.
"Hmm..."
"You could say that."
He neither confirmed nor denied her assumption, allowing her to draw her own conclusions.
There was no need to explain how he knew about the Awakened Society's rules.
"And before we begin, let me make one thing clear."
Ash's expression turned serious.
"You cannot tell anyone about what we're going to discuss here. It doesn't matter how close they are to you. If these secrets are leaked, you could be killed."
He paused before continuing.
"And not just you. Anyone who learns these secrets from you could also be killed."
Quylla swallowed nervously.
"Worse still," Ash said calmly, "death would be the merciful outcome. Before that, they would most likely be tortured to reveal everything they know."
His serious tone made the room feel much heavier.
Quylla unconsciously clenched her hands.
"Just... what kind of secret requires this much protection?" she asked quietly.
"Hmm. I'll naturally tell you," Ash replied. "But first I need to know something."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"Are you certain you can keep a secret like this for the rest of your life?"
Quylla fell silent.
After several long moments, she lowered her head.
"I... don't know."
Ash nodded.
"Then I can't teach you."
His answer came without hesitation.
Quylla's expression immediately became anxious.
Seeing that, Ash continued.
"That doesn't mean I won't teach you anything."
She looked up hopefully.
"I can still teach you a form of magic that I created myself. With it, you'll become strong enough to protect yourself in most situations."
Quylla stared at him in disbelief.
"You... you created your own magic?"
She pointed at him, unable to hide her shock.
Creating an original branch of magic was an incredible achievement.
Only true geniuses and great Magi were capable of doing such a thing.
Yet Ash was casually saying he had already created his own.
Ash simply shrugged.
"It's still incomplete."
"It's not perfect, and it's nowhere near as powerful as I want it to be."
He smiled slightly.
"But I'll teach it to you later. I'm still refining it."
Quylla slowly nodded.
"And in the meantime," Ash continued, "you can think about whether you're willing to accept those conditions and learn the rest of my master's teachings."
He deliberately left her misunderstanding untouched.
Quylla nodded once more.
"I understand."
After thanking Ash sincerely, she quietly left his room.
As the door closed behind her, Raphael's voice sounded in Ash's mind.
"You're surprisingly cautious."
Ash smiled faintly.
"I have to be."
"The fewer people who know the truth, the safer everyone will be."
Raphael silently agreed.
The following morning, Ash woke up early as usual.
After finishing his morning routine, he sat cross-legged on his bed and entered a meditative state.
Raphael immediately began reviewing everything they had learned over the past few days.
"The analysis of the Tier 5 spells is complete," Raphael said.
Ash opened one eye slightly.
"Any improvements?"
"Several."
A few blue windows appeared in his vision.
"The original spell models contain many unnecessary mana movements. By simplifying the spell structures, mana consumption can be reduced by approximately twelve percent while maintaining the same output."
Ash nodded.
"As expected."
Many spells had been created generations ago.
Over time, mages simply memorized them instead of improving them.
Raphael, however, could examine every detail and optimize them from the ground up.