Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

'Let's see how far I can go with this opportunity.'

With that, Kyle resumed his cultivation, this time he was aiming to increase the level of his two cores.

[EXP +10]

[EXP +10]

[EXP +10]

...

For over an hour, Kyle continued to cultivate, the world around him fading as he kept on directing mana into his cores.

By the time two hours had passed, Kyle had managed to level up his Chaos Core more than once, but he kept on going until suddenly, he heard the ground begin to tremble.

It felt very soft at first, like a low vibration in the earth, but it soon grew more pronounced. Kyle's eyes snapped open. He knew what he was in an instant.

'The burst stage. It has arrived.'

The pool rippled violently as waves of mana flew threw its surface and Kyle didn't need anyone to tell him to act fast.

He turned around to meet Void. The Omni Drakkon had also sensed the disturbance and he had been quick to react.

"It's here. I sense it." Void said, the moment his golden eyes met with Kyle.

"I know." Kyle nodded quickly. "We need to wake the others immediately."

They both quickly moved toward the others, who were lying on the ground, sound asleep despite the commotion. Zara had an arm draped over her eyes, while Celine and Lina lay curled up on their sides, and Finn laid flat on his back, snoring softly.

Kyle turned his attention to Finn, who was closest. "Finn, get up! The pool's about to burst!"

"Huh? Burst? Oh... the pool…" Finn jumped up on his feet the moment he realized what Kyle said.

"Help me wake the others. We don't have much time."

Finn nodded and moved toward Celine, shaking her awake with similar difficulty. Meanwhile, Kyle went to wake Zara and Void approached Lina.

"Wake up, Lina," Kyle said urgently, nudging her shoulder.

"Kyle, I swear if this isn't important…"

"It is important. The mana pool is destabilizing, and we need to leave now!"

That got her attention and her eyes flew open immediately making her sit up quickly. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

By the time everyone was roused, the tremors had intensified, and the air around them was buzzing with erratic mana. Void, who had been pacing impatiently, growled. "If you're all done being sluggish, we need to move!"

Zara yawned as she stretched but quickly became alert when she noticed the chaotic state of the pool. "Alright, alright, we're going!"

"Follow me," Kyle instructed, leading the way through the dense foliage. He kept his pace slower than he normally would, ensuring that everyone could keep up. The team moved in a hurried line while the ground continued shaking beneath their feet.

Behind them, the pool began to glow brighter and the concentrated mana becoming unstable. They picked up pace with this and began to run.

When they finally emerged from the thick bush, Kyle led them several hindered meters farther before stopping in a small clearing. "Here. This should be safe enough."

The group collapsed onto the grass, catching their breath while Kyle and Void remained standing, as they looked in the direction of the pool.

Moments later, a deafening explosion echoed through the forest, and a brilliant cascade of mana particles shot into the sky. The rest of the group stood up to watch, forgetting the former exhaustion that they felt so as to stare at the dazzling display.

The sky was painted with vibrant colors: shimmering blues, greens, and purples—as the particles scattered, the colors lightened up the forest in an otherworldly glow.

The chaotic beauty of the event was mesmerizing, a stark contrast to the danger it posed.

"Wow. That's… breathtaking." Zara said with awe.

"It's like watching the stars fall," Celine murmured, her voice filled with wonder.

"Too bad we almost got caught in it," Finn added with a shaky laugh, though his eyes never left the sky.

Kyle smirked but didn't respond. He couldn't deny the sight was captivating, even if it had nearly been their undoing. As the particles slowly faded, the group let out collective sighs and the tension finally began to ease.

After a few minutes of silence, Kyle turned to the group. "So, how far did y'all get with your cultivation?"

Finn, Celine, and the others all exchanged hesitant glances before Zara spoke up with a defeated tone. "We managed to break through to the fourth stage," she admitted, "but we couldn't make it to the fifth. We are very close, though."

Kyle nodded sympathetically and tried to encourage them. "That's still progress. With more time, you'll get there. Don't worry."

But the others weren't convinced. "We had over ten hours to cultivate, and we spent most of it sleeping," Lina added bitterly. "If we had just focused, we might have made it."

"You're stronger than most back at the academy, though. Don't forget that." Kyle added, reminding them of the funny reality.

"You're all lazy," Void said with a snort. "Don't complain about not being strong if you waste all your time sleeping."

Lina opened her mouth to retaliate against his statement, but she closed it back almost immediately, not finding the courage to argue with Void.

A few moments later, Celine decided to speak up. "Kyle... how far did you get?"

Kyle hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out how to answer without revealing too much.

"I broke through once," he said, giving a truthful answer that left room for them to interpret in their way.

The others exchanged frustrated glances, and though they didn't say it out loud, it was clear from their expressions that they were both envious and a little bitter.

*Growl!*

Kyle heard his stomach growl, interrupting the short silence that existed. That made him remember that he haven't had any food for over 15 hours now.

He looked at his teammates, who were all looking up at him for instructions on their next moves. "Anyone hungry?"

The response was instant.

"YES!" all four of them yelled simultaneously, their voices practically bouncing off the trees around them.

Lina glared at Kyle. "Why even ask? We're starving!"

Zara added, "You think we wouldn't be? After all that stress?!"

Even Void gave him a sharp look, his golden eyes narrowing. "You're in charge of feeding me too. Don't even think about slacking."

Kyle could only laugh at their reactions. "Alright, alright, calm down," he said, smirking as he touched his space ring that served as a decoy for his inventory. "I came prepared, trust me."

The others exchanged curious glances, and Celine was the first to ask, "Wait… you actually brought food? Enough for all of us?"

Kyle's smirk deepened as he remembered the stash he had hoarded from the dorm cafeteria. He had gone overboard, spending more credits than necessary, but now it was paying off.

"Let's just say I made sure we wouldn't go hungry for a month," Kyle said, retrieving several full meal sets, stacks of energy bars, juice packs, bottles of water, and even premium snacks; all above Tier-1.The sight of the food appearing out of thin air left the group in awe.

A tantalizing aroma wafted through the clearing, making all of them drool already.

"It's still hot!" Lina exclaimed.

"How…? Never mind, I don't care!" Zara grabbed one of the meals, practically salivating as she opened it.

Void, who had been observing silently, let out a pleased rumble when Kyle produced a massive portion for him. It was more than the others' meals combined, and the dragon's tail swished happily as he immediately began devouring it.

"Finally, a meal worthy of me," Void remarked between bite.

Kyle chuckled. "Enjoy it while it lasts. This stash isn't endless." he wasn't scared because this was barely ten percent of what he had left in the inventory. But he had decided that he saved the rest incase he found himself in a similar

The team sat in a circle, digging into their food with enthusiasm. They all ate with satisfaction. Void, meanwhile, kept asking for more.

"You've eaten more than all of us combined!" Kyle protested, as he still pulled out another large portion for the dragon. The third time the dragon had requested for another. Void's actions were amusing to the others as they continued handling their own portions.

After nearly an hour of feasting, everyone leaned back, thoroughly satisfied. The clearing was quiet except for the occasional sigh of contentment.

"Alright," Kyle said after a while, standing up and stretching. "We've rested enough. It's time to head back to the village."