I CHOSE to be a VILLAIN, not a THIRD-RATE EXTRA!!-Chapter 154: Training (4)

Ashok's mind churned with possibilities, his thoughts racing as he sifted through every strategy from the game, seeking anything that could help him feel the mana inside him—just a fragment, just a hint.

He wasn't looking for control—not yet.

What he needed was a starting point, a foothold from which he could pave his way forward.

But without even sensing mana, he was completely lost, stranded in the depths of uncertainty.

His first thought drifted to mana sensitivity accessories, artifacts designed to amplify one's ability to perceive mana.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

An accessory could only enhance existing sensitivity—and if he had none to begin with, then what was there to amplify?

After an hour of meditation yielding absolutely nothing, there was no guarantee that even an external tool would work on this body.

If he invested in that path and failed, it would mean more wasted time, more wasted effort.

Not an option.

Then came the alternative—herbs that stimulated mana sensitivity, plant-based catalysts known for their ability to awaken latent energy flow.

But Ashok immediately discarded the thought.

These herbs functioned more like drugs, their effects unstable, their consequences unpredictable.

Temporary stimulation meant nothing if it damaged his already worthless body, weakening him rather than strengthening him in the long run.

And Ashok wasn't looking for shortcuts that came at a cost—he needed something that truly worked, something that wouldn't harm him down the line.

Both possibilities led to dead ends, leaving Ashok with no immediate solution.

And yet, he wasn't willing to accept defeat.

There had to be another way, another approach—something that could break past his current limitation.

His mind kept turning, searching for that missing key.

Ashok's mind churned, searching for any possible loophole, any alternative method to finally sense the mana within him.

Then, the thought struck him.

His gaze drifted to his Mana Core Rank in his Status, and the reality of his situation hit him like a weight—

[Mana Core: F-]

A rank so abysmal, so insignificant, that it sat at the very bottom of the hierarchy.

And yet, instead of dwelling on its worthlessness, his thoughts veered toward an absurd possibility.

Rather than worrying about his grade, what if he used his Sole Survivor Trait to temporarily increase his Mana Core Rank?

It wasn't about control.

It was about detection—if he couldn't sense mana because of its meager presence, then increasing his core rank should, in theory, make it more noticeable.

His reasoning was simple.

In a body, factors like Mana Sensitivity, Limits of the Five Senses, and Perception were not dictated by stats but by traits.

And even if someone lacked a specific trait, that didn't mean they were completely devoid of ability—it simply meant the trait was either unawakened or their talent in that area was average.

Ashok wasn't about to assume he was exceptionally gifted, so he settled on the more logical possibility—he was below average, which explained why he had struggled this much.

And if his issue stemmed from lacking enough mana to detect, then increasing his core rank might just be the answer.

Ashok understood the temporary nature of Sole Survivor. Once deactivated, his Mana Core would revert to its original state, wiping away any trace of advancement.

Yet, that didn't matter.

If this could grant him the first step toward sensing mana, then the trait had served its purpose.

Even if it hindered natural growth, even if his core remained stagnant not increasing in rank momentarily, Ashok wasn't currently in hurry to increase in rank—he sought understanding.

Because true power wasn't just bound to rank, and strength wasn't solely defined by stats alone.

What he needed was a breakthrough, a foothold in the dark uncertainty that had held him back.

With determination firm in his mind, he activated his trait

[Sole Survivor]

[Mana Core: F- → D-]

In an instant, his Mana Core leapt forward two entire ranks, transforming in less than a millisecond.

Such an unnatural progression should not have been possible—yet, Ashok stood unshaken, his body stable, unaffected by the absurd shift.

If anyone—especially the Magic Tower—had witnessed this moment, chaos would have followed.

They would have locked him away, examined every fiber of his existence, desperate to uncover how someone had defied the laws of magical progression.

Because under normal circumstances—this level of instant advancement was impossible.

Any other individual attempting such a reckless leap would face only one of two fates:

Mana Core Overload—An uncontrollable surge spiraling into chaos, destroying their body from the inside out.

Core Collapse—A complete failure, the mana system shattering, ensuring nothing but instant death.

Yet Ashok remained standing.

No backlash. No repercussions.

There existed unique, powerful traits in this world, abilities so extraordinary that they often bordered on supernatural phenomena.

Yet, among them, Sole Survivor stood as something beyond the realm of normality, a trait that shattered natural limitations without repercussions, a cheat in every sense of the word.

But even a cheat came with a price.

Ashok had earned this trait through sheer survival, escaping the Abyss, an event that now seemed like a moment where he had burned through an entire lifetime's worth of luck just to claim this ability.

And yet, reminiscing on the past now served no purpose.

'There is no point in thinking about the past right now.'

With that thought anchoring his resolve, Ashok closed his eyes, drawing his focus inward, directing his full concentration toward the center of his chest.

His breathing slowed—long, measured inhales and exhales, his mind clearing away distractions as he entered a state of meditation, attempting to finally sense the mana within him.

Time slipped by, the silence stretching across the metallic chamber as Ashok remained entrenched in his focus.

Then, something changed.

It was faint at first—a subtle awareness—not of mana, but of something deeply familiar.

His own heartbeat.

THUMP!

THUMP!

The rhythmic pulsing of his heart became crystal clear, no longer just a sound, but a sensation—something he could feel, something tangible.

His focus did not waver.

Instead, he embraced the rhythm, steadying his mind, using its consistency as a foundation to push deeper into his awareness.

[Focalism]

[MIND: F+ -> E-]

Without Ashok's awareness, his conditional mind-related trait activated, granting him a surge in mental clarity, sharpening his focus.

The shift was subtle—an enhancement was something Ashok had never expected, yet it helped him to push himself closer to his goal.

As Ashok dove deeper into concentration, aligning his senses with the rhythm of his beating heart, something shifted.

There—within the rhythmic pulse, a sensation stirred, something he had never felt before in the previous hour.

Not a physical change, not something he could touch, but rather—a vibration.

An extraordinary sensation, foreign and inexplicable, tingling within his body.

Something undeniably present—something real.

As time stretched on, the sensation refined itself, transforming from a vague awareness into something far more defined.

Then—without knowing when or how—an image blossomed in his mind.

A small, blue orb, no larger than a ping-pong ball, nestled deep within his heart, rotating with an unbroken rhythm, pulsating in perfect synchrony with his heartbeat.

Its surface gleamed like polished marble, its beauty striking, almost mesmerizing—yet more than the image itself, he could feel it.

For the first time, he could perceive the orb.

Its perfect circular shape, the speed of its rotation, each delicate movement felt as though it existed within him, yet also apart from him.

But above all else—he felt the energy housed within it.

The mana inside Ashok felt like trapped air, weightless and fleeting, as though it could slip away at any moment, yet remained stubbornly contained within him.

Intrigued and driven by curiosity, he imagined pulling just a fraction of energy from his core, not to wield it, but simply to test if it could be drawn beyond its confines.

However—the instant he made the attempt, everything vanished.

The sensation disappeared, the image of his core shattered, and his awareness snapped back to reality.

Ashok's eyes flew open, but instead of clarity, he was met with an overpowering wave of exhaustion.

A deep, bone-heavy drowsiness pressed down on him, his mind sluggish and fogged as though he had been drained beyond his limits.

A dull ache spread through his skull, creeping in slow pulses, amplifying his overwhelming desire to simply collapse onto the cold, metal-plated floor and surrender to sleep.

But worse still—he couldn't feel his lower half.

His legs remained numb, unresponsive, as if they no longer belonged to him, disconnected from the rest of his body.

Forcing himself to move, Ashok flicked his gaze to his watch, expecting mere minutes to have passed since his last meditation attempt. freewёbnoνel.com

Yet when he saw the time—5:30 P.M.—a startled realization hit him.

He had remained in this room far longer than expected, his focus having drowned out any awareness of time's passage.

Ashok had carefully planned his training schedule—ending his External Art practice at one, entering the training room at 1:30, and reserving the space for three hours—which meant he should have been out by 4:30 PM.

Yet, here he was, stepping out an hour past his expected time, unaware that three extra hours had unknowingly slipped through his grasp.

Sitting cross-legged for four consecutive hours had taken its toll, leaving his legs utterly numb, his body sluggish, and his mind weighed down by exhaustion.

With effort, Ashok forced himself onto his feet, and the moment he took his first step, a sharp sensation rippled through his legs, like electricity jolting through his muscles, awakening his dormant limbs.

His balance nearly wavered, and his vision blurred at the edges as heavy drowsiness pressed down on him, demanding that he drop to the floor and surrender to sleep.

Yet—Charisma played its role once again.

Despite the overwhelming fatigue, Ashok body showed enough composure to push forward, his steps slow but deliberate, each movement a battle against his own failing strength.