Chapter 81: Preparations for Advancement

Julius was sitting on the bench next to Aubrey, both of them out of breath from their sparring. Aubrey had improved her clone technique very fast, it took Julius much more mental focus to decide which one was real and which one wasn’t now. Aubrey was still frustrated about how much mana and aura it cost to use it, but Julius could already see how she was becoming more efficient.

However, he believed that no matter how much practice she had, the technique would always be a big mana eater. The technique was based on using large amounts of mana and aura to simulate an actual person’s presence.

Julius on the other hand, had gotten much better at using [Mana Layering] with his constructs. At the moment he was still using flat and simple layers for most of his spikes or other constructs, but if he took the time, he could create a construct with his scaled layers. Those constructs were much stronger and even Aubrey had to concentrate on deflecting them, instead of taking them directly.

Julius still hadn’t broken through her defenses yet, but he felt like it was possible now. If he used his kinetically enhanced fire technique he thought he would be able to do some damage. He was tempted to ask Aubrey to be his testing dummy, but he wanted to get better control over it first. He still wasn’t comfortable using it under regular conditions, but he was getting there.

Another thing was his skill, [Empowerment of Will]. It was quickly becoming one of the most useful and powerful skills in his arsenal. The downside was that just like [Savage Dance], it was difficult for his mind and soul to take the load of the skill. It was a rare+ skill for a good reason, but he suspected that the skill would become much easier to control once he advanced.

He was able to empower his constructs to a certain degree with [Empowerment of Will], it wasn’t that much yet, but he could feel its potential just waiting to be unlocked.

Julius felt Aubrey poke him from the side.

“Hey, when are you planning to advance to Tier 2?” She asked him before taking a sip of water.

Julius thought about that. He had been planning to advance, but he kept on getting sidetracked. There was so much on his plate right now, that he was getting overwhelmed. He was already thinking about not going to certain classes. It wasn’t like there was a requirement to go to any of the classes. The only thing that was really stopping him was that there were assessments every once in a while, and if the material tested was only stuff discussed in class then he would need to still go.

“I don’t know. I was thinking soon, but with everything going on, I just haven’t had the chance,” Julius truthfully told her.

“Do you feel like you are prepared? Like do you believe you could do it right now?” Aubrey asked.

Julius shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, I could probably do it this very second, but I don’t know how long it would take or what I need to really prepare for.”

Julius watched as Aubrey placed her hand underneath her chin, deep in thought. Then she spoke, “How about this? Tonight, after your aura class you meet me here. There are several chambers specifically meant for advancement, I will be able to set you up and give you any advice you need. Not that you have much to worry about, Tier 2 is relatively simple, just a little messy.”

“How long does advancing usually take?” Julius was curious.

Aubrey had to think about that one. “Eh… there’s not a specific or average time. Some can take a few minutes, while others can take hours. It just depends on the person. For you, I think you will be relatively quick. You have a solid foundation, so there will be fewer changes needed to be done.”

Julius was happy to hear that. “Okay, so I should meet you, right after my aura class? You’re okay with it being that late?” Julius made sure it was fine with her.

“Yeah, I don’t need as much sleep as a Tier 3, so I will be fine,” Aubrey assured him.

Julius smiled at her. “Thank you, I appreciate it,” he was grateful that she was helping him.

“No worries. You have no idea how much you have helped me out with my [Mirage Phantom] and [Prism Stealth] skills. I have made so many improvements in just a couple of days. This is the least I can do. Trust me, we are not even yet, not even close,” Aubrey said seriously.

“What’s not even close?” Edgar had walked up to them, wiping the sweat from his face with his shirt.

“Nothing, I just promised Julius that I would help him advance tonight,” Aubrey told Edgar.

“Oh! You’re going to advance?” Edgar turned to Julius with excitement.

Julius nodded his head. “Yeah, I might as well, I don’t think there is any reason to not at this point,” he said.

“Do you mind if I come as well?” Edgar asked a little timidly, something that wasn’t like the big man at all.

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Julius laughed. “Of course, you are more than welcome.”

Edgar smiled widely and clapped Julius on the shoulder. “What time are you planning to do it?”

“After my aura class so probably around 8,” Julius said.

“Okay, I’ll meet you guys there. I shouldn’t have anything planned then,” Edgar said.

“What’s happening? Are you guys leaving me out of something?” Lily had overheard Edgar and came walking over to them.

Aubrey answered her. “Yeah, Julius is advancing to Tier 2, so Edgar and I are going to meet here to help him tonight.”