Bastards Ascension: A Playground of Gods
Chapter 58: learning to use mana

Chapter 58: learning to use mana

"Second master?" Kieran asked, genuinely stunned by her words.

From the moment he’d summoned Alexa, she had been nothing short of fierce—unyielding and powerful.

If they hadn’t already formed a contract, he was certain she would’ve ripped his head off the moment she appeared.

She was stubborn, ruthless, and overwhelmingly prideful.

And now she was saying someone had once owned her? Not just one master—but two?

Kieran let out a long breath, a tired expression settling on his face. His eyes half-lidded, mouth drawn into a flat line.

’Of course... that explains why his aura felt so terrifying. He’s probably just as unhinged as she is,’ he thought, the exasperation in his chest barely concealed.

Fortunately, Alexa couldn’t hear his thoughts. She was too wrapped up in her own past.

"Yes," she replied, her voice low. "The king of the beast elves captured me years ago. He defeated me with ease. But rather than bond with me, he gave me to his son—Castan."

There was venom in her words, anger simmering beneath every syllable.

"That was his mistake. Castan never got the chance to bond with me. I escaped. But now..." she paused, her tone tightening, "now I’m back. That aura... it was him. I’m certain of it. Castan is here."

Kieran’s mind spun, trying to absorb it all.

’So the one who appeared just now—he’s supposed to be her former master? And... a god candidate?’

As he connected the dots, the weight of it began to settle in.

The beast elves in this realm controlled powerful creatures.

And based on what Alexa had just revealed, those who qualified as god candidates didn’t need to be direct descendants of a god. It was about strength, legacy, and presence.

Castan was a demigod-level entity.

And Kieran was supposed to defeat him?

’If the system notified me about him... then it probably notified him about me too,’ Kieran thought grimly, a cold bead of sweat rolling down his temple.

The situation was spiraling fast.

’If Alexa’s afraid of this guy, then I stand no chance right now. And worse... he’s probably already hunting me down.’

This wasn’t a fight he could win.

Not yet.

’That guy’s going to squash me like a bug,’ he thought, his mind flashing back to the crushing weight of Castan’s aura.

"Alexa, you’re right. We need to leave. Now," he said immediately. ’I’m definitely not ready for this guy.’

"Yes. We should," Alexa agreed, unaware of the chaos storming through his thoughts.

But agreeing was the easy part.

Now came the hard question—how?

Kieran turned to Stan, who was still trying to collect himself.

"Do you know how to cancel the tower trial?" he asked.

Normally, participants could exit the tower whenever they chose—either by giving up or after completing their training.

But this...

This was far beyond a normal trial.

This wasn’t training anymore.

This was survival.

"No... I have no idea," Stan replied, his voice trembling. "Only the assigned Iron-ranked Awakened knew how to end the trial. They were the ones in charge of pulling us out."

His hands were visibly shaking.

He looked at Kieran, shocked by how composed he seemed—even after the terrifying presence that had just loomed over them.

’So this is the difference between someone like him and the rest of us...’ Stan thought. ’Is this what it means to be an SSS-ranked talent holder? He’s not even afraid.’

He didn’t dare speak further, quietly watching Kieran, trying to guess what was going through his mind.

Truthfully, Kieran didn’t know what to say either.

This was far beyond what he’d expected. The situation had escalated well past the scope of any simple tower trial.

Way past.

’If Stan’s here, then maybe the rest of my team is nearby too...’

His thoughts raced. He needed to find them. And more importantly, he needed to locate the assigned Iron-ranked Awakened who could end this nightmare.

"Alexa," he said quietly, "can you sense anyone nearby?"

Alexa didn’t answer right away.

There was a long pause—as if she was carefully weighing her words.

"I can," she finally said. "But... doing so would require spreading my aura. That’s exactly how he sensed me the first time. If I do it again, he’ll trace me."

Her tone was sharp, edged with frustration.

"I’m still recovering from my rebirth. I’m at my weakest. If I were at my prime... maybe I’d consider standing against him. But not like this."

Kieran went silent.

He exhaled slowly, the pressure in his chest mounting.

"But..." Alexa added, her voice shifting slightly. "There ’is’ a way I can still sense others. But I’ll need to use ’you’ to do it."

Kieran’s eyes sharpened.

"How?" he asked.

’If there’s even a chance that Iron-ranked Awakened is close... I have to find them. I need to get out of here, train, grow stronger—then come back prepared.’

Because right now?

He didn’t even know how to use his powers properly.

He couldn’t control mana.

And the first god candidate he’d encountered was someone strong enough to ’terrify’ Alexa.

’Fuck.’

This was way out of his league.

’I have to leave. This isn’t cowardice... it’s survival.’

If he died now, everything—the system, his goals, Alexa—would all be for nothing.

If Alexa were at full strength, maybe this fight wouldn’t feel so hopeless.

But she wasn’t.

And throwing themselves into a suicidal battle wouldn’t help anyone.

"I would’ve told you to use Aetheris," Alexa continued, "but at your level, you’d burn out almost instantly. Wasting Aetheris now would be reckless. So... you’ll have to use ’mana’."

"Mana?" Kieran asked. "But I don’t even know how to ’use’ mana yet. How am I supposed to learn it now?"

"If we were in any other realm, it would be difficult," Alexa replied. "But you’re in ’Althea’. The mana here is thick—abundant. It’s practically in the air you breathe."

Even she could feel it.

She wasn’t particularly skilled at using mana herself, but in Althea... it was impossible ’not’ to feel it. The mana in this place was alive.

’This’ was the perfect place to begin learning.

Now came the real question.

"How do I learn it in the little time we have left?"

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