"What? Warriors use mana, not just fighting spirit?"

  Looking at the content of the second primer book, Zephyr had an expression as if he'd seen a ghost.

  "Fighting spirit?" Loris thought for a moment, "Some warriors can indeed cultivate a force that isn't mana through physical training. This power is indeed very strong, but it's vastly different from mana."

  "Like what?"

  "Mana can more easily interact with elemental forces and manipulate them, whereas the other power forcibly extracts strength, transforms it within oneself, and then releases it." As an ancient being, Loris knew too much, and she could easily explain Zephyr's confusion, "This book has related information."

  "So that's how it is..." Zephyr tapped the ground with a slightly troubled look. It seemed that in this world, both warriors and mages fundamentally used mana...

  Continuing to flip through the second primer book, he indeed found some relevant explanations. Although both mages and warriors used mana, the methods of application were completely different—it was akin to the difference between firearms and cold weapons.

  Mages processed mana using array patterns to create various 'ammunitions,' while warriors used mana mainly to enhance themselves. By channeling mana throughout their bodies along different paths, they could unleash a series of combat techniques involving physical prowess, which required significant bodily strength.

  Magic, on the other hand, demanded a lot from one's mental strength.

  Mana was something most people with some talent could possess. However, those lacking sufficient mental potential or qualifications couldn't become mages. Even if they later became stronger, they would only master some low-level spells and couldn't achieve higher accomplishments in this field.

  People who could accumulate mana but couldn't become mages could still meet the conditions to become warriors. If even accumulating mana wasn't possible, they could only strengthen their physique through hard training, striving to take the third path—what Zephyr referred to as 'fighting spirit.' In this world, it was called battle aura.

  There was once a dispute between mana warriors and battle aura warriors about which system represented the true warrior tradition. Mana warriors had numerous skills and rich development, while battle aura warriors had extremely simple and brutal power.

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  Battle aura lacked the diverse techniques of mana warriors but had incredibly potent power, as if all enhancements focused solely on power. Thus, this force didn't have many intricate techniques.

  For example, when a mana warrior mastered flight techniques, a similarly powerful battle aura warrior could only fight on the ground. Even though they could enhance themselves with the fierce power of battle aura to leap dozens of meters, it was just jumping high, not flying.

  Additionally, the entry barrier for battle aura warriors was extremely high, requiring intense training.

  In summary, mana was universal, but the focus and resulting branches developed differently.

  "Battle aura is a very special force. Everyone's battle aura is unique, and those injured by it suffer continuous damage due to its wild nature, making it difficult to expel."

  After finishing the book, seeing Zephyr's continued interest in 'fighting spirit,' Loris continued explaining beyond the primer's contents.

  "If mana is water, then battle aura is like oil—special and very hard to mix with other forces for greater destructive range. Therefore, battle aura warriors are poor at area attacks, but their direct damage rivals single-target magic."

  "Also, battle aura allows practitioners, like mana warriors, to quickly enhance their physical qualities through mana and training. However, because battle aura is so fierce, it also harms the body during enhancement."

  "Battle aura grows with the warrior's physique, so battle aura warriors find it hard to fully adapt to the power of battle aura while strengthening their bodies. Thus, practitioners of battle aura don't live long. If warriors could fully control the ferocity of battle aura, they could eliminate its harm to the body, achieving effects similar to mana, enhancing the body... even faster due to the nature of battle aura!"

  "Such battle aura warriors are rare."

  "Hmm... If mages use warrior-like training methods, wouldn't they also be able to strengthen their bodies?" Zephyr suddenly felt that mages in this world seemed to have the potential to be like Gandalf!

  "Yes, you can even pursue both mage and warrior training simultaneously, including battle aura warrior practices, if your time and energy allow. Humans, however, live short lives."

  "Hmm, I guess I don't need to worry about time." Looking down at his dragon claws, with the primer and Loris's detailed explanations, Zephyr had a clear understanding of these three professions.

  Mages were mages, relying heavily on talent. Mana warriors could be considered sword mages, requiring less magical talent, just enough to qualify. They were an alternative path for those unsuited for pure mage roles. Battle aura warriors... Zephyr saw them as the true warriors!

  No frills, incredibly strong attack power, risking life and limb. Since Loris evaluated battle aura warriors so highly, the power of battle aura must indeed be formidable.

  In this world, there was no concept of conflicting professions, but mastering all three was an enormous challenge for humans. The difficulty of learning magic already indicated the importance of talent. Trying to learn multiple disciplines simultaneously, even with sufficient talent, without adequate accumulation, wouldn't lead to great achievements.

  Combat techniques sounded somewhat like internal martial arts, seemingly easier than complex array patterns but still not easy to master. For battle aura warriors, extensive physical training was essential.

  Each profession required considerable time, so pursuing all three... for humans with lifespans measured in decades, lacking talent made such endeavors nearly suicidal.

  "Not necessarily. Your growth rate is abnormal," Loris calmly stated. "With several times the normal growth rate of dragons, it's not surprising that your lifespan might be shorter. Moreover, before you 'crossed over' into this dragon body, it was already dead."

  "But I haven't grown taller in over half a month," Zephyr scratched his head. When his body grew rapidly, he measured his height every few days out of boredom; it truly changed daily. But about half a month ago, the rapid growth stopped.

  "Maybe you haven't experienced the first growth sleep phase of dragons," Loris speculated, "Have you ever felt a strong desire to sleep for a long time?"

  "...Never."