The next weeks passed in a crazy rigid routine.
Training.
Cultivation.
Study.
Alex woke way before sunrise each morning.
The training courtyard remained quiet at that hour. Wind moved through the stone pillars lining the edge of the grounds.
The katana descended in a sharp arc.
Falling Petal Cut.
His wrist shifted, redirecting an imaginary counterstrike.
Flowing River Guard.
Then the blade flashed from its sheath.
Silent Draw Strike.
Steel hummed through empty air.
Again.
And again.
Sweat soaked the back of his training robes.
Every movement needed to become instinct.
Only then would it matter in a real fight.
Cultivation followed sword practice.
Alex sat cross-legged on the stone platform and guided Qi through his channels.
He intended to reach mid or even peak initiate realm as soon as possible.
The Root Chakra pulsed steadily now.
Energy gathered at the base of his spine before flowing through the surrounding pathways.
He knew if he needed a chance at the entrance he had to rely on his secret node since he started his proper training and cultivation later than others.
Thus, he also focused on healing his damaged channels near his broken node
A thin portion leaked into the fractured pathways and was slowly absorbed by them.
The damaged channels were healing.
Just painfully slowly.
Alex exhaled.
At this rate, it will take months.
If he was forced to rely on the Emotion Node in combat frequently, those powers might not work as much because of the damaged & weakened channels.
Which meant the damage needed to heal.
And soon.
A full month passed.
Alex noticed the difference in his movements first.
His sword felt lighter.
His reactions sharper.
Illusion practice improved as well.
At first he could only distort the edge of a person's vision.
Now he could briefly project a second image of himself two steps away.
The illusion lasted less than a heartbeat.
But in combat, a heartbeat was enough.
Useful.
Still incomplete.
Alex lowered his sword after another sequence.
Real combat punished hesitation.
Training never did.
He noticed Kael later that afternoon near the outer courtyard.
The tall hunter leaned against a stone railing while servants moved supply crates across the yard.
Alex approached.
"You're still in House Valerian?"
Kael glanced over.
"A temporary stay."
"For another escort?"
Kael smiled faintly.
"Something like that."
Alex studied him for a moment.
"What kind of mission?"
Kael simply smiled.
Hunters rarely discussed assignments outside their organization.
Still, Kael watched him for a moment longer before speaking again.
"You look restless."
Alex didn't deny it.
"I need a certain elixir and some real combat experience."
Kael nodded once.
"Then the Hunter organization might interest you."
Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Though i am a valerian, I don't have much money on myself."
Kael tapped the railing lightly.
"there are other arrangements."
Alex waited.
Kael continued.
"You can sign a Debt Contract."
"A loan?"
"Something like that."
Kael's voice remained calm.
"You receive what you need in advance. Elixirs. Equipment. Sometimes manuals."
"And the price?"
"The organization collects later."
Alex frowned slightly.
"How?"
"In proportion to the debt."
Kael looked toward the distant tree line surrounding the estate.
"Money. Missions. Or service."
"And the interest?"
"Always included."
Alex remained silent for a moment.
Kael finally shrugged.
"The debt can be called at any time in the future."
Then he pushed away from the railing.
"Think carefully before signing one."
That evening Alex approached the House Steward.
The steward's office sat inside the administrative wing of the estate.
Tall shelves filled with scrolls and ledgers lined the walls.
The steward himself sat behind a narrow desk.
A thin man with sharp eyes.
He listened quietly while Alex spoke.
"You wish to leave the estate?"
"Yes."
"For what purpose?"
"Personal training."
The steward studied him for several seconds.
Alex kept his expression calm.
Finally the man closed the ledger in front of him.
"You may leave."
Alex waited.
"But."
The steward's gaze sharpened slightly.
"You will return before the academy selection."
"Understood."
The steward continued studying him for another moment.
As if measuring something he chose not to say.
Then he nodded once.
"You may go."
Alex left the office.
Something about the man felt difficult to read.
The Hunter organization building stood near the trade district at the edge of the city.
Alex had never visited this part of Valerian territory before.
Merchants filled the streets.
Carriages rolled through muddy roads.
Armed fighters stood outside taverns and weapon shops.
The Hunter hall itself was impossible to miss.
A three-story stone building marked with a bronze crest of crossed weapons.
Alex stepped inside.
Noise filled the interior.
Hunters crowded long tables.
Others stood near a large board covered with pinned mission requests.
A clerk behind a counter looked up as Alex approached.
"You here to register?"
"No."
"Then?"
"I heard about Debt Contracts."
The clerk's expression changed slightly.
"Those require approval."
"From who?"
"Me."
Alex placed a small pouch of coins and his identity token as a member of valerian house on the counter.
The clerk looked at it briefly.
Then nodded.
"Follow me."
The contract room was small.
A single lantern hung from the ceiling.
The clerk placed a parchment on the table.
"You request ten Channel Restoration Elixirs."
Alex nodded.
"Are your channels damaged?."
"Does it have to be to buy one?."
The clerk gave a deadpan look.
He dipped pen in ink.
"The total debt value will be collected later."
"In what form?"
"Any, most commonly missions or in your case a favour as a member of Valerian house or you can simply pay with money."
Alex nodded and signed the parchment.
The clerk stamped the contract with a bronze seal.
"Congratulations."
He opened a small wooden case and placed ten small glass vials inside.
Each contained pale silver liquid.
"Your debt begins today."
Alex took the case.
Before leaving, he walked through the main hall again.
His attention caught on another display.
Several manuals rested behind a glass cabinet.
One title stood out.
Regenerative Channel Breathing Method
Alex paused.
"What's the price?"
The nearby clerk barely glanced at it.
"Too expensive."
"How expensive?"
"Five hundred gold."
Alex didn't react outwardly.
That was far beyond what he could afford.
Still, the discovery mattered.
There were techniques capable of repairing damaged channels.
Even if they were rare.
Alex stepped outside the Hunter hall with the wooden case in hand.
The city noise returned immediately.
Merchants shouting.
Metal striking metal in nearby smithies.
Laughter spilling from a nearby tavern.
Alex looked down at the case briefly.
Ten elixirs.
A small advantage.
But an advantage nonetheless.
They came with a price.
A debt that could be collected at any time.
Alex closed the case.
Power always has a cost.
And now he owed one.