The commander watched quietly from a short distance.
Her eyes stayed fixed on him. As she noticed everything.
The way his mana moved.
The way he adjusted his control.
And more importantly…
The method.
He crushed it… just like that.
Crude and simple.
It showed no signs of preparation with the lack of a proper extraction technique.
If it were anyone else, she would've stopped them already.
But she didn't move.
Because this was Arthur.
And he wasn't normal.
Her gaze narrowed slightly.
Let's see how far you take it.
Meanwhile, Arthur was still struggling.
The wind element continued slipping through his grasp.
He tried to guide it.
Shape it.
Even force it.
Nothing worked properly.
It kept thinning out.
Fading.
"…Not enough."
He clicked his tongue.
He could feel it already.
The amount left in the first core wasn't enough.
Not for what he wanted.
But he didn't stop.
Instead, he shifted his approach.
Don't force it.
His breathing steadied again.
