Billionaire Reboot: Building A New World Order
Chapter 57: Upward

Chapter 57: Upward

Outside his room, he saw Effie sitting on the couch, watching a K-drama and munching on sliced apples.

Moving closer, he gently hugged her from behind.

This time, she didn’t push him away; instead, she held onto his arms.

His decision to simply let her anger pass on its own worked.

"Are you okay now?" he asked softly.

"Yes," she nodded. Her voice was quiet. "I’m sorry about how I acted... I was the one who told you to get a girlfriend, but seeing it still hurt me."

Terrence tightened his hug, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder.

"I know. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way."

For a while, they just stayed like that — holding each other in silence.

Later on, they shared a meal together, feeling much better.

Soon after, they ended up in bed and went for five rounds.

Effie was surprised by how much better he had gotten .

But it wasn’t just that. For some reason she couldn’t explain, her body felt more sensitive than ever when he touched her.

Every brush of his hand or kiss sent shivers through her, making her feel like she was experiencing everything for the first time.

Little did she know, he was secretly using mana to stimulate her pores, making her body extra sensitive to his touch.

Because of this, every movement sent a rush of pleasure through her body, leaving her breathless and shaken.

After their passionate makeup sex, he kissed her gently on the forehead and told her he would be gone for a while.

She looked up at him with soft, slightly worried eyes, but nodded without saying a word.

This worked out better for him, since his flight to Russia was in a couple of days.

He planned to spend all his remaining time training as much as possible, then head straight to the airport when it was time to leave.

On his way down, he got a text from Anna asking him out for a meal.

He politely declined. He already spent too much time with Effie.

There was nothing wrong with enjoying life, but he knew he had to prioritize his own growth first.

Before heading out of the city, Terrence decided it was time to get a new vehicle.

Rather than settling for something modest, he went straight for the most expensive and rugged option on the lot — a black F-150 Raptor R, built to handle any terrain and carry whatever he might need.

When he sat behind the wheel, he felt an instant thrill.

The deep rumble of the engine sounded like a wild animal ready to sprint.

It made him feel powerful and excited, as if the truck was begging him to take it on an adventure.

He drove for over an hour, letting the smooth hum of the Raptor’s V6 twin-turbo do all the work.

Just before leaving the city, he stopped by a store to shop for some camping gear, and other supplies.

’That should be good,’ he muttered to himself, tossing all the items into the back of the truck.

Eventually, the towering buildings gave way to stretches of empty roads and the deep greens of the countryside.

When he saw a big area of woods stretching out past the guardrails, he pulled over next to a small break in the fence.

Before reaching his destination, he had to drive down a rough, muddy trail full of rocks and deep ruts.

thud!

thud!

He felt the truck bounce and sway, but the powerful suspension handled it easily.

Terrence grinned, glad he decided to get a pickup truck instead of a regular car.

Minutes later, he found a clearing and parked.

All around him, he saw tall, towering pine trees.

The atmosphere was refreshing, and he could even hear the faint sound of rushing water somewhere nearby, hinting at a river.

’Should I train here... or climb a bit higher?’ he wondered, staring at the mountain ahead.

Although he traveled far enough, he still felt it wasn’t isolated enough.

In the end, he decided to pick up his heavy camping bag and head up the mountain.

Fueled by a rush of power, he channeled mana into his legs and feet, propelling himself forward.

SWOOOSH!

He vaulted over fallen logs, scaled boulders, and weaved between trees like a seasoned free runner, practically dancing through the forest.

’What’s that ?’ he spotted a sturdy, good-looking stick lying among the underbrush.

Instinctively, he snatched it up and twirled it experimentally, pretending it was a gleaming katana.

"Wow... this is fun!" he laughed loudly, his voice echoing through the forest.

There was an almost childlike joy in his movements .

After a few more minutes he he stopped at a quiet clearing.

’This is good enough,’

He took a deep breath, letting his sharpened senses sweep across the area.

Not a single presence — not a person.

Satisfied, he slowly opened his eyes, feeling the fresh air.

’Finally... I can go all out without worrying about people watching,’

What separated the first stage from the second stage wasn’t just the amount of mana they could store — it was also the ability to release mana in different forms.

Normally, when a talented mana-born awakened, they would have a specific element they were naturally good at.

But Terrence, just like in his past life, had neutral mana.

Not that he hated it — in fact, he was thrilled.

Having neutral mana meant he could become one of the most versatile mana-born out there, able to adapt and learn a wide range of techniques instead of being tied down to a single major element.

’I’ll start with the basics first,’ he muttered to himself, looking around until he found a tree thicker than the rest.

Next, he positioned himself about three meters away from it.

’Breath in... Breath out’ Terrence closed his eyes and focused.

He drew it first from his heart— the core deep in his chest where his mana was stored.

From there, he guided the energy upward through his spine, feeling it flow like a warm, powerful river.

It traveled across his chest and into his shoulders, then down through his arms, finally gathering in his palms.

"Shock Impulse!"

A fast white orb of energy shot forward.

The blast smashed into a thick tree, but it didn’t fall right away. Instead, the bark cracked and some branches shook wildly.

Terrence frowned. ’Too weak... My control isn’t good enough yet. That’s why most of my mana gets wasted before it even reaches the target,’

’I need to make the attack more compact and efficient,’

He took a deep breath, focusing again. Mana gathered in his hand, and he fired another burst.

crack!

A deeper wound opened in the tree’s trunk, but it still stood firm. Leaves fluttered down like green rain.

Terrence narrowed his eyes, adjusting his breathing to stay steady.

He raised his hand for a third try.

BOOM!

This time, the blast cut even deeper, nearly halfway through. The tree creaked loudly, as if begging to fall, but somehow stayed upright.

Wiping sweat from his forehead, he relaxed his pounding heart, taking slow, deep inhales.

’One more should do it.’

He took another slow breath and gathered mana one last time, channeling it carefully.

Then he released it in a powerful, clean burst.

CRAAACK!

Finally, the fourth blast hit the tree with a loud crack, and a large, smoking hole appeared right through the trunk.

Terrence lowered his hand, breathing hard but smiling proudly

’Not bad... not bad at all.’

Even a high-caliber gun would struggle to shoot through thick wood, but he managed to do it.

Wanting to test himself further, he moved around and struck other trees one by one, repeating the attack until he got used to the sensation.

Soon, it was time for the next part of his training: manually integrating an element into his core.

Unlike others who were awakened with mana that already had a natural element, like fire or water, his mana was neutral.

This meant he needed to use an outside material (a medium) if he wanted to create elemental attacks.

Luckily, he already knew exactly what to do.

Without wasting any time, he raised one hand and held up a lighter, flicking it on and staring into the small flame.

Slowly but surely, his mana began to adapt.

When he finally found the right connection, he clenched his fist — and flames started to dance and swirl around his fingers.

This wasn’t just borrowing fire — he was merging it with his mana, making it an extension of himself.

Suddenly, the flames burst larger and grew wilder, whipping around his hand— a clear sign he was starting to lose control.

Gritting his teeth, he adjusted the mana flow.

The fire slowly settled into a smooth, steady glow, wrapping his hand like a perfectly controlled glove.

’That was really close,’

If not for his past experience, the flames could have exploded right then, burning him badly along with everything around him.