Master Of Astral Summoner-Chapter 157: When the world fell silent

Shaan woke up at once, filled with excitement. No wonder—today marked the beginning of his meditation training with Dr. Marshal. The thought alone filled him with both joy and pride. After all, he would receive direct guidance and valuable knowledge as a daemonist from one of the faction leaders whose abilities no one could doubt.

"Now, I will..."

Shaan paused for a moment. For some reason, the surroundings felt unusually quiet. He slowly turned his head and looked around the room, but he saw no one at all. Dr. Marshal, Nalira, Chelsie— even Mr. Courier, who always greeted him whenever he woke up—were nowhere to be found. Strange. Where had they gone?

"Hmm... where did they go?"

As Shaan was wrestling with his thoughts, he suddenly heard a sound coming from below—specifically, from Dr. Marshal’s underground lab. Realizing this, Shaan knew for sure that someone was there, so without hesitation, he hurried down the stairs to see who it was.

’Tap... Tap... Tap....’

Shaan slowly walked down the stairs, and his suspicion turned out to be correct. A man with messy black hair, wearing a white lab robe, stood there while tidying up the storage shelves. Shaan immediately recognized him as Dr. Marshal—after all, he was the only man whose distinctive hair always made him look like he had just woken up.

"Wait, what is Dr. Marshall doing here?" Shaan furrowed his brow, his face showing confusion. "Aren’t we supposed to be... Oh my God, don’t tell me he really doesn’t remember."

"Dr. Marshal," Shaan called out as he continued down the stairs. "Why are you down here alone?

Hearing his name, Dr. Marshal turned around. "Oh, hello, Shaan. It looks like you’re already awake," he said with a smile. "I’m just organizing some of my old belongings. Since today is free, I decided to tidy up a few things in the lab. That’s all," he added while placing boxes one by one into a cabinet. "Jeez, I didn’t realize this cabinet had gotten so messy."

"See, he really forgot about it," Shaan sighed, a look of annoyance briefly visible on his face. "Calm down, Shaan, calm down."

"Dr. Marshall, where are the others?" Shaan looked around the lab. "I haven’t seen them since earlier."

"They went out to buy some food supplies that have started to run low," Dr. Marshal explained. "Courier 020 actually came up with the idea. From his past experiences, he knows that as events draw closer, food consumption increases significantly. We can’t afford to run out of supplies."

"Ah... So that’s how it is," Shaan nodded.

"Uh... Dr. Marshal, sorry to bring this up, but... it seems like you forgot something."

"Forgot something?" Dr. Marshall paused for a moment, placing the last bottle on the shelf with a confused look on his face. "I have no idea what you’re talking about, Shaan."

"Uh... the training... meditation training," Shaan scratched the back of his neck, his voice sounding hesitant. "The one you mentioned to me yesterday."

"Training—wait... oh damn, I remember now." Dr. Marshal slapped his forehead. "We were supposed to practice meditation together today, right?"

Shaan nodded slowly. "Y-yes, that’s right."

"Damn it. Why didn’t I remember that at all?" Dr. Marshal shook his head, his face looking annoyed. "I’m sorry, Shaan. I completely forgot about it."

"Eh... It’s okay, Dr. Marshal. I know you must be busy," Shaan said weakly as he slowly turned and started walking back up the stairs. "In that case, I guess I should—"

"Hm... wait a moment, Shaan." Dr. Marshal walked toward him. "Come with me. We’ll start the meditation training today."

"H-huh? But what about your work down here?"

"I’m done. I’ve already organized the cabinets, and now I have some free time to begin the meditation session, just like I promised." Dr. Marshal quickly headed up the stairs, passing Shaan. "Come on. We don’t have much time to waste."

"O-okay."

Shaan followed Dr. Marshal until they reached the living room. Dr. Marshal walked to the center of the room and sat down, crossing his legs with a straight, steady posture. Realizing this, Shaan immediately sat down as well, mirroring Dr. Marshal’s position.

"Now, there is actually a short method you can use for meditation. This method is called Grounding Breath."

"Grounding Breath?"

"That’s right. The Grounding Breath is a short breathing technique designed to calm the body, allowing the mind to become stable. This method is also commonly used by daemonists because it is effective and relatively quick."

’So that’s how it is. I had no idea about this.’

"Grounding Breath consists of four stages, and all of them connect," Dr. Marshal explained. "Inhale and exhale, focus on a single sensation, say your daemon’s name in your mind, and finish with a small closing motion," he said, giving a brief explanation. "Simple, isn’t it?"

"Uh... but I’m not sure if this will actually work," Shaan said hesitantly.

"Shaan, listen to me. How can you know that it won’t work when you’ve never even tried it?"

"...."

"Shaan, at least try it first. Whether it works or not is secondary." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"I... I understand."

"Actually, the core of meditation uses a concept similar to mana enhancement, which you learned before," Dr. Marshal continued. "The difference lies in the goal. Meditation focuses on sharpening your mind, while mana enhancement focuses on channeling mana into your body or the weapon you use."

"I understand, Dr. Marshal." Shaan nodded. "Then I’ll give it a try."

Shaan slowly closed his eyes and began applying the method Dr. Marshal taught him. He focused all his thoughts on controlling his breathing rhythm and maintaining a steady pace. Then, in his mind, he softly spoke the words Dr. Marshal had taught him.

’I’m here. Robin Hood. Listen to me.’

Within seconds, the sounds around him began to fade on their own. Even Dr. Marshal’s voice—clear and guiding just moments ago—vanished as if it had never existed. Shaan slowly opened his eyes, and a strange sight greeted him. He now stood inside a mysterious room completely covered in white.

’W-wait... how is this possible?’ Shaan’s face tensed as he scanned his unfamiliar surroundings. ’Where is Dr. Marshal? Where am I? Wh-why am I here—’

Shaan suddenly stopped speaking. His breath caught in his throat when he noticed a figure standing in front of him—a man wearing a green robe.

’R-Robin Hood...? Is that you?’