Chapter 321: There is a Reason Behind Strength (2)

Anis and Taragon had received training from Keter before, but for the rest of the trainees, it was their first time. Still, everyone was prepared.

I’ve heard the rumors. They said he set fire to bare bodies and made people run until just before death. I have that much determination.

Sefira had nothing to fall back on, and what they needed most right now was simply strength. With strength, they could wage war, and diplomacy became possible. Then, a negotiation opportunity could be formed.

“

Aaaaaaah!

”

“This is insane!”

“

Guh—!

”

In negative fifty degrees celsius, in which hot water even froze instantly, Keter splashed cold water at the trainees.

“If you want to live, keep circulating aura within your body. Your fingers, toes, even the tips of your ears, don’t miss anything! Number 7! Your big toe is blue. Do you want it cut off later?”

Keter’s training was harsher and more insane than anything they had imagined.

Keter slapped Elder Panir across the cheek. Panir came to his senses as if he had died and come back to life.

“

Agh!

”

“Number 8! Don’t close your eyes! Don’t lose consciousness!”

Among the trainees, Pekda of the Seven Stars of the North had the most combat experience. He clenched his teeth.

What is this training even for? I don’t understand at all.

Pain from the cold surpassed imagination. It felt as if every single cell in their body was freezing. Moreover, the heat generated by circulating their aura melted it away, causing pain even in that very process.

Pekda had been captured by enemy forces and been tortured before. Needles had been driven under his fingernails, and he had been seared here and there with red-hot branding irons. However, all of that was nothing compared to the pain right now. It was as if all the pain in the world had been gathered into this single moment. It was impossible to think positively, and he wanted to give up like crazy.

At that moment, Keter came and stood in front of him.

“Number Nine. Your face is full of dissatisfaction. You look like you have no idea what this training is even for.”

“Yes, sir! I don’t understand what this training is for!”

“I like your honesty!” Keter splashed water at Number Nine, and explained, “Just as you can train the human body, you can train aura as well. Meaning, it’s not just about quantity and purity. The training you’re doing right now is meant to increase aura affinity and develop flexibility.”

“What is that good for?!”

“When aura affinity increases, aura optimization becomes possible. Then you can produce maximum effect with minimum input. Flexibility is exactly what it sounds like. What is aura’s weakness? The farther it gets from the body, the stronger the recoil becomes. Once it completely leaves the body, it vanishes instantly. This compensates for that.”

“Does that mean that with this training, aura evolves like mana?!”

“It doesn’t seem impossible, but I don’t know how long it would take. Still, even if you just reach a moderate level, your range will increase by at least a hundred meters.”

Training aura rather than the human body. At Keter’s new training method, the trainees were impressed, yet they wondered whether it was truly possible. And Keter wasn’t one to miss that.

“Are you familiar with how exercise works? If you take the time and consistently repeat stimulation to your muscle and rest, that’s all there is to it. Aura is the same. Put in the effort. If you can’t put in the effort, then give up now and get lost.”

Keter didn’t demand the impossible. He had tried everything himself first, and among those, he taught only what he was certain others could learn. There was no time to waste on things that might or might not work now.

Everyone fell silent at Keter’s pressure. They showed their resolve to see it through to the end.

However, Keter snorted in response.

“The effect of the elixir is indeed good. You all still have some leeway in you, and that’s only natural. If you have no leeway when things aren’t even hard, you’re just a weak human. A truly strong person is one who has leeway even when things get hard.”

As Keter snapped, lumps of dolls made of the earth surged up a hundred meters away.

“From now on, you’ll create a bow and arrows with aura and shoot. If you fail to shoot within ten seconds or miss three times in a row, you’ll be eliminated. Begin!”

The moment he told them to begin, the trainees started by forming bows out of aura, but at the same time, all their bodies stiffened.

“

Ugh!

”

“

Hngh!

”

“

Argh!

”

Every single one of them let out groans, and that was exactly what Keter intended.

“Aura is circulating through your body right now at a very high speed. The heat generated from that is protecting you from the cold, but the moment you try to use it, you lose control of your aura.”

Calm aura could be controlled, but aura in rotational motion was not easy to control. After all, aura was a double-edged sword to begin with. Grip it wrong, and the user would be cut.

“Three seconds left.”

There was no time to groan in pain. At Keter’s reminder of the ten-second rule, everyone formed their bows again. Blood flowed out here and there, and hands were torn open one after another as they forcibly drew out aura.

Yet, Keter showed no mercy.

“One second.”

They protected themselves from the cold and fired arrows made of aura at the same time. The trainees truly realized how difficult that was for the first time.

Everyone managed to force out a shot at the very least, but not a single arrow flew properly. The Aura Arrows themselves crumbled, vanished mid-flight, or plunged into the ground.

“

Huff, huff...!

”

“

Urgh...

”

They fired only a single arrow, yet everyone groaned in tremendous pain.

“Ten... nine... eight, seven, six, five—”

“I-isn’t that too fast?!”

Keter’s pressure didn’t even give the trainees time to savor the pain, and they felt as if they were about to lose their minds.

***

When they trained to prepare for the Sword of the South Tournament, Keter had trained with them. However, that was only because Keter still had room to grow at the time. Now that he had risen to the level of a Transcendental, training with them would be meaningless. Thus, Keter focused solely on breaking the trainees’ mentalities.

“Number 8. Is the position of elder something anyone can take just by getting old? Your patience is terrible. Or are you expecting special treatment because you’re the oldest? If that’s the case, say it right now. I’ll treat you like an elder.”

“Number 1. To be honest, I thought you wouldn’t come. You’re not an archer, you’re an incantor, aren’t you? I think it would be more beneficial for you to quit this hell now and go read books in that small room of yours, just as you’ve done until now.”

“Number 7. I’m at a loss for words. Commander of the Sacred Order of Sefira? Even if Sefira lacks talent, is it really this bad? A knight commander who represents hundreds still doesn’t understand a thing.”

“Number 9. What are you smiling at? You might be the best here, but to me, you’re all the same. You’ve got bad luck, so do five hundred push-ups.”

“How sad. I truly wish to cherish and care for you all, but your incompetence makes me angry. I can’t even bear to watch any longer, so I’m gonna go eat instead.”

With that, Keter ordered them the task of hitting dolls five hundred meters away. Then, he went straight into the igloo.

“

Oh

, and for reference, we won’t be moving on to the next training until all of you pass. Either pass or give up.”

Inside the igloo, Keter sat in front of the warm campfire and began roasting a whole chicken. Whether intentional or not, the igloo was very close to where the trainees were. The entrance was also wide open, making the inside clearly visible. The sight of the chicken slowly turning golden over the campfire. Though it was a simple dish seasoned only with salt and pepper, the smell spread in all directions.

Keter tore off a chicken leg with his hand and put it into his mouth. Though they were shooting arrows, the trainees’ gazes were fixed on the igloo. Drool was already dripping from Taragon’s mouth, forming icicles. And surely, Keter wasn’t one to miss that.

“Anyone who gives up now will be granted the right to eat chicken here while watching the training. First come, first served, one person only.”

Anis reflexively leaned toward the igloo at the mention of first come, first served, but after hearing the full terms, he returned to his original position.

Daat, who was watching them alongside Keter, said, “They’re holding out well.”

At his remark, Keter wiped the smile from his face and replied, “The elixir’s helping, sure, but they each also hold key positions in this family. There are no nobodies among them. Still, they’ve got a long way to go.”

“I see what you mean. Just to survive during Liqueur’s winters, I remember we would dig into the ground until our fingers were completely ruined. Even then, there was nothing to eat, so—”

“Don’t say the rest. It’s gonna ruin my appetite.”

“Seems like you’ve really been influenced by the outside world, Big Brother.”

“My heart was always soft to begin with. Circumstances just forced me to be that way.”

“

Yeah,

right.”

“So, did you look into Eslow?”

“There was nothing to look into. He’s holed up in his palace and has no intention of moving. It’s the most troublesome situation possible.”

With the princes’ division, the four lords too chose their respective masters. The Lords of the North and the West supported Crown Prince Rukan, and the Lord of the East supported Second Prince Rakan. However, the Lord of the South, Eslow, chose no one.

An order had long since been issued to Eslow to subjugate Sefira. If Eslow had followed that order, Sefira wouldn’t be what it is now. Yet, that didn’t mean he was friendly toward Sefira either.

Hissop had sent Eslow a letter long ago to join forces. Even if not an alliance, to not become enemies to one another at the very least. However, Eslow’s response was neither refusal nor acceptance. Silence. He consistently ignored it altogether.

“Big Brother, let me be frank here. Can you win against Eslow right now?”

Daat had heard and knew that Keter had been defeated by one of the Four Lords in his previous life. Currently, there were dozens of years less than back then. Moreover, the one he had fought before was the Lord of the East, not the Lord of the South. There could be even less chance of victory.

At this, Keter held up three fingers and folded them down one by one as he said, “If it’s a direct one-on-one, the odds are seven to three. Of course, I would be seven. If I ambush him, I can raise it to eight to two. Lastly, if I were to play some tricks, I could capture him without any risk.”

“Then we have no choice but to kill Eslow, right? We must absolutely settle things with Eslow in order to conquer the south.”

Sefira didn’t control the entirety of the south. Two master families of swordsmanship still stood firm. Of course, Sefira’s underlying strength, supported by various external forces, was immense. It was more than sufficient to face the two master families.

The problem was Eslow. In a situation where they didn’t even know whether Eslow was an ally or enemy, things could become troublesome if they rashly dispatched forces and had Sefira’s main base attacked as a result.

“We can’t send an army in this weather anyway. Only a small number of absolutes would be able to fight, but no one would want to bear the burden of fighting in the enemy’s main base. However, that isn’t the case with archery. Rather, it has the advantage of striking first against an opponent who feels at ease.”

“I know that well, but not at Eslow’s palace. The palace itself is his Authority. An ambush won’t work.”

“But you said earlier that an ambush would work.”

“That’s only if we lured him out of his palace.”

“Then why don’t we get him with some tricks?”

“I don’t wanna do that.”

“I figured you would say that. If it’s uncomfortable for you to step in, should I try taking care of it?”

Even Keter couldn’t guarantee victory against the Four Lords, and yet Daat said he would try to handle it? Keter was curious, but he shook his head.

“Let’s put that on hold for now. Eslow is mine to handle. Once this training ends, I’ll go visit him with a gift.”

“By the way, do you think Eslow turned Henya into a weapon?”

“If he had, he wouldn’t be holed up like that. He’s acting that way because he failed.”

“Big Brother, I think it’s time you told me now. You stopped midway last time. Your Authority.”

“

Oh

, that.”

“And also what you gave up to become a Prime.”

Keter had reached Seven-star Prime in his previous life and had possessed Authority as a result. Additionally, he reached Seven-star Prime in this life as well. Keter himself had also said that reaching Prime was something that could only be attained by discarding something.

“Is it obvious I’ve become a Prime?” Keter asked.

“I didn’t see it before, but I guess I’ve grown too.”

“Well, for starters, I didn’t give up anything.”

“What? But you said it required giving something up.” Daat frowned slightly.

“I could have become a Prime long ago if I had chosen the path of giving something up. It only took so long because I didn’t give anything up.”

“

Wow

... Then what is your Authority?”

“My Authority?”

Keter glanced outside. All of the trainees had succeeded in hitting the dolls. Daat, who was quick-witted, crossed his arms and said, “If you don’t tell me this time, I’m really going to become upset.”

“All right, all right. My Authority...” Keter stood up and held up two fingers. “I don’t have just one, but two.”