The little boy was quite embarrassed by his appearance when he turned his hand into a claw with three fingers as written in the inscription. He could not even think that it would harm the puppets around. But the energy accumulated in him told him to try it.
Slowly he began to follow the instructions, and when he arranged his breathing, he felt that the energy, evenly distributed throughout his body, was slowly moving towards his right hand.
It felt very natural. This energy traveled calmly in Mel's body as if it had been flowing in his veins since he was born.
When the energy in his hand started to strain him, he attacked like a wild beast with a claw swing to the wooden puppet he saw as the weakest target. He was so excited that he hardly found his target because he had closed his eyes tightly.
"I did it!"
Mel, attacking something for the first time in his life, shouted excitedly as the wooden puppet's severed arm hit the wall. Thus, the skinny boy, who took his first step on the path of warfare, did not think of getting out of here until his self-confidence was restored. He attacked puppets for two days.
"I'm getting better and better, but these puppets are just standing still waiting for me to hit. If I stay here forever, how can I protect myself from outside creatures! "
With the question wandering in his mind, he again entered the water flowing through the middle of the cave. Although he could not regain all the energy he had spent, he could quickly get rid of the stress accumulated in his body here.
Meanwhile, the little boy tried to extract energy from the plants, but he was very cautious this time. When he saw that the plants were not bowing to him of their own free will, he decided not to insist and wait for the right moment.
"I think they must first store enough energy in themselves; otherwise, I will be damaging their vitality!"
He was overwhelmed with the thoughts occupying his mind and the feeling of relief that covered his body. His weak body was like a leaf floating on the flowing water. If he did not grasp the ground with his thin arms, the little boy would indeed be swept away by the current.
When he opened his eyes, the tiredness of two days of intense training was gone. His head was calm, and his thoughts were more transparent than ever.
"My grandfather talked about the energy palace in me in the letter he left. I wonder what kind of place it is. I should go to the ritual altar to learn about this."
The inheritance he received first affected Mel's level of consciousness. The aura of the little boy, who swayed from side to side like a bewildered duckling a few days ago, changed significantly.
Mel dried up and put on the green robe. In this garment, fastened by a tight waist belt, Mel looked like one of the princes of the royal family.
Sitting calmly at the ritual altar, the skinny boy had to watch his thoughts for a while as they passed through his mind. It took him a long time to calm himself down and enter a deep trance state.
Fortunately, he was no longer the old Mel he used to be. Although he did not wholly gain his grandfather's strength, the energy he gained through the ritual made him as skilled as an adult in this regard.
When he fell into a deep trance after a while, he found himself in the middle of some ruins. He was stunned by the sight of the collapsed walls, the destroyed arches.
"What is that?"
He had never imagined the Energy Palace inside him like this. Especially after the word 'palace,' his expectations were relatively high.
"What was I expecting? How could a magnificent palace rise within me when I haven't yet achieved even half of my grandfather's legacy?"
When he turned around and saw parts of the palace's outer walls standing firm and straight, he realized that what he was thinking was correct. This was indeed his Energy Palace, and in its present form, it could only sustain a few meters of a wall outside the palace.
"Judging by the area covered by the ruins, my Energy Palace will become magnificent when it is completed. I have all the materials in my hand. What I need to do is to get stronger and raise the palace again!"
When he got out of his trance situation, he was very cheerful even though he had met the opposite of his expectations. It contained a colossal structure, and if Mel could do his part, the possibilities seemed endless.
"I wonder how my Energy Palace will look like when I complete it one day."
Like the child who got a new toy, Mel was unable to contain himself. He immediately rushed himself into the training hall where the puppets were.
This time he used only the power inherited in his body. All puppets, metal or wood, were the target of the little boy.
"If I spend all my strength, does my Energy Palace shatter?"
There was this question in his mind, and he thought that he could not feel comfortable without solving it. As his strength was exhausted, he found himself at the Ritual Altar again.
When he opened his eyes again in ruins, he breathed a deep sigh of relief. The walls that were standing thanks only to his energy were still in their place.
If a part of his palace were destroyed every time he consumed his energy, this would be a big problem for him. Now, there was only one problem left, and that problem was to find a way to gain the energies of his successors.
"Now is the time to discover yourself and the environment. Go, live!"
At that moment, the words of his grandfather came to his mind. Although it seemed like a wish, Mel felt in his heart that this was the best way for him.
When he brought his devastated body near the rushing water, he thought he had to make a program. If he spent his days inside this cave, he would not learn anything about the outside world.
He decided that after he recovered his strength, the first thing to do would be to explore the cave's nearby areas. When he put on the clothes he always wore in the village, he was already at the mouth of the cave that opened out. When he took his step outside, he felt that this was not just a tiny step, but it was like moving into another dimension.
Turning around in a panic, he saw a high hill where the mouth of the cave was. There was no indication of where he had just come out.
The skinny boy wanted to return quickly. It was easy to do that since he had taken only one step outside. When he closed his eyes a second later and stepped on the wall of rocks in front of him, he found himself again at the entrance of the cave.
"I see. My grandfather must have done something like this to prevent foreigners from entering here!"
The skinny boy, who was now relaxed, rushed out. Since he could easily focus on the exploration, he began to joyfully watch the dense forest that appeared after he passed through the small opening in front of him.
"Today will be the first time I see a place outside of my village. As my grandfather advised, I should not leave the nearby areas of the cave!"
Mel, murmuring to himself, entered the forest. The sun was glowing in the sky, but the thick branches of tall trees were cut off all the light. Therefore, the forest was pretty cool inside.
The little boy, shivered by the cold air touching his warm body, had goosebumps. Since he did not fully inspect the ring his grandfather had left, Mel wore his old clothes, and they did not seem appropriate for such an environment.