In the middle of the vast wasteland, where not a single living tree or grass could be seen, around the edge of a deep bowl-shaped crater, three figures could be seen. A loud clap echoed just at that moment.
"Okay, good. That's it for today's training menu!" Michelle shouted with a smile.
Nayta and Melina, covered in both sweat and dust, slumped down to the ground while leaning on each other's backs. Their chests heaved as they tried to catch their breaths, panting heavily.
"Still, to think that you'd improve this much in just five short days..."
Michelle still remembered how they fainted almost immediately after training with the mana-absorbing staff and wand. After they overcame that hard trial, however, just like a rolling wave, the speed of their improvement accelerated.
In the end, they were even able to succeed with the last exercise set for them to overcome: casting a waterball while inside a mana-sealing barrier.
