Tybalt and the other younglings looked shocked by the revelation, but Mikhail only scratched at his chin with his thumb.
Mikhail recalled how Atticus had offhandedly mentioned that he beat Lirim's record. Putting two and two together, Mikhail realized that Lirim was also pushing himself to such a degree in the Muscle Refinement Rooms.
"Wait, if you're also pushing your body to such a degree, how come you don't look phased by it at all?
"Take a guess," he said.
Amir had to hold in a derisive snort, and that was all Mikhail needed to piece together an answer.
"You pace yourself… Doesn't that mean you can train even harder than you do? Why the reservation when you could speed up your progression?"
Lirim sighed. "I have a full plate on my lap. Work, family, hobbies, this small group of friends beside me…" He said, gesturing to the other five who were contently watching the serious conversation with intrigued expressions.
"But isn't pursuing strength in your best interest? Why slow down to smell the flowers when you can work now and relax later?"
Lirim sighed yet again, causing Valeria to chime in with a quip.
"It's like looking in a mirror, huh?" she said with a grin.
The others chuckled at that, remembering fondly just how stubborn Lirim used to be.
"Yeah, you got that right…" Lirim said to her, before turning back to Mikhail.
"Listen, ki- I mean, man… If you work yourself halfway to death and back, you're going to end up regretting it one day."
Lirim held out his hand.
A cyan glow began hugging the outline of his hand, and soon after, the glow began flowing into a point above his palm, forming a ball of Ice.
Mikhail's gaze sharpened when he saw that, and was about to speak up, but Lirim cut him off.
"And you might not think the regret is so serious… But that's not the only reason you should pace yourself."
The hovering chunk of ice moved, now hovering over his wrist.
"My talents are multifaceted, and I'm sure yours are too. I've got a pristine Martial Center of Power, and a steadily progressing Spiritual Center of power too. But if you don't give yourself the time to stop and smell the flowers…"
A glowing gray ball of tubrulent wind gathered above the palm of his hands.
"You won't make much headway with your Elemental Realms. You'll fall behind the others in that regard."
Again, Mikhail was about to speak, but then Lirim cut him off yet again as the ball of wind moved over, hovering in the empty space next to his palm.
"I know you stubbornly think you'll pull ahead regardless. And in fact, you just might… But what will you have sacrificed to get there?" Lirim said as a ball of Rock formed over his hand next.
The three elemental orbs began rotating in a circle above his palm as he looked at Mikhail with a stern expression.
Mikhail was at a loss for words. Every argument he had tried to come up with was shot down before he could even give voice to them. However, that last line opened up a path to a reasonable justification for his relentless pursuit of power.
"I'll sacrifice my state of imbalance. So I can live a normal life without needing to rely on Spirit Suppresssion Pills."
Everyone was mildly surprised, their eyes widening slightly. They had forgotten about that because of how… normal he seemed. But that was only because of the poison coursing through his brain.
Amir even looked a little guilty as he recalled that fact.
And just as that reminder settled among the group, loud cheery music began playing as the bonfire erupted at the center of the clearing.
The group sat in silence as the younger people of that group scratched at the back of their necks awkwardly.
"Say… Seeing that you're so concerned for our buddy here, why don't you guys help him with his training?" Benvolio asked inquisitively.
"Yeah, why don't you?" Mikhail asked with a neutral expression.
"Because we haven't thought of that… I must say, that is a fantastic idea!" Amir said with a smile.
"Do you plan on helping him alone, Amir? I doubt it. Just like Lirim, you also have a full plate on your lap. We all do," Azalea said from the side.
"Ah, yes… That is indeed a bit of a conundrum."
Amir frowned as he tried to think of a solution.
"What about you guys?" he asked the group of younglings.
"I'm the only one who can help… But I have a job and other stuff I need to do, too," Tybalt said while scratching at his chin. "Maybe…"
"Maybe we could all take turns?"
"Keep that business to yourselves. If you want to help him, have fun," Lily said coldly before leaving the group.
"...I have an overstuffed plate, personally. As much as I'd like to help someone in need, my problems come first. Our training together will be limited to the mandatory sessions," Myles said with an apologetic tone.
"I mean, it's only three days a week. We only need three people committed to helping our good friend here," Lirim said.
"...Actually, I was thinking about training everyday."
"Hmm… Well, Tybalt's idea would work then. So, let's see. Him, myself, Amir… Azalea are you in?" Lirim turned to the woman, who nodded in response. "Azalea is in. That's four people…"
Lirim turned his questioning gaze to Valeria.
"...Fine."
"And thus, problem solved, my good man!" Lirim said cheerily.
"...Well, uh… alright then. Works for me," Mikhail said, a bit confused by the sudden turn of events.
"Perfect! Now then, I think the food should be ready by now. I'm going to follow Lily's lead and make my way over there."
Lirim got up and waved goodbye as he entered the faceless crowd of people, disappearing from sight soon after.
"I guess we'll get going too, right?" Romeo asked the other three. And they followed suit, but not before Tybalt reassured Mikhail that they'd get him some food too.
The group largely disbanded, leaving only two people behind.
Mikhail and Azalea.