"Where were you?" Rendo couldn't help but ask.
"Just training. Are you ready, today's going to be another long day."
"Of course!" Rendo said with renewed excitement.
"Good, then let's begin with combat practice."
"Combat practice? What's that gotta do with anything?" Rendo pondered.
"Haven't you ever heard, a sharp body is a sharp mind. Don't underestimate your body, it has just as much to say in talisman making as your brain does."
Minos didn't say anything more, instead going with a quick strike. Rendo naturally wasn't prepared, and fell flat on his but.
"What the hell, at least give me a warning first." He complained as he got up and patted the dust off his pants.
"There are no warnings in the real world. Consider yourself lucky that I went easy. I'm going to start hitting with more force, so get ready."
Minos struck the moment he finished speaking, but this time Rendo was ready. However even then, he still failed to catch Minos's punch, taking a heavy blow to the shoulder.
"Common, your reaction speed is so slow. The art of talisman making requires a quick eye, one that can catch any mistake the moment before it even happens." Minos shouted as he hit again.
Time passed as Rendo received blow after blow. How could Rendo, a young master who has never seen the cruelty of the world compare to Minos who has taken lives.
Despite this, Rendo kept getting up, which caused Minos's opinion of him to rise. He thought he'd give up after falling over a few times, but it seemed the lesson from yesterday truly stuck.
He began taking every lesson Minos gave seriously, even if he didn't necessarily believe in their effectiveness.
Under Rendo's unrelenting nature, Minos noticed his skill was rapidly improving. He started avoiding blows before they came, paying more attention to the motion of Minos's body.
Of course, Minos wasn't going full strength, but he was still impressed with this change. He even began attempting to counter attack, of course Minos easily diffused every blow. After another hour, Minos suddenly stopped before speaking.
"Good, that's enough for today. Now take this state of mind and put it towards talisman making."
Rendo nodded his head, and using the smooth stone Minos had set up the first time he came here, he quickly got to work.
"Remember, don't think of it as talisman making, instead, think of it as drawing. Each stroke is a brush that goes towards painting a beautiful picture. Embody Butto's confidence, and genius, throw away that self-doubt and fear."
Rendo took what Minos said and tried his hardest to implement it. With a deep breath, he started to forget the world. He was no longer Rendo, rather he was a genius, one who wasn't afraid of anything.
He wasn't doing something he hated, rather he was doing something he loved, like drawing. All these thoughts bounced around in his head, and soon turned into complete silence.
His hand began flowing with impeccable smoothness, as if his wrist was made of water rather than flesh and bone.
Minos smiled as he watched over his shoulder. The Shining Talisman was soon completed under Rendo's new state of mind, and he couldn't help but look down at it with fascination.
"How do you feel?" Minos suddenly asked as he was appreciating his own work.
"Good, no, it feels amazing!" Rendo couldn't help but reply with a smile of his own.
"See, you never hated talisman making, nor were you afraid of it, rather you hated the way the failures made you feel, you were afraid of failure. Now that you've succeeded, remember this feeling of confidence, you will rebuild yourself around it."
"Yes master!" Rendo said with vigor.
Minos couldn't help but laugh seeing Rendo's energy. Of course, they hadn't yet guaranteed the Shining Talisman worked, but Minos had made this talisman so many times that he knew a successful one from a failure in a single glance.
But still, it was still necessary to confirm things, so under Minos's encouragement, Rendo activated the Shining Talisman, and just as Minos expected, a bright light quickly filled the cave.
"I did it! I really did it!" Rendo couldn't help but scream out, as tears of joy ran down his face. He wasn't a failure, he just was never taught the right way.
Minos smiled as he watched this. He could tell Rendo was a sensitive character who didn't take pressure well, so trying to teach him by force would inevitably end in failure.
This was likely why he was seen as untalented by his family. Elite families like those had very strict requirements and if one couldn't survive under the pressure, they'd be destroyed by it.
This training may work for some, but for a person with Rendo's nature, it would instead do the opposite. Rather, for someone like Rendo, you had to build up their confidence, only then would success come.
"Don't get too excited yet, you've only made a Shining Talisman, your journey is still a long one. Of course, there isn't much left for me to teach you anymore, so what you want to do from here on is up to you."
Rendo again attempted to kneel, but this time Minos didn't stop it. He did what he had promised, so he had no shame accepting it. After he got up, he spoke.
"Master, I want to go back to my family. I want to prove to them I'm not a failure!" Rendo said with fire burning in his eyes.
"Good! But I hope no matter how your family may treat you, never forget your confidence, never forget Butto."
"Yes!" Rendo replied. He was about to leave, but before he did so, he pulled a large book from his spatial ring.
"I want you to have this. It's my family's book of talisman's. Normally only the young master and future patriarch is allowed a copy, but I want you to have mine."
Minos accepted willingly, he naturally wouldn't turn away something so valuable. But still, he wouldn't take it for nothing.
Reaching into his robe, he pulled out a jar of Blood Honey Wine. He gave it to Rendo under the others' slight confusion.
"What is this?" Rendo asked.
"It's Blood Honey Wine. You'll be able to break the Fourth Life Lock as long as you drink it."
"I can't, it's too valuable" Rendo couldn't help but say.
"Since I accepted your gift with no words, you should do the same. Consider it a gift from master to student." Minos said with a light laugh
Rendo couldn't help but laugh as well, his heart was warm as he put the flash away in his spatial ring. No one had ever treated him as well as Minos, and a part of him wanted to stay here and keep learning under him, but he had to go home.
While his family was realistic, his parents still loved him, and he mostly ran away out of shame. Now that his confidence was renewed, he wanted to go back and prove his family wrong, so he couldn't stay.
"Thank you master, I'll never forget the things you've taught me. If you ever go to the Lefron Kingdom, the Ebroone family will accept you with open arms."
"Good, I'll keep that promise in mind the next time I travel." Minos said with a smile.
Rendo walked out from the cave after a final goodbye, he couldn't help but look back once more. Minos was waving at him with a wide smile, he waved back as he tried to contain his emotions.
He kept walking, but this time he didn't look back. Minos watched as he slowly vanished among the trees, the smile on his face dissipated, replaced by his usual apathy. As long as Rendo can reclaim his young patriarch position, then Minos's time would have been more than worth it, but only the future can tell.
Even if he couldn't, the Ebroone Family Talisman Book already made his time more than worth it. The book not only had two and three-moon talisman's, it even had 3 four-moon talismans.
Fireball Meteor, Golden Bell, and Wind Wings. One offensive, one defensive, and one for maneuverability. With these three talismans, one could form a strong fighting base, with no weakness, so their value went without saying.
But for now, Minos was more focused on the two-star talisman's, something that was more his current speed. Before any of that however, he still needed to restock his inventory at Underwood City.
…
The day had begun not long ago, so when Minos arrived in Underwood City, the streets were filled to the brim.
Minos's goal was the Nine Treasures House, so he stuck to the side of the road as he made his way over. The iconic jade lions stood at the door, almost as if greeting him, and Minos stepped inside.
Finding a receptionist, he quickly bought a few items after trading a stack of Fireball Talisman's he had made earlier. He bought more talisman paper, Folded Iron for his weapon refining, and a mid-level Lock Breaking Pill so he could finally reach the Fourth Life Lock and officially enter the middle stages of the Mortal Renewal Realm.
"Sir, since you've spent more than 10 Nux Stones at our establishment, you've earned a silver card. With it, you can partake in the auctions that the Nine Treasures House occasionally holds." The young lady said after Minos finished his purchase.
"Auction? When's the next one." Minos was naturally curious about such a thing. Auctions were good opportunities to not only see more of the world, but even possibly have the chance to get his hands on something valuable.
"The next auction is a week from now, so you're welcome to come." The woman responded with a smile.
Minos nodded, keeping the date in mind as he left the store. As he was walking through the streets absentmindedly, he noticed someone bump into his body.