("< >" These symbols mean when something is being wrote)
< It has been approximately three weeks since the Stampede incident. And training? Well, its certainly been going great for me! Not so good for Audren. >
< The beginning of the first week.>
"A-Aniki….d-do I really have to do this?"
Audren's voice wavered as he stood at the edge of the cliff, his legs shaking uncontrollably. He glanced back at Murata, a bead of sweat sliding down his forehead. Murata stood there with his arms crossed, a disturbingly innocent smile on his face.
"Of course! If we don't get this one out of the way first, then how will you ever wish to become as strong as me?" He smiled wider.
Audren gulped and turned his gaze back to the obstacle ahead. Just below the cliff's edge, a thin green string stretched across, connecting to another cliff a few meters away. It seemed absurdly fragile—barely visible from where he stood.
"Welp, walk the plank you go!" Before Audren could protest, Murata's hand landed on his back and gave a firm shove.
"W-Wait—!" Audren's panicked scream echoed as he tipped over the edge. Flailing wildly, he grasped the green string in desperation, his fingers clutching it for dear life. His entire body trembled as he dangled over the cliff, his face pale and contorted in fear.
Murata couldn't help but chuckle watching Audren's trembling frame holding onto the string for dear life. The string, obviously, was made of his own magic, meaning it was far more reliable than a standard rope. It was draining to his mana reserves, but that was also training for himself.
'To make matters worse for Audren, my strings are imperceptible to entities with low intelligence under a set value. And Audren definitely doesn't pass that requirement.'
It was indeed a brutal training for a boy as young as him, but it wasn't for no reason. Physically, Audren would be able to survive a fall from this height with ease—in fact, he'd survive most things, given his strength and durability. But that wasn't the point. The real challenge here was mentally.
"You failed!"
Murata called out cheerfully, his expression innocent, as if delivering good news. Before Audren could process the statement, Murata raised his hand and made a small snipping gesture with his fingers, deactivating his stringing.
Audren's eyes widened in horror, a strangled cry escaping his lips as he felt himself plummeting into the forest below. This is where the second part of the training begins, survival in the wilderness. For a maximum of six hours, Audren has to survive and escape the forest, by himself. With his ability, Audren isn't in as much danger as he would think, his stats being higher than most beasts that lived in the forest. Of course, Murata would step in if there was any significant danger in the area, but that was unlikely. And he would be rated by how fast he is able to escape from the forest and return. This part of the training was to help him become more familiar with his ability and develop the mental fortitude that was vital for the future.
"Oof!" Audren landed on the ground with a thud, his head dizzy from the impact.
He sat up and shook his head, trying to recompose himself. When his vision had finally focused, a massive boar was already charging directly at him.
"W-Wait-!" Audren scrambled to his feet as the beast closed in, something within him responding instinctively.
[Prime Potential]
[[All stats ------> 50.00]]
"OUCH!! IT HURTS!!!"
Audren cried out, his voice rising in a pained yelp as the boar's thick skull slammed into him, sending him tumbling through the air.
Whilst Audren was doing that, Murata focused on his own training. Unlike his brother, Murata's abilities were continuous-use skills, meaning the most crucial stats for him to raise were his INT and WIS. Fortunately, they weren't difficult to raise.
He could increase WIS through meditation, and for INT, all he needed to do was immerse himself in reading and expanding his knowledge. So, he alternated between the two—closing his eyes in meditation and then diving into books. He repeated this routine, slowly but steadily refining himself as the hours ticked by, waiting until Audren finally managed to escape the forest.
"Finally…. I….did it…"
A small, disheveled figure stumbled out from between the trees, limping towards Murata. Audren's body was covered in scratches, and his clothes were dirtied. With a shaky step, he collapsed forward, slumping over in exhaustion.
Murata glanced up from his book, eyeing his brother's state.
"Took you long enough." He remarked. With a smile, he snapped the book shut and stood up. "Well, I guess it's time for the third stage, then!"
"Wh—what?!" Audren groaned, his face buried in the dirt. "You can't be serious…"
< The third stage of training. >
"101….102…..103….104…105…AGH!"
Audren grunted as he felt an enormous weight press down on his back, nearly forcing him to collapse onto the ground. His arms shook, but he clenched his teeth and pushed through the pain anyways.
"106…. 107…." He groaned.
This was the third stage of training——purely physical. There was no magic here, no shortcuts. It was all about endurance, strength, and willpower. Since Murata couldn't afford actual weights—and wasn't even sure if they existed in this world—he had to improvise, using boar corpses as a substitute. They were heavy, cumbersome, and did the job well enough.
"You're starting to slow down." Murata commented, crossing his arms.
Audren panted heavily, his arms shaking as sweat dripped from his forehead. "It's… it's not fair..! Why don't you… have to do this either…?" He gasped between breaths.
Just then, Murata picked up another boar and dropped it onto Audren's back, clamping him to the ground.
"You seem to have enough energy to talk, so I'm adding a bit more weight."
"I'm sorry…." Audren whimpered, his voice muffled by the dirt.
Murata chuckled and turned away, "Besides, its not like I'm slacking either. I have my own training to do. Now do another hundred push-ups!"
If anyone else were to see this, they'd likely think Murata was abusing the poor boy. And in truth, even he could admit that's exactly what it looked like.
'But it would be such a waste to let that potential go dry!'
Audren was like those op cheat protagonists from those manga he used to read all the time. Being able to grow exponentially quicker and more efficiently than most people. Murata was simply helping him reach the fullest extent of his potential, which was limitless! But now, it was time for the fourth and final stage of the training.
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< The Fourth Stage >
"Audren, do you know what we're doing for the final section of your training?" Murata asked casually as he stretched his limbs.
"Uhm…. taking a break?" Audren replied hopefully.
"Funny, but no. You'll be fighting me."
"W-What?!" Audren managed to stammer out, instinctively taking a step back in alarm.
"Don't hesitate now!"
[Stringing]
Swiftly, he wrapped his knuckles in his green stringing before dashing towards Audren, hurling a punch straight towards him. By some miracle, Audren had managed to dodge the blow, rolling to the side. But Murata didn't let up however, stamping his feet onto the ground and pivoting to meet Audren once more, landed a devastating gut punch. The impact echoed, sounding like a gunshot. The force of the blow sent Audren crumbling to the ground, clutching his stomach as he gasped for air
Murata stood over him, "Stand. Activate your ability before I knock you out." He motioned with his hands, urging Audren to rise.
Audren clenched his teeth.
[Prime Potential]
[[All stats ------> 50.00]]
Audren stood up slowly, his muscles visibly tensing. He crashed his knuckles against each other with a fierce determination in his gaze.
"Now that's more like it."
Since Audren with his ability has much higher stats than Murata, Murata would have to get more creative on how he would beat Audren. Audren rushed towards him, reeling his arm in preparation for a punch.
"Really? You might as well mail me the punch." Murata quipped.
Seamlessly, Murata stepped half a step forward and to the side, easily avoiding the attack. As Audren's fist passed by, Murata's left palm shot up, striking him sharply under the chin, using the boy's own momentum against him.
"First lesson, don't telegraph your attacks."
Before Audren could recover, Murata grabbed his shirt, yanking him closer and driving his knee straight into Audren's chest with a bone-rattling thud. The force of the blow knocked the air out of Audren's lungs, leaving him gasping for breath.
"Second lesson, if you can't stand after only a couple of blows, then you lose the fight. It's as simple as that. So stand up!" Murata barked, his tone firm.
Audren groaned, his body trembling from the pain, but he wasn't about to give up. Slowly, he pushed himself up, his eyes burning with determination.
"I….want…. to grow stronger!" He gasped.
"Good." Murata smirked. "Now come at me!" He shouted, dropping into a fighting stance.
In an instant, Audren shot forward, shattering the ground beneath him, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Murata.
'He's faster, he must becoming more accustomed to his ability.'
Murata swiftly raised his arms to block the incoming attack but Audren had managed to surprise fool him. Rather than delivering a direct blow, he abruptly halted his momentum, crouching low beneath Murata's guard almost instantaneously.
'He stopped his momentum in an instant?'
Audren's fist shot upward in a powerful uppercut. Murata barely dodged, leaning back just in time as the punch flew past his face, missing by mere inches. Swiftly, Murata moved to counter, but Audren was faster—jumping back and sliding across the ground. He turned into a streak of lines as he began running circles around Murata, jumping from tree to tree and ground to tree. Murata couldn't help admit it was impressive, but it was ultimately useless.
"HYAH!!"
Audren shouted, launching himself from a random angle with his fist aimed straight for Murata. But Murata was expecting it. He quickly turned to meet the attack, leaning to the side while crouching, encasing his entire left arm in stringing and empowering it with mana. With one precise movement, he drove his fist into Audren's liver, sending him crashing into a tree.
"AGH!!" Audren grunted, reaching up to feel the back of his head before massaging his liver. Slowly, he pushed himself up, wincing. "Hey, that didn't hurt as much as…. I…. thought….."
His words trailed off, becoming sluggish as his body tilted forward. Before he could finish his sentence, Audren lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground
"….Oops. Maybe a liver shot was too brutal? How am I going to explain this to mom?" Murata muttered, scratching his head as he looked down at the unconscious Audren.
< When he eventually woke up, I told him a valuable lesson. "Precision beats power, and timing beats speed." He didn't get it at first, which is to be expected since he's still just a child, but he'll understand soon. Getting back on track, that would be the cycle of Audren's training every day. I wasn't lacking with my own training either. There's also a couple of interesting things I learned during these three weeks. >
< Secondly, my stringing is surprisingly tougher than steel, which I assume is its natural trait rather than an effect of my INT. Oh yeah, and I've also learned Physical Enhancement magic, technically. Originally, I was just pumping my entire body with mana to strengthen myself. With brute force and a little bit of studying, I had managed to unlock it pretty much by myself. What's the difference? Well, there wasn't really much, besides the fact it was more efficient. Strangely enough, the system didn't register it as a skill. So I wonder if only skills given by quests are registered. That aside, this marks the third week of training. >
"Aniki! I've just noticed, but why are you always writing in your notebook?" Out of nowhere, Audren appeared, peeking out from behind Murata's shoulder.
Murata slightly jumped, "Eek! You scared me!"
"My bad!" Audren rubbed the back of his head.
"It's alright. What I'm doing is called, documentation!" He smiled.
"Documentation? Is that a type of magic?"
"Uhh, no. It's just a way for me to keep track of stuff. But that aside, are you ready for today's spar?"
Audren shook his head with enthusiasm, his face beaming.
"Yes! I've gotten super strong now, I can beat you!"
"Maybe when you're older, little brother." Murata chuckled.
Murata closed his notebook and stood up, stretching his limbs for the impending spar.
"Let's go."
He walked outside alongside Audren, wrapping his knuckles with green stringing as Audren cracked his fingers in preparation. Swiftly, they walked to their respective sides of the village, dropping into their fighting stances.
"Ready?"
"Ready!" Audren nodded.
Murata smirked, nodding as well. Audren had certainly grown, to the point where his ability would almost become redundant until he manage to level it up.
[[Audren]]
[[
[[Level: 4]]
[[Strength: 35.60
Speed: 30.1
Stamina: 32.15
Durability: 39.88
Endurance: 43.30
Intelligence: 19.10
Wisdom: 22.5 ]]
[[Skills: Prime Potential(?)]]
'But I've grown strong as well.' Murata thought, glancing at his stats.
[[Murata]]
[[
[[Level: 6]]
[[Strength: 25.51
Speed: 23.10
Stamina: 28.70
Durability: 27.50
Endurance: 33.00
Intelligence: 41.38
Wisdom: 47.22 ]]
[[Skills: Stringing(D), Translator(EX), Puppeteering(E)]]
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[Directories]
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[Two interesting facts about mana: A ball of pure concentrated Mana is more powerful than a ball of fire, ice, wind, etc. | Because Mana is generated from the mind, it flows through the veins like blood, and can be used as a substitute for it!]
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[Skill Rankings: Skill Rankings go as such, from F to E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS, EX, U, and Z! All of these have proper names to them as well. Feeble, Elementary, Disciple, Competent, Brilliant, Ascended, Super, Superior, Supreme, Extraordinary, Ultimate, and Zenith.]