“Is that all?”
The core Starling Party members were fighting against their rookie members as part of their practical battle training .
It was being held in a virtual Shadow World .
The setting was tropical forests, with numerous large clusters of trees impairing their vision and movement .
If it was hot and humid in Dresden, the weather in this Shadow World was closer to a fire to say the least . Everything was left warm and damp due to the extreme humidity and heat mixing together . Overall, it was rather unpleasant .
Even though enduring the extreme heat was hard enough, to top things off there were many poisonous insects and violent animals inhabiting the Shadow World too .
Remaining vigilant at all times in the sweltering heat was not an easy feat .
Desir calmly, but firmly, spoke to the first year party members who had been caught by one of his spells .
“I applaud your ambition, but think carefully about what advantages you have . Remember, only you guys can use the communication function of your bracelets . ”
Thunder and lighting struck a first year party member, his shape quickly becoming indistinct and disappearing as he was pulled into the outline of the Sun .
[-One person was eliminated . Twelve people remain . ]
Desir agonized over how to remedy the students’ weaknesses after analyzing the ones he had already knocked down .
‘If we increase their spell casting speed, it should help them become a lot stronger . ’
Strong, that word reminded him of what happened yesterday .
‘Six days left now . ’
Zod gave Desir one week for him to calmly think things over .
Desir continued to think over the mana circle implant while conducting the training session for the party .
‘Making a decision on the spot was definitely a clueless thing to do . ’
Normally Desir would have realized this immediately, but he was inexplicably consumed by rage, on a subconscious level, that day .
As a result, he ended up doing something rude to Zod .
‘Was I too hasty?’
*Crunch*
Desir felt the trace of mana at the same time as he heard the person step on the leaves . He quickly invoked a spell .
However, the other person completed their spell before Desir, even though he started first .
A bullet of wind hit the center of the tree behind Desir .
But Desir did not counterattack .
He had already long let go of his spell, allowing its formation to collapse .
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“You didn’t fight back?”
“I knew it was you . ”
It was a coincidence that Desir and Romantica had encountered each other .
Detection magic and communication magic had been banned for the core party members during the training session . As a result of pure coincidence, Desir and Romantica ended up together before the rest of the core party members could gather .
“How are they doing?”
Romantica shrugged her shoulders at Desir’s question .
“I think their basic skills are good enough, but they’re all working separately . ”
“Hm . Maybe this is something too hard for them to realize on their own . I gave them enough time to discuss though . ”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just tell them directly?”
Desir shook his head .
“I can help them make up for their weaknesses, but they need to learn situational decision-making skills by themselves . It’s hard to forget what you learnt on your own . ”
“It’s better than not realizing at all . ”
“Give them a little more time . They’ll figure it out . ”
“Hmm . ”
*Boom*
There was an explosion in the distance .
Desir decided to focus on the training without thinking any more about the circle implant .
[-One person was eliminated . Eleven people remain . ]
He figured it would be more efficient to agonize over his decision and weigh his options afterwards as the training session was rapidly coming to an end .
“Where is Pram and Adjest?”
“I think Pram is in the East, according to my communication wiretap . ”
Desir heard her answer and shook his head .
‘He’s not even properly equipped, failing to keep communication security in mind . ’
He was full of flaws .
“The blast we just heard might be Pram . ”
“No, I doubt it . ”
As they approached the direction of the blast, Desir and Romantica noticed a sudden drop in the temperature of the surrounding area .
It was chilly, as if the sweltering heat they left behind was a lie .
As the temperature plummeted further, entering the range of uncomfortably cold, the pair sensed the movement of very strong mana ahead . The cold breeze that washed over them was definitely the work of ice magic .
Desir and Romantica hid themselves behind a giant tree .
Other enormous trees collapsed around them, and some parts of the tropical forest froze and shattered due to the ice magic .
Romantica let out a short exclamation as she took in the scene unfolding around her .
“Woah . ”
Six of the first year party members stood face to face against Adjest .
Those first year party members were different to the ones Desir and Romantica had encountered so far .
There were three swordsmen at the front and three magicians in the rear . They had made a formation to maximize the strengths of their respective roles .
Adjest hadn’t drawn her Center of Ice . She had faced off against them with a normal steel sword and her usual ice magic .
Ice gathered and formed a sphere near her head . It then flung out ice bolts in all directions .
“Spread out and attack! She’s using our numbers against us!”
The one leading the first year party members was Ronde Fizzlebang .
Desir spoke with satisfaction .
“I think they’ve figured out the purpose of this training . ”
They deserved every bit of Desir’s praise .
“Let’s continue observing . ”
Desir and Romantica decided to continue spectating the battle .
This training had nothing to do with winning, but everything to do with remedying their inexperience in handling different and unexpected situations . Joining up with Adjest would be too much and likely hamper their growth .
*Crack*
The ice scattered .
The first graders struggled against the onslaught of Adjest’s spells .
“She’s fighting and manually controlling her spells too . ”
Romantica spoke without taking her eyes off the battle .
Adjest was not using her best technique, imagery magic . She was, instead, relying on just her normal spell usage and sword mastery .
“If she exerted herself, it wouldn’t be training for them . ”
Even though she was holding back, Adjest was still winning by far .
[Burn-out]
A fireball from the sky flattened the spot Adjest had been just a moment before .
*Bang*
It was Ronde’s bombing magic that boasted overwhelming firepower .
But Adjest was intact . Ice pillars had soared up around her . Even though everything else had been swept away around her, the ice pillars remained intact .
“Strong, as expected . ”
“Adjest? Yes . You couldn’t find anyone stronger than Adjest in this continent . ”
“… What do you mean?”
Desir turned his head to look at Romantica . Romantica also looked at Desir . Their pupils reflected each other’s faces, like two mirrors aimed towards each other .
“You don’t think so? Adjest defeated a swordsman at the Bishop Level, using her Center of Ice and imagery magic . ”
You’re strong enough .
Desir choked those words back . He knew that she wouldn’t want that kind of comfort .
“As long as Adjest is here, I guess I’m not really needed . ”
Her voice deepened gloomily .
“… ”
Desir knew how she felt right now .
“You felt pathetic when you couldn’t do anything as your party members fell one by one . ”
*Crack*
The sound of ice rupturing echoed out .
“You were frustrated after finding a wall that you couldn’t climb, no matter how hard you need to, in order to protect your colleagues . ”
Romantica replied with a shaky voice .
“It’s like you’re in my head . How did you know?”
“Because I was the same . ”
Romantica opened her eyes wide .
“Lies . You’re strong enough to defeat Adjest . ”
Desir chuckled .
“I mean it . ”
There was no trace of falsehood in his tone .
“I once blamed myself for my colleagues falling too . ”
Desir related to the Romantica in front of him today . He looked at her deeply . His position in his previous life wasn’t all that different from hers .
The Shadow Labyrinth .
The disaster that destroyed the continent and flipped his life upside down .
As part of the expedition formed, his job was to block the enemy’s attack while staying in the rear .
Desir was exceptional at neutralizing the attacks of enemies . However, he needed a fair amount of time to analyze their spells before inverting them . At the start of the expedition, this time was bought by the sacrifice of his colleagues . Some of them even gave their lives to save his life .
Desir reproached himself thousands of times as he saw comrade after comrade die before him .
He was always the one being protected . Desir repeatedly inverted the enemy’s spells for the sake of his colleagues’ sacrifices .
As time went by, he was numbed by the sacrifices . It had become the norm .
Desir was well aware of the fact that it was bound to continue happening .
He got used to it, but he did not forget .
Feelings that weren’t worn down still smoldered within Desir .
‘Maybe that rage flared up towards Zod because… ’
Desir finally worked through how he felt the previous day .
He wanted to be stronger .
He could not stop there .
It wasn’t only because he wanted to exceed his limit by reaching the Fourth-Circle .
He wanted to protect his colleagues that stood next to him .
Desir spoke, staring straight at Romantica .
“As someone with the same experience, I’ll tell you this . Don’t rush . ”
That was what he told himself as well .
“Simply rushing won’t do you any good . If you move forward while maintaining your composure, you can always improve . ”
“… even if you say that, my talent amounts to a mere Third-Circle . ”
Desir shook his head from side to side . He knew exactly what Romantica was capable of .
“Do not dictate your own limitations . You can do much better . ”
Romantica frowned .
“B-But you haven’t told me how . You haven’t assured me that I can really reach the Fourth-Circle . Like when I achieved the Third-Circle… ”
“I believe in you . ”
Desir spoke with an assertive tone .
“Just like how I didn’t say anything to Ronde Fizzlebang . I believed he’d figure out my intention . Just like I did with him, I believe you can achieve Fourth-Circle by yourself . ”
Chapter brought to you by The Patrons .
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ED: Purplemen101
TLC: N/A
QC: Nhan & Dr Lock
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