Utilizing the newfound effects of Reinforce and mana strengthening, Grahlgar quickly sped through the forest. While it had taken some time to get used to it, now that he acclimated, he could clearly feel the difference. Every movement was filled with power and every sense was at its sharpest. He felt as though even his sixth sense had been improved. Like he could sense even the slightest bit of hostility and react to it.

Almost as if to prove that feeling, Grahl felt a sudden change in the air. Even while he was moving at a tremendous speed, a shadowy figure seemed to be charging straight toward him. Agilely, Grahlgar managed to pivot on the ball of his foot to avoid the full speed assault by a hair. Although he wasn’t armed, Grahlgar had a strong body and a good fighting instinct. He could even use his claws instead of his fists if he wanted to, but that was another story.

For a moment, the air was tense, but immediately afterward a cheerful laughter broke through the tension.

“Little Grahl is getting better and better! Who would have thought that you would learn to use your skill so quickly. Heheh, I’m proud of you.”

A spirit in the form of a young woman about fifteen or sixteen years old, began to materialize from the ether. Different from Aqua, she had creamy white skin, silver hair and eyes the color of the clouds at sunrise; flecks of gold and vermilion, interweaved with gray. She wore a pure white dress seemingly made from clouds. Though she was not as curvaceous nor seductive as Aqua, she held her own innocent charm.

“Thank you Sylvia. Though I know you weren’t really trying to catch me, otherwise I could

never get away.”

Grahl replied with equal pride, as if it was only natural that Sylvia was the fastest. Well, it wasn’t just speed that Grahl admired her for. She was also a very skilled mage and martial artist. He wasn’t too sure about the details, but he remembered Sylvia saying that she had been a valkyrie once and that they were required to learn the arts of war. He had wanted to ask more, but decided against it because the subject seemed to make her sad. Therefore, he didn’t press the issue and tried to cheer her up instead. Perhaps it was because Sylvia noticed Grahl’s consideration for her, that she decided to teach him.

With a broad smile Sylvia nodded and said smugly,

“Huehuehue, as long as you know it!”

Her nose seemed to be lengthening as she laughed heartily with her hands at her hips. A few moments later, she coughed awkwardly when she realized she had gotten a bit too engrossed in self-admiration. Ah, hubris truly is the weakness of the great.

“Anyway, let’s head to Olivia’s place. It’s better to train there since that hag can fix it up.”

Towards Sylvia’s comment, Grahl wore somewhat of a reprimanding look. He obviously didn’t approve of Olivia being called a hag. Sensing Grahl’s reprimand, Sylvia just rolled her eyes, then thought to herself,

‘Really now, what a protective brat. Still, I suppose that’s what’s so sweet about him.’

Without engaging in needless banter, Grahl and Sylvia went on their way. Not wanting to get in the way of Grahlgar’s training, the little spirits that followed him parted ways for now. The lake that Grahl had just come from was at the heart of the forest, while their destination was a large mountain range due east. Still, with the towering trees blocking the skyline, it was impossible to actually see it from the ground.

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Thankfully, these two knew precisely where they were going, even without the mountain as a visual aid. With Grahl testing the limits of his speed, he tried his best to keep up with Sylvia. Amused, Sylvia indulged him and would only increase her speed incrementally in order to help the young ogre gradually raise his pace. She even slightly shifted their course so that they could continue this form of practice. After all, very few creatures would bother to chase after them considering how fast they were moving. The effort versus the gain simply made it pointless. Like that, the two ended up making a bit of a detour before arriving at the forest clearing.

Seeing the sudden shift from verdant trees and lush greenery to sharp crags and rocky mountains, truly made one appreciate the diversity of nature. Grahl just plopped himself down on the rocks as if they were cushions, sprawled out on the ground, then started to greedily breathe in fresh air. Not to mention air, even mana was flowing toward him at a rate visible to the eye. After overdrafting his mana trying to chase after Sylvia, he felt like an empty vessel. Aqua mentioned that times like these were the best to meditate and gather the mana around you.

In a state where nearly every fiber of his being was tingling with pain that would drive most insane, Grahl began to circulate the mana that he was rapidly absorbing. It traveled through his organs, veins, muscles, tendons, bones, joints, skin and meridians. Meridians were the channels through which mana would circulate as it connected to one’s spirit sea, also known as their mana pool. Completely emptying and refilling one’s mana pool was the most efficient way to raise the amount of mana one could store. One could think of it as droplets of water wearing down stone. Though the process was slow, the results were undeniable. It’s just that this method came with no small amount of pain.

Sylvia was quietly watching Grahl in a state of meditation. Just looking at him now made her sigh. He always acted as though he was never bothered by the fact that his parents hadn’t came back to get him. But the truth of the matter was that it weighed on his mind heavily. Although everyone who loved him could tell such a thing, they did not know how to comfort him. Any words they could say seemed inadequate, so all they could do was try and give him all the love and care that they could. Perhaps this wasn’t how an ogre should be raised, but they wanted this gentle giant to stay that way. But they also knew they couldn’t shelter him forever.

‘After all, Grahl will eventually want to find out what really happened to his parents. I’m just afraid that when he does find out…’

A shred of fear and anxiety began to take root in her heart. No, she couldn’t think negatively. She just had to keep doing what she was doing now and believe in Grahlgar.

All the while, the person she was fretting over was still voraciously absorbing mana to temper his body and expand his meridians. After a certain point, Grahl stopped absorbing energy from his surroundings and slowly stood up from the ground. While he still felt a bit of pain, the surging strength that he felt made it seem trivial. Although he hadn’t fully replenished his spirit sea, he didn’t want to waste any more time and keep Olivia waiting. As if sensing what Grahl was thinking, Sylvia said snarkily,

“Peh, what’s so bad about making that hag wait? A thousand years goes like the blink of an eye for her, let alone a few minutes or hours.”

“Sylvia, that’s not very nice. Olivia isn’t old, she is just a pretty young lady with abundant life experience.

“Cheh, spoken like a brainwashed pawn. You can’t let her fool you!”

Before Grahlgar could reply, the small pebbles and dust beneath his feet began to levitate and swirl around them, before taking the shape of a little girl. She had coffee colored skin, auburn hair and eyes with hues of crimson and earthy brown. She wore a simple sundress that seemed to be made of bubbling magma. This girl appeared as if she couldn’t be older than six or seven, but she had a poised bearing that gave her an air of maturity. Still, it was odd because the girl didn’t seem to have any expressions. If one were asked to describe her, they’d probably liken her to a painted porcelain doll.

The expressionless child leapt into the air, then like a feather, landed gently on Grahlgar’s shoulder. With a very, very slight smile, she pat the top of his head lovingly.

“Grahl....good child….Sylvia...stupid.”

And just like that, Olivia made her sudden appearance.