Chapter 58 - Jonas's Training Regime II
Jonas instantly made two small boars appear two meters behind Bryn. They are looking at him and huffing, about three meters apart.
With the increase in his status, Bryn had to test the difference in mobility, power, speed, and, most of all, his magic. By adding 12 additional points on INT, he more than doubled his previous intelligence.
As Bryn focused on his breathing and core, the amount of mana he was handling became much bigger. From within himself, Bryn found a level of power he never even thought possible. The mana poured into his core at a much faster speed. He would have to regain control over the flood, but the two creatures before him would not wait for him to do so.
The boar on his right was the first to dash at him; the other soon followed. Instead of following the previous day, he used these two creatures to learn the difference in his body. Evading the two creatures for some time allowed him to comprehend some of the changes. Still, as he increased the amount of mana on his core and body, the difference in output was much higher.
Before, he had some increments, but now things were incomparable. He felt the power surge as the core filled the top. His technique was now guiding mana overflow all over his body. He still didn't feel like going on the offensive, and there were still some tests to be made.
While Bryn evaded the two creatures, Jonas analyzed his every move, change, and mana flow.
The brat is adapting faster than expected to the changes on him. Still, he didn't use magic spells yesterday, only mana to increase his physical capabilities. I wish I had a magical body. Unfortunately, ordinary people have limits to where they can push their bodies. He needs to learn how not to rely on his body so much, Thought Jonas.
"Hey kid, I see two young boars are not enough to push you to your limits anymore… Good. The next level of your training is here. For today, you can't use weapons," Said Jonas as he suddenly showed up next to Bryn, taking both Akusashi and his bow away from him.
"What?! Why?" Asked Bryn.
"Didn't you ask Gabriel to teach you magic?"
That is different from how I thought it would happen, though. Thought Bryn as Jonas reappeared a few meters away holding his possessions.
Bryn breathed as the two boars alternated, dashing at his legs. The increased mobility from the levels and mana, allowed him to perceive their movements much better.
It was as if Bryn could feel any variations in a one-meter sphere from his core. The small hogs were not magical creatures, so they used their wits to improve some of their attacks but didn't control the fluctuations created by their movements.
Bryn focused on the two creatures and his mana. He spent just enough mana to evade them so that the generation and expenditure balanced out. This meant his core was filled, and he could try to cast techniques while on the run.
The environment was much less controlled than his experiences with Gabriel, but that was the only way to finish the first test, so Bryn started to try. Concentrating on having enough mana distributed to his body and casting the spells was hard. In his first tries, Bryn felt the mana on his body fluctuate, diminishing his evasion capabilities. One of the hogs scraped his left leg with its fangs.
Damn forest pig… You'll see what I have for you…
Bryn stopped smiling. He realized that he was still too reliant on his weapons and lacked any practical experience with magic.
If a complete spell is impossible, let's start by getting used to the smallest ones I can visualize.
This time, as water droplets started to form and follow him as he moved, Bryn's movements didn't slow down. They were small but precise, as Bryn visualized them. As they slowly accumulated, some started to combine with each other.
Jonas squinted his eyes, covering his mouth with his right hand. This kid, just who is he?
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It had taken Bryn only two times to conjure spells while fighting with mana enhancement successfully. That was one of the basic techniques taught at the Royal Academies for Magic Knights and Mages, but it was one of the hardest to master.
As a chess player can think one move at a time, the professionals can visualize the next five, ten, or even more moves ahead. All the possible defenses and the most likely moves his opponents would do and intercept them. Magical battles could sometimes be comparable to tree-dimensional chess. If your mind couldn't multitask and think ahead, your chances of climbing to the top of power were slim to none.
The higher the individual power, the more significant level difference an experienced and smart magical user could surpass.
After slowly accumulating and concentrating the droplets of water around him, Bryn had formed three spheres about the size of a fist. He still didn't send them toward the boars. He kept focusing on compressing them, making them stronger and stronger as time passed. Finally confident that one could at least hurt the creatures, he changed his pace from evasion to running toward the incoming boar.
The animal accepted the challenge without flinching. Bryn lowered his upper body, sprinting at max speed toward his first target. As the distance neared, Bryn used additional mana on his legs to jump and dive toward the second creature. The water spheres around him moved in synchrony. Circling Bryn's body much faster than before, it connected with the boar's side. The pressure water ruptured the creature's skin, instantly exposing and damaging its organs. The second boar growled, but the faun had already reached it. The two remaining spheres, this time, were sent flying toward it. Realizing its fate should they hit it, the hog ran. Bryn pursued the creature for a few seconds before Bryn cast a water bullet.
The small spell caused Bryn to tumble to hog as the other two eviscerated the creature. The explosion scared Bryn a bit. He had no idea the output would be much stronger after leveling up.
Bryn returned to his camp with Jonas, waiting for the usual lecturing, but instead, he was received with clapping.
"Very good kid. There might be some future for you." Said Jonas.
"Thank you, Mr. Jonas." said Bryn, nodding to the man before him. He knew that even though his power had increased significantly, the man in front of him still looked like an insurmountable mountain.
Jonas Tould Bryn, what improvements should he focus on? All areas could have observations, but what made Bryn happiest was that Jonas said he would increase the difficulty of the training. The following two creatures were two rabbits.
They were bigger than the ones from the previous day, and their speed was much higher. Each started to run in opposite directions. Bryn spent an hour trying to find and finish them using only magic. The next test was a single elk; it was still a partial adult, but it was getting there. This time, Bryn had trouble with the vitality the creature presented. The antlers also got in the way of some of his spells, hitting them instead of vital parts of the elk.
The second day was full of challenges so that Bryn could find the most significant gaps in his spells and fighting style.
Still, he had gained two more levels. Considering all he learned from the previous day, there was no doubt in his mind. Intelligence would be his focus. He added another 16 points to intelligence. Ignoring all dangers regarding his blessing, his intelligence had skyrocketed to XX.
On the third day, Jonas presented Bryn with adult and dangerous animals. The difference in size and strength between a small hog and an adult could be about four to five times. The only thing that remained quite similar was their speed; any other characteristic became much more dangerous. But after the second day of nurturing from Jonas, Bryn sharpened his spells to another level. He could now constantly cast minor spells around him and maintain five spheres simultaneously.
Jonas allowed Bryn to adapt to the adults by sending them only one at a time. That way, Bryn could comprehend their weakness. But they were a much more significant challenge than before. The first one was the easiest. Bryn had charged his spells even before the training began. But with each wave, Jonas gave Bryn less time to prepare. He would talk about the previous fight while the next animal was already out, forcing Bryn to listen, evade, or pursue mana enhancement and use spells simultaneously.
At the end of the day, Bryn had exhausted most of his mana reserves. Having to rely on Magic all the time had made him realize how scarce the resource was. Even now, with more than triple the amount of mana he had on the first day, the rate at which it was used was much higher.
How much mana do Mr. Gabriel and Jonas have?! I could barely kill these regular animals. How much mana does fighting a magical beast take?! Bryn thought as Jonas approached him.
"Bryn, tomorrow will be your first real training. Here are your weapons. From tomorrow on, we'll spend between 6 and 10 hours every day with you battling adult creatures. Unlike the previous days, I'll mix them up. Be ready," Jonas said as his tent appeared again and the sun started to set.
Bryn simply nodded. He was starting to enjoy the training camp. It was all he wanted ever since coming to this world. He could feel his strength increasing at a much faster rate than before. Today, he had gained two more levels. But he decided to use the status points on str and vit. He still needed to adapt to the amount of mana he currently had. Increasing it once again would not be beneficial for tomorrow's tests. Also, he needed to learn how to use mana on his weapons properly.
That night, Bryn used his breathing technique as he thought about Sylas and Freya. He would pay his debt to them, ensuring they were safe before he could adventure around this world. He ended up falling asleep, still sitting down in the meditation position. In the morning, Jonas almost started laughing as he looked at the faun sleeping in that uncomfortable position.
I sometimes forget that they are still kids. He has almost the same potential as Michelle. Who would have thought there would be two monsters near each other? Jonas thought as he observed the sleeping faun.
Bryn used a few of his stretches to start his body as soon as he woke up. Sitting cross-legged with closed eyes, he accumulated mana on his core and body before generating the water spheres around him for protection. When his eyes opened, they were sharp. As he got up, he placed Akusashi on his waist, and the quiver was also connected to his waist. He felt pulling arrows from there was much faster than the back quiver from the movies. With the bow on his left hand, he filled his chest and raised his head, slowly walking toward Jonas's tent.
"I like those eyes." said Jonas.
"I'm ready, Mr. Joans. We can start whenever you wish."
"Very good. From today onward, you may get hurt, Bryn. You have to put your life on the line if you wish to improve."
Bryn snapped his fingers one last time to release the stress that had accumulated. He then moved his eyeballs to meet Jonas's eyes one last time before nodding up and down.
Jonas knew today would be a different beast for Bryn. So, as he got the go-ahead, he unleashed two creatures at the same time. One of them was a hog—it wasn't the largest Bryn had ever faced—but the second was a mature elk. Bryn moved his head up in search of the tip of the creature's antlers. His hands gripped his bow, and the right arm instantly prepared a shot.
"Ahhhhh" Bryn screamed as his first battle against the two beasts started.