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Chapter 38: Burnout

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Before lunch, Krone gave them two important assignments.

First would be to practice the breathing technique he had taught them, all day. It meant that they had to change their usual, unconscious breathing with this one, consciously.

“Focus on controlling this automated function, all the time.”

Second, to think and discuss of their reason for being here, all the time. During lunch, and all their free time, they were instructed to think and discuss.

He did not pressure them, merely telling them he would test them later.

Krone gave them ample time to have their lunch, and to discuss.

Lunch was full of fruits and veggies, breads and broth. During the time, the forty people started to make each other acquaintance. As for Athea, Krone had the twins helped her out, introducing her to the others, even against her will. To the side, Natalia joined Kristine for lunch.

The training camp seemed to start in harmony, lively.

‘They have to enjoy each other’s company, or else it’ll all be for naught.’

Observing from the side, Krone had his eyes on everyone. After making sure they were well-rested, Krone called his sister out. Standing away from others, both had things to discuss.

One in particular, was something he had been persuading her for days.

“Sis, I know this can be hard, but,”

“I know, I’ve made my mind,”

“You did?”

“Yeah, well, seeing my little brother a bit serious, I… I’ll help out,”

“Then,”

“Anyway we, well this sister of yours, still have to return home and pack our stuff. Also I’ve to say something to everyone, else they’ll worry.”

“Got it, I’ll send a letter to the chief first,”

“That’ll help, you do that.”

With managing his future organization in mind, Krone had asked Kristine for help. It was part of his plan, to draw her away from the village. While he had no intention to abandon the villagers, he had to make sure his sister was away from danger first. The rift would appear near the village a little over a year from now, but he had to take precaution.

That, and he really needed her by his side.

‘Her healing ability, and restoration… invaluable. ’

What made Kristine invaluable for the team, was the fact she had healing magic. Just as important, like him, she had the ability to restore others suffering from mana burn-out.

No, not quite like him.

He had tested her. She had a natural aptitude for restoration, a type of mana manipulation which had been neglected before, due to hidden danger.

Their rare neutral mana however, eliminated such risk.

Her aptitude for restoration surpassed his own.

He related such fact due to her personality. Restoration was not called magic, merely mana sharing to be exact. Neutral, not governed by any element. Knowing well how valuable it would be, he had to train her, and made sure her ability flourished.

‘With this training camp, there’s more than enough for her to use restoration. If we’re lucky, her mana pool would expand.’

The more one used their mana and exerted themselves, the more the likelihood for their mana pool to expand. Moreover, if it was done in the area of their strength, the growth would be significant.

‘If I’m to nurture that,’

He decided.

Placing his hands to the back, he took a party ring out of his spatial ring.

“Sis, I’ve something for you,”

“Eh, what?”

He handed her the ring, she froze.

The ring was small, yet exquisite. The blue ring was shining, with red gem in the middle. Complex patterns were inscribed within, so small it was hard for the eye to see.

“K-krone, this…”

“It’s a special ring, it allowed the user to communicate with another,”

“Eh? C-communicate? You mean, this is, isn’t this super—”

“No worry. The sponsor had given it to me. Who else I’m going to give it, if not you,”

“But Krone, this is too valuable! I can’t—”

“Exactly. That’s why I gave it to you Sis."

"But I have no use,"

"Ah, I know your concern, I’ve another.”

He showed her his right hand, similar ring was on his pinky.

“You do? Then does this mean,”

“Yes, we can communicate,”

With that, she froze, only to raise her shoulders soon, gasping for breath.

“Teach me!”

Elated, excited, she urged him to teach her how to use the ring. She took a distance from him, activating the ring. Soon, she experimented with it several times.

She laughed, happily.

Her happy expression filled his being. He turned to the sky, taking in deep breath.

Krone spent some more time with her, making sure she realized that her restoration would be a great help, to him and everyone. He made it clear, that her being there, would make a difference.

After his sweet talk, Kristine left for the kitchen, smiling ear to ear.

Smiling, he checked the party status, something he rarely did.

Personal Info: Kristine Kozak

Health:  25/25

Criteria

Level

Type

Physique

9

Lithe

Senses

11

Normal

Mana Pool

12

Heightened

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Mana Affinity

High

Neutral

Arte

Magic

Arte

Name

Original Name

Level

Air Sliding

Slid de Aur

  4

Aura Coating

Aurelian Arte

  2

     Magic

Name

Original Name

Level

Healing

Helia

   5

‘Heightened mana pool? Then does this mean she will... Hah, shall I put my own sister to the test?'

After another hour, Krone called all forty of them out. He planned to split them into seven teams, but not now. He had to make sure they were not divided early on.

It was time for the first lesson.

“Alright guys, the first lesson, Arte Mastery. Anyone knows how to master an Arte?”

A few raised their hands, Krone had all of them answered.

Natalia merely stood a distance away, watching and listening. Her body shimmered with light, then disappeared.

“With experience?”

“Enough practice, we’ll master them.”

“Inspiration, one must be inspired,”

For their answers, he smiled.

“All of you, are correct. So the next question, can you intentionally master your Arte?”

Not waiting an answer, he raised his foot.

Gust passed by them, gentle wind soothed their skin, sand particles whisked their eyes.

In a blink, he was in front, no more.

In a second, behind them, he was.

They turned to their back, eyes wide.

Everyone standing, was dumbfounded.

He was over twenty metres at their back.

It took them by surprise, never did they imagine he would be so fast. While they had witnessed him in the fight against Padre, that was as audience from afar. Now, they were the one directly experiencing such mastery.

Between seeing in the audience’s seat and experiencing it oneself, was a vast difference.

And they now, had such revelation.

“Interested?”

One word, one smile.

His word and confident smile, burned everyone’s desire.

HELL YEAH!

Childish yells filled the beach.

…

A lady from a distance, gave a wry smile.

As if knowing, something was coming.

…

===

Birds were flying over the surface of the sea, barely touching the surface, yet catching fishes in succession. Waves after waves hit the beach, giving off a nice melody in the silent seaside.

Over the sea’s horizon, the sun was setting. Tranquil cloud moved without worry. Red-orange glow of majesty escaped through the openings, as if horizontal pillars of light. Pillars of light, landed on a certain beach.

On the beach, occasional gasping could be heard for those with sensitive ears.

Flashing blue line over the ground, stopped.

One teen fell on the ground, rolling on the sandy beach.

‘It’s not easy,’

Gasping for breath, he was Ron.

Terrible shortness of breath. He was confident of his stamina and mana, yet the current him was inconceivable. During the jog this morning, carrying his own bags, he even helped the girls to carry theirs. Even still, he was faring better than the rest.

Yet for him to be this exhausted, spoke for itself.

He turned and observed his surroundings. Bodies on the sandy beach, movement only constituted of taking air in, and out. They reminded him pictures of war casualties, victims of merciless battle.

A battle, fought for honour.

‘Damnit. I knew it, it’s really not easy! We’re forced to—’

He turned to the culprit, smiling from a distance.

This guy, had riled them up, saying something impossible like reaching substantial mastery after forty days. In order to do this, each of them had vowed to repeat each of their Air Sliding Arte for 250 times, per day. Everyday, for the rest of forty days.

And he, Ron Shamanov, with all his lofty education and mature-like thinking, was lured in making such vow too, in the spur of the moment. Because it was a vow, everyone was each other’s witness. Those who broke their own vow, would be facing punishment.

Thinking about it again, he wondered why he made such a thoughtless vow.

First, Krone had Doran by his side, leaving thirty-nine of them for the session.

With a rope, he measured ten-metre distance and placed the lines. They had to repeat Air Sliding back and forth for 250 times. At the time, everyone was pumped up, full of energy. Ten people, slid on the air at the same time, followed by another line. With barely ten seconds cool down, they had to repeat it again.

Ten times.

Twenty times.

Thirty times...

Soon, stamina and mana’s limit started to slow everyone down. He witnessed Krone taking five of the slower ones to the back, away from view. Starting from the 100th, everyone was gritting their teeth. The girls were gasping, the guys was panting. Realization came, of how silly it was for them, to make that vow.

Within their mind, similar thought came;

That Krone!

What spell did he cast on us?

Back then, they did not consider their limit.

Just what they were thinking at the time, they could not remember. The whole session which in theory would take fifty minutes, turned into five hours. Yet despite the time, all of them except a few, were short of two-hundred. Nearing the number, they started to fall one by one.

After an hour, the only one left standing, was Ron.

He pondered, with himself reaching limit.

‘We’ve been had. No, it’s our naivety…’

That guy never forced them to.

He incited them, yes. Can he really blame him for making them made that vow? Well, not a few among them probably wanted to bite and chew him right now for luring them in.

Kharlussian were raised, with the mindset that a vow was sacred. They could not go against it, lest their honor tainted.

While they were cursing him inside, they could not impeach him.

That was obvious. He had long finished his own 250 turns, and did not even stop there, continuing on until 300. In fact, he did it for a twenty-metre distance, with active Aurelian Arte covering his body!

Simultaneous use of two Artes, for a long period, this kind of evidence?

They could not question his authority.

‘I can’t fall here, ugh,’

Ron had finished his 231st slide, yet his mind was spinning. A mana burnout had hit him, causing him extreme dizziness. His face looked like a vampire, seriously pale, as if lacking in blood and sleep. In addition, his stamina reached its limit as well. His hands reached for his knees, preventing him from falling.

Had he fall now, he knew he won’t be getting up.

For hours.

‘Ron Shamanov, don’t you dare, shame your family.’

He gritted his teeth, yet his strength was leaving him.

He kept on breathing in, and out, practicing the breathing method that the culprit taught them. While that guy was devious, this breathing technique had its merit. Barely practicing it for a few hours, he already noticed significant changes.

‘Hm?’

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a black-haired girl in white clothes, attending to one of the fallen.

Tender face, lightly red lips and fare skin.

He remembered her well, the girl who prepared their lunch.

Concern was evident on her face, she was asking questions in soft voice, inquiring those she observed suffering most from burnout.

She placed her hand on top of a blonde’s head, her mana seeped into her, to her head then down to her chest.

Slowly, ever gentle.

‘Is that Restoration? Meaning she’s quite caring… Wait, he called her Sis, was it? How could such a devil, has such a nice,’

After she finished with her, she moved on to another. As he observed her, he reached his limit as well. He staggered.

His whole world, turned blank.

====

Blinking stars filled the night sky.

Soothing wind of nighttime brushed by, turning a white blanket over, revealing a figure.

A boy, in white uniform, black boots.

Eyes, shut tight, flickered.

Coldness hit him, he shuddered. As the wind grew stronger, he rose.

Ughh!

Abruptly waking up, he startled some in the surroundings.

‘Huh? Did I…’

He had fainted.

Looking around him, he noticed over thirty or so people, lying down side by side on the beach. White blankets covered them, with pebbles placed all over, preventing wind from carrying them away. Around seven or eight already woke up before him, yet he was too dizzy to care.

They were in front of a long building, with eight rows of doors, their rooms. An outdoor fireplace was nearby, with crackling sound of firewood. A large kettle hanged over the small fire.

‘So I failed…’

Ron sighed, eyes closed again.

It was his first failure, for a very long time. He had not much experience with it, so it really hit him. Looking at the rest of thirty people still unconscious, his feeling eased, somewhat.

Yet the image, struck him.

‘White blanket, covering half their face… As if,’

As if covering corpses.

Those who woke up before him, thought the same. It was as if it was done deliberately. No, it definitely was done deliberately!

Sound of sand being stepped on reached his ears, Ron turned to his left. The girl from before, kneeled before him, startling the life out of him.

Holding on her hands, a large glass of water.

She smiled.

“Here, good job today.”

“Ah, err, thanks.”

He took the glass from her, it was warm.

She placed her hand on the sand, sprung up and turned away.

Ron stared at her back, dumbfounded.

Eyeing her, her back swaying away, tingling feeling spread within, so much so that he forgot he was thirsty. Realizing this, he drank the water down, slowly.

…

Tasted like plain water, yet it smelled nice.

Mind clearer, he observed those who had woken up. He recognized some. Kyril, the twins and Athea had recovered, sitting beside a large build lying down. It was as if a bear, snoring under the white blanket.

Observing this, he pondered.

‘Doran. Krone brought him and five others to the back. What did he do?’

He stood up, joining them.

From them, he knew that they themselves had just woken up not too long ago. All of them had been out cold for three hours. And had it not for Krone’s sister Kristine, they would not have woken up at all tonight. She had restored everyone’s minimal mana supply, enough to recover them from burnout faster than usual.

Even hearing this directly from Kyril, he had a look of disbelief.

“Everyone? Seriously?”

“That’s what he said, why?”

“…Even restoring minimal mana supply, to do so for forty people, that’s,”

“I know, awesome right? It meant her mana control’s really good.”

Hearing Kyril’s comment, he was silent.

Athea did not comment anything, she was the silent type to begin with, while the twins to her side were still too tired to say anything. They had this blank look all over the face, eyes almost close.

Pondering about it, Ron knew, Kyril probably had a different concept of limit. To him, being able to do this, was bordering impossible. Only experts with substantial mana pool, could do this.

But for a girl barely sixteen?

‘This pair of siblings, just who, what’s their background?’

He deliberated.

After some time, the rest kept waking up, one by one. He observed Kristine, busy with delivering water to each and every one of them. Soon, he noticed Krone, coming out from behind the building.

Arriving to the nearby fireplace, he took a glass, mixing water from a steaming kettle and a large container. He approached a girl, still lying on the sand, covered by the white blanket.

It was the girl he spoke before lunch, and he spoke to her during lunch too. Well, he spoke with many during lunch, but with her, there was something else.

Ron noticed a certain peculiarity, as if he was enjoying it.

‘He’s interested in her, or what?’

…

Stopping beside her, Krone kneeled, placing his hand on her forehead. A sliver of white mana seeped into her, gently. From her head, it traveled to her back, and her chest.

After a moment, she coughed out several times, waking up.

“Huh…?”

“You’re okay?”

“Uh, yeah…”

“Drink this, it’ll help.”

Carefully supporting her, Krone urged her to drink, slowly.

As she drank, aroma and warmth filled her, her mind began to clear. Patiently waiting beside her, he began answering her clumsy questions. They began to chat, and as soon as it began gaining attention, he stopped, excusing himself.

He clapped his hands, catching everyone’s attention.

“Congratulations, coming back from the dead. How’s the Yellow River—Wrong place, how’s Death doing? Hopefully he’s all fine and dandy? The last time I met him, ah, nevermind.”

He waved his hand, smiling at them, as if satisfied.

“So the happy part is, all of you gave your all, and recovered… Ahh, the sad part is, all of you died, and your family could not count on you for help. Before blaming anyone, give that a thought. Well, it’s quite late, so we won’t be having heavy dinner. A light one had been prepared, go and rest in your room after. Everyone, thanks for today.”

Some nodded, many answered;

“Thanks for today,”

“Thanks,”

“Rest, sleep. We’ll start tomorrow, early.”

Krone turned around, going to the back the buildings. Behind it, was a building with a pair of rooms. One of which, was his.

The door next to it opened, a blonde in a floral one-piece came out.

She smirked, seemingly impatient.

“Is it time?”

It was Natalia.

Respecting Krone’s wish, she waited till now. Long enough.

Krone nodded.

“Yeah, it’s time.”

…

=== Chapter 38 Burnout ===