In truth, Zigmund was quite far from the fundamental truth of this matter. The fact is that Allan made only two staff in his entire time with Clayton. This was his 3rd attempt, and his personal one, so there was a lot of time spent making this the best he could. It was for the sake of pondering and remembering the things Clayton taught him at that time.

He told him all about it. Balance, point, thrust, handling, smoothness, materials, and their crafting. Staff could be just a long piece of a branch, or a more intricate one. It caused Allan to make something that Clayton would be proud of. This would remain with him until the day he will find him. That was at least his own little promise that he decided when he made it.

His own ability was a small part of the process of crafting this staff. It took him much longer to make it than to make the 3 pieces last night.

Precision and knowledge of his current needs were the main factors that he needed for his own weapon. It was also determined by his previous wooden staff that he had used and unfortunately destroyed it before.

As for the strange weight itself, this was a mistake on his part that was unexpected but welcomed. Although it had some disadvantages, as he is right now, he could wield it fine. The spars against Zigmund were more than enough to prove it.

Allan remembered the very first spar, which left him quite exhausted amidst the tries to wield this staff for the first time. After that, spars solidified his opinion about this shaft, which was sturdy and heavy. The movement of the whole staff would make its force deadly, but the body had to move according to it.

The reason for the heaviness was the material he chose. Tinmethal was its name. High-density metal ensured the smallest part of the design went well but added quite of a weight. It was known for easy detailing, as the Tinmethal was of high density, but when forged with enough heat, it's easy to work with it.

Such as the design and reinforced parts of both ends of the staff. Allan did not choose it for its density. He miscalculated the ending process when he made the second half of the staff. The result was quite surprising to his small disappointment, which ended up being quite different from what he planned.

“Hu!”

Zigmund shouted as he charged at the empty air. This single thrust of the staff left his body in its momentum, but he changed his point of gravity. Steadying himself with no further difficulty proved his skill in wielding this weapon.

“I could get used to this, but it's not my style at all. Blunt weapons are so damn boring. Whatever, time to give it to him back.”

Back in the kitchen, Zigmund stopped in his tracks, as Allan had a strange kind of ingredient in his hand.

“Ehm. Why are you pulling a piece of dried wood on a cutting board? It is not a vegetable.” Zigmund asked in surprise.

“Oh, I am not trying anything. Did you get my shaft?” Allan stopped himself while tossing whatever was in his hand away.

“Of course, it was left in the forge, as I guessed it. I also checked your work while I was at it.”

“Thank you. What is your opinion so far?”

“You took quite a big meal. I wonder if you will manage it all,” Zigmund told as he placed the staff beside the table in Allan's hand.

“Ummm. Do you mean this is not an old piece of ham? Nevermind. Nevermind.”

“What?”

“What?” Allan asked back in obviousness.

Zigmund, either for the lack of care or time, did not follow his words as much as he dreaded.

He had his mind filled with the staff before he left it in Allan's hand. “Anyway, have a good meal. I will take my leave.” Zigmund left with no further words, which caused Allan to sigh in relief before continuing with his meal.

He was left alone and not ready to eat, as he still couldn't figure out much of anything. That wood from before smelled strange, and not like the wood he was used to at all. After some deliberation, he decided on some fruits, vegetables, and bread that he was able to recognize.

Before he knew it, Sarey appeared around the corner in a rather sleepy state. He could already tell her steps apart from Zigmund's. Sound and the time between each step as well as the high and low pitch of them. It was getting easier and more obvious to him with each passing day.

“Morning, Allan. Have you already eaten?” Sarey asked while trying to walk to the kitchen. Yawning, she managed to do so at last, while looking at whatever was available.

“Yes.”

“I see... I guess you will make your exercises now, so I will eat by myself then.”

“I am planning to.”

Allan answered, as he ate his fill and moved outside, as always. Making some short sets of sit-ups, pull-ups, and the rest of the exercises to make his muscles warm after the night.

He still felt a bit tired, which was a bit strange, but with enough force and will, this tiredness disappeared. Today, he would be a little bit gentle with himself with exercises, since another important day was before him. More could sometimes mean less, and overworking can lead to a worsened state in his mind.

In about an hour, Allan felt in his best state of the body, and mind. It was also about time for the next stage of training, which Sarey was all too prepared for.

Walking into the kitchen again, Sarey was cleaning and resting after the meal.

“How about some training?” Allan asked, without knowing too much about anything that had happened last night. In fact, he already forgot about it and Sarey wasn't one to questing what happened yesterday. It was her little secret, while the soul-fire was her new friend.

“Already? Alright then.” Sarey agreed with no complaints. It was her task she was willing to take on. She felt more refreshed after this breakfast, and getting out of bed helped every time.

Taking their stuff with them, both walked outside in about 10 minutes. Sarey took Allan's hand and leads him through the back forest and out to the path they previously used.

“Have you thought about this training in deeper details?” Sarey asked as they walked to make this silence away.

“Details? What else is there apart from doing them?”

“I mean, that is not wrong, but I was more curious if you want to continue with the rock smashing. That one wasn't that bad, but you can go with 36 suggestions and do them all one bit at a time. Each every day, or finishing each first before moving to another. Which do you want to do?”

“Do? What is even there? Hitting a rock, rock climbing, and being hit within the wild and rocky side of the mountainous river. This all sounds so strange for the so-called immortal training. It all revolves around a rock.”

“But think about it Allan, What is a rock to you?”

“Unmoving piece of a pebble. Oh... unmoving, I see.” Allan answers in a meaningful tone as if figuring out something.

“Exactly. Did you even know that rocks are some of the most common old materials? It is no metal, of course, but throughout the tens of thousands of years or even more. Rock is stationary, subject to the flow of time. It doesn't care, nor need to do anything.

It is almost a bit like a belief in the Unmoving technique, but that is only my opinion. Although there is a corrosion and another source of destructive time, it still goes to show you how impressive they are.”

“I know, but they are not living beings, so why bother with such clever words? However, there is a speck of truth beneath it all.”Allan argued back. Not believe it as much, but a slim skepticism was healthy, considering the circumstances.

“I thought of it right now. Sorry for disappointing you.” Sarey reluctantly said, no longer telling much more.

About 10 minutes of silence later, Allan returned to the topic of today. Training needed firmness and steadiness, so he chose rock climbing to see what was up with that.

Like the last time, the shock caused by soul-fire could happen, but he wasn't sure.

Allan agreed to do a simple form of a try to rock climb with his blind disability. That could mean a lot or less to the current him. If it would end up bad, he would come back to rock smashing, or try to go against the river.

Having decided it, Sarey led him to another valley from before. After all, the one that was corroding away wasn't fine to use. She found a better one, a bit further in the mountains.

In more walk, a secluded valley entered the eyes of a single person. Although, Allan was long aware of such a vast and open location. Birds and animals around him disappeared within this large open space where was almost no vegetation. There was only a wind that flew fast within the mountains. There was quite a big cliff above them and more cliffs and zeniths of the mountains in the surroundings of this valley.

All of this was not to his knowledge, but he could imagine it in his mind. He was not here for the marvels, as the training and opportunity were on his course.

Sarey led him into the borders of one particular stone wall which went further, as one could see. It was part of a mountain, that which indicated it was part of more mountains that followed up above.

“So, we are here. Are you going to try it?” “Rock climbing? I will. Why should I not?”

“Alright.” Sarey pulled the rope and some metal parts from her bag, which she carried with some difficulty all the way here.

“Have you ever tried this before?” She asked as she looked. Allan wanted to try it without any safety before.

“I did. A long time ago.” Allan recalled as the memories of the regime of the Clayton came to his mind. He survived in the wild parts of the Grusha kingdom and the place of his little surviving trips. Movements in the wild were the most gruesome for him at the time.

There were multiple occasions when he injured himself from small mistakes. Climbing was the least of a problem because he never considered climbing steep and tall cliffs and mountains. It was much better to work around them and make a detour than waste time and potential risks.

Now, in front of him, was a completely unfamiliar task. He will intentionally climb up into an unknown space. With the lack of vision, this was a bad idea, but part of what he had to do.

Allan had no idea why 36 recommended this training from the many that were in the Unmoving technique. Unknown to the reason, the potential answer to this question caused more to follow. Why exactly rock climbing?

Answers could always wait for the right opportunity. Sarey placed the long stride of a robust rope of dozens of meters and metallic weights for something else.

This steep wall beyond her went right into the sky. Fog and mist were drifting in the sky, and she saw how dangerous this could be. The moisture of the forest and near the river made this environment quite magical, but not optimal for any type of climbing.

Sarey had, unfortunately, no other options. This was the best description of the pages she could find. Other locations had a much smaller, or curved hill. This one was 200 meters big, with not much curved, with an almost straight manner of the climb. She looked at the page again in wonder, and couldn't help but helplessly sigh.

Allan came closer to this wall as if listening to the call of the humongous mountain. He put his ear into the slippery and wet surface.

“Are you expecting me to climb this rocky surface?” He unhappily asked.

“What? You can't do it?”

“Hmph. I can try at least. Watch.”

Leaning his shaft on the side, Allan lifted his arms and begin his climb. He reaches a few steps with his hands before discovering weird obscurity. The touch was fine at first, but continuous further was not. He had to rely on his hands to find something to grab while being stuck in the dark.

Since losing their sense of sight, all of his other feelings began to show substantial changes. Being so high off the ground left him in a different position than he was used to. There was only a wall in front of his face.

A cold wall of something that he was meant to climb. Anxiety began to hold him tight. He felt more darkness than ever before as the ground before his feet was gone. It meant little for him that he was just a few meters from the ground. It felt no different from dozens of them, or even hundreds.

“How terrifying. Is this something 36 anticipated, or is this something that I have to do for the training method of The Unmoving technique?” Allan wondered as he tried to calm down.

He pulled himself up with the help of rocks and empty spaces across the wall. There were a lot of crevices and small firm pebbles he could use to lift himself up. His touch was the only thing he could use, while everything depends on his firm grip.

Sarey was watching everything with a curious face. Like before, she did not tell the full details and left most to himself to figure out. The first failure was a good thing, in her opinion.

To her surprised sight, he was doing much better than she anticipated. Forcing a blind person to rock climb sounded like a stupid idea in general, yet here he is, climbing as if he did so a few times before.

“Are you alright?” Sarey asked without much concern about his distress.

“Y-yes, yes. Of course, I am. I am getting used to this. That is all.” Allan shouted in distress, and a try to console himself that everything was fine.

“Good. Just so you know, this is no normal climbing.”

“Normal is quite an understatement. I know it very well.” Allan gritted his teeth and forced his upper body to work with everything he could. His sense of gravity, as well as his center and core, was his everything at the moment.

Allan could see that certain muscles and movements were needed and trained in such a manner.

Yet, it wasn't easy for the obvious intentions of this region and the wall itself.

“Uuhh!”

A loose pebble slipped through Allan's hand on the way from his left hand. His right was gripping the crevice, but it surprised him. At least, he didn't fall down.