Liam listened to Cyclone. Hearing how Radiant Shield protected some level 10 players while allowing them to take all the last hits, he was indeed amused.

However, he remembered the time when he met Radiant Shield. He was only dealing with a few wolves when the tank graciously offered his help.

Looking at Radiant Shield, who was clearly embarrassed, Liam didn’t dare to laugh.

The rest of the party shared his feelings, clearly amused but doing their best to suppress these emotions. The person having the most difficulty was Quickstep, turning her head away and looking at the sky.

Only one person among the party wasn’t surprised. Bloody Edge was closest to Radiant Shield, knowing about his tendency to play the hero from time to time.

He nodded at the tank, speaking to lift the awkward atmosphere:

“A noble deed. These small seed of goodwill sown today may spark favor for our guild in the future!”

“Yes, yes. Exactly.”

“Good job Radiant Shield.”

The other quickly echoed the thief’s words. Radiant Shield felt relieved, showing a faint smile.

Liam quickly grabbed the opportunity to change the topic:

“Alright. It seems everyone enjoyed themselves. But now it’s time for training.”

Cyclone appeared to be apprehensive. With a glance at the ranking list, she addressed Bleary Mirage:

“Expert. Why don’t we postpone it for now? The others are catching up to our levels! We should use our advantage and clear the dungeon.”

Liam was somewhat surprised as he opened the ranking list. Star Gazer, Earthquake, Wave of Bones, and many others were indeed closing the distance faster than anticipated.

Apparently, their potential was triggered by the pressure brought by the party, allowing them to develop their own leveling strategies in a short time.

However, Liam still shook his head:

“Do you think we are wasting our time? Don’t expect the next dungeon to be simple. One day of preparation will save multiple days of raiding.

Besides, isn’t it more interesting to allow others to reach level 20 before putting them in the dust?”

The others showed various emotions but their trust for Liam quickly convinced them.

Only Cyclone looked reluctant, but this was mostly because she was genuinely tired.

“Ok. Anything else? If not, we can set of.”

Seeing no complaints, Liam led the party towards the teleporter. A short while later they appeared within a large town at the outskirts of the Rising Basilisk Empire. They were close to the border between the central plains and the eastern mountains.

Liam didn’t waste much time, leading his friends towards a valley in the direction of the eastern mountains. On the way Silver Blade told him about their quest and asked about the demonic beast nourishing stones.

At first, she also planned to ask about the broken council, but on the way back form the ant nest Final Fend reminded her of the lore book they found.

It contained an introduction and many interesting tales about Deavin Ocean. The broken council was mentioned as well.

As the government body overlooking the original nephilims’ affairs, the broken council was intricately tied to Deavin Ocean.

However, no information about demonic beast nourishing stones could be found.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Liam wasn’t surprised as Silver Blade told him this. Demonic beast nourishing stones were prohibited objects tinged with the aura of hell.

They could quickly increase the strength of beasts but also turned them mindless and aggressive. Thus, they were banned in most parts of the world.

“Why would they be found among Zeygnar’s wares then?”, asked Cyclone confusedly.

“That guy doesn’t seem as honest as he looks…”, commented Radiant Shield.

Silver Blade kept quiet, imagining the merchant’s grumpy face. Did he really ever look honest?

Shaking her head the female tank looked at Liam:

“How should we proceed with the quest now?”

“It doesn’t matter much. Your choice only determines on who’s side you stand during the subsequent quest. But before the most important steps you can still change your decision.”

“I guess I’ll go with the broken council then. I’m not a fan of helping the villain.”

Final Fend, thinking that this was the boring route, tried to change his sister’s decision, but Silver Blade remained stubborn.

He could only give up when the party arrived at the place Liam choose for their training.

A small valley opened before them. It was tinged by a strange magic, which could be felt faintly in the air. The others stared ahead with wide eyes when Liam explained that the valley was the result of a single spell.

Liam decided to scour the internet for a recording of the fight above the lava lake later, to broaden his party’s horizon.

For now, though, the valley’s creation wasn’t important. Liam was here for its inhabitants. A bunch of tall, slow moving stone golems were strolling around.

Liam split his party into multiple groups. Precisely those needing to learn flash step, defending, and dodging,

After a brief discussion Silver Blade led the groups for dodging and defending. The martial artist was most suitable to share her experiences.

Meanwhile Liam took the mages, Braag, and Watchful Eye to the side.

“Ok guys. We have talked about flash step before. It is an important ability you can learn if your INT attribute accounts for at least 33% of all your points. And it’s somewhat easier if you have a high AGI.”

Noticing everyone listening with rapt attention, Liam was satisfied and continued.

“To perform a flash step, you need to learn to feel the mana in your body. Or in your case Qi, Watchful Eye.

I will demonstrate it slowly once.”

Liam took a battle-ready posture, explaining slowly while acting according to his own words.

“Close your eyes and concentrate on the mana in your body. Feel its smooth flow.

Next, take control with your will. Push it stronger and stronger until the gentle stream becomes a raging river. Your entire body will feel energized.

You will reach a tipping point. Don’t worry, it is easy to notice.

And then, will yourself to appear elsewhere.”

As soon as these words fell, Liam vanished. The others could only at him with admiration as he appeared behind them.

With this their gruesome training began.

Under Liam’s tutelage the five players soon learned how to perceive the mana in their bodies.

However, the unfamiliar sensation posed some challenges. It proved difficult for the five to affect the strange energy in their bodies.

Meanwhile, the others trained together with Silver Blade. They learned how to perform precise movements, how to dodge with the greatest effect and how to divert force during blocking.

All their training might only reduce the stance they had to pay by a few points, but those might be coming in clutch during difficult battles.

Silver Blade was quite satisfied as all of the party members showed some talent.

Those needing the least training were clearly Quickstep and Silent Acacia, followed by Final Fend.

Thus, Bloody Edge and Radiant Shield received special attention. They soon felt numb under the heavy fists of those rock golems, enduring attacks without being allowed to retaliate.

For the two college students the day seemed to pass excruciatingly slowly.

When they finally logged off, their dorm mates were surprised to see them wordlessly fall into bed.

However, the nightmare continued the next day. Liam wasn’t done yet as none of his friends had managed to perform a flash step yet.

Finally, after another hour of training he received a pleasant surprise. Watchful Eye was the first to succeeded, suddenly disappearing from the spot.

His performance seemed to motivate the others. Soon, Balm Fortune, and Cyclone followed in quick succession.

To Liam’s surprise it was Braag who had the most difficulties. Eventually the dwarf sighed with an exasperated expression.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t influence mana. Maybe I’m not made for it…”

Liam glanced at the older man, sinking into thoughts. A moment later an ominous grin formed on his face.

“I think you are just lacking the right motivation. Take out your weapon and fire over there.”

Braag followed the instructions, turning towards the side. But seeing where Liam pointed, his face suddenly paled.

“Mirage, is this like… my punishment?”

“No no. Go ahead and fire.”

Looking into Liam’s eyes Braag knew that the expert was serious. He gulped heavily as a bomb left his launcher, landing among five towering rock golems.

The earth trembled as the heavy creatures came to pummel the audacious dwarf.

“If you move even one bit, I will personally take care of you!”

Liam’s ominous warning caused Braag’s body to stiffen. The dwarf watched in horror as the golems came closer, raising their hands above his head.

A chill ran down his neck. He hastily closed his eyes.

Mana, mana, mana… go! Come on!

Braag’s thoughts turned desperate as he urged the mana in his body. A wind assaulted his face. Dust trickled down on him as a fist was right above his head.

Boom!

Multiple fists crashed into the ground. Braag appeared some distance away, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Liam smiled in satisfaction:

“As I thought! It was just a matter of motivation!”