When my companions fully came to their senses, Ender began to figure out what techniques and skills we knew. Imagine his surprise when he realized that each of us had only one skill, and that was it. It seemed to me that he was no less puzzled by this fact than when he saw the "Pure Palm of Five Empty Fingers" Sign before his eyes.

Calling me aside, he asked:

"And how am I supposed to teach you? Even a novice tunneller of the copper rank knows at least five skills or techniques. This Flavius of yours carries an ax, but he knows only 'Enhanced Strike,' and even that is on the first circle!"

"First circle is normal for copper," I corrected the sheriff.

"Alright, I exaggerated there," he dismissed. "But where's the maintenance of at least one aura?"

I spread my arms and suggest:

"Set up a mental barrier, and I will try to explain."

"What?" He took a step back from me. "No! I still won't understand anything; it will just wear me out."

"Then accept everything as it is and work with it."

"What do you suggest?" He crossed his arms.

"Teach us all the Basic Cross and one specialized skill each," I paused for a moment, then continued. "'Cleaving Strike' for Flavius, 'Blazing Staff' for Miranda - I saw Ximi knows this spell. As for Ilona, 'Slow' will be just right. For me, 'Discharge' will be the best match, especially for my spear in your arsenal."

As far as I had learned, Ender preferred to fight in the Storm Swordsman style. It wasn't the most common fighting style in Ain. It was a symbiosis of swordsmanship and elemental lightning magic. As for spear techniques, the sheriff was not proficient in them, and those that Tuan knew did not suit the style I was planning to use. However, "Discharge" was a versatile spell that endowed your weapon with an ability akin to a police taser's shock. Moreover, it was an upgradable spell, and its power increased with your rank. It's useful on its own but becomes fully effective against enemies equipped with shields or heavy armor.

As for the Basic Cross, the four primary auras known to most tunnellers - things were both simpler and more complicated with them. The Acceleration Aura, Enhancement Aura, Weapon Strengthening Aura, and Perception Aura, which enhanced the senses. All of them were highly beneficial, and the mana cost for maintaining them was minimal. The main difficulty in using auras was that each of them required constant attention and concentration. Keeping one on was easy, and any beginner could do it; it's like humming a song or melody in the background while doing something else. This is truly simple, but even running two auras is often an insurmountable challenge for many. Because during a fight, you can allocate a part of your attention to "humming a song," which is not that difficult. But to activate a second aura, you have to also maintain it in "background mode." It's like counting from one to a million in addition to humming a song without losing focus on the fight, meaning your brain must simultaneously solve three tasks without getting confused. A third aura would require another stream of attention. The "past me," going into the Last Battle, maintained all four auras in one stream. Now, I'm not sure that without training and meditation, I would be able to support even two at once. Typically, tunnellers up to the steel rank use a single aura in battle, choosing the one most effective at the moment, from wootz to sapphire - two, and at heroic stages, three are considered standard. However, reaching mithril is impossible without the ability to maintain four auras simultaneously.

"Basic Cross..." Ender muttered, rubbing his chin. "We think alike here. Though, I can't imagine how someone can learn it in two weeks."

"They'll manage," I confidently stated.

"If I hadn't seen what you're capable of, I wouldn't believe in such fairy tales," the sheriff rolled his eyes. "But I'll give the base, whether you absorb it or not, is your problem."

"Agreed," I nodded in response.

"Regarding your fiery friend, you're right, 'Blazing Staff' is optimal for her. As for the healer, 'Slow' is too advanced; she's combative, and the basic 'Repulsion' will suit her. This spell will allow her to buy time in case of danger by repelling an enemy, and the healer's wands enhance it well."

"You're the instructor; it's your call." He might be right, 'Slow' is one of the most useful debuffs of Life Magic, but this spell is fully unleashed at high ranks, and Ilona needs something useful here and now.

"Flavius..." Ender pondered. "If I were sure that he has a talent for wielding axes, I would agree with you."

"I'm sure he has that talent." I didn't think Flavius would have chosen a weapon different from the one selected at the Divine Inspiration Stela.

"'Cleaving Strike' only seems simple and basic," the sheriff began as if giving a lecture. "But this technique is fully unleashed only with three stars in Talent! With less, I wouldn't recommend studying it."

"But you know it, I saw you training it," I insisted.

"At the basic, lowest rank," he shrugged. "Alas, I didn't get that talent."

"Then teach him. He'll manage."

"Fine," Ender waved his hand. "In such a short time, you won't manage to properly learn anything, no matter how confident you are otherwise." Then he shifted his gaze from the horizon to me. "As for 'Discharge,' yes, it goes excellently with a spear, even better than with swords." He patted his sheaths. "But to learn it, you have to be sure that the student has at least two stars in the Talent of Elemental magic of Lightning. Without that, all training will be like carrying water in a sieve. Are you sure you want to spend your time on something that might simply not be meant for you? Maybe something basic, non-specialized, would suit you better? Until you reach Bronze and go through the 'Self-Knowledge' Ritual in the temple."

"I have two talent stars in Lightning," I calmly replied to the sheriff.

"How do you know? You can't find out your talents without the ritual, and they don't conduct it before reaching Bronze."

"I know. And there are exceptions to every rule."

He looked at me closely, and then his eyes widened:

"Oh!" He exclaimed and fell silent.

"Self-Knowledge" Ritual can technically be performed even at the wooden rank, but in that case, it requires very rare alchemy. So rare that just the ingredients for it cost more than a thousand gold, not to mention other expenses that can reach similar amounts. Only the high aristocracy can afford this in order to determine the talents of the heir as early as possible instead of waiting for them to reach Bronze.

"Now, I don't want to delve into what your Sacred Shroud hides at all." The sheriff frowned. "I hate politics. All these aristocracy games..." He shrugged and then looked at me intently. "If I am your mentor, I need to know your Talents."

He caught me there - I blurted out too much, and now I would have to disclose information about myself. Because to refuse to answer such a question from the teacher is equal to ending my training with him. However, Ender has taken the role of mentor seriously, and for the locals, the bonds between student and teacher are no less important than family ties, and I don't think he will tell anyone about me.

"Three stars in swords, dual weapons, and any polearms, as well as in Illusion, Life, and Rune magic. Two and a half stars in all elements, mental magic, and hammer. The rest is not that important." Half a star means that a person can develop their talent to a complete star or squander it, losing this "half." I wisely kept silent about my three stars in Shadow and Darkness magic. With each word I spoke, his eyes widened more and more. And one can understand him: such a set is almost unbelievable for any local. Exorbitant. Unattainable. Only the heirs of royal and ducal families can boast something similar. I'm sure Ender himself has at most three stars in swords and two in Lightning, with everything else even lower.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Ahem..." Clearing his dry throat, the sheriff began to bore into me with his gaze. "You weren't joking just now, were you?" He said with a hoarse voice.

"I have accepted you as a mentor," I reply, bowing my head.

"Hey!" He jabbed a finger into my chest. "You have three talent stars in swords and polearms, but you walk around with a spear! Why?"

"Five..." I was forced to confess.

"Five?!"

"Yes."

Usually trying to appear in public as the epitome of imperturbability, the sheriff sat down right where he stood. For about three minutes, he was recovering, silently moving his lips. Then he began to speak aloud, as if to himself:

"Monkey's Lair. Nends. Their main weapons are axes and spears." He lifted his enlightened gaze to me. "Now I understand it better." Standing up, he nodded in the direction of my companions. "Are they the same as you?"

"Not quite," I shake my head, "they don't know the exact values of their Talents, and I can only speculate. I only know that their personal weapons accurately reflect their main inclination. As for overall giftedness, they are probably similar to me."

"And with such talents, you don't know any techniques, skills, and spells?! How did this happen?!"

"That's because we're not from Ain, we're from Earth," I honestly answer the question, "and the questers likely specifically looked for people with certain talents before picking them for their tests."

"Enough!" Grimacing as if from a toothache, Ender demanded. "And why did I even ask?!" He rubbed his temples. "Well, my fault."

After discussing the details, we returned to the others. This time Ender did not test us or make us run; instead, he started teaching us the fundamentals of the Basic Cross. First, he showed us how to invoke an aura, that is, to imbue one's body or weapon with mana from the Core. Even this simple, most basic skill didn't come easily to any of us. The locals are accustomed to magic, they have lived with it since infancy, but for earthlings, it is these fundamentals that are the most challenging to grasp.

The sun was already setting, and none of us could even feel a slight tingling sensation on our skin, which could indicate that we were moving in the right direction. From Ender's expression, I realized that he had stopped believing that we would learn anything in two weeks. In the end, he concluded the general session, and sent Flavius to Tuan and the girls to Ximi. He started working with me himself. The sheriff took up the pole again and gave me a medium-length stick.

"Do not evade. Stand still. Your task is only to parry. Clear?" He asked.

"Yes."

As soon as I gave my answer, a hail of blows fell on me. It was not easy to block them all, especially when my body wanted to dodge, which I couldn't do. But gradually, I got used to it, and after an hour of such monotonous beating, the sheriff's blows were more and more often met by my stick.

"I can see in your gaze that you've figured out what we're doing," Ender spoke while continuing to strike from various positions.

I silently nodded in response.

"Exactly. We are translating your theoretical knowledge into practical skills." He was right: more and more often, I parried his thrusts without thinking, automatically. "A good warrior fights on reflexes and does not think about which technique, skill, or spell to use at a given moment. He keeps the tactics and strategy of the entire duel in his head, leaving the implementation of this strategy to his reflexes."

Almost the same thing I heard from Nate in the last Cycle when he taught me Krav Maga and then a no-holds-barred fighting style he had personally developed. Katashi and Ronin, those from whom the "past me" learned to wield weapons, also preached a similar approach. So yes, I relatively quickly figured out what Ender wanted from me. As soon as I understood this, I tried to enter the "don't think" mode, leaving the parrying of the raining blows to my reflexes. To occupy my mind, I delved into myself and tried to activate the aura of acceleration. The "past me" trained exactly like this, keeping the body busy with one thing and the mind with another. Without even noticing it, I fell into a kind of trance and came out of it only when the blows stopped raining down on me from all sides.

"Stop!" Ender sharply commanded.

"Yes?" I did not understand the reason for the stop.

"What was that just now? Acceleration Aura?" He asked as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"It seems so." Apparently, I really managed to activate it.

"So you..." The sheriff poked his finger right into my forehead, "Mastered the aura in half a day?"

"No!" I shook my head. "It's more like it happened accidentally."

"But it did happen!" The sheriff clicked his tongue. "Okay, I need to forbid myself to be surprised."

"Can you do that?"

"I will have to master this skill." Ender snorted. "Let's continue!"

And then I suddenly had no time for conversations. Moreover, since I started thinking again, the first blows from the bamboo pole reached their target.

It hurt.

When the sheriff finished his "torments" over me, Tuan and Ximi also finished their part of the training. Unlike Ender, his assistants did not push the earthlings hard but taught them skills. As the sheriff and I decided, Flavius learned "Cleaving Strike," Miranda - "Blazing Staff," and Ilona - "Repulsion." Basic skills, special strikes, and spells, unlike auras, are much easier to learn. The difficulty with them is in using them in real combat fast enough for them to be effective, and not like in training, where you first prepare for a minute and then activate the skill. In actual combat, you won't be allowed such leisureliness.

Two hours after sunset, Ender stopped the training and sent us to rest until tomorrow.

"In an hour, I'll come to the tavern," the sheriff stopped me. "We'll drink a couple of mugs of beer."

"Huh?" I didn't understand him.

"Refusing to have a drink with your mentor?" Ender feigned surprise theatrically. "That's a great disrespect!"

"A couple of mugs, no more," I raise my hands in agreement.

"A couple," he nods.

It seems that the sheriff has not only taken me as an apprentice but also designated me as a mandatory drinking companion. Well, it's not the highest price I'm willing to pay.

We all trudged towards the town, so tired that we barely lifted our feet. But the further we moved away from the hill and approached the tavern, the more confident our stride became.

"This 'Enhanced Body' is like some kind of cheat," Flavius patted his sides. "When I left the training ground, I thought that's it, that I'd take a few steps and fall right there from exhaustion. But I've already walked more than a kilometer, and not only am I not collapsing, but I feel even more energetic."

"Yeah, same here," Ilona agreed.

"Our bodies might be enhanced," Miranda joined the conversation, "but I think my brain is just normal, and it's melting from all these auras!"

"Yes, that's a problem," the blond guy agreed.

"By 'that,' you mean your brain?" the future sorceress smirked. "I had no doubts about you!"

To Flavius' credit, he stayed silent and didn't comment on her jab. It seems that it's not my fault that I can't find common ground with this girl; it's just her character. She doesn't only pick on me but others as well.

Upon reaching the tavern, we ordered dinner, which we devoured in a matter of seconds. We were that hungry. After taking a big sip of grape juice, Ilona rolled her eyes and raised her palms up.

"I don't understand!" she exclaimed. "I don't understand at all!"

"What you don't understand?" the blond guy inquired.

"I mean, all this stuff with auras," she continued. "Let's say we master them. If the locals can do it, we'll manage eventually."

"I agree," Flavius nodded.

"I can even understand how to maintain one aura, but two?" She shook her head rapidly. "That's impossible! Our brains are not computers! You can't solve three tasks at once!"

"Want me to show you how to do it?" I asked.

"Show me?" The healer looked surprised. "Yes, I do!"

"Follow me."

I led Ilona into the kitchen and asked the cook to make space for us at the stove. Since the locals already knew about Ilona's talents in cooking, they easily gave us access to the stove as well as the ingredients I asked for.

"Start cooking fried perch," I instructed Ilona.

"And this will help?" she doubted.

"Start," I insisted.

"Alright," agreeing, she grabbed a knife to begin preparing the fish.

After a minute, I made the task more complicated:

"Without stopping cooking, start humming a song; any will do; you can do it aloud."

The perch began to sizzle in the pan, accompanied by Ilona's rendition of The Beatles' "In my life."

"You are doing two things at once, cooking and singing," I observed. "Is it difficult?"

"No, it's easy," she replied.

After another minute, I added:

"Don't stop cooking or singing; now start dancing to the melody you are humming."

She managed this without much difficulty. As the perch was almost ready, Ilona looked at me triumphantly and declared:

"I'm doing four things at once! Cooking, singing, dancing, and talking to you!"

"Mistake," I corrected her. "While talking to me, you stopped singing."

"No, it's not!" she retorted. "The melody is still going on in my head."

At this point, my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. How?! Four parallel streams of consciousness without months of meditation?!!

Having finished cooking, Ilona jumped towards me and hugged me:

"Thank you, Raven!"

"It's probably not that hard, indeed," Miranda snorted, who, like Flavius, had been watching the whole scene.

"I don't think I can ever do that," Flavius said dejectedly, his shoulders slumping.

After paying for the ingredients, we ate the perch right in the kitchen. Then my companions headed off to sleep, and I went back to the main hall where Ender was waiting for me.

"By the way," the sheriff spoke after we had finished the first jug of beer. "What was the name of the fifth one of you who wandered off?"

"I don't know. I really don't. Any news about him?"

"There is," Ender nodded. "A couple of days ago, he turned up at old Liyun's cabin, which is on the eastern coast of Un. Liyun is a fisherman who retired a few years ago but sometimes still fishes, sailing his boat not far from the shore. Anyway, your former companion seemed to charm Liyun so much that the old man gave him his boat."

"And?" Unable to withstand the pause, I hurried the sheriff.

"He took the boat, raised the sail, and just sailed into the ocean."

"He just sailed away?" I didn't understand.

"That's what Liyun says, at least, and we found no inconsistencies in his story."

"But the nearest island is hours of sailing away! Plus, you said the currents here are strong. That's madness!" Although, for him to send the questers far away was an equally mad move.

"Madness?" Ender smiled. "If so, it's far less mad than going into the Monkey's Lair alone!"

He was right about that, and I had nothing to counter.