“You’re a stubborn one.” Balthazar spat on the ground as he spoke to Elem. The hermit’s voice carried a hint of annoyance, as if he was dealing with some minor but persistent nuisance.

“I could try to dissuade you all I want but no matter what I’d say, I know you will keep training to challenge your father’s killer. And I simply can’t let you two run around like a bunch of headless Basilisks.”

Elem wanted to ask Balthazar what he meant with that last comment but he chose to hold his tongue. So far, the retired summoner had been extremely difficult to read and Elem didn’t want to say anything that could potentially push him away.

“I have an offer; it's the least I can do for Ardan,” the man continued. “I will teach you the fundamental dynamics of drawing external Essence and after that, you two will leave and never bother me again. We will train daily and we will train hard; until I am satisfied. Is that agreeable?”

Elem wanted to pinch himself. It was almost impossible to believe that Balthazar Flame- the Balthazar Flame- former champion of the Duel Tower Tournament, had just offered to train him. Considering the sheer amount of adversity that had recently come his way, this was a golden opportunity. A real chance to finally change his failing luck around.

He cleared his throat, looking Balthazar in the eye before responding.

“When do we start, master?

----------------------------------------

Their training began that same morning. Once they finished their breakfast tea, Balthazar walked his new disciples to the center of the meadow and summoned his Wind Summon. The Karasu Tengu materialized through a small whirlwind and perched on the branch of a nearby tree, peering at Elem and Aja with its black eyes; like a hawk locking on to its prey.

“Let’s start with your first lesson.” Balthazar calmly folded his hands behind his back. “Attack!”

The master hadn’t finished his command or the Karasu Tengu dived forward and- in a flash- slammed its wings into the shaken disciples. Elem was thrown into the air before he could even realize what was going on. Disorientated, he clutched his stomach while desperately gasping for oxygen. The attack felt like getting hit by a speeding car and Elem considered it a miracle that the Summon hadn’t knocked him out.

“What the hell,” Aja yelled in between moans. “That was ridiculous!”

Elem agreed. The attack was unfair. There was no way any human being could have avoided an attack from a Summon as quick as the Karasu Tengu. After all, there was a reason why combat between people and Summons was strictly forbidden across the entire continent. No matter how strong they were, a human simply couldn’t stand a chance against an Essence-fueled creature from another realm.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

However, both the Karasu Tengu and its Summoner cared little about the protest. The Wind Summon clapped its beak and stretched its taloned feet in the grass before launching itself past Elem and Aja. Before the two could even brace themselves, the Karasu Tengu twisted mid-air and landed its palms into their backs, sending them face down to the ground.

“I thought you were gonna teach us external cultivation,” Aja shouted, angrily spitting out blades of grass. “We didn’t sign up to get beat up!”

“If I recall correctly. You two came here to become better Summoners,” Balthazar replied. His words did not contain a grain of sympathy. “And to become better Summoners, you must understand that you are dealing with incredibly powerful beings. Entities that warrant an unlimited amount of respect and humility. This is something that can only be properly understood by feeling their power.”

Elem contained a grunt as he got up and dusted off his clothes. He understood what his new master was trying to convey but he still thought the action was unnecessary. In his eyes, teaching the concept of humility didn’t require them to get beaten up by a Legendary Class Summons. But Elem wouldn’t complain. Flame appeared to be an unconventional teacher but that wasn’t enough for Elem to squander the opportunity before him. His path had led him to the Wayward Woods to find a sage and now that he found one, Elem would gratefully take any lesson the man had to offer.

“Now we can move on,” Balthazar Flame announced dryly while exiting his summoning trance. He then sat down into a lotus position and gestured for Elem and Aja to do the same. “There’s a reason why you never heard of external cultivation before. Ardan likely would’ve taught you sooner than later but I assume that he knew better than to overwhelm his disciples with advanced techniques they’re not ready for. Like most good masters, I am certain that he wanted to focus on teaching his disciples to cultivate their internal Essence first. By practicing such cultivation forms and meditative techniques first, you develop a base that can be used when drawing energy from your environment later.

“Under different circumstances, I'd say that you two are too young to start with external cultivation. Most disciples are half past their twenties when they begin but that is a luxury you simply don’t have,” the master stared at his disciples for a few seconds, clearly looking for the right words to say. “From watching your fight against those thugs yesterday, it appears that you at least have a solid foundation but that might not be enough.”

He put his hand on Elem’s shoulder. “Tell me how you did it this morning.”

‘Ehm…” Elem hesitated to give an answer. In truth, he had been so focused on his meditation that he could barely remember how he’d successfully drawn Essence from his surroundings. He could only remember the feeling.

“It was as if I overflowed with Essence,” he finally said. “I know it sounds silly, but it was somewhat like a boiling pot.”

“A boiling pot?” Balthazar repeated pensively, running his fingers through his scruffy beard. “Ha! “Very good. That is exactly what it is! This strategy is called the ‘Drip Effect’. One fills themselves up with internal Essence until the Essence Nodes within the body can no longer contain the sheer energy inside. And as you have experienced: once the Essence leaves the body, it will interact with all the energy around us. This way, we can draw more Essence, manipulate it and then use it for our purposes.”

The man gave his disciples a quick glance, ensuring that they understood his lecture.

“Alright!” he then shouted. “Enough talk. Let’s practice!”