Chương 62: Before The Next Phase of Training

The training progressed smoothly from November through the near end of December. We now stood on the twenty-sixth of December. Deep snow covered everything. A vast snowfield stretched around us. The temperature had dropped to minus twenty-two degrees. Normally our bodies would have screamed in agony, yet the immense, inhuman training had rendered us unfazed by such cold. We had just finished the routine training. Our Master, whom we both accepted over time as one, waited at the top of the dojo entrance.

He squatted low on a massive boulder he had hand-crafted only minutes before we reached the mountain. One finger loaded with Animo in mere nanoseconds, he drank a herbal tea meant for the cold in that same perverted fashion of his, face twisted in pure satisfaction as he sipped with soft, pleased moans of its exquisite taste. After a long, satisfying sip he finally spoke, telling us his eager students to prepare for hand-to-hand combat.

We were to follow him for the first time into the mountain, down the pathway that led to the training grounds beneath the dojo. My heart beat faster with anticipation. Finally, real combat its been to long. Not just fighting shadows or climbing until our bodies broke, but facing a real opponent you could actually feel and connect with. I could already feel the fire in my veins beginning to stir the heat high.

As we made our way down into the mountain we found a layered ground covered in grey-black marble plates, clearly meant for combat. The air carried the heavy scent of sweat. The surface felt sturdy under our naked feet, yet strangely soft when we bounced on it. Master explained, "This is my isolation training room. Not many have the right to enter here. You could call it a holy hall of my lineage, but now face each other and find out your improved states out."

Right on cue, Galer and I lined up opposite each other on the tile plates, both of us smiling, ready for combat. At last we would have a proper face-to-face fight. Not our own shadows battling empty air, but a real battle where we could actually feel the damage. A genuine smile crept onto my face for the first time in weeks, since Galer was overall ahead of me in the challenges with the state now being 17: 13. Galer looked just as excited.

This was what we had been waiting for both a chance to test our new strength and see how far we had truly come and who is the stronger one. I could already imagine measuring our newly reached might and exposing the weaknesses in our techniques. It was about to become a proper fight, but before he allowed us to begin matching our spirits against each other, he suddenly yelled out of nowhere, " Geumanhara!" —meaning cease action. He ordered us to sit.

He wanted to ask some questions first, because himself forgot and remembered and forced our energies down with his mere presence. In my mind I felt completely perplexed by this madman's way of handling things. Then why had he told us to fight in the first place? All this build up gone... Galer did looked like of the same opinion of this madman's methods never made any sense, but only in a quick maneuver switched to a neutral face. One moment he wanted us to fight, the next he stopped us.

My head still spun from the sudden shift between us both. Then the Master's spirit his "Benisons" something I could slowly sense for the first time in my young life just punched me as if he stood right beside me, even though he remained far away.

"I might be a hundred and twenty-one years old, brat, but I know how to read a face of disapproval when I see it, so I let my Paladins' 'benisons' out to school back to the Terrarum."

"My Entita Volonta … do you like to taste it again…?"

"Brat, I can give you some more…"

"Now sit properly again and stop your useless thinking. I am an old man. I can also forget the right procedure of things, jeez… tsk tsk." Galer's eye went so wide I thought he might fall over. I still had my head rocked by that powerful spiritual punch. I could not even fully react to the fact that he had just claimed to be one hundred and twenty-one years old. Galer raised one finger, indicating he had a question. The martial master Hwan Songge pointed at him.

"Shoot, brat!"

"Are you truly one hundred and twenty-one years old???" Galer received a spiritual kick straight to the face. He rolled twice toward the back wall.

"Do not make me repeat myself. Yes, this handsome self is one hundred and twenty-one years old now." I finally understood what was going on. I imagined he must have been some kind of bloodsucker of young children, like a damp being. There was no other way for someone to look so smooth-skinned yet be so aged by time. I really tried not to show those thoughts… but it was in vain. I got punched on the same cheek again. The pain remained exactly the same in quality. Hwan Songge face-palmed himself.

"Brat, one more rude idea in your head and I will beat your face senseless. D-I-R-E-C-T-L-Y," he said with a rude smile. I quickly shut down any further disrespectful thoughts. The last thing I needed was another spiritual punch to the face. This old man missed nothing. After one full minute of regathering ourselves, we finally calmed down. He asked, "Sorry, students, but I want you to answer my questions truthfully. Question number one: What is Animo?"

Galer answered first, excitement clear in his voice, as if he already knew the perfect reply.

"Animo is the total Spirit Level of a being, formed by the harmonious balance of three pillars: Vitale (Life Energy), which grants physical strength, stamina, and regeneration of limbs; Mentale (Willpower), which allows one to resist and ignore hax abilities and mental effects; and Spirito (Soul), which enables the reading owns and sensing of others' Animo, attributes, and nature. The higher and more balanced one's Animo, the greater their overall power becomes…" Hwan Songge nodded.

"Good, Galer… but also not enough. That is just cookie information you received from your noble lineage. Now you, Erumes. What can you give me?" I stuttered, not fully certain of my response. The only reason I knew anything at all was because Galer had explained it to me back in Moesia. The master grew louder, agitation rising in his voice.

"SPIT IT OUT! I DON'T CARE IF IT'S RIGHT OR WRONG! I DON'T HAVE FOREVER LEFT FOR YOU TO STUTTER, BOY!" Under the force of his commanding voice I finally spoke.

"Well… I only know what Galer told me, but I want to add that I realized when you have high amount of Animo you can regenerate from near-death experiences. And you also grow faster the more you control your Animo over your whole body… like I did."

"Hmmm. Not bad, Erumes. Yes… these are the Rules of Animo as well." He raised one finger and pressed it against the plated training floor. With a sharp hiss, brilliant blue-grey lines the color of slate erupted from his fingertip, carving deep into the stone with burning energy. In seconds he had burned a perfect overview of a humanoid body into the floor. Three glowing triangles appeared inside it. The first, at the heart, burned bright red for Vitale. The second, at the brain, shone silver for Mentale.

The third, along the spine, pulsed deep violet for Spirito. The symbols connected with flowing lines of Animo, forming a complete circuit of power that lit up the entire training hall in an awe-inspiring display. He spoke in a structured, deliberate manner.

"Here is the overview again in a vistual style. Animo equals Vitale plus Mentale plus Spirito. The total Animo your Spirit Level is the combined power of all three pillars as explained by Galer. A high total Animo makes one exponentially stronger. Animo can be trained and increased also depleted and recovered to ones peak. Through intense training, life-or-death battles, meditation, special techniques, or royal blood inheritance, all three pillars can grow… and will grow if worked upon.

Animo can be hidden or suppressed, but not many have the desire to. Some skilled, exceptional warriors can lower their Animo signature to avoid detection across the Orbis Terrarum. Those with strong Spirito can sense the Animo of others from great distances, judge how powerful they are, and even identify their attribute which are one of the ten attributes as counts the 10 attributes to us. Very useful for preparation before a battle. Emotions affect Animo.

Rage can explosively boost Vitale and Mentale temporarily, while calmness and focus improve control of Spirito perception and defensive durability. You can grow a balanced style, an aggressive style, or a defensive style… all three are valid paths for one to take. I chose defensive because it was the best choice for me to grow the strongest. You will have to find your own and i will forge it and make you exceptional disciple of the house Hwando. But that is not all. Question number two: What are your attributes?

Erumes, you first this time."

"I have the Fire Attribute," I answered. Hwan Songge's eyes narrowed.

"Your heart?!" I looked at him in surprise.

"How…?"

"Like i said before I can read attributes very well. That is the reason I took you with me in the first place. You, Erumes, are a special breed in the human sense. I would have asked next whether there is only one attribute per human…" He turned.

"Galer, answer this!"

"Yes, you are correct, Master," Galer replied.

"Yes, I am. Thank you, student Galer." The master looked back at me.

"But you are breaking the mold, Erumes. You have a second attribute. It is small in nature, located in your brain, yet I can see the near-translucent grey sparkling color highlighting your brain constantly. You are the Mold Breaker the one who comes to break the since inspections in our history existing Rule of Nature itself, the Number One Rule. Funny, though, that it had to be someone who has no talent whatsoever in their own blood… Nature truly works in mysterious ways.

That is the reason I am going to mold you strong with a proper foundation. Then, once you have been sculpted my way, so that I can have a great battle with you." Galer looked just as shocked by the revelation as I felt. I tried to comprehend this new influx of information.

"A… mold breaker…?"

"Yes, my dear student Erumes. You are indeed a Mold Breaker. Weak… utterly weak trash… but a Mold Breaker regardless of your own Animo. Right now you are inducing both of your attributes separately, yet also simultaneously, and you are doing it subconsciously. The main question is how you became a Mold Breaker. I have never heard of a Sikelian of your kind's caliber. Also, you have darkish-red hair. Explain yourself."

I then explained the life of my father and what little I knew of my unknown mother, whose name I did not even know, as my father always called her "Mother." I never bothered to ask about her name, but rather where she was, although her location remained a mystery. I only knew that she was somewhere in the Orbis Terrarum. Master Hwan Songge lightly touched his royal beard, listening in silence.

"So in summary your Father was from Latiume… a Secutores, hmmm. Sorry. I have been a Paladin for forty-five years, but most of that time was spent in warzones fighting for the Michaelanius Order, keeping peace across the Terrarum. Still peculiar… Anyway, back to the topic. You have Fire and Soul. Galer, you have the Light Attribute. Now I want you to face each other and go into hand-to-hand combat… but only in defense." Without warning he called out, "Look.

thats what I want I will fight my Benison the Entita Volonta!" Out of nowhere an exact copy of Master Hwan Songge appeared, translucent and colored like deep ocean blue. An ethereal body stood there, identical in face and height, as made it fully visible to us. He moved super slowly on purpose, taking full seconds for each action so we could clearly see what he wanted us to achieve in this training session.

He threw one punch with the Entita Volonta, then shifted into a defensive stance at the same deliberate speed, trying to anticipate the ethereal will-powered ghost punch. Both of us understood exactly what was being asked of us. Following that rule, our new training began with still a real battle before us.