Chương 101: B2 Chapter 22

As important as his own growth was, Hakon needed the entire tribe to bloom to achieve his goal. No matter how strong he became, splitting himself was impossible. Dealing with all the threats lurking throughout the dark forest would never be possible, even if one day he grew strong enough to fight the Silver Dragon. That much he had promised himself. He would punch that damned Divine Beast in the face for trying to crush his spirit.

Working with the young warriors was the first step toward helping Tribe Taskur flourish and grow. After his experiments with Björn the Bear proved reasonably successful, it was time to guide the others as well.

"Do me like Björn." Teraq's eyes burned with determination as he sat down before Hakon.

"Even if I die, continue." Nobody was going to die, though Teraq likely felt as though he was on the verge of falling apart as soon as Hakon started. No longer seeing a reason to hold back, Hakon forced his way through the Barbarian's defenses, located his Core, and began cleansing one of the adjacent pathways. He didn't go so far as to cleanse it perfectly, nor did he remove too many impurities free of charge. He used only a specific amount of mana until Teraq's first channel was barely clean enough to work with.

The nearest intersection of pathways had been broken open with considerable force, ensuring the Barbarian with herculean strength could work on [Flow Control] by himself. The young Barbarian collapsed just like Björn had. However, Teraq didn't get back up until Astrid kicked him in the side.

"Can you help them understand [Flow Control]?" Hakon asked after watching his mate drag the Barbarian away. Astrid looked up, her eyebrows creased.

"Help?"

"Yes. You could explain to Björn and Teraq how you learned [Flow Control] and what you've been doing to improve the Skill." He proposed, earning a slow, uncertain nod. She called out to Björn and kicked Teraq once more until he regained his senses. Then, as though she hadn't just been uncertain about his request, Astrid shared her experiences with the two warriors. She even mentioned what Ava had done and how she had helped her become more in tune with her mana pathways, how to use the Core, and more.

Some of what Astrid said was new even to Hakon, but it wasn't as though he knew everything Ava had learned in her human Academy. Ava learned [Flow Control]. Hakon recalled, tilting his head. Getting her to teach the young warriors wouldn't be easy, especially since the Barbarians didn't respect her enough to learn from her, but that could be solved. Either with force or... with force. Power was all they cared about, which was rather unfortunate in Ava's case. The human woman wasn't all that strong, after all.

Having her face someone like Björn would be rather problematic. She'd break. Putting that thought aside, Hakon was glad to see that Astrid's mention of Ava resulted in no complaints. Everyone listened, and while a few eyebrows were raised, that was all. Maybe... Shaking his head, his focus returned to the remaining young warriors.

"Come here. You're next, Zurok." He called out, readying his mana to crush yet another Barbarian's mental defenses. Time passed slowly at the training ground. The sun crawled across the zenith before Hakon's Core ran dry for the first time. Ending the fifth session, he activated [Aether Spiral], replenishing his mana reserves. Once that was done, the sixth session resumed. Exhaustion slowly crept into the back of his mind, but he actually felt better than ever as his control and cleansing improved.

[Mana Manipulation] was growing into a stronger Skill even though it was neither upgrading nor leveling up. Its improvements were slow compared to the instantaneous growth of a Skill Upgrade or the substantial gains from a level-up, but it still felt as though [Mana Manipulation] could continue improving through hard work alone. Even without an upgrade. Instead of upgrading the Skill, Enhanced Comprehension worked tirelessly.

His Ancient Power helped Hakon refine the cleansing process until every session became no more demanding than even the simplest workout. That was enough to work through every interested young warrior before the sun dipped beyond the horizon and the moons rose. Alas, the first session wasn't enough for any of the young warriors to learn [Flow Control], let alone [Mana Sense]. Not that Hakon had expected otherwise, unlike some of his less patient peers.

Instead of teaching them [Flow Control], it was Hakon who was rewarded for his tireless efforts. [Scripture of Improvement Teaching Lv. 18 → Lv. 20(!) Aether Spiral Lv. 12 → Lv. 14] [Requirements for Skill Upgrade have been met. Skill Upgrade initiated. [Teaching(Common) – Lv. 20] has been upgraded to [Guidance(Uncommon) – Lv. 1] [Guidance], huh? The second Scripture surprised Hakon the most. It made him stop in his tracks and study the Skill for a moment. Unlike the regular Skill Upgrades that both [Combat Awareness] and [Split Focus] had undergone, [Teaching] had turned into something more. Not only had it become another Skill without any prerequisites that needed to be fulfilled before initiating the Skill Upgrade, its Level had been reset to 1 as well. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Did the Scripture not show the conditions because I'd already completed them? If that was the case, it would explain why the Ancestors hadn't shown him an unnecessarily long Scripture. Their message displayed only what their warriors needed to understand the situation... somewhat. Hakon was interested in finding out whether there had been other possible Skill Upgrades for [Teaching], similar to [Natural Regeneration], but the chances seemed low. Especially with how unique [Guidance] felt. Using the Skill was like imbuing a trace of Enhanced Comprehension into his words and teachings. It was so potent that Astrid stopped teaching and spun around, her eyes widening." [Teaching]?" Using [Guidance] without a specific target had been enough to jumpstart Astrid's career as a teacher. Was that it? Looking down at his calloused hands, Hakon snickered. If Astrid could learn [Teaching] this easily, he might as well teach [Teaching]. As frail as the human woman was, a Mage Apprentice with [Teaching] would help him tremendously. It would be even better if she learned [Guidance] so Hakon could learn even more about Magic at an even faster pace. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea, until Björn tore him away from his pleasant thoughts with a scream." So smart! I learned [Flow Control]!" The Blessed warrior hollered at the top of his lungs. [Scripture of Improvement. Guidance(New) Lv. 1 → Lv. 2]"I see…" Hakon grimaced as the Scripture materialized the moment Björn shouted. He doubted his friend's gains were entirely due to [Guidance], but he felt the Skill's influence spread to all those he had taught and guided throughout the day. Be that as it may, the young warriors would need a few more sessions before they would all acquire [Flow Control]. But that was only the start of a new era. If he could help Astrid improve [Teaching], they could help the others improve even faster. With [Guidance], Hakon may as well teach them about [Mana Sense]. As long as he could do that, the next few steps would become even easier to deal with. Then again, [Mana Sense] was probably easier for some Barbarians to learn. Not the regular warriors, but Eren, the Rootkeepers, and a few others. Rootkeepers, for one, ought to use mana similarly to Callers like Eren, and that meant they could learn all a Mage Apprentice had to teach. And that was where, once again, Ava's knowledge and experience could come in handy. If she was willing to help even more, that is. His mind filled with ideas, Hakon planned to return to the hut to train. However, that thought was pushed aside the moment he locked eyes with Astrid. Eyes flushed with desire lingered on him. That was the moment Hakon knew that he would not be practicing magic throughout the night. No, his training would be different entirely. Though he'd likely not sleep a wink that night either way. That doesn't sound too bad. He grinned like a fool, his hand finding Astrid's as they rushed back to the hut to… train. Two days later, most young warriors had learned [Flow Control]. That included Eren the Lightcaller and a small group of Rootkeepers who had chosen to join the training sessions. Hakon was not sure who told them about [Flow Control] and [Mana Sense], but whoever did had done a phenomenal job. The Rootkeepers present were among the younger members of the tribe. There weren't many, since the Ancestors rarely bestowed the Power of the Rootkeeper upon Tribe Taskur's young ones, but the group that stood before him was enough to teach [Mana Sense]. None of the Rootkeepers at the training ground was more than thirty cycles old or above the 2nd Ascension. Precisely, two out of five had yet to reach the 1st Ascension, which had to be changed in the near future. Considering their options and the magic they had been taught through their Ancient Power, it sounded like a good idea to use [Guidance] on them to teach them all about [Mana Manipulation] and [Mana Shaping]. [Bloom] and similar Skills would not help them in combat, but the Ancestors provided just enough to help all those who deserved it reach the 1st Ascension. It took longer, but with the right achievement and the accumulation of power, even Rootkeepers could ascend. And [Mana Manipulation] would help them. [Bloom], for one, required Rootkeepers to wield mana with incredible fine control, or to pump the targeted plant life full of mana. Improving their efficiency would improve the crops and allow the Rootkeepers to expand their farmland. As for tending to large stretches of farmland efficiently and thoroughly, that too was an achievement. At least, the Rootkeepers said as much. Anyway, it was not Hakon's time to teach the tribe's Lightcallers and Rootkeepers today. He reached behind him, his large fingers coiling around a small frame. Ava let out a muffled yelp as she was pulled before Hakon. She glared at him, but her anger faded, replaced by uncertainty and discomfort, which was understandable from her point of view. She was small and weak, and many warriors stared at her intently, some glaring, others snorting. Astrid did not like the stares directed at Ava and stepped forward. Hakon expected as much, but he was surprised to see Astrid sling her arm around her small, new friend." Behave around her." She growled and released bloodlust just to show how serious she was. The Rootkeepers blanched and recoiled at once, yet some warriors furrowed their brows. Confusion was written all over their faces, which was replaced by terror as soon as Astrid's Blood Fury seeped into her presence, amplifying the bloodlust. It was overwhelming and spread out rapidly, only to curve around Ava, never fully reaching her." Listen to her, or I'll snap your necks." Astrid said in a tone that was more promise than threat. It worked fairly well. So well that even Ava started to shudder, her quivering eyes lingering on Astrid." You done?" Hakon called out, suppressing a snicker." If you are, have fun. And don't hesitate to punch these boneheads if they do something stupid." Ava looked back at him like he had proposed something atrocious, but Hakon only shrugged. A cracked skull never harmed anyone. Not as far as he remembered, at least." Or not. Do whatever you deem necessary to teach them. To garner their respect. Your lightning might work as well. Or trap them in that bubble of yours for a while." Hakon proposed to Ava as the color drained from her face. And once that was done, he focused on his own task. His new power, the Will of Momentum, as well as his mana constructs, demanded his attention. He had a lot to learn, and if he did not want the others to catch up to him, he had to push harder than before. To do so, he had to come up with a new fighting style. A style that incorporated his new Will, magic, as well as armed and unarmed combat. Everything at once, if possible.