Chương 34: Training

Ch 34 - Training Evan barely slept that night, his mind relentlessly conjuring the fear that every sound or movement was Reid sneaking into his room, ready to put a bullet through his brain. He rehearsed and re-rehearsed countless arguments and apologies in case something like what happened in the hospital repeated itself. Yet despite his panic, the night passed without a single knock, much less anyone barging into his room.

When morning came, dark circles hung under Evan's eyes as he dragged himself out of bed and took a cold shower to force himself awake. The only thing keeping his spirits up was the thought of seeing Hiroto improve during today's mana control class. Pushing himself forward, Evan endured the lessons until they finally arrived at Mehra's training room. Thanks to his excellent mana control, Evan had become Mehra's favorite student.

It was a rather unfamiliar experience for him to be the standout student everyone else was measured against. Though he received plenty of death glares from his classmates, those hostile looks didn't bother him at all. What were they going to do? Bully him? Anyone with half a brain knew better than to mess with the younger brother of an A-rank Healer. And if someone was stupid enough to try, he could just cry to Reid, and his brother would handle it. He might be F-rank, but he was no ordinary F-rank.

In this academy, he was far from the bottom of the pecking order. As usual, class began with them running laps around the room while circulating mana through their bodies so Mehra could check they hadn't regressed before moving on to a new subject. Evan kept a close eye on Hiroto, who was running next to him. The young man had a concentrated look on his face, while Evan waited for the usual rebuke from Mehra, and it came.

"Mr. Konoe, focus!" Mehra said.

"Y-yes ma'am!" Hiroto replied. Evan frowned hearing that. Unlike Mehra, he couldn't see what was going on with Hiroto, so he resolved to ask her personally after class. For their mana control course, they had moved to a more advanced topic where they had to pair up and throw balls at each other while using mana only to block or deflect them. It was certainly easier said than done. Even Evan, with his excellent mana control, struggled, mainly because of his pathetic mana reserves.

He had to be creative with how he used it if he wanted to last through the entire exercise. Hiroto, meanwhile, struggled to even channel his mana properly. Sometimes it came out explosively, other times it was like a dried-up well. As Evan threw a ball at Hiroto, the other raised his hand, trying to channel mana through it, but it petered out like blocked water, barely managing to stop the ball.

"…Sorry," Hiroto said, his shoulders slumping.

"It's fine. My brother did say you need some training to get used to it," Evan said.

"Though we should talk to Mehra after this."

"Talk to me about what?" Mehra asked, approaching them.

"Ah, Instructor Mehra! I was just curious. Would you mind taking a closer look at Hiroto and seeing how his progress in mana control is going?" Evan said.

"Of course." Mehra turned her sharp gaze to Hiroto, who fidgeted under it.

"Circulate your mana, Mr. Konoe." Evan silently watched Hiroto squeeze his eyes shut and focus. After about a minute, Mehra finally said, "That's enough. Thank you, Mr. Konoe."

"So how was he?" Evan asked.

"Hm. I'd say he's still roughly the same as usual, though I did notice the flow of mana is a bit smoother than before," Mehra said, then looked at Hiroto.

"But you need to control your mana better, Mr. Konoe. Like I said, stop yanking it around. You're supposed to guide it."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Still, good job. I see that you're improving." When their classes ended, Evan and Hiroto headed to the academy garden and settled beneath the shade of a broad tree. The afternoon sun filtered through the leaves, dappling the grass around them with shifting patches of light. Other students lingered nearby in small groups, chatting and laughing as they enjoyed the break, but they were far enough away that the two of them had a quiet corner to themselves.

"I'm sorry," Hiroto said.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Evan asked.

"Didn't you hear Mehra? She said you're improving."

"But… I still can't even open a bigger portal than this." Hiroto raised his palm and opened his portal. It was still as tiny as ever, with no sign of getting any larger.

"It'll take time," Evan said, though a sliver of doubt lingered in the back of his mind. What if this was all Hiroto could do? Maybe demonic energy had never been the real problem. Maybe his talent had simply been ordinary from the start, and cleansing him had only improved his mana flow. Considering Evan's luck, it wouldn't be strange if the hidden gem he thought he'd discovered was nothing more than an ordinary stone. But he didn't want to believe that.

[You have Talent-o-Scope ×1] Evan blinked as an unexpected System window popped up before him. Hold on. Was the System seriously trying to trick him into wasting such a valuable item? That would be completely on brand for it. Then again, it was only a one-time-use item. Keeping it around forever wouldn't do him any good either. Damn it. If only it had been a skill instead. Evan silently cursed the System once again for its shameless manipulation.

"Thanks," Hiroto said.

"For what?" Evan asked. Staring at the grass beneath them, Hiroto fidgeted with the sleeves of his shirt.

"For believing in me. No one has ever done that before, even after I kept disappointing them. So thank you. You're a great friend, Evan." Seeing the smile on Hiroto's face, Evan felt his heart twist with guilt. This kid really was naive and easy to fool. Completely unlike him and his dark, calculating heart. Here he was, weighing whether using a valuable item on Hiroto was worth it while the other looked at him with such sincere gratitude. [You have Talent-o-Scope ×1] You shitty System.

Are you trying to exploit me during my emotional moment? Evan thought with a scowl. Unfortunately, it was working. With a sigh, he opened his item screen and used it. [You have used Talent-o-Scope on Konoe Hiroto.] [Analyzing target...] [Analysis complete.] [Name: Konoe Hiroto] [Potential Rank: S] [Innate Talent: Spatial Manipulation] [Compatible Abilities] Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

[Pocket Refuge - Unlocked] [Spatial Step - Locked] [Gate Traverse - Locked] [...] [Additional abilities are hidden.] Evan stared at the scan results before him, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open like a fish gasping on land.

"What's wrong?" Hiroto asked. Evan glanced between the System window and Hiroto's face. Was it really true? Had his bad luck finally decided to show him a shred of mercy? He looked into Hiroto's confused eyes, then suddenly grabbed both of his hands.

"Hiroto!" Evan shouted.

"Y-yes!"

"You're amazing!"

"W-what?"

"You really are! You need to stop putting yourself down. You have talent! You really do!" Evan said.

"And I'll make sure every bit of it blossoms!"

"O-Okay?" Jackpot! He had truly struck gold. His first lackey, and not just any lackey at that. To think he had stumbled across someone with this much potential. Hiroto really was one of those trash-to-genius protagonists, the kind everyone dismissed as talentless until they rose to shake the entire world. Laughter welled up inside Evan, but he forced it back down. If he started cackling now, Hiroto would definitely think he had lost his mind and run for the hills. Absolutely not.

There was no way Evan was letting his catch slip away. Now that fate had practically dropped an S-rank talent into his lap, he was going to nurture it with everything he had. His future lackey wasn't going anywhere. With this newfound knowledge, Evan poured all of his energy and free time into helping Hiroto improve his mana control. After several days of training, it became clear they weren't making much progress.

Seeing Hiroto staring gloomily at his lackluster mana control, Evan decided it was time to bring in a professional.

"You want me to help Hiroto train?" Reid asked. Evan nodded. Beside him, Hiroto stared at his feet, his bangs hiding his eyes. The three of them were sitting at an empty table beneath the shade of a large tree.

"Yeah. I've been trying to help him, but I don't think I have the experience or the skill to teach someone," Evan said. It was ridiculous to think an F-rank like him could properly train an S-rank talent like Hiroto. Better to leave him in the hands of an overpowered protagonist with years of experience fighting powerful enemies and mastering countless techniques.

"I don't mind, but what about you, Hiroto? Do you want to do it?" Reid asked.

"I don't want to keep lowering my head and cowering everywhere I go anymore, so please help me." Hiroto rose to his feet and bowed deeply to Reid.

"There's no need for that," Reid said, waving a hand.

"And I think it's a good idea. I've been considering pushing Evan's training a little further, and having a friend go through it with him should make it easier mentally."

"What?" Evan froze. More training? Hadn't he suffered enough already? Reid had monopolized every Saturday and Sunday, putting him through one brutal exercise after another until every muscle in his body screamed for mercy. Now he wanted to increase it?

"It'll be good for you," Reid said with a smile. It was a warm smile. Unfortunately, Evan knew that beneath that gentle face lurked the hardened soul of a Demon Hunter who had spent his childhood under the Order of Demon Hunters, where sleeping three hours a night was considered generous and "free time" meant changing into a different training outfit. Your hands are bleeding? Train. You're too hungry to stand? Train. You're exhausted? Train. You're sick? Train.

"Hold on, maybe we can—" Evan began.

"Let's do this, Evan!" Hiroto said.

"We'll get through it together, right?" Faced with Hiroto's determined expression and Reid's reassuring gaze, Evan could only stare back with dead eyes. He was going to regret this. And regret it he did. Hiroto had thoughtfully reserved a private training room for them for the rest of the month. Every day after classes, the three of them headed there, with Reid even clearing part of his own schedule to personally oversee their training.

Having already suffered through it himself, Evan knew exactly what awaited Hiroto. Reid's philosophy had always been simple. Before worrying about fancy techniques or powerful abilities, they first had to build a body capable of supporting them. According to him, a fighter with a weak body was little more than a liability waiting to happen. Evan couldn't even argue with the logic. The problem was that Reid's standards for what counted as a "strong body" were completely deranged.

After spending an entire day attending Awakener classes, they were expected to complete five hundred push-ups, five hundred sit-ups, five hundred burpees, and five hundred lunges, two hundred and fifty on each leg. That, according to Reid, was merely the warm-up before the actual training began. Evan had long since given up trying to understand how anyone could call that a warm-up.

After reading Chronicles of a Demon Hunter, he had reached the conclusion that the Order of Demon Hunters had collectively lost their minds and taken Reuel down with them. The worst part was that Reid genuinely believed he was going easy on them. Of course, none of it would have been possible without Sacred Light. Whenever their muscles cramped, their arms gave out, or their legs refused to move, Reid channeled just enough of it into them to dull the pain and restore enough strength to keep going.

Never enough to let them recover, only enough to leave them teetering on the edge of exhaustion. A miraculous healing ability had been reduced to making sure they couldn't escape another set.

"Is there... even... a point to this?" Hiroto croaked between push-ups.

"Of course," Reid replied.

"Every fighter should have a strong body." He gently patted Hiroto on the head before giving him another small burst of healing, then did the same for Evan. Bastard, Evan cursed inwardly. His arms shook so violently he could barely lower himself anymore. Sweat streamed off him until the floor beneath his hands was practically soaked, yet every time his body finally reached its limit, Reid restored just enough strength to remind him that giving up was not, in fact, an option.

Once the warm-up was finally over, it was time for what Evan privately referred to as torture time. Officially, this part of the training was meant to improve their mana control and mana circulation. Even though Mehra constantly praised Evan as a genius in mana control, Reid still found countless flaws to point out. Naturally, he had devised the most reasonable method imaginable to correct them. He beat them up.

"Come on. Attack me," Reid said, standing in the center of the room with his hands behind his back and that infuriatingly calm expression on his face.

"We're just supposed to hit you?" Hiroto asked uncertainly.

"How about letting Evan demonstrate first?" Evan didn't need to be told twice. Carrying every grudge he'd accumulated throughout the past few hours of torture, he lunged straight at Reid's face. If the universe had even a shred of justice, he'd land at least one punch. Unfortunately, the universe seemed to be on Reid's side. Reid slipped aside with insulting ease before casually flicking Evan's shoulder with a single finger.

"Ack!" Evan stumbled several steps, clutching the spot in pain.

"Your mana control slipped for a moment there, Evan," Reid said pleasantly.

"Don't let your emotions interfere with your circulation." Easy for you to say. Growling, Evan spun into a kick. Reid leaned back just enough for it to miss by inches before poking him in the ribs. The single finger hit with enough force to knock the breath from his lungs, sending him rolling across the floor. Seeing Hiroto still rooted to the spot, Reid let out a chuckle.

"If you're not going to come to me, then I'll come to you." Before Hiroto could react, Reid vanished.

"Aaagh!" Hiroto crumpled to the floor, clutching his back where Reid had jabbed him.

"Sorry about that," Reid said.

"It'll hurt a little, but it's good for you." A little? Evan knew Reid's pain tolerance was completely abnormal. That didn't make enduring this hell any easier. The one-sided beating continued for hours. As much as Evan hated to admit it, Reid wasn't simply bullying them. Every tap of his Sacred Light-coated finger stimulated their mana circuits, forcing mana to flow more smoothly through their bodies. Combined with his constant corrections to their combat movements during each spar, the improvement was undeniable.

That didn't make it any less miserable. By the time Reid finally dismissed them, it was well past midnight. They still had homework waiting for them before they could crawl into bed for a few precious hours of sleep, only to wake up the next morning and do it all over again. And again. And again. Lying flat on the floor after another day's training, Hiroto weakly whispered, "I think... I'm... going... to die..."

"No, you won't..." Evan croaked from beside him. That was the worst part. They would wish they were dead. But Reid wouldn't let them.