Chương 4: Training

Kyle stood up and walked out of the guild. Looking at the lively streets, he pondered for a moment before walking towards the gates of Mirevale town. It didn't take him long to walk out of the town. He glanced at the two-story wall behind him and the line of people and carriages lining up at the town entrance before walking away from the official road onto the vast prairie stretching to the horizon.

After walking more than a kilometer and crossing several hills, looking back, the town of Mirevale looked quite small. Kyle quickly walked towards a secluded location behind a small hill and set down his parcel. Standing in the middle of a vast prairie, with no one in sight, Kyle slowly relaxed. Holding his sword, Kyle took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He calmed his thoughts and tried sensing the mana flowing through his body.

The sun's rays shone on his body; the flowing wind caressed him, making his hair flutter. With each deep breath he took, the scent of the grass and wet soil drifted in his nostrils. Soon, all outside sensations slowly disappeared, leaving just his body perceptions. He felt his heart beating, his blood flowing in his veins, his muscles contracting and relaxing. Kyle searched for something deeper. After a while, Kyle felt a warm energy flowing through his veins, brushing his muscles and grazing his bones.

He focused his mind, trying to make it flow faster and attach it to various parts of his body. A few seconds later, Kyle's eyes sprang open as he slashed the air in front of him, his movements leaving after-images behind. Heaving a deep breath, Kyle exclaimed.

"The power and speed behind that slash is much greater than before. The difference between using [mana enhancement] and not using it is huge!" Taking a moment to experience the difference between using and not using mana slowly, Kyle used [mana enhancement] and started his swordsmanship routine. Just like this morning, he placed one foot slightly ahead and bent his knees. Starting with a diagonal slash. His sword quickly moved from hip to shoulder, leaving a sliver afterimage behind.

He quickly moved around, his feet leaving a deep indentation on the soft grass as he jumped back and forth. His movement was almost twice as fast as in the morning. A few minutes later, Kyle stopped, panting. Wiping his sweat, he took a deep breath and reminisced.

"With [mana enhancement], my strength, explosive power, and movement speed are massively enhanced, but my control and stamina…" Kyle's eyebrows furrowed. In the state of [mana enhancement], it was much harder to control his body and sword. Not to mention that stamina was consumed at a much faster rate. That was without mentioning the time it took to activate [mana enhancement], almost 10 seconds. Monsters and magic beasts wouldn't give him those ten seconds.

'Granted, maybe it's because of memories awakening? I'm very rusty, but even after getting familiar with mana, using [mana enhancement] would take 6 to 7 seconds. Moreover, with my current stamina and control, I can keep it activated for 10 minutes at most, and during intense combat, the duration would certainly be much shorter.' Kyle carefully sensed the mana flowing inside his body.

"In the end, it's still because I'm just an apprentice. Once I condense a mana core, my control over mana will dramatically increase, making [mana enhancement] and other combat skills almost instantaneous. So it still comes down to training and condensing a mana core." He concluded before diving back into training. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

He still had to determine how much training was required before the fixed daily growth of 1% was considered complete. He also needed to determine whether training without using [Transcendence] was subject to penalties, and then test and master his other combat skills.

'I still have much to do.' Kyle thought as he trained with a look of determination. Now that he was given a chance at a new life and the opportunity to rise to unparalleled heights, it would be extremely foolish to remain as slack as he was in the past. ………………. In Silverbark Forest, at the foot of the Blackfoot Hills, lies a large cave, inside of which was a complex stretch of tunnels, and inside those tunnels was a massive number of short, hideous, green creatures. Goblins.

"Wag gah!"

"Heeehhehe!" Sinister screeches and howling sounded as a pair of goblins clobbered each other while others watched and cheered.

"Nooo!!!"

"You filthy animals! I swear I'll kill you!"

"No, please stop! No! Don't!!" Deeper inside the tunnels, women's screams and pleading sounded along with harsh goblin laughter and screeching. A large, 2-meter-tall giant goblin pushed a brown-haired woman's head down as he did unspeakable things to her. Her clothes torn apart, her white skin was stained with filth as tears dripped down her face, filled with fear, pain, and despair. She was just a village girl who had once lived happily with her family and sweetheart.

It was a mundane but fulfilling life until these green monsters burst in, killing all her family and sweetheart and kidnapping her here. She wasn't the only one in this place; many women were imprisoned in this cave, suffering heart-wrenching torture. What was more disgusting about these green-skinned creatures was that they not only imprisoned human women in this dark, filthy cave but also female animals, including swine, wolves, and even porcupines.

Deeper inside the tunnels were even more filth, dirty bones, and goblins, and finally, in the deepest places was a giant goblin, over 3 meters tall. It sat on a stone throne, holding a giant axe it had stolen from somewhere. It was the ruler of this band of goblins, a goblin lord. On the right side, a team of well-dressed green-skinned creatures stood. Slightly different from typical goblins, they exuded sinister auras, cunning lights flashing in their eyes. Hobgoblins.

Stronger, taller, and much smarter than their cousins, but even crueler and more sadistic. On the left side stood a hunched, hooded goblin. Holding a filthy staff larger than its body, its eyes flashed with an eerie green light of mana. It was a goblin shaman. They were the creatures standing at the peak of this goblin horde, and the only intelligent beings here.

"My lord, it's about time we attacked those humans. We must show them our power, kill all the men, and capture the women! Then we'll expand further and take down the other towns. After doing this a few more times, we'll form a massive army and establish our own kingdom! No one could stop us!" One of the hobgoblins was gesticulating wildly, spouting its ambitions as it loudly chattered, its saliva dripping everywhere. The goblin lord leaned on its arm, a look of impatience on its face.

These fellows have been urging it to launch an attack on the nearest town for a while now, but it knew that it wasn't the time yet. They hadn't gathered enough soldiers and cannon fodder yet.

"Enough! I said that it isn't the time yet!" The goblin lord growled as it plopped its massive axe on the ground, smashing a several-meter-wide crater. The hobgoblin gulped as he looked nervously at the crater, but it seemed that he wanted to continue talking.

"Commander Lex, you need to be more patient. As our king said, we need to strengthen our forces for now. It's not the time to launch an attack on the humans yet. Moreover, our trump card isn't ready yet. We need more time," the goblin shaman said, his raspy voice echoing through the tunnels. After pausing for a moment, the goblin shaman continued.

"If you can't contain your desire for war and slaughter, go hide among the goblin teams we scattered outside, and kill as much as you want. Just remember not to expose yourself." The hobgoblin Lex was silent for a moment before walking away in a huff.

"Fine! I'll do that!" The goblin lord looked at the back of the hobgoblin Lex and huffed. If he weren't a useful commander for his army, he would have killed this talkative bastard a long time ago. Looking at the vast stretch of green in front of him, the goblin lord was filled with ambition. Soon, he would no longer be confined to these cramped tunnels but would stand under the sky as its rightful ruler.