Chapter 7 - Training

A month has elapsed since I first harnessed the power of the orb in my possession. However, I now find myself ensnared in a perplexing bottleneck. The essence within me has been utterly depleted, leaving me bewildered about how to replenish it. Despite Rosalia's meticulous instructions to absorb the essence permeating my surroundings, my attempts have been met with nothing but failure.

Even Rosalia, who holds a high rank, is left baffled by my predicament, leaving me feeling hopelessly trapped.

The essence is omnipresent, floating tantalizingly just beyond my reach. It's a frustrating spectacle, akin to having a sumptuous feast laid out before me, yet being unable to reach out, grasp it, and savor a bite. The sensation is profoundly disheartening, and I find myself grappling with the seemingly insurmountable challenge that lies ahead.

Seated on the circular stone that has been my training ground, I rack my brain in desperation, fervently searching for an alternative path through this impasse. I am certain there must be a solution; it's just that my disheartened state is clouding my ability to discern it. I realize that I need to regain my composure first.

Taking a deep, calming breath, I center myself. I focus my attention, scrutinizing the essence that floats before me. As I muster the courage to wield my power once more, millions of ethereal white strings materialize before me, seemingly tethered to everything around. I struggle to comprehend the nature of these strings, and even when I seek Rosalia's wisdom, she is equally clueless. She conjectures that this phenomenon might be uniquely related to my power.

As I attempt to touch the strings, I find them as intangible as the elusive essence. I observe that each time I wield my power to command the law of the wind, there's a subtle shift and alteration in some strings, while others remain static.

I've discerned that if I conjure a wind blade as large as a foot, I can only manifest a maximum of 20 before my essence is exhausted. I haven't dared to create anything significantly larger or smaller, as my ability to replenish my essence is currently non-existent.

Taking another deep, steadying breath, I scrutinize the strings and the essence around me, endeavoring to draw parallels between the two.

"Come!" I command with unwavering authority, beckoning the essence to heed my call. The ensuing spectacle leaves me utterly astounded. A colossal multitude of strings sway in response, followed by thousands of essence particles swarming towards me.

"Fvck…" is the first word that springs to mind.

As the essence makes contact with my body, a faint warmth ensues. However, this time, the influx of thousands of essence particles causes my body to feel as though it's on the verge of detonation. I'm engulfed in an intense heat, akin to being consumed by flames, and I can feel my sweat instantly evaporating.

"Arg!" I bite down on my lip to suppress a cry, but the relentless onslaught of essence continues, seemingly without end. I sense something within me cracking, uncertain if it's my bones or my body itself. The sensation is overwhelming, and I question how much more I can withstand. I yearn for it to cease—it's simply too much.

"I said STOP!" I command with all the force I can muster. A potent shockwave is unleashed, catapulting me from my position and hurling me into the nearest tree. As consciousness begins to slip away, I brace myself for the unknown.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Garner! Garner! Wake up," I hear Rosalia's voice calling me. A cool sensation envelops my entire body, bringing a sense of relaxation.

As I open my eyes, I am immediately met with the sight of Rosalia, her face etched with a serious expression. I find myself enveloped in a whirlwind of pink rose petals, and I can still discern the presence of the ethereal white strings suspended in the air.

"Rosalia," I say, "these white strings are also present, intertwined with your power."

"What?! I don't see any strings," she retorts, her voice laced with confusion. I understand that she is unable to perceive them, but the significance of these strings is gradually becoming clear to me.

These strings are the embodiment of law. They pervade everything because everything has its own law to abide by. I now comprehend that the essence is omnipresent, but only those known as 'takers' have the privilege to absorb and utilize it, as that is the law it is bound to follow.

As this realization washes over me, a smile slowly forms on my face.

"Why are you smiling? It's making me even more uncomfortable." Rosalia takes a cautious step back, her hands instinctively moving to her back.

I rise to my feet and survey my surroundings. The trees and grass around us bear the scars of the shockwave, their forms somewhat marred by the impact.

"You've managed to subconsciously break through to the Warrior rank in one fell swoop, Garner. Well done," Rosalia says, a smile playing on her lips.

"We takers possess an internal storage that can contain the essence and use it to fuel our power. The strength and magnitude of our power dictate the amount of essence it requires. Each breakthrough we achieve into a higher rank expands these storage capacities. For instance, the Newbie Rank can store a minimum of 100 essence; the Warrior, 1,000; the Warlord, 5,000; the General, 10,000; the Duke, 15,000; the Marquess, 20,000; the Earl, 50,000; the Viscount, 100,000; the Baron, 500,000; and the King, 1,000,000," she explains in detail.

"Most high-rankers can discern the rank of other takers by the aura they emit. However, you are an exception; you can store thousands of essence even at the Newbie rank. Your storage capacity is comparable to that of a Warrior, but the aura you emit is only that of a Newbie. Do you realize this gives you an advantage in battle? You can deceive your opponent with your aura and rank. This is an unprecedented occurrence," Rosalia adds.

"I understand your point, but I'm still unsure about why this is happening and what about the ranks above King?"

"Currently, in the entire Kingdom of Earth, no takers have surpassed the King's Rank. Therefore, we can't exactly gauge its capabilities yet," she replies.

"What do you mean, 'before'? It was only a decade ago when the orb made its appearance. As far as I know, there aren't any takers above the King rank at present. A decade may not be short, but it's also not a long time for takers to cultivate into a higher rank in such a brief period." Suddenly, I felt a wave of confusion wash over me. There were so many things hidden deep beneath the surface that couldn't be discerned by merely scratching the surface.

"It's better if you remain unaware of this for now, for your own good. Perhaps, when you reach my level, you can ask me about it again, or maybe you'll discover it on your own. For now, continue your training; you need to consolidate your newly unlocked strength," she replied, beginning to walk away.

I didn't press her for answers because I knew Rosalia had her reasons for withholding information. I shrugged off my curiosity and began to inspect my body and gauge my strength.

The crack that I had heard was actually the sign of a breakthrough.

I tried using the wind blade again, maintaining the same size, and found that I could create up to 50 at most. I believe my essence storage capacity is now around 1,200, and I can replenish it in just 10 minutes. I'm not sure about the average time a Warrior takes to replenish their essence, but I suspect my rate is faster than normal.

What I didn't tell Rosalia was that I could expand my storage capacity by using my power, the law. However, I hadn't yet figured out how to mitigate the burning sensation. If I were to forcefully absorb the essence using my law, I fear I might literally explode. After my breakthrough, I felt my body become slightly stronger than before. If I were to absorb the same amount as before, I believe I could handle more of it.

Now, my limit is 1,200; any more than that and I risk exploding. I need to strengthen my body first before attempting to absorb more. Since becoming a Warrior, I've noticed that I can leap 10 meters further than before, and I've also acquired new information.

This time, it was about cooking or something similar. I don't fully understand it yet, but it involved making some kind of drug using various herbs and mixing them together. I plan to ask Rosalia about this later, but for now, I need to test the limits of the law.

"Earth spike!" White strings connected to the ground shook slightly, and then the earth shaped itself into a sharp, cone-like stone that grew from the ground. It was as hard as stone and incredibly sharp.

I slapped my palm against the ground again, and this time several white strings shook together, and multiple cone-shaped stones grew from the ground, surrounding me.

"Oh my, I truly am the law. Now, I can't wait to try this one. The law of gravity is to pull, so everything it holds falls.

"Float!" Brown strings slowly crept from the ground, enveloping me. A new string color!

My body slowly ascended from the ground and started to float in the air, but it wasn't like Superman in the movies. I was wobbling around in the air, unable to stabilize myself. I felt dizzy and started to feel nauseous.

I used the law of wind to slowly stabilize myself, and it started to work just fine. I was now facing the ground while floating 5 meters above it.

I don't know how to move or land now, and my essence is being consumed more and more. If this continues, I will be depleted after 10 minutes."