Chapter 17: First Move

"Alright, if we're going to do this, we need to establish some rules," said Amelie. 

After agreeing to be Jihan's teacher, the headmistress wanted to settle some details about the training conditions, as her pupil was still a novice. 

"First, we will set a goal." Amelie extended her hands and raised two fingers. "You will learn the first move of the Black Warrior in two weeks." 

"Such a short time?" Li asked. 

"In case you didn't know, your 12 Mana points will be unlocked in a month. That means things will really start moving around here from that point on." Amelie sighed and paused for a second. 

"Honestly, boy, you might not have noticed, but the absence of people in the corridors is purely a strategic matter." 

"Now that I think about it, Michael did say there were hundreds of people, but I didn't see that many..." 

"There are many monsters much stronger than you, hiding in the rooms, people who want to stay under the radar for now, and once the first month is over, they will start to appear. Do you know what that means?" 

"That I'm the weakest?" 

"Not exactly, but close to it... the main point is that you are too exposed. At this moment, you are a potential target," she explained. "Besides that, despite that you can be considered a diamond, right now your shine is buried under tons of coal." 

"So, what's the plan? Dig until we reach it?" 

"Negative. That would take too long!" Amelie gave a sly smile. "We will drill a small hole, large and deep enough for a beam of light to reach the gem." Opening the book to a page and pointing to an image, she said, "We will make this strike your supreme weapon." 

The drawing depicted a faceless man breaking a turtle's shell. 

"Shell Breaker?" 

"The Shijin postures are complete martial arts that would take a lifetime to master," Amelie shrugged. "Unfortunately, we don't have that time now, but if we can work well on at least one technique, it will give you real chances to compete in what's to come." 

"But how exactly are we going to train this skill? I don't have access to mana." 

"That's where you're wrong, Li. Everyone has mana in their body from the moment they enter Erebus." Amelie pointed to the meridian at her solar plexus. "It has been entering your body very slowly since you arrived, and some can even use it effectively. The issue is that the pathways through which this mana travels are blocked, so you can't intentionally absorb it from the environment or transport it through your body. Besides, didn't I already tell you? When it comes to Shijin, mana is just a support." 

"Are you saying I can use what I already have in my body to replicate the Shell Breaker?" he asked, looking at his own hands. 

"Well, I wouldn't use the word replicate, maybe imitate the move." 

"So, I can do it?" 

"Hold on, boy. It's not as simple as you think. If you mess up and use more than you can handle, you'll end up causing a huge problem for yourself." 

"What do you mean, miss?" 

"To explain it roughly... the first problem is that since Shijin doesn't use much mana, it heavily relies on your physical body, so if your body isn't prepared to support the techniques, you could collapse," Amelie warned. "Secondly, the energy issue, think of the mana inhabiting your body as a vital force. It's used by your meridians to keep them 'lit', so to speak. If you use it all, without being able to transfer it from the rest of the body and use the environment's mana, you could end up losing one of your meridians forever." 

Li's excitement immediately ceased, a sad expression took over his face, but not for long. 

"It's okay, I already knew it wouldn't be so easy..." he concluded. 

"Teach me how, I want to try!" 

"It seems I made the right choice." Amelie sighed in relief. "That being the case, I'll explain exactly what we'll do. There is a way to transmit mana from one person to another, which doesn't increase your capacity and is much slower than cultivation itself, but it will be enough to ensure your safety during the training." 

"Are you going to teach me that too?" 

"Hmpf, don't be so hasty, boy. It's impossible for you to learn, I'll do it, and you'll just stand still, it's an extremely delicate process!" 

Opening a wide smile and raising three fingers, she continued. 

"We'll have three goals in the meantime. The first is to learn the strike, the second is to improve your physical endurance, to handle the recoil of the skill. Your body might withstand its use once or twice, but if you fall on the third, you'll become dead weight for your team. And the last is to gradually and slowly improve your mana control." 

"I count on you to guide me in these next few weeks," declared Li, extending his hand. 

"It will be a pleasure to work with you," the headmistress replied, shaking his hand. 

At the same moment, in another place, a woman with pointed ears was bending down to catch her breath, her short hair, wet with sweat, dripping, and her hands with burst blisters bleeding. Around her, battle marks decorated an entire hall. The place was a gray room the size of half a football field with a high ceiling. 

"Again!" Akemi shot another arrow at the man she was fighting. 

The person dodged the arrow and jumped towards the woman. Instantly, she propelled herself and did a backflip, and, still in the air, shot two more arrows at her opponent, who advanced by jumping up, joining both hands to form a ball of crystal-clear water, throwing it at the archer's head, knocking her to the ground. As she fell, her bow flew out of her hands, reverting to its staff form. 

"Unfair! You told me you wouldn't use mana!" the soaked woman argued. 

"Come on, it's just a basic spell, hardly has any real power," he replied, smiling. 

"Cheater!" 

The man walked towards her slowly and extended his hand. 

"There's no such thing as 'cheating' in a duel." 

"I still don't understand, why did you decide to help me?" the Half-Elf asked, accepting his help to get up. 

"I already told you; I was bored. I'm just here as a tourist, so what harm is there in looking for some pastime meanwhile?" 

A young man, blond, with clear eyes and flawless skin, answered her. 

"Besides," he continued, "you're out of shape," he said, throwing a black staff into her hands. 

"Michael, right? Thanks, anyway." Opening the bow again, she shot an arrow. 

Tilting his head a few inches, the projectile passed by. 

"Who's being unfair now?" he mocked. 

Akemi smiled, and they resumed the battle. 

BAM 

Surrounded by enemies in another hall, in the training center, a man with short white hair fought incessantly. His axes hit one opponent after another, deflecting their blows and wounding them lightly. One after another, his challengers fell, one after another, they stood up and tried again, only to be thrown even further. 

After a few minutes of this process repeating, the doors of the place opened, and a man, alone, entered. As he passed through the door, everyone in that room knelt. 

"Father," said the man with skin and hair as white as snow. 

"I see you're enjoying yourself..." 

"Forgive me..." 

"No, it's good. If you enjoy training so much, it means you'll get stronger quickly. Your purpose only shines when even the most unpleasant parts are interesting," affirmed the man. Unlike the young man who called him father, his hair was black, wavy, and long. 

"Yes, father." 

"Jozef," called a person who was watching from the corner of the hall. 

"Your Majesty?" he said, approaching. 

"Tell me your vision of how the training is going." 

"Yes, sir. The young master is a talent born once in a hundred years, his progress is incredible, with each passing day, the speed at which he improves surprises me. It is an honor for me to assist in his training," he praised. "The resources invested in him are being very well spent." 

"Did you hear that, Wang?" the man asked. "The instructor regards you as someone of great value." 

"Yes, sir," Wang replied. 

"You wouldn't disappoint him, right?" he said, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder, who was still bowing his head. The tension in the room increased slightly. "You wouldn't disappoint us, right? Not with everything we're doing for you." 

"Never, my father." 

"Great!" The tension disappeared from the air. "Continue," he ordered, leaving the room. 

Simultaneously, amid trainings and, for those who had the capacity, missions, sounds of disputes were heard throughout the corridors. The moment when the true test would begin was approaching. And, observing everyone from above, beings discussed who would take first place at the end of it all. 

"That albino boy for sure!" affirmed one. 

"Do you really think he can defeat the great Simba? His pearl doesn't shine compared to true strength," another retorted. 

Meanwhile, a tall man with tied red hair watched a young man practicing just one strike with a woman. 

"Surprise me, boy..." the man whispered.