Strength and Rivalry 1.105

Viggo took Sakura and Ana to their father's house, on the edge of the Herrero district. Once they arrived at the house, they had breakfast with the rest of the large family. After finishing their breakfast, Kain invited them to the courtyard while a taciturn-looking woman accompanied them. She was an elf, with emerald hair and dressed as if she were a man. Her delicate features made her look beautiful while the proportions of her body were hidden under her clothes.

Kain invited the four of them to sit at the table, under the apple tree, and told them -her name is Riveria, the best magician that exists in Orario-

-Much pleasure- Riveria replied without changing her serious expression, but the blush on her cheeks was noticeable.

Viggo who has known her since childhood smiled at her expression, as Riveria rarely showed her mood swings, but was always weak to her father's compliments.

For her part, Riveria looked Viggo in the eye and said -it's good to see that you are in good health, Viggo-

-Thank you, aunt- replied Viggo.

Riveria nodded and looked at Sakura and Ana without commenting further.

At the same time, Kain let out a sigh, stretched out his left hand, and put it on Riveria's hand. She looked at his eyes, her cheeks flushing, but Kain kept his hand on hers and just smiled. She let out a sigh of annoyance but let him do what he wanted.

-As I promised you yesterday- Kain continued in a good mood -she will teach them magic-. Riveria nodded in approval.

-Thank you very much, father, aunt- Viggo said in a respectful tone.

Riveria opened her wide eyes for a second, but then she went back to normal and made a little smile -I'm happy with your growth, Viggo-

-Thank you, auntie-

Kain looked at Sakura and Ana and continued -she will teach you the theoretical basis of magic in Orario, if she sees any potential in you, she will continue to teach you. Otherwise, the magic classes will only get to that point, and they will have to continue their own.

Ana and Sakura nodded with a big smile on their lips -thank you very much for your help- they said in unison.

Riveria made a small smile and nodded. Then she looked at Kain and he looked her in the eye, it seemed that they were having a little conversation through the eyes. In the end, Kain nodded, and Riveria walked over and gave her a little kiss on the lips. She stood up and looked at Sakura and Ana -come with me to the library, it is more suitable for teaching- she said.

All of this happened as a result of the meeting they had yesterday. Viggo, Sakura and Ana came to see Kain so that he would explain and clarify various concepts from the books he gives them. Above all, the fact of improving skills, levelling up and the need to kill monsters to gather falna. The fact is that in the afternoon they asked him if he could teach them magic, to which Kain told them no, but that he could get them a suitable teacher.

Once Sakura and Ana left with Riveria, Kain looked Viggo in the eye and said -today is going to be a complicated day-

Viggo smiled and replied -you already told me yesterday, but nothing can be done to it. First there is the heart and then the duty. Without the former, there can be no motivation-

-In that case I hope you have a lot of motivation-

At the same time, the door of the house was opened, and three tall guys accompanied by Flora came out. They were all experienced warriors, two blonde and one black-haired. For Kain they were the trio of idiots, but for Orario they were the three best adventurers: The noisy Jason, the serious Odysseus, and the friendly Achilles. Ahead of them was little Flora, with blushing cheeks and a smile of a woman in love. Kain seeing her from his seat frowned, and the trio of idiots behind her stopped in an alert position. His teacher was not to frown and when he did it was because something bad happened, and as a consequence, something bad happened to them. However, Kain let out a sigh and they relaxed.

Once Jason, Odysseus, and Achilles arrived in front of Kain, Flora walked to stand next to Kain's seat.

-They arrive early, I expected them to take longer- Kain said with a small smile.

-What are you talking about, old man?- said Jason with a big smile on his lips -the little brother is going to go through your training, in no way were we going to miss it-

Odysseus and Achilles smiled maliciously and nodded. At the same time, Flora felt chills from seeing those malicious smiles as Viggo ignored what they meant. Viggo turned his face back and immediately understood that something bad was going on.

For his part, Kain looked at Flora and said in a soft tone -go do your things, I'm going to be busy-

Flora put her patented abandoned puppy look with which she always bent Kain's will and wanted to ask her -Dad, can I...-

However, before she could say anything, Kain denied and interrupted her -no, now go-

Flora froze for a moment, but then nodded and said goodbye to everyone. She could disguise, but it is difficult to deceive in the eyes of a father. It was clear to Kain that she was in love with one of the three idiots. Jason was discarded beforehand, Kain was sure that he had taught his daughter well and that she would never look for a person as unserious as he was. On the other hand, Odysseus was too serious and became annoying with how strict he was. So, there was only Achilles left, who was pleasing to the eye, friendly and entertaining. Kain let out a sigh and tried to mentalize that, if something happens, it would be very much in the future.

Kain looked at the three idiots and stretched out his hand to them, as if offering them a seat. They sat down and Kain turned her gaze to Viggo -what could you understand about the touki?- he asked.

-It is an energy, a mixture of spirit and mana that strengthens the body and increases endurance- replied Viggo.

Kain frowned, but nodded anyway -my touki is special, boy- he said -it can compete with the strength of a god. Well, it would be a bit difficult to explain that to you, but in practical terms it is the best form of force you can achieve. However, like all skills, it has several levels of efficiency, and that's where the difficulty lies-

-I could only get to magic reinforcement- Jason said impertinently with his hands resting on his knees.

-So did I- Odysseus followed with his hands resting on the table and his fingers intertwined.

-Here the same thing- Achilles replied with his forearm resting on the table.

-It's a very difficult thing- Jason continued -so I wish you the best of luck, little brother. Don't die– then add a malicious smile at the end.

Viggo frowned and looked at his father. However, Kain just raised his shoulders as if he didn't understand what they were talking about.

-Whatever, not everyone is the same and many times, achieving mastery for someone hollow head who does not read the books I tell him to read, is a lucky thing- Kain said with a burlesque smile. At the same time, Jason, Odysseus, and Achilles bowed their heads and scratched their heads as if to make themselves incomprehensible.

-Well, first things first- Kain said -you must be able to manifest touki throughout your body, but to make it more practical and faster, you must test how true touki feels-

Viggo nodded and stood up, walked to Kain, and looked at him.

Kain also looked him in the eye and raised his hand showing him the big palm -place your palm on mine- he said. To which Viggo did what he said and once both palms touched, Kain covered Viggo's entire body with touki. The latter felt as if his whole body was covered by a film of water that tempered his body to the perfect temperature, without cold or heat. At the same time, his whole body felt strong, and his senses amplified. He could hear how her aunts moved in the kitchen (more than fifty meters away) and as in the library, he could hear Riveria's whisper explaining something to Sakura and Ana. On the other hand, the aroma of the flowers that seemed so pleasant to him, seemed so strong that it felt unbearable. However, before he was overwhelmed by his senses, Kain retired his touki and Viggo returned to normal.

-Incredible- Viggo said in a voice full of amazement.

Jason, Odysseus, and Achilles burst out laughing in a good mood. Viggo looked at them and waited for them to explain.

Jason said -the same thing we said when the old man taught us touki-

-It's true, it was an experience like few others- Odysseus added.

-Yes, I've never felt so calm and strong as that time- Achilles continued.

-Okay- Kain said -now it's the boys' turn-

-¡¿Eh?! – Viggo said

-What do you think I'll call them for? Just so they laugh at someone who's going to suffer like them?- asked Kain with a burlesque smile. Viggo frowned and grumpy, but Kain only took it as the growl of a puppy. Kain continuous -each achieved a shape like that of the touki, but the level of efficiency is so low that it only reaches the level of what they can call, magic reinforcement-

-It's a shame- said Jason embarrassed as he scratched his head -when I reached level 9 I thought my ability would improve and catch up with the old man, but it stayed as it was. I don't know what I need, and I don't have expectations of reaching level 10 either. After all, it took me over sixty years to reach level 9 and I had to break my soul to achieve it-

-The same thing I do- said Odysseus.

-The same thing me- said Achilles.

Each had a face full of resignation and shame for not being able to continue improving. However, when you pursue a path for so long, it gets to the point where you get bored. At least, that's how they felt. In addition, each one was already more than eighty years old and from this point onwards, the falna should begin to lose its effect and they should begin to age just as the old Romulus did at the time.

-Now see- Kain said.

Viggo nodded and approached Jason, then Odysseus and finally Achilles. Each of the toukis felt totally different, but nowhere near the omnipotent feeling he felt with his father. Jason's magic reinforcement felt hot and full of energy, but his senses remained normal and within a few seconds, thanks to the heat, he became suffocating. Odysseus' magic reinforcement felt too icy, even if they were in the middle of spring, Viggo thought he was in the middle of a winter. On the other hand, he felt strong just like with Jason's reinforcement, but in the same way, the senses remained normal. Finally, Achilles' reinforcement had the ideal temperature, neither cold nor heat, but the energy felt much weaker than with Jason and Odysseus, plus the senses also remained normal.

After experiencing Kain's touki and the reinforcement of the three, Viggo stood looking at his hand. He would open and close it as if checking the feeling.

-Jason- Kain said as everyone looked at Viggo and waited to see his reaction -who did you bet on for the match?-

-I'm sorry for the little brother, but bet on Ottar- replied Jason -I'm really sorry, but the discipline of that boy makes me put all my hopes in him-

-The same thing I- replied Odysseus.

-I'm sorry, master, but so am I- Achilles said as if he were apologizing.

-They don't have a good eye, for those they will always be the trio of idiots- Kain said mockingly. Jason, Odysseus, and Achilles frowned and looked at him resentfully. However, Kain ignored those looks and said to them with a sly smile -are you interested in a bet between us?-

-Which one?- asks Jason without a second thought as Odysseus frowns distrusting his master. Different from his brother, he thought things through and if his master dared to propose such a thing, it was because he had certain information.

-Ten million valis to which Viggo dominates the touki-

-At what time?- asked Odysseus cunningly.

However, Kain sneered and said -those who do not bet, do not participate- to which Odysseus frowned. Kain looked at Jason and said -today. In just one day I will be able to reach the touki What do you tell me ?-

Jason pushed his face and body back with an expression of disbelief. Odysseus frowned, because this seemed far-fetched to him while Achilles was only looking at them from the side.

Kain continues to smile, and ask them -What's wrong? Do you bet or not?-