Chapter 33- Learning The Ropes (Part 1)

"... It's the same ability…" Malice's eyes widened as he read the description of the ability. If he wasn't wrong, this was basically the same power the priest showed before. The manifestation of darkness as a weapon was precisely what the priest did.

'I guess it makes sense since I have taken his avatar.' He thought to himself as he rubbed his chin. 'If it's anywhere near as good as that, then this is an amazing find!'

The darkness he fought was quite literally lethal, good in offense and defense, and extremely versatile. If it wasn't for Maddening Slash somehow penetrating that shield, Malice was certainly dead, no questions asked.

'I guess it finally came useful. This Maddening Slash is really amazing.' 

Looking at his hand, Malice could remember the yellow spark that ignited after he hit the shield many times. The stacking chances of the mad effect really came clutch at the exact moment he needed it and the effect was strong enough for him to win instantly.

'If it works this effectively against a relatively insane monster, I wonder what could happen to a normal individual.' Just trying to imagine that made him smile weirdly. 'I will try that in the future if I can.'

He didn't know when he would end up having to kill a sane creature, but he knew that it was going to happen at some point. The world is too dangerous for him not to end up sullying his hands with blood to survive. Malice might be stupid, but he wasn't naive.

With that, he finally stood up and he stretched his tired body. "Ugh, I guess should end here today. I don't want to continue anymore." He muttered. "Get me back, Avatar."

[Understood, Marked Malice. Have a good evening.]

The boy nodded faintly as he replied. "... You too."

With that, Malice found himself back in his bed the next second. Blinking slightly, he slowly rested his back against the pillow. Staring at the cold ceiling, he stayed like that for a while. Then, he turned away.

"I survived another day…" He muttered in a daze. "I really thought I wouldn't be back here…"

That was by far the closest Malice was to dying. Nothing came anywhere near what he just experienced. Yet, surprisingly, Malice didn't feel bad at all. In fact, he was quite proud of himself.

'For once, I didn't run away… I fought and won…' He mused as he closed his eyes. The coward he knew was starting to fade away and that battle was the first indication of that. His fear had been pushed to the side for the first time in his life. It felt surprisingly freeing as dangerous as it was.

There was a first to everything, and this was certainly a first for Malice. To see imminent death and decide that he had to do the impossible rather than turn away and run. Who thought the self-proclaimed biggest coward in the world would gather the courage to face death?

'The world is truly ironic…'

***

The next morning, Malice and Cipher started as usual with the training. The exercises intensified even more than before. But, with Malice's body adapting quickly, he was able to keep up even though Cipher was pushing his limit constantly. His stamina and strength kept increasing progressively, hand in hand.

However, surprisingly, the training session was halted early as Cipher made Malice sit down in front of him.

"Now, I know you might be confused as to why we stopped. But, I think it's time to start the most important part of your training." He said with a stern look on his face. "Soul Essence."

"Oh, we're already starting that?"

'Finally! That took more than it should've!' Malice thought to himself.

"Yes, I had to first temper your body for a few days and see how it evolves. So far, your progress is exceptionally fast."

'Way faster than I expected. He is absorbing all the training I throw at him.' Cipher squinted his eyes as he stared at Malice. 'I didn't expect this kid to have so much talent.' 

When he first brought Malice back with him, Cipher expected him to be very average. Even if he did get chosen by the World Beyond, he was still a slum kid with terrifyingly weak physical abilities.

Yet, he came to realize that he had underestimated this kid too much. What he thought might take weeks or even months, he learned in a few days. His body was improving extremely fast with each passing day. 

'I need to keep pushing him beyond his limit or this progress will stagnate soon!'

With that in mind, he continued. "Now, we shall start from the basics. What do you know about Soul Essence?"

Malice thought for a moment before he answered. "It's an energy used to cast abilities, and boost physical and mental prowess?"

The definition he just said was mostly the deduction he came up with after seeing everything so far. Even though he couldn't use Soul Essence as he wanted yet, he at least knew that much.

"Interesting, your answer isn't too far off. Where did you learn that?"

"... I heard that somewhere in the past. I can't remember." Malice shook his head.

"Hmmm…" Cipher squinted his eyes as he stared at the kid before he spoke. "Well, you have the biggest part of the Soul Essence down. But, it is not a full answer. It is true the Soul Essence is a form of energy used by all kinds of creatures to manifest supernatural abilities into the world and force their bodies into a state far beyond what they could be capable of normally. But, this energy also has many other uses." He said.

"Oh, like what?"

"Too many to count but the main ones are: Medicine, Herbalism, Smithing, textile production, potion making, etc… It is as versatile as you might expect and more."

"Wait, that much?" Malice raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, since the abilities bestowed upon people can vary, that naturally expanded the scope of what Soul Essence can do into many fields. Healers, herbalists, Blacksmiths, and many others. They exist and they are as essential as warriors of other fields. One's ability isn't solely reliant on battle. In fact, I would say the split is 50% battle-oriented Soul Essence users and 50% creative-oriented users." He said.

"I see…"

'I have only seen and heard about the ones that are battle-oriented. Are the other ones shrouded in mystery? Or perhaps never have the chance to stand in the limelight as often.' He thought to himself.

People naturally liked the flashy stories and heroic deeds, people who simply create weapons, or deal with herbs rarely find an opportunity to show anything worth mentioning.

"Now, into the next question, one I forgot to ask before. What is your trait?" He asked.

"My trait…"

At that moment, Malice hesitated a little. 'Such a direct question… I guess I can't even hide it from him if I want to learn how to use it.'

So far, Malice was only able to use his trait once, and he didn't even know how. If he wanted to learn, then Cipher needed to know the truth.

"It's called Elemental Arcane… I think."

"Elemental Arcane?" Cipher raised an eyebrow. 

"D-Do you know it?" Malice nervously asked.

"..." Cipher seemed to fall into deep thought. "... No, I have never heard of that before. However, I did hear of elementalists, people who can use elements of nature. If it is the same then, it is a powerful ability, that is for certain."

'A very powerful one… I only know of a few people who have something similar and they're… monsters…' He thought to himself with a frown. 'To think this kid had such a power this entire time…'

For a second, a weird glint flashed across Cipher's eyes. Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment.

"... Cipher?" Malice noticed that, so he called for him.

"Hm? It is nothing. Tell me what this ability does exactly." He said.

"... Uh, from what it says, I can use and create elements of nature. But, I have to first learn about the element, and how it works in depth, to increase my proficiency in using it." Malice explained.

"Interesting. Did it explain how to 'learn' about it?"

"... Uh, it says I need to have sufficient understanding of its nature, effects and causes first to use it." The boy replied.

"... Nature, causes, and effects, huh? Well, if that isn't the perfect thing to have." For a moment, Cipher's formed a cold smile. "I am starting to fully believe fate wanted us to meet, Malice."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Malice was taken aback seeing the blonde man smile. It was the first time he had seen Cipher smile since they met.

"Your trait requires you to learn about the elements in nature and I am a world-renowned researcher. I dare say this is a perfect match." He then pointed at Malice. "I can turn you into an absolute monster if things work out well."

For some reason, Cipher's voice seemed really excited. "No, I must definitely make it work. We are going to start the Soul Essence training right this moment. We cannot waste more time."

Looking away, Cipher started typing into the computer at an extremely rapid pace, ignoring the confused boy. 'How long has it been since I felt this excited, huh? I can't remember. It has been too long. This must be my moment!'

A//N: Don't forget to support the book, thank you everyone