The first in history

10K words.

Had some exams pop up.

Enjoy.

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—

"ALRIGHT! I see everyone's here. Then, let's begin!"

It was just shy of 8 a.m and the sun shone strongly in the sky above them as Philip and a bunch of other dudes waited inside a large arena-like structure for their "teacher" to begin their class.

'She did take her sweet time to begin this. Everyone arrived over half an hour ago… I didn't take her as the punctual type… Or maybe… Is she using some long-cast Skill?'

'Anyhow, it seems not everyone chose their professors as faithfully as I thought, given there were several more combat-focused classes yesterday. At least amidst the ones I managed to overhear.'

'Hm… They probably went to the other instructors since they were much more welcoming than this girl… I don't blame them; I would've done the same if I hadn't been interested in physical training. I would've much rather gone with the pretty wizard lady than this brutish woman.'

'Also, seems like there are some uninvited guests to the party… Mostly men… All men… Ha!'

'I see now. These guys are here for her… But I can't relate to their tastes… She's pretty, especially in her tight clothes, but I guess Mind Bastion is preventing me from thinking about those things.'

"Let's see… One, two… Thirty-six?... Meh, I thought we would have more. Humph."

"So be it!"

"Let's make things clear here! While this is the combat Class, I won't be teaching any of you greenies tactics or any of that. In here, I'll be teaching you how to take a punch and throw one back!"

"On the battlefield, you often don't have time to think before it all falls on you, so you must act quickly and swiftly. So before you learn the complicated things, I'll teach ya the bare bones of the subject."

"That said, I'll ask you all a question. Just how many of you have held a weapon in your life? I am not talking about kitchenware or shit like that. I am talking about a tool made for killing!"

""...""

Everyone looked at each other for a few seconds before twelve or so boys lifted their hands, Philip included.

"Hoo? Pfft!... How pathetic… Now, how many of you twelve killed something with it?"

Everyone took down their hands. It was too much to expect city people to have ever hunted anything in their lives.

As for Philip… It would be a bit much to be the sole weird guy in the group, and seeing how this girl acted, he was sure she would constantly try to push him into annoying things, so in the end, he chose not to act out of line and follow the crowd. 

"Fuc… Forget it! Looks like I am going to have to start slow…"

But suddenly, a person raised one of their hands. 

"Excuse me Miss! Why do we need to learn how to wield weapons?"

"..."

Berinou's expression told everyone she was looking at the stupidest person in the world.

It wasn't that hard to figure out why they need weapons. Although the boy in question could be probing her for answers… Which neither she nor Philip believed was his original intention.

"Why? For fighting of course."

"Why… Why do we need to fight anything?"

"Because you were called here, obviously!"

"B-But I don't want to fight! Why would I put my life on the line for people I don't even know?! We were taken into this place against our will, and we now have to fight?!"

"Where are our rights?!"

"..."

'This guy… He can't see the bigger picture. There are some things you just can't say or state… Not without understanding your position first.'

'Those are the easiest to manipulate, plain dumb people.'

/Chatter…/

With his words of defiance, many others started to voice out their complaints as well.

Humans are social animals, if one acts, this gives a lot of courage to the next one...

"Sigh…"

'Fools.'

"Yeah! I don't want to fight!"

"Me neither!"

/Chatter!.../

"... Rights huh… Ohh boy, this itches me in the wrong place."

"Sigh. I need to calm down, if I beat any of these people Huhuf is going to make me deaf with his screams… I just can't believe they are our hope or whatever."

'But even the greatest heroes started small and weak as toddlers...'

Berinou mumbled something in a low tone that most couldn't really hear as she went over a moment of self reflection, turning to everyone once she calmed down slightly:

"I will be direct. This training isn't just for you to fight just for the sake of it. The world out there is dangerous, so as the hope of our Kingdom, you need to be at least able to defend yourselves."

"Rights? Who made your rights? Who fought for them? Was it any of you?"

""...""

/Silence…/

"In this world, you have to fight for your rights. Not because they aren't there but merely because its far too easy for others to take them away from you just like how you were all pulled here!"

"If you don't have the strength, they'll take away everything you have. That's why you have to fight."

/Silence…/

Everyone went quiet, however, it seemed most were still unconvinced.

Seeing this, Berinou sighed loudly. And with a light scoff, said:

"If you still think that fighting isn't for you, then you can leave and join any of the other three instructors. However, I am pretty sure they'll tell you the same thing, or at the very least, find a better job for the pussy that you are."

"So go on. I am giving you ten seconds to leave. Everyone else who stays will be considered my students and won't be allowed to leave."

"..."

'She summarized the situation rather well, as regardless of our emotions, we have to fight if we want to return.'

'Honestly, even if given the option to return, I would opt to remain as I've experienced what it means to have none… After all, if we can come, what's stopping anyone from going after us once we return?'

'If we can't stop them here, then nothing will stop them back there. And between worrying and fighting in my homeland, I'd rather destroy everything here instead.'

""...""

The people reacted differently to what she said; some had fear, anger, and even a tint of humiliation visible in their eyes, while others were pensive, considering her words as they tried to find reason in this situation. And while some found it, others could not make sense of their reality and struggled to understand their standing.

At the end of the day, trying to make sense of such an unbelievably ridiculous situation was nothing short of unlikely.

"..."

'This is where the grains are sorted…'

Like Berinou, Philip crossed his arms, waiting for everyone to make their choices.

"10!..."

""!""

Berinou started to count the time, and with that, many started to run away. 

"9!... 8!... 7!...

"S-Shit! H-hey! Let's leave this crazy bitch! We don't need to fight!" Someone exclaimed as they turned tail and ran

"Yeah! Let's just go to the others! At the very least they will treat us with some respect!"

"Even if I have to work, I'll do it under a desk instead!"

And so on…

Philip disagreed with their choices but did not blame them. To some degree, they were right. Not all Heroes were meant to fight, in fact, he expected less than 20% of all Heroes to qualify as actual frontline fighters. Then again, if they were here, it meant you had a role to play…

Refusing it was only delaying the inevitable.

"...0!"

In the end, from the 36, only 20 or so were left. 

"Hum… Good. I prefer a few elites rather than a thousand idiots. Even if they go to the others, their destiny will be the same. Listen to me here: You can't survive in this world if you can't fight. So learn how to earn your keep, and you'll be fine for the most part."

"Even a beggar on the streets is constantly trying to improve. If I go to the capital, I can find a kid with more balls than those guys."

"I wouldn't have complained if they had left after receiving my tutoring. As Huhuf said before, we are here to teach, not to limit you all. But they left before even trying due to fear and laziness."

She spat on the ground, not even taking a second glance at those running away as she looked forward at her future students.

"So even if they come back, I will not receive them, nor do I want any of you to defend them. If you do, I'll beat the crap out of you!"

""...""

"All that said, let's start!"'

She walked to the side of the arena, approaching a large "tent".

/Shoosh…/

She pulled the large cloth, revealing several stands filled with many shiny weapons and armor. 

"Most of you should have received some starting gear, right? Take it out before I force you to!" If you still need to include something, just fetch what you need from here. You won't find anything better anytime soon."

"The most basic equipment for an adventurer is armor and a weapon. But it's important to always have replacements. Even more so in your case!"

"All of you have an inventory, an immense luxury. Make use of it. Most don't expect daggers to appear from thin air…"

'These kids also… I had to beg for a magician to make me one of those bags for months... And they're barely even comparable… URG!'

'So unfair.'

""...""

"... There is no need to hold yourselves back! But don't be greedy. You can only carry what your hands can hold… And if you drop anything you pick, you're doing ten laps around the training grounds with everything you picked!"

"If you have any questions or need help, I am here! We will start in ten minutes!"

/Chattering…/

The moment she finished speaking, some people removed their gear from their inventory. Others were slightly hesitant but still followed, either taking their own gear or just going to the stands to fetch what they needed. 

Philip chose to take his gear from his inventory like them, pulling out a leathery set and a simple mechanical saber. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary sword, but after closer inspection, multiple grooves and crevices could be seen spanning the length of the blade.

What it could transform into was something only he knew…

"..."

'This is ridiculous… Do I look like them too?'

Philip looked around, seeing everyone in all sorts of crazy gear. He felt as if he was in an anime convention.

From heavy metal armor to strange equipment he could only describe as an Indian Kathak, Philip was amazed at how weird everyone's equipment was. 

But one thing was certain… They were all rather basic. A reflection of their status as beginners.

Even if they were a legendary successor to a mythical figure, they would still begin with nothing but a simple blade and helmet, often even less than that.

While everyone got ready, Philip took another glance at his teacher: Berinou Gargo, Sky rank Adventurer… 

'I wonder what her ranks means. She should be quite strong.'

'The books were a little too outdated to respond. And given Scholar Vision isn't helping me with that, I imagine this term may be recent.'

{... That just means she's Badass}

"!!"

Philip was momentarily startled by Dae's voice booming inside his mind…

'You… Haven't I told you to quit with that? I have more of what I fed you last time.'

{Not like I can talk with you using any other means… And please no… I was barely able to even walk after staying in the bathroom for an hour, took me everything I had to recover by dawn}

'Humph... Why did you contact me? I thought you were worried about others peeping into our conversation.'

{Don't try to brush that off!… Fine! I will have my revenge later!}

{Look… I just came to warn you. Berinou Gargo isn't as stupid and violent as she shows. That's just an act. Quite a bad one at if you know how she truly thinks, but I wager there's no one like that in this world}

'An act?'

{Do you think it's easy for a woman to rise in a medieval-style society where strength and background rule supreme?}

{You can say they could resort to magic or something that doesn't require physical strength, but they need knowledge and time even to do such a thing in the first place}

{The current position women have in this Human society is mostly due to the hard work of many generations of strong women over the centuries…}

'Look… All the power for her, I guess, but I couldn't care less. It's not like I knew much about this world to know that anyway… So? What does all of this have to do with her?'

{It has everything to do with her. It is the foundation of her persona}

{Adventurers are a rather barbaric bunch. And Berinou's personality is closer to that of a Mage's, and in a society where women are already at a disadvantage, what do you think would happen to one that also resembles a Mage's but fights like a Warrior?}

'Sigh, I'm not stupid. I figured that much the moment you told me she was faking it. What I need to understand is why is any of this even important?'

{The more you learn about how the people in this world think, the better. There is much to learn from books, but they won't teach you everything. But you already knew that}

{I know that you're just trying to annoy me, unfortunately, I'm glad to inform you that it won't work at all, as I've endured years with the most obnoxious group of adventurers there is. Now you know}

'Okay then, proceed. I had nothing else to do anyway.'

{Of course you don't… It's all because of politics. There are many strong adventurers out there, many that could actually rise to higher ranks, but they are kept in place by the organization known as "Adventurer's Guild"}

'I read about them. Well… Memorized a few passages here and there…'

{Right, the Adventurer's Guild is quite famous; albeit they operate under various names, they are more easily recognized as that. A place for all Adventurers, mostly over glorified mercenaries, to gather and proliferate as some Nobles may put it}

'You seem to have some story with them… I feel a tiny hint of emotion in those words.'

{... Just the past flushing by… As annoying as it may be. But like many other things before and in the future, that's a story better left for another time…}

'If you say so… But say. I read adventurers of a certain rank gain Titles; what was yours?'

{Honestly… It's been so many years…}

'How old are you?'

{Eighteen}

'No, like… Mentally? You know what I asked, stop trying to dodge the question.'

{... It's best if you stop trying to probe too much of the future. At least not like this… As while I'm keen in helping you, I also have certain parameters I'd prefer sticking to so we may avoid certain "issues" from popping up}

'That doesn't sound convincing at all.'

{I know, but I think that's an appropriate answer for a stupid attempt... Don't think I didn't catch your reasoning}

'...'

{Let's end this since I have other places to be}

{Berinou was once such an adventurer. She was very strong, but due to politics and also because she was a woman, many didm't really put a lot of faith in her}

{Because of this, she was unable to rise higher in the ranks}

'So she's stronger then her rank states? Very well, but what rising in the ranks has to do with it? Couldn't she continue to be of a lower rank while continuing to train?'

{The world is not so simple, which is why I'm saying all of this. Those old fools like to play by the rules, so unless she wanted to be assassinated, she better stick with it}

{High Rank provokes awe and inspires others, the Nobliity has a strong grasp on everything that could lead to such in their territory. And a High Rank adventurer is one such thing… It was the reason why the Guild was officialized, to make it so only vetted Mercenaries reached the public's ears}

{And the Crown wouldn't allow the rise of such a low-ranking, "fishy" citizen. It's okay if her strength is a little higher than her rank, but if she rises higher than that… Then it becomes a problem, an inconvenience, a nail that sticks from the wood. As no matter how harmful it may be, it just urges others to take it down for their own reasons}

{You could argue it'd be better to just leave and train alone. And while the people of this world can increase their State through hunting monsters like us, the efficiency of that is over a thousand times lower then ours. It's not sustainable unless one is long living like an Elf}

{And growth through that is not enough either as Stats are far from everything. That's why they need the resources locked behind higher rankings. They need the support of an organization, this is how this world functions, even if highly butchered…}

{To continue her career, she hid away her feminine side while slowly building this front of a strong and unbeatable woman. She killed hundreds, if not tens of thousands of powerful monsters in brutal ways to showcase her strength and cement this front as a Sky Rank adventurer in their minds}

{Over time, she gathered connections and immense support from them, and as you can see, she was given a higher Rank, with her growth not being suppressed anymore, she continued to grow and grow, eventually rising to the Rank of Sky}

{This leads to what I wanted to say. She is a calculative mastermind who is also insanely strong and Talented. She will figure out whatever you try to hide}

'… Just the more reasons for you to not talk with me about this in here.'

'And since she's this genius mastermind, what do you suggest of me? Because while I'm confident in myself, acting is not my strong side.'

{Surprisingly enough… Don't hold yourself back}

'Isn't that the contrary of what you said to me yesterday?'

{Yes, this didn't come to me without some thought. But after settling my memories, this is by far the best approach}

{Rather than giving her a bad impression, try to train and grow as you would without caring about the consequences of it. She'll see you in a much better light then, and with it, assist you in your training}

{While this may go against the plan, Berinou is selfish and egocentric as she'd rather focus on her own actions than do things like report every detail of your adventure. And even when she does it, if all goes well, you'll be far from the Kingdom's grasp once it happens}

'... Very well. Just one less thing for me to worry about. And it just so happens to fall in line with what I wanted to do.'

{Just be aware she is paying much more attention to us then she shows, it's all a ruse, one you should grow accustomed to}

{Berinou won't be the last like this. Many in your journey from this moment onward will be like her. It'll be up to you to discern when one speaks the truth, distorts it, or lies}

'So much for stating the obvious… But say, I am curious, how high is a Sky Rank adventurer?'

{That? Well… Starting from the Bottom we have: Earth, Hill, Mountain, Then we have the Metal ranks, White-Gold, Purple-Gold, Dark-Gold"}

{Earth and Hill are deemed "Low Rank". Although that is an unofficial terminology, albeit often used by nobles and royalty because of how catchy it is. They love to call others "Low Rank"}

'That I can understand…'

{The next Rank, Mountain, is a division, also called a plateau. Many stop there, without any hope of advancing. This is why this Rank alone constitutes the "Middle Rank"}

{And finally, we have "High Rank", consisting of all three of the metal ranks. And that is also the first "barrier" that adventurers meet with. In order to become a Purple-Gold and Dark-Gold adventurer, one has to pass the association exam…}

{You know where I am going with this right?}

'Corruption sure spreads everywhere…'

{You undermine what it truly is… They will give you something almost impossible to do, and unless you have the connections… It's over}

{Anyhow, beyond that, there is what they call "Heaven", those at the very top of this world… Air, Sky, and Star. Those are the last Ranks of the Adventurers… Kind off…}

{This was also the place where Berinou was actually stuck in… She used to be an incredibly talented woman that rose to the Dark-Gold rank by the age of twenty six even though she wasn't a Noble nor someone with an incredible "Role"}

{But she had to stay there for 10 years slowly building an extensive network only so she could progress more… Her potential was wasted yet she still managed to raise another Rank and reach Sky}

{And while unrelated to this, had she not died in the near future, she might've become a Star Rank adventurer by the time she was in her 50s if she hadn't stopped midway…}

{That said, there is still one unofficial level beyond that. Reserved for the strongest adventurers in all of Human history. Alas, there is no one alive who can hold such a title, but one will be born one year from now… But let's leave this event for later}

'So, in essence. She is crazy strong, smart, talented, and even a hottie to boot?'

{You can say so... Don't worry about her, though. Even if she puts her sight on you, the most she'll do is push you a little further, which will only benefit you in the long run. Isn't that what you wanted?}

'You could've said that from the beginning instead of giving me this headache…'

{... What did you say?... Erm, I'll stop this since someone's calling for me}

{Meet me in the library sometime tonight as we have much more to discuss}

{See ya…}

/SNAP!/

"..."

A sudden tug at his mind, Philip felt their mental connection sever.

The feeling hit him like a hammer striking against glass.

'Urg… That hurt. You can't just cut the connection like this… Bastard.'

Philip looked around in annoyance, only to see everyone busy.

'I felt our conversation lasted longer, but it seems only a few minutes have passed.'

Thankfully, most were still walking around the place getting ready. So neither of their abnormal behavior was detected by anyone.

'It is the mind that perceives time after all, if I think too fast wouldn't time just stop?...'

To blend in, Philip soon began to move, somewhat curious as to what was available to them on the racks.

Soon enough, their training would begin.

…

"... Sigh…"

'Also, something's off. There are quite a few kids here but none of my my colleagues are here… I see some familiar faces but not the ones I wanted to see.'

'Where's Petter? I feel out of place…'

"That's it! Time's up!

Berinou got up from her resting chair and cracked her knuckles, looking down at everyone with a light smirk.

"I see everyone has made their choices… Some more than others, but I can pardon that for now. By the time one month passes, all of you will have a certain understanding of combat and how to gear yourself properly."

Nodding to herself, she walked past her chair and picked a small box from a stone table, pressing a button on top of it. 

/Crunk…/

/Tremble…/

The ground started to tremble as multiple holes appeared on it. And from those holes, several dark dummies rose to the surface, carried by what I could only say to be a floating plate. 

After that, the holes closed. Leaving twenty-one mannequins on the arena.

"Before we start anything, you'll need to know how to wield your weapons properly and how to use them while in armor!"

"Everyone has their individualities and mannerisms, so instead of teaching you a standardized technique or method, you all must first understand the limits and ratios of your body. That's the difference between a third-rate and a master. Someone who can learn and adapt and not merely follow routines just for the sake of it."

"Not that there's an issue with that, but that's not the issue here."

"I need you all to learn how to think. That's the minimum… So let's start with… One hundred… One Thousand. Yeah. One Thousand swings."

""...""

"What are you all waiting for? Go on! Just hit your weapons on the dummies! I will be here to correct any mistakes you all might make!"

"Today we're only going to enforce the absolute basics, so get moving!"

/Step…/

The first one to move was none other than Dae. He picked his sword and slashed at the Dummy:

/Slash!/

"Oh?..."

'Was it a coincidence?' 

His swing was so perfect that even Berinou was surprised, but he was just starting.

/Clang clang.../

Dae continued to swing at a speedy rate of one swing every second. What was even more impressive was that he was wearing heavy plate armor covering every crevice of his body aside from his head.

"..." 

'He must be trying to train his body… But isn't this too much?'

Dae used only the most minimal movement, consuming the least amount of energy with every strike. People were thinking he would tire quickly but they couldn t be more wrong.

"..."

'I need to start too. Nothing will come from watching him.'

'It's been a very long time since I trained with a dummy. I won't improve at all doing this but might as well test that technique I made last night.'

/Tighten…/

Grasping his sword tightly, Philip slashed at the dummy.

/CLANG!/

Only for his attack to bounce right off!

"..."

'I mean… I wasn't trying that hard but this is embarrassing. Not even a light mark?... Fine. Let's see how well you do.'

Philip's eyes sharpened as he attacked the dummy harder then before.

/CLANG!/

And thus, the Hellish training had begun…

…

/First hour of training…/

For the first hour, most were still trying to get used to their weapons and what it meant to strike something with the intent to cause damage.

While some had an easier time getting used to things, some still struggled to deliver a strong blow without having their weapons flying in the air, which was quite common to see.

Dae, on the other hand, had a rather easy time striking the dummy, but Philip soon noticed Berinou's attention shift from him to everyone else. And for good reason…

'Humph… There's nothing to see in someone that already excels… She may as well spend her time looking at others.'

While most people around him could barely even pull a decent hit every three or so tries. Philip spent his time trying to figure out how to employ his technique effectively, not paying much attention to everyone else aside from Dae and Berinou.

'This is a strange feeling, and oftentimes, multiple feelings mix in together. Should I mix those feelings? Categorize them? Name them?... Being a pioneer is quite interesting but grueling at the same time.'

'I guess I should just do what I feel like doing the most.'

/CLANG!/

Philip imbued the dark red energy into his blade, striking at the dummy with enough force to shake the ground!

"Huff…"

'... Man… Are these Dummies made of bedrock or something?... How many swings were it? Seven hundred? Nine hundred? Yet it didn't even have a scratch…'

"This is infuriating…"

'I'll leave a mark on this before this session ends!'

/CLANG!/

Philip's efforts doubled as someone watched from the distance…

…

/Second hour of training…/

/Crunk!/

/Swoosh!/

/BAM!/

After the swings, it was time to defend. The dummies sprung to life as they began swinging metal batons at everyone.

"Defend against one thousand hits she said..."

/Fwoosh!/

/Clang!/

'How bothersome. It's even faster than me… I feel utterly defeated.'

'The longer they attacked and you stood without being hit, the faster the dummies would get. So no matter how good you were at defending, you will eventually be hit or forced to dodge.'

/CLANG!/

'My hands… They're numb. This chunk of metal punches harder then some beasts.'

/CLANG!/

"Huff… You know what?..."

/CLANG!/

/SWING!/

/CLANG!/

"Tsk… What are you even made off?"

Philip tried counterattacking, only for the dummy to take the hit with its bare neck without budging at all.

/Quake…/

"?"

'Something's happening… This doesn't feel right…'

/SWIPE!/

"!"

/CLANG!/

The dummy suddenly sprung forward, striking against his head with incredible speed!

Philip barely avoided the strike, counterattacking with a thrust against its face, yet, even then he left nothing but a layer of dirt on its surface.

Unintentionally, it seemed he had activated the dummy. Increasing its strength and speed even further, leading to an unconventional fight between the two so intense some of the other trainers stoped to look at them.

/CLANG!/

Philip wasn't used to clashing against a swordsman like this in closer quarters. Hunting was usually about tracking and ambushing, hit and run, evading and critical calculated strikes…

/CLANG!/

But due to those stupid rules he was forced to face it without moving, to stand his ground and fight. Otherwise, he would receive that batton straight to the face, and while he was confident in his sturdiness…

/CLANG!/

That was certainly going to hurt quite a bit.

"... F-Fucker."

/CLANG! SWIPE!/

'At this rate, I'll be beaten by this chunk of metal… I think of myself as a patient man but this… This goes beyond my tolerance line.'

/Shine…/

His hands shone faintly as he slowly played with the forces inside his body, trying to figure out ways to damage this chunk of iron.

/CLANG!/

Slowly but surely, he was getting better at it.

"..."

While he was engrossed in his clash, several eyes fell on him, including those of a curious woman…

…

/Third, fourth, and fifth hour of training…/

One hour later, Berinou shared their next exercise regardless if they had finished theirs or not.

A full fighting exercise where they needed to attack, defend, and evade… One thousand times.

There is a catch, the dummy would also attack, evade and defend.

No need to say that most of the people suffered immensely with this.

The only ones in my vision who didn't have that much difficulty were Dae, Department Head Isshin, and another dude Philip couldn't recognize.

'I don't recognize him, I think he is from the outcast group… Oh yeah! One of the ten Strong or whatever Roy said… The dude with the short hair covering his face.'

/Fwoosh!/

Philip evaded his dummy as he looked around.

While the dummy was strong and fast, after fighting it for several hours he had already gotten used to its attack patterns, regardless of how fast they were.

'Seems like these kids have some potential. They're doing better than I expected…'

'I don't recognize all of them… That kid must be Partison, that other man… The one with the strange translucent sword, I think I heard him call himself the fading swordsman.'

He turned to the side, looking at a kid with a large staff as he desperately tried to evade the dummy's attacks.

'That dude with the Ruyi bang staff is doing pretty well himself as well.'

'Most of them are barely just hanging by, everyone else… Is just being beaten up.'

/Fwoosh!/

"Hm… From the looks of it, training is about to end." He muttered to himself as he evaded his dummy once more

'Looks like we'll have to finish this some other time.'

/SWING!/

/Stop…/

His dummy swung his batton at him, but stopped midway through just an inch from his head.

Philip scoffed lightly as he turned around:

"Alright! This is enough for now! We will have a five-minute break before continuing!"

""...""

/Crash!/

Most immediately fell to their knees, sitting down as they gasped for air or were transported elsewhere to receive medical care by the dummies.

'I knew it, these dummies are for more complex than they showed. No wonder mine was so much stronger than everyone else's. It either adapted to my strength on its own or I activated it unknowingly… Or someone else did.' Philip thought as he saw the dummies administer first aid on the hurt students

Everyone was exhausted after three consecutive hours of training. They weren't crybabies like the ones who left, but this was a bit too much. 

They were bruised all over, and if not then they were drenched in sweat. Hungry and thirsty…

"For all those still awake…"

""...""

"Don't look at me like that! I obviously know you are all tired!" She exclaimed out loud as she snickered 

She picked a box filled with intricate glass bottles, all of which were filled with all sorts of colorful liquids. 

"Come and drink your potions! Ha! You need to enjoy this while you can. These are quite expensive."

"Each of you will gain One Light medicinal potion, one Light energetic potion, and one Light refreshment potion. This should be enough for now… As for those knocked out, leave them to me."

""...""

Although most were skeptical about those colorful drinks, they still picked them up and gulped down their contents, feeling better soon after as their soreness eased as their injuries healed.

Their exhaustion disappeared all at once. Such a marvelous feeling…

Philip wanted to keep the potions, but he drank them all in the end.

'They taste fruity. Better than I thought…'

Honestly speaking Philip was in no position to rate the taste of anything at all…

"This is… The best training supplement! I feel as if I can go through that training all over again! No! I am even better than before!"

Most seemed to think the same, they all felt much better after drinking the potions, motivating them to move forward.

"HA! Look at your faces! Let the potions do their magic, we'll resume soon enough!"

"..."

'She is surely energetic screaming all the time… But I thought the first week was reserved for theoretical knowledge and common knowledge… Looks like she has her own plans.'

'Dae was right, she does things her way.'

That said, Philip sat at a corner, inspecting his blade as he waited for her to call them.

'Tsk, the edge is all dull now. I knew this would happen the moment I struck that darned thing. What a pain…'

…

Time passed and they continued with the hellish training.

They ran laps, lifted weights, fought the dummies once more, and even each other at the end, but considering what he knew about it, this training was quite light. 

Military training back on earth was much crueler than this. 

They only momentarily stopped to eat and rest, their only chance of going to the bathroom was during those times as well.

And after eight grueling hours of this, when only a handful of them were left standing, she finally had enough .

"Stop! This is good for today."

/Ploft!/

On the arena, only seven individuals remained, and of those seven, only four hadn't passed out once…

"We will rest for ten Minutes this time then we will proceed with the second part of the training."

""...""

"Don't look at me like that! As all of you have read in the calendar, the first week is reserved for theoretical knowledge."

"So don't fall on the ground just because of some warm-up! Next week when we start delving into more practical knowledge, things will get much harder!"

""...""

Many wanted to scream in agony and despair at her words, but Philip just went to a rock and sat down. His body was a little sore, but this level of activity wasn't even enough for his warmup.

Although he felt somewhat mentally tired from thinking about his technique all the time. You could say he was training himself mentally while everyone else struggled to keep up with their untrained bodies.

Even Dae was like that.

'Everyone is quite tired… Perhaps I should unequip my Class for once…'

{That's a good idea}

'… I am not even surprised anymore… Don't you think you are going a little too far? I thought last time was it for today.'

'I really need to learn how to do this myself… But tell me, what was that about me removing my Class?'

{As said earlier, I don't know exactly how your Skill works, but I do know that you can switch Classes. Because of this, you would occasionally experience strength variations}

{You are strong right now… But your main body is still the priority. Always push it beyond its limits, there's no point in training in something that will one day be abandoned, although that isn't necessarily the case either}

{Just be careful not to Level it up}

'I know that. That said, I guess it's not that late to give it a try.'

{If only, now it is indeed too late. If you change Classes right now Berinou is going to notice it. Try tomorrow if you want, if Berinou asks you can always give her an excuse. The abilities we possess are too complex for people to follow, she'd accept a lame excuse here and there if you don't abuse it}

'Humph… I suposse it was my oversight…'

{I know what is happening, you are thinking about too many things at the same time. This is removing your attention from simple subjects like these. So focus more on the present and leave the future for later}

While he shared that with Philip, Dae had other thoughts…

'Although that was kind of my fault. Giving him so much info might have messed a little with his thought process. Perhaps giving too much info wasn't the right call... But then, I wouldn t have been able to convince him.'

'In any case, I have to place his attention somewhere…'

"Hm…"

Philip opened his Status, pensive:

'… You are right. Leave the future for later... I will take a quick nap while we wait, all of this is leaving me quiter mentally strained.'

{... See ya later}

Philip closed his eyes, his thoughts drifting…

…

/SHOUT!/

"!"

"Enough rest!"

"My ears…"

For the next few hours, Berinou teached them about the world as she was supposed to. 

It was mostly geography and politics, but a certain amount of linguistics was included as well. She passed through most subjects rather quickly without stopping in any for too long, which made it very difficult for them to follow, aside from a few.

And although Philip already knew most of what she said given it was very generic, it was still helpful to learn from the perspective of a native of this world and not some outdated books.

After two or so hours of nonstop yapping, she finally took a deep breath as the sky darkened, saying:

"... We are done here for today, dismissed!"

/Chatter…/

"Urg…"

'Finally… My ass hurts from sitting in this chair for so long.'

Midway through her lesson, a few maids went around the arena prepping it for their class, giving them seats so they could have a place to rest rather then the sandy ground.

Their quality was quite high, that's why most people could even last so long sitting down.

'... What time is it?'

Philip looked at the dark sky, searching for the moon…

'Looking at the moon in the sky, it should be around 8Pm. Perhaps nine?'

'I will go take a shower and meet Dae in the library later. I am not in the mood to eat anything until I resolve some things.'

And so he left without looking back, not realizing that Berinou was looking at his back.

…

/Later…/

"Yawn… He should be here at any moment now…"

It had been 2 hours since he resumed his studies.To be precise, it was currently 10:20 Pm according to the clock on the ceiling of the library…

"When will that guy arrive?"

…

Thankfully, Philip didn't have to wait for too long as Dae showed up soon after:

/Step…/

"Hey… How's it going?"

"... What took you so long?"

"A few minor things here and there… Can't say I have as much time as yesterday so I had to improvise. And I also need your help with something so let's finish this quickly."

"You did mention something about that before… A favor of some sort?"

Dae nodded as he sat down. He stretched his neck as he got himself comfortable.

"There are many Skills I would like to teach you, but let's start with the one you desire the most."

He got straight to the point. Well, he did say he didn't have time to spare…

"I'll teach you how to manipulate Mind/Mental Power and how to apply it like I did so far."

"Anything will do really. I just need to understand this so I can sort my thoughts. I don't like the idea of having powers I don't quite understand within me. Some I can tolerate, others not so much."

Dae smiled but said nothing to his statement. After a slightly moment, he continued:

"... First, let's settle on a form, there are many ways to talk with someone over long distances, the way that I use is based on Mind Power, or Mind force if you wish."

"The Skill name doesn't matter much since it will most likely change but I will say mine either way."

"It's called 'Thought Bridge'. And its most simple use is to send your thoughts over to someone else by creating a bridge between two people, but there are many more uses for this Skill… Like being able to blow someone's mind from a distance."

"... That's quite the extreme example."

"I like the idea of strong examples. It makes people remember them. Anyhow… You should feel honored, although this Skill is simple, it came from the combined knowledge of many masters, and…"

"Keep the lore for later, didn't you say we don't have time?"

"... Alright. The first step in developing this Skill is to have a decent understanding of Mind Power, which you probably do thanks to those books. If not, you can complement the rest later since it should be enough if you can feel it."

"However, don't expect anything to appear in your Status. The System is quite stingy in recognizing anything, even to us who are exceptions to most of its rules."

"The second requirement is also the most important one. You need to have a sufficiently strong Mind Power. It doesn't matter just how proficient you are in using this energy if you don't have enough to initiate the technique. The same can be said for many other things out there."

"But considering your Trait, I think you should have more than enough… Talking about Traits, it should still be absorbing it as we talk right?"

"Yes, albeit it has been dormant for some time now."

"Heh, once it awakens I can proceed to teach you some cool stuff, but let's return to this Skill. You have sufficient knowledge and you have the necessary amount. Let's proceed to the basics…"

"First, you need to build a mind Palace."

"Mind Palace? Erm… I think I read about this… Right. Isn't that something quite advanced?"

'There was only a single book that explained such things within the library. And while it helped me considerably, its not very comprehensive, lacking many ideas to cement my understanding of this subject.''

"Yes it is… At this early in the timeline, it is indeed something near impossible to make for someone like you... Do you remember Eriny? The wizard we met yesterday?"

"The pretty lady? How would I forget someone I met yesterday?"

"Right… Even though she is an Archmage, she just recently built her own mind Palace… And after teaching us for a month, she will enter seclusion and miraculously advance to the 8Th Tier."

"..."

'He talks about the future in such an easygoing way... '

"She should only doing this because she needs time to settle the chaotic forces in her mind. Sigh… Not much I can do for her."

"Hm… So what? Do you want me to build one right now? I'm sorry but that may be too much for me. And for such a "simple" technique, this Skill needs something quite complex…"

"Humph… It s not as hard as you think, making a Mind Palace isn't that complicated at all, even a child can make one if he met all of the previous conditions, much less for someone like you who already has something similar."

"?"

'Something similar?... Does my Trait count as one?... I guess from a certain angle it may pass as a Mental Construct, but that'd be like trying to compare the complexity of a slingshot round to a termonuclear missile.'

"Sigh, the current difficulty in creating a Mind Palace revolves around the rather crude level of knowledge the people of this world have towards the Mind, not because they are weak. The same thing can be applied to subjects related to the Soul."

"I wouldn't say people are that lacking… It's more like… How do I put this?... There is a lot of knowledge in this world but its all scattered. Certain species hold pieces of ancient knowledge hidden to only a select elite. Others treat it as part of their bodies, not developing it as for them, it is natural."

"Pieces have been lost to time, others have faded… It would only be when all those pieces were gathered and studied together under a collective that things will change."

"In the future, all areas will experience a massive explosion of development in order to cope with the changes... Lost knowledge will come back and the organizations will be incapable of suppressing rising stars… A very chaotic Era but one of uncompared development."

"What people believed impossible will happen. As information once locked to a few thousand throughout centuries would now be available to a thousand times that. And all it takes is one idea to change everything."

"My point is that as long as you follow my instructions, building a Mind Palace should be a matter of course, much less when you have 'that energy' inside of you."

"To some degree, perhaps creating a Palace might accelerate the absorption rate."

Philip scratcehd the top of his head as he sighed:

"Sigh… The way you talk makes it seem as if the natives were the country bumpkins, not you, the newly summoned hero from another world…"

"What can I do?... You are kind of right."

"..."

Dae shrugged as he pulled a small notebook from his jacket:

"To make a Mind Palace you first need to…"

…

For the next half hour, Dae shared all of the basic knowledge necessary to make a Mind Palace. 

It's a rather simple process for all that he needed was to condense his Mind Power following a certain pattern and a Mind Palace should form on its own.

To a certain degree, Philip was suspicious of the idea. It made him remember of the Carryl runes, constructs which, when read and visualized, led to a change in how one perceived and interacted with reality.

But at the same time, he could also interpret it as a circuit where his Mind Power was the electricity being guided for a set purpose. If he could give that to it, then the machine that was his mind would sprung to life, becoming a Mind Palace once and for all.

There's no point in punching without purpose. It is in technique and discipline that power is drawn, so you could say this was the same.

But like many times before, not fully understanding what he was being exposed to gave him deep concerns.

"I will teach you the best way to form a Mind Palace… Well… The most flexible as other methods wouldn't quite function right now."

"You see, there are many ways to construct a Mind Palace. Some focus on its defensive capabilities, others focus on its versatility, and many focus on its offensive powers. Whatever is more suitable for their needs."

"What's important to understand is that at the end of the day, the Mind Palace is a construct within your mind and must be compatible with what you believe and aspire to achieve…"

"This ends up creating many problems since sometimes, the most suitable form for a Mind palace might not match the technique or the intent of the user. Just like how someone may train with a sword all their life only for them to learn their vocation was being a dancer all along…"

"Some can adapt and improve, understand and move on, evolve and create something new… But not all can or be given the luxury of even trying."

"So what I'm teaching you is a versatile way to make one developed by…"

"Keep the 'lore' for later."

"... Cough! Pretty much, this technique will allow your body to shape the Mind Power into its most suitable shape. And after a Mind Palace has been set, the rest is pretty simple."

"... bastard…"

"What did you say?"

"Humph."

With a light grunt, Dae pulled a paper sheet with some strange inscriptions painted in it from within his notebook, puting it over the table. 

"Just memorize this paper and think about its contents while you condense your Mind force."

The paper was filled with many strange runes interconnecting with each other, in fact, it seemed to be 3D in some areas. 

It like watching an over the top fantasy magic circle… Wait a minute…

"... Just this?"

"Yes."

"... Wasn't this supposed to be harder or…"

"I told you, this isn't that big of a deal. You are looking at the combined efforts of hundreds of mages who sacrificed themselves for the future… This much was meant to be simple."

"You are the definition of a caveman looking at a modern man riding a tank, its obvious you would have some skepticisms about it."

Dae seemed rather sad and angry as he stated those words, but while he noticed it, Philip opted not to tug at his feelings. Otherwise he would likely be lectured about the symbol's significance for who knew how long and after everything he did in the morning, he wasn't feeling it right now.

"Memorizing this will be a pain though… Is this a 3D image?"

"Yes, but in your case… You shouldn't have any problem."

"... Because of the Mental Library?"

"What else? You are already set for this."

"You see, you need to memorize this rune in your mind right? But isn't it being recorded in the Mental Library the same? Although you don't comprehend this knowledge, nor did you truly memorize it, the rune is still contained inside your mind."

"If its inside your head... All of our problems are thus resolved."

"... You make some sense. Fine, but I'd still prefer to try at least. Just let me look at it for some time just to make sure that nothing goes wrong."

Dae opened his hands with a light shrug. He was free to do as he wished. It was his mind after all.

"Hm…"

Reading the rune wasn't difficult, even though he couldn't recognize the language it was written in, nor did his linguistic Skill trigger. Philip still managed to fully memorize the rune, much to his surprise. 

'Looks like my current mind is already beyond Human. To memorize such a complex thing without the help of the Library. Still… I don't feel any different at all.'

'Honestly I never felt strange. The weirdest feeling I have comes from the unique senses I'm slowly developing… But I guess this is part of it, right?... Transcendence.'

'I wonder, at which point will my thinking process stop being Human as I'm constantly exposed to these strange things? One day, it won't be the same anymore. I'll be so distant from a normal person's thought process that if they try to peer into mind, wouldn't they go crazy?'

'To some degree, they may already do if they end up peering into the Mental Library, the overload of information may kill them… If that's possible.'

"... It s been 10 minutes. Are you ready?"

"I am."

"Good."

Dae reached for his jacket's pocket, taking a small square tablet from within.

It looked like a biscuit, a rather hard one.

[Unknown item

Effects supposedly helps with condensing your Mind force.

It looks like an overly hard cracker.

]

"Eat this tablet first, it will help you in condensing your Mind force, and in case you feel as if you are lacking in strength to keep going, you can eat one of these pills. They are hard to swallow but do not munch them."

"I will be here if anything goes wrong."

"..."

[Unknown Pill

Effects, It supposedly gives you more strength in the subject of the mind.

Its shape, appearance, and smell make it most likely to be Tranquil mind Pills refined by the…

]

"... Where did you get these, erm…? Tranquil Mind Pills?"

"So you know. Looks like that Skill of yours is working as expected."

"... Let's just proceed, we already wasted too much time on this."

Dae nodded as he gestured for him to start.

'... It's now or never.'

Philip ate the tablet and closed his eyes... 

…

/10 minutes later…/

"..."

Dae observed Philip with a serious gaze, observing his every action.

'... Good, he is proceeding at an incredible pace… He is truly talented.'

'With this, Philip will take his first step into becoming the Spear… A Mind Palace in the first week, no, third day right?… Hahaha! This will surely give him an incredible achievement.'

'The faster we do things, the better. That's how the System categorizes things… It's a shame though… If only I could do that first. Unfortunately, my mind doesn't fulfill all of the necessary conditions yet. And likely won't for a long time as well.'

'If I can t get it, it's better to give it to Philip, hence, he will owe me another one… He already owes me a lot…'

'Not that it changes anything. The benefits of the System are great and all but in the end, we're working to grow beyond its grasp. This is my… No, our final goal.'

/Growl…/

"Ten… No, five more minutes should be enough." Dae mumbleded to himself as he looked at Philip's forehead

It began to tense, his veins growing as they formed bumps on his skin.

His body trembled, causing the table and chair to vibrate lightly…

/Poof!/

Suddenly, blue gas started to leave Philip's ears.

"W-What?!"

'This… So soon?!'

…

/Meanwhile…/

'ARGG! THIS HURTS! I'VE NEVER FELT THIS BAD BEFORE!'

'D-DAE KYOUNG! YOU DARNED SON OF A…!'

Just like Dae said, after eating the tablet, Philip slowly felt Mind force condense.

It was a strange feeling and procedure far too difficult to explain. But if he were to try and do so, he'd say it was like there was something compressing his brain. Like someone was squeezing a sponge but without having it's contents spill out…

Even so, it didn't hurt at all… Not at the start at least.

After an unknown period of time, Philip started to feel a splitting headache from deep inside his mind. Something deep within him was warning him of danger. His instincts screamed of it… he had do to something…

But Philip kept those in check, doing as Dae told him as he resisted the pain… For a minute… Several… Hours… Days?

How long had it been? Stuck in this loop of perpetual pain? 

His only company in this sea of nothingness was himself. His thoughts his only solace to try and distract himself from the slow decay of his being…

Dae told Philip the Rune would appear naturally as soon as he had gathered enough Mind force to form a Palace… But after so long, nothing happened… So he took a Pill, and another, and another…'

It was only after six Pills did Philip feel as if he was utterly stuffed… And with it, something finally changed.

The Rune he was supposed to form finally appeared in the dark void that was his mind, shining light everywhere, bringing him somewhere else, a place he knew…

His mental space where he had seen his Mind Paladin once inhabited. Devoid of life and purpose aside from the small cocoon which contained him.

As he felt those changes, Philip's thoughts would run astray. Sometimes he felt anger, othertimes pride, but most of the time. Indignation.

Dae told him it was a simple process to follow, but this was the complete opposite of simple! 

Maintaining concentration in this environment was already hard, much less if he had to remember a complex 3D image that was the fucking Rune…

Thankfully he had the Mental library to assist him, but it was hard to imagine how things would've been if it hadn't been there…

Still, it was far from over, as after the Rune appeared, the pain rose by several degrees as if hot iron had been poured inside his head.

Worse of all, his Trait refused to activate, making the process all the much grueling as he had to persevere through this augmented pain alone…

This was something Dae said might happen, that ince this is something inside his head, that his Trait might not work at all given the circumstances.

But knowing the fact didn't make it at all easier to withstand.

Philip already knew that his Trait couldn't effectively protect him against something that happens inside of its walls. Against an idea that had already cement itself inside of it.

His Trait was powerful but not almighty. Slight and consistent changes were within the possible range of motion Philip believed outside of its influence. 

People change as they grow old. Was his Trait supposed to prevent him from growing and maturing mentaly? If so, what was its true form and goal?

He could do nothing aside from thinking and especullating, his mind shattered and in disarray…

Albeit odd, he thanked his time in the nightmare for it shaped his mind to be sturdy, otherwise he may have crumbled by now. Or so he believed.

He was awfully unappreciative of his own efforts. But were these his true thoughts or…

He resisted and resisted and… Eventually…

...

The excruciating pain finally ended. In its place, within the white world, there was now a beautiful silvery castle on top of a green hill. It was surrounded by tall walls and he could even see a library deep inside.

It was like a small castle village from medieval times.

[DING!]

[You have made an achievement never once recorded in history!]

'I… I what?'

…

.

.

.

Notes

I say this in advance for I am sorry for this fact... But POE 2 early access will drop by tomorrow and I'm definitely going for it.

I should still be posting once a week though. Albeit I'll take a vacation with my father and brother this weekend so it may be an issue to post another chap.

That said, thank you for reading, peace!