Mandu’s Lifelong Regret

Inala only had 12 Prana at present. The previous day, he had twenty. But to fool Resha, he blew up eight Spirit Containers, causing him to lose 8 Prana.

His control was improving day by day thanks to his practice with the Spirit Reinforcement Skill. But it would still take him time to catch a Prana Bomb thrown by a Zinger Captain. That would only be possible once he reached the peak of the Spirit Stage.

But that didn't mean he didn't have other means. 'Puppetry Skill allows dextrous control of a complex arrangement of Spirit Weapons. With that, I don't need to face the Prana Bombs head-on but can deflect them.'

The glove would catch the Prana Bomb anyway. Moreover, this would happen many metres away from Inala. That meant he had a window anywhere from 0.1 to 1 second, depending on the distance to react.

By making the glove move at an angle, he could divert the projectile path of the Prana Bomb. As long as he diverts it by a metre, he would avoid an impact to his being. Inala intended to reach such a level of skill.

'It seems I cannot avoid classes thanks to Instructor Mandu. Might as well use his good grace and train under his protection.' He intended to stick close to Instructor Mandu for the purpose, 'Besides, he reached the Life Stage. I can obtain some valuable information regarding it from him.'

Only information regarding the Spirit Stage and the early phase of the Body Stage were taught in class. Information about the Life Stage was only available to elites that crept towards the peak of the Body Stage.

Too many things beyond one's control would happen in Sumatra Continent. Therefore, at the first sign of a variable, one would have to alert their plans accordingly. Inala had been repeating this statement to follow it by heart.

And now, it was effective, seeing how he didn't even waste any time thinking about having to scrape his original plans. Rather, his brain began to think up new schemes naturally, 'My mental training is working. My mind is acclimating to this world.'

Seated at the back of the class, Inala listened to the lecture while controlling his glove. Whenever a Prana Bomb came in range, he caught them.

When the Zinger Scouts observed his actions, they avoided the area. But that was only temporary.

On every mountain lived a Zinger colony. As the Empyrean Tusk moved and walked past a new mountain, the Zinger colony there raided it.

So, every time this happened, a group of Zinger Scouts would attack the academy. That also meant there would be short intervals free of attacks, which was when Inala took a breather.

Eventually, it was evening time as classes had ended. 'I somehow survived through that.'

Inala sighed in relief. Not a single student had died to the Zingers, thanks to the protection of the Instructors. But there was no guarantee of it all the time. And that uncertainty was what gave him the loosies.

"Inala, you need to be prepared." Instructor Mandu approached him right as he was about to leave. He brought Inala to a corner and whispered, "In two days, you'll be visiting the 43rd Settlement. Their leader wishes to see you and told you to prepare something called an Imagination Art."

"What is this Imagination Art?" He asked in curiosity.

"It's an advanced version of the portraits I make," Inala said, purposefully expressing pride, "They are useful to train our emotions."

"Does it work?" Instructor Mandu pondered. He wasn't the type to believe something unless provided with solid proof.

"We'll know in two days. I boasted about it to one of the 43rd Settlement Chief's daughters. I'm sure this summons is to test the veracity of my claim." Inala nodded.

"Work hard to succeed," Instructor Mandu patted him in seriousness, "Succeed and become valuable to our clan. That way, you'll have a future."

"If only you didn't have the Fragment Disease…" He trailed off and walked away, muttering softly, "Your talents would have granted you a solid future."

"At least better than mine."

His last statement held his regret. Inala silently stared at the retreating figure of Instructor Mandu, 'Mandu, an unfortunate character.'

When he was a student, Mandu slacked off during training. He hailed from a decently well-off family. His parents were well-known elites and possessed enough power to take up important tasks in the Clan.

He never felt a strong drive to improve himself. As a result, when he graduated, the Clan's evaluation of his potential was merely C-Grade.

The task of the Instructors in the Academy wasn't limited to teaching the students. But from the age of ten when a student entered the academy to when they graduated, the Instructors would evaluate them on many criteria.

Resourcefulness, Survivability, Desire for Survival, and finally, Potential Contribution to the Mammoth Clan. The last factor was the most important of them all. Over the course of five years in the academy, the student would be evaluated.

The Instructors would pile up all the data and present it to the Settlement Leader and the council of masters. The masters would grade the students from D to A.

A D-Grade student would receive a Beginner Iron Grade Pranic Beast egg to fuse with. Intermediate Iron Grade egg for C-Grade students, Advanced Iron Grade egg for B-Grade students, and finally, Expert Iron Grade egg for A-Grade students.

The Settlement Leader would be the one that decided the type of Pranic Beast a student would get in their grade. And finally, if there turns up a genius student with a frightening potential in terms of Clan contribution, the Settlement Leader would up the student's grade from A to S.

An S-Grade student would receive a Beginner Silver Grade Pranic Beast egg. A Mammoth Clansmen that had fused with a Silver Grade Pranic Beast would become a master. It was not to mention the sheer increase in lifespan a Silver Grade Pranic Beast granted, allowing masters to live for many centuries.

Mandu was granted an Intermediate Iron Grade Pranic Beast. It implied that the Clan had no expectations of him. The fact that Instructor Mandu became a master was a show of his sheer talent.

He realised his talent on the day he became an elite, regretting his decision tremendously. Had he done his best, he would have become an S-Grade student.

Instead of a weak master, he would have been a true powerhouse and supported his Clan better. That was his regret and the reason he constantly urged the students to work their hardest.

But during the First Major Disaster, that regret would only envelop him fully, causing Instructor Mandu to curse himself nonstop as everyone dear to him dies.