Chapter 24: Training (4)

"First, calm down. The solution, though straightforward, comes with its complexities. But before we delve into it, I need to understand why you lost consciousness after battling the spider. Was it due to mental exhaustion or physical exhaustion?"

Ethan scratched his head and recounted how he had pushed himself too far with the gravity sight and how his carelessness had led to the confrontation with the spider.

As Ethan finished explaining, a realization dawned on Oneiro. "So, if I understand correctly, you achieved a breakthrough to the first rank of Mind Power while being mentally and physically exhausted? That simplifies matters considerably."

Ethan's eyes began to gleam with hope. Could it be that he was on the verge of unlocking his telekinesis? However, the next sentence hit him like a bucket of ice-cold water.

"It seems that you won't be able to use it in this world with your own body. Let me explain.

You have one of two possibilities. The first is simple and I guess that the one you are going to be using. You have to heal your mental exhaustion. This should only take you about 2 days of physical rest in the real world."

Ethan frowned upon hearing it. "What kind of rest are you talking about?" He could not think that just resting would clear his predicament.

"Absolut. No training, no exhaustion, no pain, no suffering. Just resting and calming down. It's as easy as that." Ethans frown deepened. Ethan felt some kind of urgency. It was like Ethans sixth sense. "I am sorry master, but I don't think that I have this much time."

"Well, as I said there's another way, but it's much worse and will keep you defenseless for a certain amount of time. Unfortunately I can tell you how long this will last since it differs from person to person." Ethans frown deepened. He was not ready to take a risk in this unfamiliar dungeon.

"Well, I am going to explain it to you later. First let me help you with another way."

Oneiro snapped his finger again and Ethan found himself in front of a desolate place with many objects of different sizes appearing in front of him. It was not the first time he saw this set up. He turned to Oneiro and awaited his explanation. He surely wouldn't bring him here just to do what he already tried before. Didn't he just say that in the current situation there is no way that he could use his telekinesis?

"Well, you surely want to know why I still brought you here. The reason is simple, you are going to take over my body."

"WHAAAT??" Ethan knew exactly what that meant. Possession of an foreign body would only be possible with the highest level of trust. The body would instinctively reject any interference and not allow anyone to take control. If Ethan learned something in the past 2 months, it would be that he knew when Oneiro was making a joke and when he was serious. And lately Oneiro did not make any jokes at all.

Since he knew about the fact that Ethan could use telekinesis, it was as if he was a completely different person. As if he was possessed by this thought and determined to help Ethan use this power.

"Don´t 'WHAAAT?' me like that. This is the only way for you to train telekinesis and get the hang of it. While it won't be exactly the same, you can first train the different Ideas in this world and then get used to it with your own body. And while it's not the perfect solution, it's still better than still using your gravity control."

"So you want me to control your body to learn how to use telekinesis?"

"Yes, since you are able to use telekinesis, you will eventually be able to use it. Therefore, even if this is not the optimal solution, this will be your ticket to success."

And like 20 more days went by in the dream world this Oneiro guided Ethan to take over his body and help him adapt to use telekinesis.

************

"Henry, we have an urgent report. Our scouts found a cave, but it seemed like someone had already entered. There is a dead Charmweaver Spider in front of it."

"WHAT?!" Henry was harvesting a herb with five blue coloured leaves when Amanda came with the urgent news. The blue star was very rare to herb known to replenish mental energy and was an important ingredient for alchemists. It would need a high level of concentration while harvesting to not damage the herb or the root. However, the moment he heard Amanda he instinctively used his telekinesis and flattened every herb in the vicinity.

"How far are we from the Cave?" Henry demanded. Amanda knew exactly why he needed to find the cave before anyone else. It wasn't really a secret that he was aiming to break through the first rank mind power and become the first to do so, while being on the foundation rank.

After all this was the way the school planned for Henry, making him into a monster to lead the world.

"We are about half an hour away if we go at full speed." Amanda told Henry.

"Lead the way and tell the scouts to check if someone is still in the cave."

"Roger."

**************

"How did he even manage to kill one Charmweaver spider without alerting the others? Could it be some kind of trap?"

"It doesn't matter. Henry gave an order, and we better follow it. He's still frustrated because of the incident in the dungeon."

"Don't act like it doesn't bother you, Allen. A newly awakened boy with an unknown origin defeated almost all the geniuses from four out of the big five. If word gets out that even the two super geniuses were defeated, we'll become the laughingstock for generations to come."

Allen's face tightened. "It's not that it doesn't bother me, Bali. It's just that no one was using their full power due to the restrictions. If we encounter him again, we'll defeat him with ease." He clenched his fist, trying to reassure himself.

"What are the both of you doing? You should enter the Cave and look for traces."

"Well, the trace shows that the spider was fighting only one awakened, who still did not exit the cave, but something is fishy." Bali, the younger of the two scouts with a small build and black hair, explained.

Then he continued. "There are 10 spiders in the area, so it's very unusual, no more unlikely that no other beast took note of the fight and stayed away."

"Hmm. if that's the case he should have used an illusion. That means that the one who entered the cave shouldn't be too strong and he should be in need of the Metaphoria Spring. We need to stop him and force him to hand over wha…." The captain suddenly jolted.

"YOU STUPID PRICKS, IF HE IS STAYING IN THE CAVE HE COULD ALREADY BE USING THE SPRING! ATTACK EVEN IF WE ALERT THE OTHER SPIDERS."

"Ohh, sh*t."

"F***"

Allen and Bali cursed at the same time about their stupidity. If they are the reason why Henry would not get breakthrough, they can forget leaving this dungeon in peace.

"Order every scout to this vicinity. We will attack together in 2 min. Even if there is a trap, I don't think he will be able to take us all down." The captain then pondered for a second and added. And lead the spiders to the cave. If they see their fallen comrade they should sense her murderer."

"Roger, Captain."

*************

One more month passed in the dream world and Ethan used telekinesis to form solid objects. In this case he was using a very tiny needle. The process is split into multiple steps.

Step one is to visualize the construct, in Ethans that case it was a simple needle.

The second step is to channel the telekinetic energy, focusing it with precision on the desired location where the construct will take form. This energy is then shaped and molded according to the mental blueprint.

The third step is to solidify the object. This includes the density and hardness allowing in variation of straight and flexibility.

And lastly the two most difficult steps that Ethan was struggling with right now: Control and Maintenance.

The reason was simple: It required a very high level of control over every aspect including the construct, size and shape. And Maintaining this required a high amount of mental power.

As Ethan practiced these steps, his real body sat cross-legged in front of Oneiro in the dream world. Both had their eyes closed, and in the space between them, a telekinetic needle took shape.

Oneiro was impressed by Ethan's rapid progress. "You've picked this up faster than I expected," he remarked, no longer too surprised by Ethan's remarkable talent. He had tailored Ethan's training to suit his abilities.

Ethan let out a sigh of relief. "Phew, that makes it five abilities I've learned with telekinesis: object manipulation, telekinetic shield, telekinetic flight, telekinetic communication, and now, even if only at a basic level, telekinetic construction. I should be able to adapt to telekinesis quickly once my body stops rejecting this power."

Ethan and Oneiro opened their eyes simultaneously.

Oneiro's gaze shifted upward, and his eyes turned white as he tapped out of his dream world's senses. "Ah, it seems you have a guest, Ethan," he remarked.

"After about three months of honing your skills and battling various beasts, it's time for me to fulfill my promise. I'll tell you the story about your true enemies. But first, you need to wake up and get ready. I've left some spider eggs for you in the cave; you can eat them to quell your hunger."

Ethan's face twitched at the mention of spider eggs. "Are you for real? The first thing you want me to eat after three months of torture are spider eggs?"

Oneiro responded with an evil smile, "What? You don't like my gift? If you prefer, I can take them away. I'm sure you can find food in this dungeon by yourself."

Ethan hesitated for a moment. "Well, at least it should be very nutritious."

Oneiro became serious, "Even if the time here is distorted, it's not unlimited. You'll recover quickly once you wake up. The memories of this world might take some time to digest, but your mind should have developed some muscle memory, so dealing with those small fries should be no problem."

Ethan inquired, "How many are there, and how strong are they?"

Oneiro took a step closer and lifted his hand with a smile. "Are you asking a senior to interfere between juniors? Are you really that unconfident in your strength? Kikikiki."

Ethan attempted to clarify, "That's not what I meant. I just..."

Oneiro interrupted him reassuringly, "Don't worry, you'll be fine."

With a gentle touch, Oneiro placed his palm on Ethan's head, and the scene shifted. Ethan found himself facing 'Valor,' who still had his hand on his head. He looked into Valor's pitch-black eyes as Oneiro explained that Ethan would first wake up in his original dream before awakening for real. Ethan was left wondering how Oneiro's ability exactly worked.

Taking a step back, Ethan placed his right fist in his left palm and said, "Thank you. Thank you for everything, Master."

Though it was hard to discern due to the inky blackness of Valor's eyes, Ethan felt as if he could sense a hint of guilt.