The Beginning of Training (Part 2)
On a steep hill known for giving even adult men a tough time, two middle-aged men had unpacked their belongings atop the summit, relishing the blowing wind.
"Hehe... I can't endure this any longer. After this uphill journey, I should take a break or something."
"Retirement, my foot! If I want to raise the late bloomer I got a while ago, I need to earn a few more coins! Looking at someone having a kid at that age, he's still quite energetic!"
Engaging in light banter, the weary traveling merchants were taking a brief rest from their strenuous ascent.
Amidst exchanging trivial stories, one man abruptly halted the conversation, tilting his head.
"...Hey, do you hear something strange?"
"Strange sound? What sound?"
The unexpected remark led the other merchant to instinctively turn his head.
Initially skeptical, he soon, like his companion, could hear the 'strange sound.'
Zzkiik- Zzkiik-.
An oddly unsettling noise that tickled the nerves.
The merchants' eyebrows furrowed.
"What's this sound?"
"Yeah, what is it?"
As they speculated about the source of the noise, they soon realized one thing.
That was...
Zzkiik- Zzkiik-.
The disturbing noise was gradually intensifying.
"Is it approaching this way?"
"Get, get your belongings first!"
The fact that the sound was becoming clearer indicated an unknown something was drawing near.
Having wandered the continent for a long time, gaining ample experience, they instinctively grabbed their belongings, ready to flee at any moment.
Just as they hastily shouldered their baggage.
Alongside the regular sound that had been ringing, another sound mingled.
Zzkiik- Kkung!
Zzkiik- Heung!
Strange moans echoed at the tail end of the eerie noise.
Those unsettling sounds detained the footsteps of those about to leave.
Soon, the bizarre source of the noise revealed itself beyond the hill.
Zzkiik- Heung!
At the hill's summit, the first thing to come into view was a round-headed boy with impressive black hair.
Zzkiik-.
The unpleasant noise resounded once again.
"Heung!"
Accompanied by agonizing muttering, the face of a boy in pain emerged above the horizon like the sun rising over the hill.
The merchants, watching the visibly strained face, couldn't help but feel a shared discomfort.
Shortly after, the identity of what caused the boy's distress was unveiled.
Seeing it, the merchants blinked in disbelief.
"That... a carriage?"
Of course, it wasn't just any carriage.
What in the world...
"Hmph! You, you brat with no manners. If your lost dignity crawled up this hill with strength and stamina, then climbing this kind of slope should have been a piece of cake!"
...It was a cart carrying a verbose and eccentric old man.
Zzkiik-.
"Kkuung."
"Just pulling a single cart and making so much noise as if taking a crap!"
"Kkh."
"If you keep this up, you'll really lose your mind, lose it!"
"Cur, cursed... old fart."
"Klk, haven't you lost it already?"
"Yo, you cursed... old geezer!"
Shouting curses while grinding his teeth, the black-haired boy with golden eyes, Yuri, pulled the cart tirelessly. Finally, he could set foot at the summit of the hill.
Zzkiik-.
The cart reached the two exhausted traveling merchants and came to a stop right in front of them.
And then,
Thud-.
Yuri collapsed like a lifeless body.
"Kkaeuk, heuk..."
Appearing as if he might stop breathing at any moment, the sprawled figure pathetically extended a hand toward the merchants.
"Mu... mu... mournful..."
Though it was their first meeting, the trembling hand of Yuri was something the merchants couldn't ignore. Treating it as saving a life, they urgently approached Yuri and fed him sips of water from a leather flask.
Slurp-.
Yuri gulped down the water urgently, causing the leather flask to shrink instantly.
"Kkeoeuk!"
After quickly draining the water and coughing up phlegm, Yuri, with moist eyes, firmly grabbed the merchant's hand.
"Ble... blessed be."
"Are you, are you alright?"
"I'm, I'm fine. But more importantly... how long does it take to get from here to Chrome Harbor?"
"Chrome? If it's Chrome... it'll take roughly four days on foot."
"Four days..."
Yuri's face stiffened slightly at the mention of a four-day journey to the destination.
Seeing this, Johan chuckled.
"Why? Can't make it? Thinking of giving up here? Not a bad idea either."
"...."
"Tsk tsk, I must have misjudged people. What's the point of living if you can't even overcome
something like this?"
"…."
"Aigoo, how am I supposed to raise such a half-wit into a useful person?"
"Kuk!"
"Just give up and die, it would be easier for everyone. If you're going to give up, do it quickly. I don't want to waste my time either."
Watching Johan sitting comfortably on the cart and chuckling, Yuri's temples bulged with frustration.
"Darn it..."
Grumbling, Yuri struggled to stand, "Thank you for the water," he curtly thanked the merchants, then grabbed the handle of the cart.
Zzkiik-.
The halted cart resumed its journey with Yuri emitting a cry.
Stumbling and moving slowly.
Yuri, pulling the cart, cautiously descended the steep hill.
After a tumultuous event.
"...What happened back there?"
"W-Well, it's hard to say."
The two traveling merchants could only blankly watch Yuri's retreating figure.
Meanwhile.
Hoo- Hoo-.
Yuri, exhaling hot breath as he descended the hill, ground his teeth.
"Darn it..."
This wasn't right.
No matter how many times he thought about it, the feeling that it wasn't right persisted.
But there was nowhere to complain.
After all, this was all his own doing.
"Damn it...!"
As he cursed vehemently.
In that moment of releasing coarse words, Yuri's mind swiftly replayed the hellish three weeks.
Pulling and running with the cart, resting by hanging on the cart.
Even eating and drinking were done while pulling the cart.
Sleep?
He could only close his eyes by fainting.
If someone had witnessed it, they would have called it a crazy act of ruining one's body, not building strength.
Indeed, that was the truth.
Moreover, Yuri's physical condition was deteriorating due to the enormous strain on his soul.
In such a situation, excessive physical training might become detrimental rather than beneficial.
Yet, here he was.
"Damn... Is this... really working?"
Although it wouldn't be strange for Yuri to vomit blood and die on the spot, miraculously, his stamina was increasing day by day.
On the first day, he fainted and vomited after less than two hours of pulling the cart, and then he got up again, pulling the cart with a wobbly gait.
For the first few days, this was his daily routine.
However, as time passed, the frequency of fainting decreased, and the time spent pulling the cart increased.
Now, he had reached a point where climbing the hill today seemed feasible.
"Darn... If only it didn't have any effect..."
Even though each day felt like it might be his last, he sensed that not only his stamina but also his health was gradually recovering.
It was a bizarre phenomenon.
"I don't know what the old man did, but this absurd cart-pulling seems to be helping me."
Given the circumstances, there was not much choice.
He had to pull the cart as instructed.
Of course, Yuri's determination to pull the cart went beyond the training effect; it was influenced by his pride, thinking, 'I won't give up so easily in the face of such a trivial hardship!'
For this reason, despite the nagging remarks coming from behind, Yuri silently continued to pull the cart.
"Hey! Your legs are showing, you rascal! Can't you move faster? So, when do you plan to reach Chrome at this pace!"
"...."
"Remember, the balance of the body stems from sturdy lower limbs! Furthermore, there's no part as crucial as the lower body for a man! Hm!"
"It must be tough... Can't you stop dirtying my ears with unnecessary comments?"
"Hey! Calling it unnecessary talk! Later on, you'll realize it's valuable advice that turns into blood and flesh!"
...In reality, Yuri didn't just pull the cart silently.
He had tried to break the cart several times.
'I can endure any physical pain to become stronger! It's my choice.'
But!
'That darn old man comfortably making fun of me is something I can't stand! I'd rather carry a rock and go, but I can't stand seeing that old man resting comfortably!'
So, he had made up his mind.
To break the cart.
If he did that, wouldn't Inspirit have to walk until he found another cart?
With such determination, Yuri had tried to break the cart several times.
Intentionally taking rough paths.
Quietly shaking the cart here and there, even throwing large stones when Inspirit wasn't looking.
Yet, surprisingly...
"Damn! Was this cart made of solid steel?! Why is it so sturdy?!"
No, even if it were made of solid steel, it should have broken if treated so roughly.
But this darn old worn-out cart, instead of breaking down, hadn't received a single scratch.
Did that make any sense?
'Surely... the old man played a trick. That must be it!'
If not, an old cart made of wood couldn't have endured this for so long.
Thunk-.
Yuri ground his teeth, still holding the cart.
"What are you doing? Did the guy pulling the cart die? A rolling stone might be faster than this!"
As the inevitable scolding from behind rained down, Yuri vented his frustration with a fierce scream.
"Aaargh!"
A scream as painful as it was accelerating legs.
In response, Johan cheered with excitement.
"Oh! Finally, the speed of the rolling stone caught up! Faster! Faster!"
"Yoooouuu old maaan!"
"Reflexes, this guy! Take that!"
"Aaaargh!"
With such a painful scream, the worn-out cart rushed down the hill.
Towards the south where the cradle was located.
* * *
Yuri opened his eyes.
A clear sky filled his view.
"Fainted again."
After three weeks of this routine every day, fainting and waking up had become a familiar routine.
"Seeing that it's still daylight... I haven't been lying down for too long."
In recent days, the time between fainting and waking up was getting shorter.
Recently, it took only an hour to recover after fainting.
The common sense was that the body of an ordinary person suffering from heatstroke wouldn't recover with such brief rest.
But surprisingly, Yuri's body transformed as if it were new every time he woke up.
"Urgh!"
Stretching out, Yuri looked at Johan, who was lying in the cart, wiggling his feet.
"I wonder what kind of trick Inspirit is doing to my body while I'm unconscious."
Otherwise, this unreasonable recovery wouldn't make sense.
As Yuri gazed at Johan, his eyes subtly changed.
"Hey, if you woke up, move! What are you doing there?"
Promptly responding to the usual nagging, Yuri swiftly began pulling the cart.
Witnessing Yuri's reflexive movement, he shivered as a realization hit him.
"Oh... I've been brainwashed."
After three weeks of daily routines, Yuri's body was now moving unconsciously.
In the face of such reality, a sudden surge of sadness overwhelmed Yuri.
However, despite the melancholy emotion, Yuri's body continued to pull the cart silently.
How much longer did he have to endure this?
"How much do you know about Mana Arts?"
Johan, who had been lying in the cart and making pointless remarks every day, brought up a different topic for the first time. An unexpectedly constructive one at that.
A slightly perplexed Yuri stammered out a response.
"Well... I guess I know as much as anyone else?"
"And what exactly do you know?"
"Well, Mana Arts started to advance significantly when the ancient Easterners settled in this land. The knowledge they passed down mixed with ancient Mana Arts forms the foundation of the Mana Arts we use now."
"Where did you hear that from?"
"Oh, I heard it from a retired mercenary I happened to meet. I was somewhat interested in Mana Arts at that time."
"Oh, really? Did you learn anything else?"
"That was it."
"...."
"If you want to hear more, you have to pay. So, I immediately kicked him out when he asked for money."
"Tsk."
"Oh! Since Mana Arts involves using mana, it's challenging to learn. But if you learn it properly, making a living won't be difficult. That's what the mercenary guy said."
"...Not everyone knows as much."
"Really?"
"Well, I didn't learn anything wrong. But I haven't learned anything properly either."
"Then?"
"Mana Arts refers to the process of training the body by accumulating mana and any action that emits magical power through the body. It's a term that encompasses everything."
"Magical power?"
"Magical power is a measurement of the force that can be produced with one mana unit. Usually, when we say 1 magical power, it means producing 1 force with 1 unit of mana."
"So, 100 magical power means producing 100 forces with 1 unit of mana?"
"Oh, quite clever of you."
"...Who do you think I am, an idiot? Anyway, whether you have more magical power means you're stronger?"
"While magical power is not the only measure of strength, it is commonly used as a standard. The higher your magical power, the stronger you are, broadly speaking."
The explanation from Johan continued.
Even for a layman who hadn't learned anything, he could occasionally produce 1 force with the mana naturally harbored in their body.
And 100 magical powers meant having twice the strength of an average adult male.
If you wanted to qualify for the official 1st rank test, you needed a magical power of over 1,000.
Furthermore, measuring magical power was costly, but cradle-born individuals could measure it for free.
The explanations about the basic theories of mana and magical power that Yuri had never heard before had his full attention.
Amid this, a sudden intense curiosity arose.
"So..."
Yuri blurted out a straightforward question that anyone might have.
"What's Inspirit's magical power?"
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