Chapter 12
The successive mana refinement sessions had come to an end.
The trainees were drenched in sweat and panting heavily, but most of them were refining their mana without much trouble and steadily growing stronger.
There was, however, one exception.
Ethan.
“Again.”
Walter spoke.
Ethan brought the Grade 3 runestone in his hand toward his heart.
With a faint vibration, mana flowed into his body.
He tried to inscribe the rune in accordance with his own mana, maintaining the proper balance and keeping the intensity at an appropriate level.
But—
Crack!
The runestone shattered.
Its fragments crumbled into dust in his palm.
“How many times has he broken one now?”
“It’s honestly impressive, considering it’s Ethan.”
The trainees murmured among themselves. This was not his first failure. He had already failed five times in a row.
Before the rune could even be inscribed into his heart, the runestone had been unable to withstand the process and had shattered.
“Hmm.”
Walter’s expression grew subtly tense.
At first, he had assumed it was just a simple failure, but cases of repeated failure on this scale were rare.
Besides, Ethan had never been particularly bad at mana refinement.
“This is… an unusual case.”
“What’s the problem?”
Ethan asked, looking bewildered.
His face now showed signs of impatience. Even Walter, who had been skillfully managing the trainees, looked troubled as he folded his arms.
After some thought, he finally reached a conclusion.
“Your body is too strong.”
“…What?”
“It’s because of the Hittite Body-Strengthening Technique. Normally, when someone’s body reaches this level of strength, their runes adapt naturally. But your body is so strong that it’s preventing you from properly absorbing the runestone. It’s a phenomenon caused by an imbalance between your physical body and the runestone. Simply put, rather than your body struggling to withstand the power of a Grade 3 runestone, it’s rejecting the runestone instead.”
Ethan had found it strange from the beginning that the runestone would not embed itself in his heart, even as he repeatedly tapped his chest.
However, he had never expected the cause to be that he was too strong.
“Then… what should I do?”
Ethan asked, looking troubled. He could not keep failing forever.
Walter sighed.
“You need to use a stronger runestone.”
“Don’t tell me… a Grade 2 runestone?”
Walter stared intently at Ethan.
Grade 2 runestones were incomparably purer than Grade 3 ones, and that made them far more dangerous.
There was a high chance that the flow of mana would become turbulent, and the absorption process could cause adverse effects on the body.
And… they were outrageously expensive.
“That’s right. But this is something we need to consider carefully. Grade 3 runestones shatter because they can’t withstand you, but a Grade 2 runestone could destroy your body instead of protecting it. This isn’t simply a matter of refining mana. You’re inscribing the rune directly into your heart, which makes it even more dangerous.”
Ethan pressed his lips tightly together.
Even so, he knew there was no other choice.
Walter let out a sigh.
“This isn’t something I can decide on my own. I’ll have to report it to the higher-ups.”
After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he looked at Ethan and spoke.
“For now, go to the equipment room and bring back the remaining runestones. In the meantime, I’ll submit a report to the higher-ups.”
“Understood.”
Ethan nodded and headed off.
Ethan opened the equipment room door at a brisk pace. However, he had no choice but to stop when he saw what lay before him.
“…What? They’re all gone?”
The runestone storage cabinets, which should have been filled compartment by compartment, were completely empty.
He had expected at least a few to remain, but there was not even a trace of one left.
His mind immediately began racing.
He had been told that plenty of runestones were prepared for training. There was no way the entire supply should have been depleted.
Then—
Thud.
The sound of a hard object hitting the floor rang out.
Thud. Thud-thud.
At the successive, heavy impacts, Ethan instinctively turned around.
When did she get here?
A woman clad in a dazzling white robe stood there.
Her cool silver hair flowed gracefully around her, and strange rune tattoos ran from her temple down to her jawline across her pale face.
“…Who are you?”
The woman was pouring runestones into a massive sack, one cascade after another.
“…!”
Ethan’s eyes widened.
“What are you doing?! If you use them all up like that, what are the trainees supposed to do?!”
His surprise quickly gave way to anger.
No matter how many there were, runestones were a precious resource.
They were meant for the countless trainees who sweated through their training, testing their limits and striving to gain greater power. Yet this woman was sweeping them up as if they belonged to her.
The woman raised one eyebrow slightly and glanced at Ethan. Her gaze was deep and cold.
“That would be more wasteful.”
“…What did you say?”
“Most of them are going to die anyway.”
Her voice was indifferent, as though she were stating an unchanging truth.
“I’d be better off using them myself.”
Ethan let out an incredulous laugh.
“Even so, you shouldn’t take away the chance for people who are working hard to reap the rewards of their efforts.”
The woman looked at him with apparent interest.
“A chance?”
She murmured the word as though it were unfamiliar to her.
Then a cold smile spread across her lips.
“Fine. I’ll give you a chance.”
She nudged a runestone scattered at her feet with the tip of her shoe and spoke.
“Try taking even a single runestone from me.”
Ethan carefully examined the woman standing before him.
Her skin was pale, and her long silver hair flowed down her back like shimmering strands of white silk.
Her eyes were a cold, frozen shade of light violet, making her emotions difficult to read.
Most striking of all were the tattoos that crossed her face.
The lines, tinged with a faint silvery sheen, flowed smoothly as though they were alive.
He did not know who she was, but anyone allowed into the training facility was unlikely to be an ordinary person.
Ethan smiled lightly.
“Isn’t just one a little too easy?”
He immediately reached for a runestone scattered across the floor.
Since it was lying right there, all he had to do was pick it up.
But—
His vision suddenly lurched.
What the…?!
It happened in an instant.
The woman closed the distance at tremendous speed and seized Ethan’s wrist.
Then she casually twisted it.
“…”
His body was thrown off balance.
His vision spun. His body lifted into the air.
BOOM!
Ethan was slammed to the ground.
The floor struck his back with tremendous force, knocking the breath out of him.
At the same time, the impact sent the runestones flying into the air.
But Ethan did not waste time panicking.
Not yet!
He twisted his body in midair and regained his balance.
Just before hitting the ground, he planted one hand against the floor to generate momentum, then reached again for the airborne runestone. Just as his fingertips were about to touch it—
THUD!
A powerful force struck him in the abdomen.
“Gah!”
The woman had merely pressed her palm lightly against his stomach, yet his body was sent flying without mercy.
CRASH! BANG! BANG!
He bounced across the ground two or three times before rolling to a stop.
The runestone once again spun through the air, drifting farther away.
Ethan gathered his wits.
It had been a brief exchange, but the strength she displayed was on an entirely different level from an ordinary sparring match.
She was testing him.
“Hmm. Your body-strengthening technique is better than I expected. Is that it?”
“Of course not.”
Ethan rose to his feet, keeping a wary eye on her.
Among opponents of a similar age, there were very few he had encountered who possessed such overwhelming strength.
She was not merely powerful. Her movements suggested that she had mastered combat instincts to an extraordinary degree.
This isn’t just a contest of strength.
The fight was not over yet, but she had complete control of the situation.
Ethan steadied his breathing and spoke.
“My name is Ethan Fritz. Who are you?”
The woman narrowed her light violet eyes and looked down at him.
Her gaze was cold, and her emotions were difficult to discern.
Then she raised the corners of her mouth slightly and replied.
“Who do you think I am?”
Ethan stared at her for a moment before chuckling.
“Perhaps… my senior?”
A brief silence followed.
Unexpectedly, she smiled and let out a quiet laugh.
She looked as though she had heard an amusing answer.
“You’re still a trainee. Isn’t it a little early to call yourself my junior?”
As she spoke, she took a step closer and introduced herself.
“My name is Aisha Kranzar. I’m from the 60th cohort, so I suppose I am your senior.”
The moment Ethan heard her name, he recalled something Lowfang had told him earlier.
—Once you pass the first stage, there’ll be a second-stage test. You’ll meet Aisha there.
—She’s famous by the nickname ‘White Witch.’
Ethan had never imagined he would meet her like this, and the words slipped out before he could stop himself.
“…The White Witch.”
At that very moment—
Whoosh.
The faint amusement on her face vanished, replaced by a chilling expression.
With genuine disgust, she uttered a single sentence.
“For the record, that’s the nickname I hate the most.”
“Ah~ Is that so?”
Ethan flinched slightly at Aisha’s menacing aura, but he soon decided to analyze her movements and adapt accordingly.
Her body-strengthening technique was based on the Hittite style, but her combat approach seemed to emphasize strength born from fluidity rather than brute force.
This might actually be manageable.
Once again, Ethan decided to charge straight ahead.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, he pushed off the ground and dashed toward the runestone.
However, Aisha clicked her tongue softly and muttered.
“If you think you can take my runestone with a move like that, you’re mistaken.”
In an instant, her wrist moved with lightning speed, lightly deflecting Ethan’s hand.
The force was gentler than he had anticipated, but it disrupted his balance with pinpoint precision.
Ethan staggered, but he immediately twisted his body with feline flexibility and landed on the ground.
His counterattack followed at once.
Ethan reached for the hilt of his dagger, Heavy Stalker, at his waist.
Rather than appearing startled, Aisha looked intrigued.
He’s quite bold. He must have an unusual background to have ended up here.
She immediately began to assume a defensive stance.
But at that moment, Ethan released the clip securing the sheath and hurled Heavy Stalker at her, sheath and all.
What is he thinking?
Caught off guard, Aisha instinctively caught it.
At the same time, a system window appeared.
[Heavy Stalker’s weight has been set to 100 kg.]
Suddenly, her arm sagged as though she were holding a massive boulder.
Her body swayed violently, and she lost her balance as she gritted her teeth.
Seizing that split second, Ethan swiftly picked up a runestone.
With a confident expression, he reached out and spoke.
“And just like that, I’ve seized my chance.”
Seeing Ethan’s mischievous smile, Aisha burst into laughter, looking both exasperated and incredulous.
Still wearing that expression, she took his hand and pulled herself upright, muttering,
“…What an insolent junior.”
After brushing the dust off her clothes, she handed Ethan the sack filled with runestones.
“Take them.”
“You’re really giving them to me that easily?”
“A promise is a promise. Besides, Grade 3 runestones aren’t particularly difficult to obtain. I only wanted to try using them because I was short on time.”
“Ah~ Then I’ll gladly accept them. Thank you.”
Ethan would have liked to continue talking to her a little longer, but he had no particular reason to stay. He decided to leave further conversation for another time.
Just as he was about to withdraw, Aisha spoke up.
“By the way, who told you about that nickname?”
She seemed unable to let the matter go and studied Ethan’s expression.
“Lowfang.”
“?!”
The moment he said the name, her usually composed expression crumbled into unmistakable astonishment.
“L-Lowfang?! Why?! Why would he mention me?!”
Her agitated, impassioned tone began to frighten Ethan a little.
“W-Well, he told me to come find you when I reached the second-stage test.”
“You should have told me that from the very beginning!”
Does she have a cannon where her lungs should be?
Ethan covered his ears with both hands, staring at her in bewilderment.
Aisha showed no mercy. She grabbed Ethan by the scruff of his neck and dragged him away.
“Come with me.”
“Excuse me. I’m still in the middle of training. I’m supposed to get back.”
“Who’s your instructor?”
“I-It’s Instructor Walter.”
A little while later—
“Phew. What’s taking that boy so long?”
Walter folded his arms and let out a long sigh. The training session had been delayed because they were running short on runestones.
BANG!
Just then, the training hall doors flew open with a loud crash.
“Ethan! What took you so long?”
Walter raised his voice sternly, but then he noticed Aisha standing beyond the doorway, dragging Ethan by the scruff of his neck and glaring at him with fierce eyes.
“W-What? Aisha?”
BANG!
Aisha tossed the sack of runestones onto the floor and curtly declared,
“This junior here. I’m taking him with me.”
BANG!
Without waiting for Walter to respond, she slammed the door shut.
“…”
What had just happened?
Walter and all the trainees stood speechless, staring blankly at the closed door.
