Chapter 188

RMSBS – Episode 188 . Enlightenment (4)

“Is that all?”

The core Starling Party members were fighting against their rookie members as part of their practical battle training .

It was being held in a virtual Shadow World .

The setting was tropical forests, with numerous large clusters of trees impairing their vision and movement .

If it was hot and humid in Dresden, the weather in this Shadow World was closer to a fire to say the least . Everything was left warm and damp due to the extreme humidity and heat mixing together . Overall, it was rather unpleasant .

Even though enduring the extreme heat was hard enough, to top things off there were many poisonous insects and violent animals inhabiting the Shadow World too .

Remaining vigilant at all times in the sweltering heat was not an easy feat .

Desir calmly, but firmly, spoke to the first year party members who had been caught by one of his spells .

“I applaud your ambition, but think carefully about what advantages you have . Remember, only you guys can use the communication function of your bracelets . ”

Thunder and lighting struck a first year party member, his shape quickly becoming indistinct and disappearing as he was pulled into the outline of the Sun .

[-One person was eliminated . Twelve people remain . ]

Desir agonized over how to remedy the students’ weaknesses after analyzing the ones he had already knocked down .

‘If we increase their spell casting speed, it should help them become a lot stronger . ’

Strong, that word reminded him of what happened yesterday .

‘Six days left now . ’

Zod gave Desir one week for him to calmly think things over .

Desir continued to think over the mana circle implant while conducting the training session for the party .

‘Making a decision on the spot was definitely a clueless thing to do . ’

Normally Desir would have realized this immediately, but he was inexplicably consumed by rage, on a subconscious level, that day .

As a result, he ended up doing something rude to Zod .

‘Was I too hasty?’

*Crunch*

Desir felt the trace of mana at the same time as he heard the person step on the leaves . He quickly invoked a spell .

However, the other person completed their spell before Desir, even though he started first .

A bullet of wind hit the center of the tree behind Desir .

But Desir did not counterattack .

He had already long let go of his spell, allowing its formation to collapse .

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“You didn’t fight back?”

“I knew it was you . ”

It was a coincidence that Desir and Romantica had encountered each other .

Detection magic and communication magic had been banned for the core party members during the training session . As a result of pure coincidence, Desir and Romantica ended up together before the rest of the core party members could gather .

“How are they doing?”

Romantica shrugged her shoulders at Desir’s question .

“I think their basic skills are good enough, but they’re all working separately . ”

“Hm . Maybe this is something too hard for them to realize on their own . I gave them enough time to discuss though . ”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just tell them directly?”

Desir shook his head .

“I can help them make up for their weaknesses, but they need to learn situational decision-making skills by themselves . It’s hard to forget what you learnt on your own . ”

“It’s better than not realizing at all . ”

“Give them a little more time . They’ll figure it out . ”

“Hmm . ”

*Boom*

There was an explosion in the distance .

Desir decided to focus on the training without thinking any more about the circle implant .

[-One person was eliminated . Eleven people remain . ]

He figured it would be more efficient to agonize over his decision and weigh his options afterwards as the training session was rapidly coming to an end .

“Where is Pram and Adjest?”

“I think Pram is in the East, according to my communication wiretap . ”

Desir heard her answer and shook his head .

‘He’s not even properly equipped, failing to keep communication security in mind . ’

He was full of flaws .

“The blast we just heard might be Pram . ”

“No, I doubt it . ”

As they approached the direction of the blast, Desir and Romantica noticed a sudden drop in the temperature of the surrounding area .

It was chilly, as if the sweltering heat they left behind was a lie .

As the temperature plummeted further, entering the range of uncomfortably cold, the pair sensed the movement of very strong mana ahead . The cold breeze that washed over them was definitely the work of ice magic .

Desir and Romantica hid themselves behind a giant tree .

Other enormous trees collapsed around them, and some parts of the tropical forest froze and shattered due to the ice magic .

Romantica let out a short exclamation as she took in the scene unfolding around her .

“Woah . ”

Six of the first year party members stood face to face against Adjest .

Those first year party members were different to the ones Desir and Romantica had encountered so far .

There were three swordsmen at the front and three magicians in the rear . They had made a formation to maximize the strengths of their respective roles .

Adjest hadn’t drawn her Center of Ice . She had faced off against them with a normal steel sword and her usual ice magic .

Ice gathered and formed a sphere near her head . It then flung out ice bolts in all directions .

“Spread out and attack! She’s using our numbers against us!”

The one leading the first year party members was Ronde Fizzlebang .

Desir spoke with satisfaction .

“I think they’ve figured out the purpose of this training . ”

They deserved every bit of Desir’s praise .

“Let’s continue observing . ”

Desir and Romantica decided to continue spectating the battle .

This training had nothing to do with winning, but everything to do with remedying their inexperience in handling different and unexpected situations . Joining up with Adjest would be too much and likely hamper their growth .

*Crack*

The ice scattered .

The first graders struggled against the onslaught of Adjest’s spells .

“She’s fighting and manually controlling her spells too . ”

Romantica spoke without taking her eyes off the battle .

Adjest was not using her best technique, imagery magic . She was, instead, relying on just her normal spell usage and sword mastery .

“If she exerted herself, it wouldn’t be training for them . ”

Even though she was holding back, Adjest was still winning by far .

[Burn-out]

A fireball from the sky flattened the spot Adjest had been just a moment before .

*Bang*

It was Ronde’s bombing magic that boasted overwhelming firepower .

But Adjest was intact . Ice pillars had soared up around her . Even though everything else had been swept away around her, the ice pillars remained intact .

“Strong, as expected . ”

“Adjest? Yes . You couldn’t find anyone stronger than Adjest in this continent . ”

“… What do you mean?”

Desir turned his head to look at Romantica . Romantica also looked at Desir . Their pupils reflected each other’s faces, like two mirrors aimed towards each other .

“You don’t think so? Adjest defeated a swordsman at the Bishop Level, using her Center of Ice and imagery magic . ”

You’re strong enough .

Desir choked those words back . He knew that she wouldn’t want that kind of comfort .

“As long as Adjest is here, I guess I’m not really needed . ”

Her voice deepened gloomily .

“… ”

Desir knew how she felt right now .

“You felt pathetic when you couldn’t do anything as your party members fell one by one . ”

*Crack*

The sound of ice rupturing echoed out .

“You were frustrated after finding a wall that you couldn’t climb, no matter how hard you need to, in order to protect your colleagues . ”

Romantica replied with a shaky voice .

“It’s like you’re in my head . How did you know?”

“Because I was the same . ”

Romantica opened her eyes wide .

“Lies . You’re strong enough to defeat Adjest . ”

Desir chuckled .

“I mean it . ”

There was no trace of falsehood in his tone .

“I once blamed myself for my colleagues falling too . ”

Desir related to the Romantica in front of him today . He looked at her deeply . His position in his previous life wasn’t all that different from hers .

The Shadow Labyrinth .

The disaster that destroyed the continent and flipped his life upside down .

As part of the expedition formed, his job was to block the enemy’s attack while staying in the rear .

Desir was exceptional at neutralizing the attacks of enemies . However, he needed a fair amount of time to analyze their spells before inverting them . At the start of the expedition, this time was bought by the sacrifice of his colleagues . Some of them even gave their lives to save his life .

Desir reproached himself thousands of times as he saw comrade after comrade die before him .

He was always the one being protected . Desir repeatedly inverted the enemy’s spells for the sake of his colleagues’ sacrifices .

As time went by, he was numbed by the sacrifices . It had become the norm .

Desir was well aware of the fact that it was bound to continue happening .

He got used to it, but he did not forget .

Feelings that weren’t worn down still smoldered within Desir .

‘Maybe that rage flared up towards Zod because… ’

Desir finally worked through how he felt the previous day .

He wanted to be stronger .

He could not stop there .

It wasn’t only because he wanted to exceed his limit by reaching the Fourth-Circle .

He wanted to protect his colleagues that stood next to him .

Desir spoke, staring straight at Romantica .

“As someone with the same experience, I’ll tell you this . Don’t rush . ”

That was what he told himself as well .

“Simply rushing won’t do you any good . If you move forward while maintaining your composure, you can always improve . ”

“… even if you say that, my talent amounts to a mere Third-Circle . ”

Desir shook his head from side to side . He knew exactly what Romantica was capable of .

“Do not dictate your own limitations . You can do much better . ”

Romantica frowned .

“B-But you haven’t told me how . You haven’t assured me that I can really reach the Fourth-Circle . Like when I achieved the Third-Circle… ”

“I believe in you . ”

Desir spoke with an assertive tone .

“Just like how I didn’t say anything to Ronde Fizzlebang . I believed he’d figure out my intention . Just like I did with him, I believe you can achieve Fourth-Circle by yourself . ”

—-

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