Chapter 19: Purpose
Summoning a grenade was disappointing for Nate but he knew the grenades were a valuable addition to his arsenal and had far more uses than what seen in the surface.
Nate continued to stay in the roof and continued to refine the mana he had absorbed from the crystal and the air. It didn't help much in purifying the mana inside of him but it became a habit of his trying to do so.
He had read many novels to get a general idea but fiction and reality were two different things. In the eastern fantasy novels, the cultivators absorbed qi into their body to advance and Nate absorbed mana.
He just wanted to see if the methods used in those novels would apply to mana but it seemed otherwise. There was no need for enlightenment and other complex stuff. All he needed to do was gather enough mana and break-through and the only barrier remained in between was the mana itself.
Reaching 3rd stage he was sure the second level mana crystal were worthless to him now and the amount of mana needed for his breakthrough was being multiplied. It was also the reason why there were no 9th stage mages or warriors after Archmage Lydia.
How she reached such realms no one knew and the ones who tried failed in the end. Level 8 and above magic beast were rare and powerful. A single individual was not capable of slaying them on their own and fighting in groups meant dividing the loot but a single beast would only house a single mana crystal.
There was always something that held people from advancing and there was no guarantee that a single level 8 mana crystal could help an 8th stage magic user to advance towards the 9th stage.
After completing his meditation Nate jumped down from the roof and headed towards his room. Tomorrow he could use his new summon against his spar with Baldy. He could test out its usability tomorrow.
As for getting his AR and other heavy guns, he could only hope he could advance faster in the coming years.
Talking about years, a year had passed since he came to this world. He had turned 18 and though he didn't know when he was born he decided to take the day of his awakening as his birthday, which was a couple of days ago. But birthday didn't really matter, he had no interest in enjoying a day which signified he was one year closer to his death.
Nate woke up next morning feeling refreshed and full of energy. There was a hint of excitement in his face as he thought about how he could use his summon against Baldy in today's spar.
Nate's day began with a light exercise to stretch his muscle and after that, he went to the range created for him to improve his aim. Nate continued his shooting for two hours and went back for his breakfast.
Finishing his breakfast, Nate took a half hour rest and headed towards the field where Baldy was waiting for him. They would have a 4-hour sparring session where Baldy would point out Nate's weak points while dueling.
"Nate Hunter, its the last day of training. I hope you are ready to live up to your name cause things will real after tomorrow. You're either the prey or the hunter and its not your strength that decides who you get to be. It's your resolve, it is your will and eagerness to be someone you want to be." Baldy had a hard face on, for some reason and started his speech.
Nate didn't mind and listened but for some reason, he felt more excited as he listened to the words pouring out of Baldy.
"You only had a year worth of training and although its the last day at this camp, your training isn't over. I know you know that as well, but I want you to understand that there are bigger things out there in the world. Those big names didn't happen out talent or fate or destiny.
Those big names happened because those who carried that title had a purpose they were working for. The purpose that gave meaning to their existence. I exist and work because I have a goal and I have things to achieve in my life.
But you Nate, you lack that and that is a very big problem. So tell me, Nate, why did you choose to be an assassin and what is your purpose in life." Baldy asked in a solemn voice.
Nate's lack of goal had always worried Baldy. People like Olly, John, Annie, and Nadia all had their goals and although they had not voiced out their goals it was very easy to see their desire in their eye. It was easy to see the fire they had in their eyes when they trained and they felt complete because they had a purpose in life.
Nate lacked that fire, he trained hard but his eyes lacked that fire or determination. It looked like he was following something that was in front of him because it was in front of him. He had no intention of looking around to see what interests him.
Baldy wanted a cold-blooded killer but being with Nate for a year, he didn't want his student to be an empty vessel that did another bidding rather than working for his own.
The excitement that was building inside Nate suddenly collapsed as he heard the last sentence from Baldy. Nate did lack the goal and no idea what was pushing him to continue his training. Why should he be an assassin?
Nate closed his eyes to search for something that might help him right now. After taking a deep breath he looked at Baldy who was awaiting his answer.
"It's true that I lack a purpose and I lack the goal that I walk towards but will a goal come up just because you asked me? I have not seen the world yet and as you've said there are bigger things out there but I won't know they are big unless I see them myself. I do have a temporary goal and that is to search for the purpose of my existence. I'll look at the world from the shadows.
As for why I choose to be an assassin? Last year I was traveling with a group of merchant and we got ambushed by some bandit. I was knocked out by a single punch and I was glaring at death that time. But you know, I never thought of begging for my life. Not a single time, what I wanted was something to kill the person that wanted to take my life." Nate summoned his first ever summon and it was Colt.45 1911 pistol.
"I summoned this not to protect myself but to kill the guy that going to kill me. This weapon is a tool that takes lives and it is only fair if it is used for its purpose. That's why I choose to be an assassin when you gave me that offer. To be honest, I was just taking what was laid in front of me when you gave me that offer but now I know. And for that, I'm very thankful Mr. Baldy. It feels like I've shaken some load off my shoulder." Nate said with a smile. He suddenly felt like his life had gained some meaning.
Author's Note:
Hey guys, sorry for the unannounced break.
I broke my laptop while trying to format the windows. And took me a few days to fix it.
After that I was like, I'll write tomorrow. I've already missed a few days and a few more won't hurt.
And without knowing two weeks passed. I wanted to drop but the collections for this novel increased rather than decreasing so I came back.
I don't want to promise a bonus or an extra chapter because I'm lazy. But I'll continue my previous schedule which was 3-4 chapters a week.
And once again sorry for being lazy.
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