บท 105: Mid-stage Adept Strength
As Edwin and Alice entered the latter's alchemy shop, they spotted Allen sitting on a chair reading the plant encyclopedia.
Allen kept the book in his satchel and looked over the two of them, "What's wrong with her?" He asked as he glanced at the perturbed Alice.
"I'll go upstairs, I'm just going to sleep first. Excuse me, Sir Alchemist Morgan." She apologized and walked upstairs with haste.
"Care to explain?" He gazed at Edwin.
The boy then recalled everything to Allen that occurred from them entering the lounge towards the room, to the three that seemed to be like higher-ups of a certain group, until to Esmund's 'invitation'; minus the part where he angered the mage.
Edwin asked, "Do you know him?"
"Yes, we have our grievances with each other", Allen replied.
Edwin kept silent and didn't probe deeper.
Suddenly, Allen added, "Also, getting humiliated by that person wielding saber is a disgrace to you, isn't it? I watched how you miserably failed defending yourself against that person."
'He knows?' Edwin was startled and became a little nervous, he thought that Allen was angry under that colorless tone of his voice and his unchanging expression.
"I'm sorry for disappointing you." Edwin said while trying to avoid the other's eyes.
"Stop being guilty. You've been apologetic these past few days." Allen stood up and handed Edwin over a book; the latter took hold of it and he read its cover.
"Flicker Encyclopedia Vol. 4? Umm, I know this could improve my Flicker, but what about my fighting skills?", Edwin asked.
"You can go train your fighting skills in the harvest lands outside the city." Allen replied, "I'll allow you to train for as long as you want and lend you that book to improve your Flicker until we leave the city."
"Thank you!", Edwin appreciated from the bottom of his heart.
"If you won't get stronger after everything else, I'll have to personally train you.", Allen said.
"Really?" Edwin had a slight glimmer on his eyes, 'Should I purposely slow my improvement so Allen will teach me?' His strength would most likely improve if Allen personally taught him again.
Allen continued, "I will use my full strength when doing so."
"Oh." The glimmer on his eyes faded away when he heard the continuation of the sentence. If Allen would use his full strength in training him, it would just be a one-sided massacre on the part of Edwin.
And the boy knew that Allen would show no mercy to him. He also inwardly shuddered that he would probably feel the same pain from that Red Thorn of the elves.
"Don't worry, I won't disappoint you!" Edwin eagerly said.
"Didn't you say that Esmund gave you an Internal Energy Orb, I want to take a look at it." Allen remembered Edwin's story and asked.
"Oh? Here." Edwin took out the Internal Energy Orb from his satchel and handed it over to Allen. The latter then appraised it.
Edwin asked, "What's wrong with it?"
Not a long time passed when Allen gave it back to Edwin and said, "Nothing. I was just checking if that old man did some few additions on it. And it's not just an Internal Energy Orb, it's actually a Hybrid Energy Orb. It also has the same level of mana in it. It's very compatible for you."
"But is it safe to use?" Edwin asked.
"Yes, but remember; never trust Esmund if he gave you more gifts." Allen said.
The boy only nodded in response and committed what Allen said into his mind.
Allen stood up from his place and added, "How about I help you integrate that orb into your body?"
"Yes!"
***
"I can't believe it! Why of all occasions he came back at this very moment!" Gavin fiercefully slashed his saber through a tree. The tree was cleanly sliced sidewards and toppled to the ground afterwards.
The backyard garden of Gavin's rented villa was all a mess. Flowers, shrubs, and even the destroyed parts of the small bird fountain was everywhere on the ground.
Gavin sat down on the grassy patch of land and panted, not due to exhaustion, but due to the anger boiling from within him.
"Want some tea to calm yourself down, sir?" Mr. Howard brought over a platter with a teapot and a pair of teacups over it.
"Yes, thank you." Gavin nodded. Mr. Howard sat beside him on the grass and poured some tea on the cups, after which, they started sipping in its contents.
After Gavin finally cooled down, Mr. Howard asked a question, "What are you going to do now that he's here?"
"Continue with the plan." Gavin replied.
"Is that really all you want to do?", Mr. Howard looked at Gavin with a serious countenance.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Gavin asked and requested for a refill, after getting one, he resumed speaking, "It's as if you don't trust me."
"Don't look at it that way. I just know what you could do to a great extent." Mr. Howard drank more tea, "You shouldn't let your anger overcome you, or else, your plan will fail."
"Also." Mr. Howard added, "I got some news that that organization is now hunting for you, if you expose yourself you will be killed as soon as possible."
"I just want to pull their roots out of this city. I don't want them to control such a vital place for the alchemists." Gavin replied.
"The problem is do you know their most powerful asset or their overseer in this location?", Mr. Howard asked.
"No." Gavin shook his head, "But I'll find out."
"You can get yourself killed by doing so.", Mr. Howard sighed, "Sir Gavin, I know that you really want to help rooting those people out of here, but your life will be in great danger because of this endeavor of yours. You're only as powerful as an adept, but we don't even know what level of strength all of your enemies have."
"Why does it seem that you're against what I want to do?", Gavin glanced at Mr. Howard.
On the other hand, Mr. Howard answered back, "I'll have nobody to serve once you get killed, and I'm truly worried for your safety."
After a pause, he added, "Sir, you came back yesterday with your wrist bleeding. You needed your own made pill just to heal it."
Along with their tougher body, internal energy practitioners had a boosted regeneration compared to magicians. It wasn't as powerful as Allen's Regeneration technique, but it was better than normal people's.
A wound of an internal energy practitioner signalled many things. A few of which was their enemy's strength was far greater than theirs or their body was deteriorating.
"I think whoever attacked me was only there to avenge whoever that person who could use Flicker I fought against outside the walls." Gavin replied, "But the weird thing is, I had to concoct a more powerful pill just for my wound to heal, even though I already swallowed some healing pills. I couldn't even rejuvinate it with the healing pills I brought with me."
"Maybe that person only wounded you as a warning too. You really should stop offending more people for some time if you want to solve the predicament here in this city." Mr. Howard suggested.
"Don't worry, I'm not alone, I'm with somebody else.", Gavin replied.
"I know." Mr. Howard nodded, "If you're confident with what you're doing, then I won't be able to change your mind; now, can I ask for you help?"
"Sure, what am I going to do?"
"Help me clean up the mess here."
Gavin looked around at the untidy surroundings and chuckled awkwardly, "Hehe, I might have overdone my rage."
***
It was already night when Allen and Edwin returned to the villa. The two of them went straight to the backyard.
"Sit cross-legged and give me the orb." Allen said.
Edwin followed what the other stated. Allen also sat cross-legged in front of the boy and grasped the orb with both of his hands.
Next, he sent internal energy towards his palms which passed through his gloves and to the surface of the orb, and then he began rubbing the orb in a circular motion.
The orb then started shrinking with the help of the internal energy coming from Allen; its diameter became shorter and shorter in length and stopped when it was already as small as a fingernail.
Allen then handed it over to Edwin, with him still being unsure on what to do next.
"Eat it. Then the integrating process will start." Allen said.
"Just like that?" Edwin asked with some doubt.
Allen nodded in response.
"So you won't turn it into a pill or elixir or won't do any powering rituals?" Edwin asked.
"No." Allen shook his head.
"It seems so simple." Edwin commented. "Well, here it goes." He unhesitatingly swallowed the little orb.
"The process will also be very painful." Allen added the last minute.
"Wait, hold up..." His sentence was cut midway when he felt a stomachache. However, that pain instantly subsided.
He sent his sense everywhere in his body and noticed a large exponential growth of mana and internal energy.
"Rapidly circulate those energies all throughout your body. Don't waste a single second. The energy the orb gave you will slowly disperse away." Allen said.
"Okay." Edwin concentrated and started the circulation.
As both type of energies were circulated around his body, they began to fully merge into his system and even to the fleshy body itself.
The integration of mana was swift and many times faster than internal energy; as the latter's origin didn't come from Edwin's body, it would have a hard time merging to him.
Like how medicines that "rejuvinate" one's internal energy, they weren't supplying the body of the said energy but was only stimulating the body boosting its production of the mentioned energy.
However, the energy coming from the Internal Energy Orbs originated from another life form such as a plant or even extracted internal energy from a human or even animals capable of utilizing it.
Meanwhile, even though there was also mana in the Hybrid Energy Orb, it wasn't a hard procedure as although it did come from possibly a far place, there was generally only one type of mana that everybody would be using.
The process of integration of mana was smooth, but for the internal energy, it could be described as the rough side of two rocks sliding pass each other.
Even though it was a difficult procedure, Edwin only hissed from time to time, but eventually didn't shout nor cried out in pain until he finally finished the assimilation.
"You have a high level of pain resistance.", Allen said.
.
"Oh." Edwin remembered what happened in the Monarch Forest, "I just got wounded again and again." He replied, not mentioning what occurred in the said location.
"Mhm." Allen glanced the other from top to bottom, "You became stronger, you are as strong as a mid-stage adept now."
"I did?", Edwin checked his strength by sending out a full-powered dagger flash to the air. The flash flew away in a blink of an eye, but the most noticeable thing for him is that it became faster and stronger.
"Haha!" Edwin grinned as he sensed the improvement of his strength.
"Now get used to your new level of power.", Allen said. Once Edwin accomplished doing it, he would be able to maximize the use of his strength.
"But what about the competition? I want to watch you in the elimination rounds." Edwin questioned. He would have to focus on his training for many days to achieve that goal, also sacrificing the time for watching the alchemy competition.
"You can watch me compete once it's already at the final round. For now, your main objective is to enhance your overall fighting strength, because you fought like a mindless barbarian when you encountered that saber-wielding person." Allen replied and stood up, "Go to sleep."
After which, he walked back in the villa.
"Good night." Edwin said with a low voice and smiled.
He thought, 'I wish I had that kind of confidence.'
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