Chapter 54 - Mana Expenditure

"Ninety-eight! Ninety-nine!" He huffed out, "One-hundred--!"

Each time he extended his fist, a wave of sweat cascading onto the ground below.

"Good job, kid--you're a quick learner! I like that."

Brahmi gave him a thumbs-up, giving him a spiritual boost while he was much in need of a physical one. He sat himself down, catching his lost breath as his body coated itself in a layer of sweat. The beaming sunlight did him no favors as he pushed himself physically.

"After you're done with your little break there--it's time for phase two of your training!"

"Phase two…?"

Ren asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Somehow, he assumed he was already done with his training for the day pertaining to Brahmi. The boisterous woman slammed her two fists together, knuckle clashing against knuckle--making him wince.

"One-hundred more jabs, but this time, you'll be maintaining your reinforcement magic the entire time! If you let it go a single time, you have to start over!"

Her words hit him like a flying brick. At this point, he could only maintain reinforcement magic continuously for at most a few seconds.

--Hold it for one-hundred jabs…? Is she crazy? Just maintaining proper form was hard enough!

"I like that look on your face. You're scared, uncertain that you can do it. That's just going to make it that much better when you actually accomplish it--!"

"I can't...there's no way. It's impossible. I can barely keep up reinforcement for a moment...it took ten minutes to do all of those jabs."

He pleaded with her, however, it seemed trying to explain an "impossibility" to her only made the idea sound better in her head. She was just that kind of person.

"What was that? "Impossible", you said? Nothing is impossible, only "improbable"--and tiny chances like that can be overridden by sheer will! I know you're incapable of doing it--as you are right now, that is. An inability to do something is what sparks growth, and growth leads to an ability to do something."

"An inability…"

"Tell me, Ren, why do you want to become stronger? "

"I...I…"

He tried to find the words. That question jumbled his mind, resurfacing the horrors he saw that day in the estate. All he could do was remember the rage-inducing smile of the Argonaut, and the reassuring smile his friend once held.

"I failed to protect him...that's why--that's why I want to become stronger, so I can protect those I care about! So I can stop being the one who gets protected by others!"

"So you were unable to protect yourself, unable to protect them. That's your inability that drives you forward, Ren. So you know what you have to do to become stronger? You have to face those so-called impossibilities and surpass them," She helped him stand up, "that being said--words alone can't make you fight. That part is entirely up to you."

--It's just like what Tristan told me in that goblin cave. "I'm the only one who can make myself fight", right? That's right.

He filled his lungs with a fresh batch of air before releasing it back out slowly, wearing a confident smile across his lips.

"Looks like you're ready to fight this challenge, aren't you?"

She returned his smile with her own, bouncing off his confidence with hers.

"Yeah!"

"Reinforcement"--even though magic in general was something they've told him needs to wait, even reinforcement magic was a necessity. The difference between those who could use reinforcement and those who couldn't was the same as man being compared to a beast, and even that is underselling it. Initially activating wasn't exactly difficult, but maintaining it was an entirely different story.

"Easy does it…!"

He steadied his breathing as the layer of mana enveloped his body, shifting before settling into an unseeable force over his skin.

"Good, now throw some jabs!"

All he could do was give her a slight nod, devoting the entirety of his concentration to upholding the reinforcement. As he extended his fist, he felt his amplified strength carve through the freely flowing air—at the same time, his reinforcement disappeared.

"One…I guess it's better to fail at the start then to start over midway through!"

He stopped himself before he sunk into negativity again. Accomplishing this obstacle in front of him would be a war of attrition with his own mind.

"That's the spirit!"

Even though reinforcement magic had a low cost of mana, constantly reapplying it chipped away at his already subpar reservoir of mana.

—In a sense, mana is just like another part of our body, at least that's what Tristan told me. Just like our physical stamina, mana works sort of like calories. We need proper rest, a diet, all of that helps improve how much mana we can produce. That being said, a certain amount of talent is involved in someone's mana level.

"Three…!"

Pushing his fist forward, feeling his bicep and tricep scream out in unison—he reached his new record after thirty minutes of continuous attempts.

"Stop."

"Huh?"

He turned to face the woman, drenched with sweat that had seeped from his pores, attempting to breath in the cool air.

"You're just brute forcing the reinforcement spell with mana to keep it going. That's why you're struggling so bad—you're also plummeting your own stamina this way."

Although she spoke clearly, the words didn't form any connection in his head. She let out a sigh, noticing his confusion by the dumbfound look plastered on his face.

"If ya' want to maintain reinforcement, you need to find a "flow" that you can maintain without even thinking about it."

"A "flow"? Seriously, that doesn't help much-"

Before he could finish, she knocked her fist against the top of his dome. In a decisive battle between knuckle and skull--knuckle had won.

"Just feel it out! That's the only thing I can tell ya'!"

"Can you avoid hitting my head? I don't want to become any dumber than I already am!"

Although the information given to him was vague, he attempted his best to put it into use. At the very least, her statement about him forcing his reinforcement to stay active was true.

"Find a flow to follow…"

Ren muttered to himself with his eyes closed. He zoned out the noises around him, the rustling of branches against the passing winds even becoming null, before all that was left was the sound of his own heartbeat.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

--Reinforcement.

Once more, he conjured the intangible barrier of amplification before opening his eyes. He kept his focus only on the frequency of his own heart, setting into his stance.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

--The beating of my heart, that's the flow I'll use.

The first jab came easy, the second followed swiftly, then the third. He no longer felt any strain in his body at this point.