54 A Year of Hell and Heaven 3

Other people experienced the heaven of being taught by Clay techniques for magic, and others, they were not so fortunate. They experienced hell. And who they were are four people that were constantly beaten up to the brink of death each time.

Such people were Caltec, Isaac, Jon and Mor. They were constantly being beaten to a pulp by Clay whenever he teaches them techniques in fighting. In fact, it was Clay training himself to fight by acquiring the skills needed for it.

Clay preferred to use his fists just like Caltec, but Clay did not need to use weapons for it because his own flesh was stronger than most weapons. So, he practiced hard with all four of them with their own fighting styles.

"That's it! Feel the magic energy within you!" Clay shouted as he sent a punch containing his normal weight behind it and blew Caltec away. Caltec showed signs of being able to perceive magic particles after three to four sessions of being beaten up by Clay. From the first week to the months that followed, they all learned how to control their magic energy flow and even incorporate Haki into their own moves.

Clay had learned [Pugilist] Skill as his reward for fighting bare handed. Even Caltec did not have this skill yet. However, mastery was another thing, so Clay still had no way to beat Caltec through sheer technique alone. He did not show such a weakness to them though, as befitting a master to his subordinates. After all, 4 of them learned how to control the magic energy inside their bodies without converting them into elemental affinities, he taught them moves that took advantage of his "knowledge." He taught them the Turtle Destructive Wave as a finisher. He demonstrated to them how to do the technique and unsurprisingly, they all got the hang of it after trying it out a few times. However, the problem was the gathering of the magic energy they needed for it to be considered strong enough to use in battle. At their initial level, it could only be compared to a fart from even the original template for it. At least when Goku did it in his youth, he was able to produce a Kamehame as big as his own head. Caltec and the rest though, were not even able to make it go past 1 meter until it limped down to the ground as if a dick having just finished one shot off.

Their stats were all lowered to the average stats an adult human should have when their enhanced criminal bands are activated. And sure enough, it was activated almost every time, except when of course making love. However, without it, their stats would shoot up and reach the 800s mark. It was a really great way to train the body in a balance. Their STR, INT, DEX and even MGC stats were all enhanced equally. Their muscles were enhanced due to the weight they had to constantly bear; their intelligence were enhanced due to them having to know exactly when is the right time to use potions to heal themselves; their agility and flexibility were enhance due to their training in precisely controlling their own bodies to make the most of how much power they can generate; and lastly, their magic energy capacity and the ability to dish out magic attributed attacks were enhanced due to the fact that they had to use some magic to reinforce themselves and carry their own body without help. That was a hellish kind of training in a sense that they would have died any, moment if they were late in using the potion and heal themselves. It was scary to think of.

Regarding the City, Claiomh Solais, it was announced to the world that this City was a city that welcomed those who feel like they have nowhere else to go. As merchants came and visit the city when they found a real path towards it from the borders of the Forest of Despair, they immediately propagated its existence and the quality of products they produce. The main attraction were the potions that the Alchemist apprentices made to master concoction taught by Clay. The recipe he taught them was of the lesser healing potion. It only heals a small portion of anyone's health but now, supply of potions was hard to come by. So, the production was jacked-up, to prevent Clay's brand to be mixed to some inferior products. Taking over the market of potion industry within a year. And of course, those that were sold were the lesser quality items. What the apprentices were working on were greater healing potions. A High Potion costs 2 gold coins each and selling this to ordinary people would drive them nuts. It could be sold for more than just 2 gold coins, however, since Clay himself said that the materials were from lesser ingredients, he ordered to sell them at the price lower than expected. And most of the profit were given to the apprentices and their family, only giving to the city treasury a portion of their income.

The city itself had been accepting some immigrants so that their population would grow, and other people would find their partners in life here. Safety was also guaranteed as Clay himself had set up immaterial barriers that would materialize whenever a threat is detected. Either from monsters or from people. Once detected, the barrier would enclose the city and lock out any invading forces or lock-in any criminal to be apprehended. The scarier part is, that Clay did not make any Prison to keep criminals in. That meant that criminals would be directly dealt with. Although, those considered criminals are only murderers and abusers. The rest are left to Isaac to handle.