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Chapter 32 — Mana Stones and the Tremor of the Lower Hall
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Scene 1 — The Training Yard Beneath the House
A faint cloud of dust rose into the air as Kazo lifted the small stone between his fingers, tossing it upward as if it weighed nothing… while the three of them stared at him in shock.
The three: ( What—?! )
Kazo stepped forward steadily, caught the stone, flipped it between his palms with complete indifference, then said in a tone that carried no concern at all:
Kazo:
( What's wrong with you? Why couldn't you lift it? )
Kiyora stood stiffly, examining the stone that had nearly crushed the bones in his arm:
Kiyora:
( It's extremely heavy. Can you explain what this stone is? )
Kazo:
( I refuse. )
Kiyora's eyebrow twitched slightly in surprise:
Kiyora:
( Why? )
Kazo raised three fingers and began counting coldly:
Kazo:
( First: Do not call me teacher or trainer.
Second: You spat food on my face.
Third: I promised to make you regret your training… so I refuse. )
Kiyora bowed slightly, tense:
Kiyora:
( Alright, sorry. I'll call you Master… and I'm sorry for spitting food on your face. You can do whatever you want… please explain, Master. )
Upon hearing the word "Master"… Kazo's eyes sparkled as if stars had been lit inside him.
He stepped closer with exaggerated pride:
Kazo:
( Very well, my disciple… These are Mana Stones.
Although they are small, they are heavy… This training might be the third hardest exercise… or maybe the fourth hardest… or perhaps the fifth… )
He suddenly turned away, placing a hand on his chin, muttering to himself as if facing an existential crisis:
Kazo thinking:
( I can't remember how difficult it is… Could it be that I've grown old and started forgetting? But no, that's unlikely… I'm only 76… or maybe 77… which means I'm still young. )
Kiyora looked at him with a half-dead smile:
Kiyora:
( You said you'd make me regret it… that my training would be harsh… so why not start with the hardest one… training number one? )
Kazo turned to him instantly, staring directly into his eyes:
Kazo:
( Great idea… but if I do that, the probability of your death is 99.1970 percent… meaning your survival rate is less than one percent. )
Kiyora froze… his mouth slowly opened… his face turned completely pale:
Kiyora:
( Is it that dangerous? )
Kazo:
( Yes. )
Kiyora thinking:
( Good thing he started with training number five… even though it's extremely hard… )
Zokimoshi stepped forward calmly, catching the stone midair with one hand… his expression unchanged:
Zokimoshi:
( It's not as heavy as I thought. )
Kazo:
( That's natural for you. Your level is higher than his… especially since you possess great physical strength.
These stones do not require much mana usage… they rely entirely
on muscle strength. )
Renion stomped her foot impatiently:
Renion:
( Enough talking! Let's start already. What are our exercises? )
Kazo grabbed the stone and threw it toward Kiyora. Kiyora jumped aside.
Kazo coldly:
( You'll be expelled if you don't catch it. )
Kiyora stopped abruptly… his eyes widened… then he stepped forward and… caught it with immense difficulty.
Kiyora:
( It's heavy… but I managed to catch it. )
Kazo:
( Good. Now lift it one hundred times with one hand… and one hundred with the other. )
Then he turned to Renion and Zokimoshi:
Kazo:
( Follow me. )
They moved away slightly from Kiyora, who had begun sweating as his veins bulged with every lift.
They stood before a wooden trunk rotating like a massive wheel, its arms carrying various weapons.
Kazo handed Renion a black blindfold:
Kazo:
( Wear it… and fight this trunk. This exercise will help your focus. )
Then he walked onto a wide stone pillar.
As he climbed higher… the pillar narrowed until it became extremely thin.
At the top, he found a small wooden seat tied with ropes connected to the pillars. He sat upon it with unnatural balance.
Zokimoshi tried sitting behind him… but immediately lost his balance.
Zokimoshi:
( Wait, what about me? What's my training? You promised me a reward for training! )
Kazo:
( Just shut up… and try sitting. )
He sat watching them… Renion receiving strikes from the rotating trunk while dodging left and right, and Kiyora struggling to lift the stone as his face reddened and his veins throbbed.
Kazo sighed:
Kazo:
( Perhaps I'm being too harsh on that girl… )
Suddenly… BOOOOM! A violent crashing sound erupted beneath them.
Kazo looked downward… but the scene followed him as he began falling through the air.
Kazo:
( Why is the ground getting closer to me?! )
During his fall, he saw one of the pillars shattered into debris… and beside it… his little daughter, Nero.
Kazo:
( This girl is going to drive me insane!! )
He looked downward again… the sharp tip of the pillar waiting for him.
His expression changed completely:
Kazo:
( Impossible…!! )
He began flailing his arms in the air as if swimming… completely useless.
He fell.
At the last possible second, he twisted his body into a strange position… his back toward the ground and chest toward the ceiling… only a single strand of hair separated him from touching the pillar's tip.
He stood up instantly, fury blazing in his eyes:
Kazo:
( Hey, you! Why did you do that?! I almost died because of that pillar! )
Nero, innocently lethal:
( I called you, but you didn't answer… and you know my voice is small… and I also saw you looking at that girl… Could it be that you want to betray Mom? )
Kazo:
( Wait! Who told you about betrayal? And why did you come here in the first place?! )
Nero:
( It doesn't matter who told me… but Mom told me to come tell you to go to the market and buy fish. )
Kazo froze for a moment, then surrendered:
Kazo:
( Fine… )
He picked her up and began running in a ridiculous manner, glancing back mockingly:
Kazo:
( Farewell… I'll be back soon… Don't stop training, you weaklings. )
Kiyora:
( One day, he'll regret it… )
Renion:
( I will become stronger… )
As for Zokimoshi, he ran after him:
Zokimoshi:
( Who are you calling weak?! Get back here! )
But Kazo rushed up the stairs, entered the living room, and shut the basement door…
Zokimoshi slammed into the door and tumbled down the stairs until he hit the ground.
He stood up, climbed back, and began pounding the door with all his strength… the door did not move even one millimeter.
Zokimoshi:
( I'll kill him when he comes back… that idiot… )
But suddenly…
Clicking… then a roar… then a howl… then a rumble…
The doors of the training yard began to tremble.
A massive wave of energy surged through the place.
Kiyora stopped lifting, sweat dripping from his chin:
Kiyora:
( What is this energy… and what are these sounds?! )
Renion removed the blindfold nervously:
Renion:
( We need to get out of here… )
Meanwhile, Zokimoshi…
A terrifying spark appeared in his eyes:
Zokimoshi:
( There's something interesting here… )
He drew his twin swords… their shine reflecting the lamplight.
Zokimoshi:
( It's time to fight… )
To be continued…
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