Chapter 59
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Lupus's Guidance
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After beheading the Gigadeus, there were a few minor ambushes, but no damage was sustained.
‘Impressive, truly impressive.’
Abel watched several battles unfold and marveled greatly to himself.
He had thought he knew plenty about Fleta and the instructors' skills.
But seeing them fight in person was far more astonishing than anything he had imagined.
Especially Fleta severing the Gigadeus's neck in a single strike—it was an unforgettable sight.
Abel, who had recently gained some confidence from his own rapid growth, reflected inwardly.
‘I still have a long way to go.’
Without question, Abel's combat prowess was unrivaled among the first-years.
There were maybe two or three cadets on his level, at best.
But unrivaled or not, that was only within the first-years.
The academy alone had several upper years above them, and beyond that were the active Riders who had already graduated.
Of course, Abel wasn't the type to get discouraged by something like that.
‘Gotta keep pushing.’
If anything, he used such feelings as fuel to try even harder.
Abel steeled his resolve and pressed onward.
* * *
The journey across the plains didn't end until late at night.
Upon arriving at the outpost, Fleta immediately mobilized the instructors and personnel to bolster the perimeter defenses.
Finally, the cadets could dismount their Gigants and get some rest.
Having marched relentlessly for days, including the training period, they were all in rough shape.
“Feels like my body’s a bit heavier than usual, somehow.”
“……I feel like I’m gonna die.”
Even Daniel, famous for his monstrous stamina, was complaining, while May looked half-dead, her soul barely hanging on.
“Me too.”
“Same here.”
Others nearby chimed in with their own gripes.
The silver lining was that the return trip to the academy would be by carriage.
It was designed purely for efficiently transporting large groups, so it wasn’t exactly comfortable, but compared to walking or riding Gigants, it was paradise.
“Let’s crash early tonight. No telling when we’ll ship out.”
“Yeah.”
Abel nodded casually and started walking.
They had reached the outpost, but no departure time had been announced yet.
Naturally, there probably was a set time.
‘They’re just guarding against info leaks, most likely.’
Chances were, only Fleta and a handful of instructors knew the exact return route and timing.
Aside from Abel, that is.
‘We’ll probably leave at dawn.’
In the game, barring any special circumstances, it was always a dawn departure.
That meant barely four hours of sleep, at most.
To squeeze in even a little rest, he needed to head back and hit the sack immediately, so Abel quickened his pace.
A few hours after returning to his temporary quarters and drifting off...
Just as Abel had predicted, instructors began rousing the cadets in the early dawn hours.
Now it was truly time to head back to the academy.
Meanwhile, at that very hour.
From a high hill quite a distance from the outpost, a man preparing to depart gazed down at the academy base.
He watched for a long while before lowering his telescope.
“They’re leaving.”
“Is that so?”
The one standing behind him bowed respectfully and spoke.
“What are your orders?”
“You call that a question?”
The man clicked his tongue in irritation at the query.
“This operation failed long ago. With our current forces, we couldn’t handle so much as one of White Silver’s Butchers, let alone the outpost garrison.”
White Silver’s Butcher.
It was one of the derogatory nicknames for Fleta.
In the Empire, she was hailed as a Knight of White Silver, but to her enemies, she was nothing short of loathsome.
“Then the relic...”
“Given the circumstances, it’s safe to assume one of the cadets took it. The instructors were watching them closely from the start.”
The man answered, fell silent for a moment, then spoke again.
“Waiting until the next field exercise would take too long. We head back and replan.”
“Understood.”
Regardless of their organization’s resources, approaching a cadet living within the academy required utmost caution.
The man pondered for a long while before slowly turning away.
“We’re heading back.”
“Yes.”
The two men, Pilgrims, left their regrets behind and vanished into the darkness.
* * *
Two days after the first-year cadets returned from their field exercise.
The dormitory building, empty for days, buzzed with energy once more.
The cadets, who had been whining about fatigue, were back to full vigor in just two days, scampering about like nothing had happened.
“Everyone else looks so lively...”
Abel muttered as he leaned on the railing outside his door, watching the cadets laugh and chat while walking by.
“What’re you saying? Sounds like some old geezer.”
“My body feels about the same. I’m dying here, seriously.”
Abel scowled in response to Daniel’s jab.
He wasn’t wrong—Abel’s condition was still pretty bad.
It was something even he hadn’t anticipated: the aftereffects of mana exhaustion were lingering far longer than expected.
The diagnosis said it was because he’d pushed himself relentlessly without proper rest after the mana depletion.
“You should’ve taken it easy. You were still throwing down during the trip back.”
Abel shut his mouth, at a loss for words.
He had thought he was recovered enough and overdone it as a result.
That probably hadn’t helped.
Daniel shook his head at Abel, then asked another question.
“So, how long do they want you resting?”
“Total bed rest for the next three days, at least.”
“That’s not too bad. No classes missed or anything.”
“Yeah, true.”
Under the original schedule, they would’ve rested for the two weekend days after the exercise and jumped right back into classes.
But this exercise had been riddled with issues, so the rest period was extended by three days, totaling five full days off.
“I saw the instructors earlier—they looked seriously pissed.”
“Can’t blame ’em. Unlike us, they’ll be swamped for those five days.”
The extended break wasn’t just for relaxation; the instructors were too busy to hold classes.
Abel straightened up from the railing and said to Daniel,
“So, you’re off to the training grounds now?”
“Yep. Body’s getting itchy already.”
“Got it. I’ll head in and focus on resting hard.”
“See you at mealtime, then.”
Daniel gave a farewell wave and headed to the training grounds with light steps.
Abel watched his back for a moment, sighed, and retreated into his room.
‘I need to be more careful next time.’
He wanted to catch up on his backlog of training too, but pushing it now might turn three days into weeks of recovery.
Abel swallowed another rising sigh, sat in a meditative pose.
No physical training, so breathing exercises instead.
But then.
-Are you just holing up in your room again today?
Lupus suddenly spoke up.
“Yeah. Straight through for the next three days.”
-Three days, huh. Makes sense—your internal condition looks like a total mess. Push without proper rest, and it’ll get worse.
“You can tell my physical state?”
Abel asked, puzzled, and Lupus answered immediately.
-I’ve sensed it ever since entering this artifact.
“Wild.”
In the game, Lupus could assess the machine’s status and report it too.
Perhaps reading Abel’s body now was a similar function.
The human body was, in some ways, just a finely tuned machine.
Far more complex, sure.
“Anyway, I’m starting breathing exercises now, so stay quiet.”
-Got it.
Lupus fell silent without protest.
Only then did Abel refocus, inhaling deeply while visualizing mana flowing into his body.
Mana in this world responded to living beings’ wills, so the more vivid the imagery, the better the effect.
About ten minutes in.
-Master.
Lupus spoke up again.
Abel’s concentration shattered; he furrowed his brow.
“What?”
-I have some advice.
It was out of left field, but Abel patiently asked,
“Advice?”
-Yes. Your current breathing method isn’t efficient.
Abel started to retort but closed his mouth.
Annoying as the interruption was mid-focus, it was worth hearing out first.
“In what way?”
-I can feel your body tensing during inhalation. Probably from fixating too much on drawing in mana...
Once he started, Lupus poured out his thoughts nonstop.
Abel, initially just humoring him, grew wide-eyed as the explanation continued.
“So, focus on this area? Right here above the solar plexus?”
Abel pointed near his chest and asked; Lupus replied without hesitation.
-Exactly. Later, you can draw mana elsewhere, but for now, that spot is most efficient as the primary intake point.
The advice was logical and utterly convincing.
Abel pondered briefly before speaking.
“Alright, hear me out first, then tell me what you think.”
-Absolutely.
To the agreeable Lupus, Abel methodically explained everything about the Optium Breathing Method’s first half.
-Hmm. I get the method now.
After the lengthy explanation, Lupus responded instantly, without pause.
Abel asked, a hint of doubt in his voice,
“You really understood it all?”
-Yes. It’s a solid breathing method. But it has clear flaws—feels incomplete.
Spotting the incompleteness without background knowledge left Abel stunned once more.
It was a point impossible to catch without full comprehension.
He knew Lupus wasn’t ordinary, but this was still astonishing.
Abel cast aside his doubts and said to Lupus,
“Truth is, this is just the first half—there’s a second part. That’s why I’ve been hesitant to tweak it half-baked...”
-Then don’t overhaul it—just refine specific parts. As long as it stays true to the core framework, the second half won’t conflict later.
Lupus followed up by listing his suggested improvements.
Unlike the book’s flowery prose, he hit the key points precisely, making it easy to grasp.
Abel listened, entranced, then mentally reviewed the content several times.
‘……It’s perfect.’
Thanks to the system, he had mastered the first half perfectly and could tell.
Lupus’s refinements were flawless.
They boosted efficiency by over 20% with zero side effects.
“Hold on a sec.”
Abel did as instructed, applying the refined Optium Breathing Method.
Some time later.
[Mana flow has been improved.]
[The rank of Optium Breathing Method has increased by one level.]
An astonishing message appeared.