What Must Be Done While Alive
Rion entered the dormitory and collapsed onto the floor after completing the report on the Hydra subjugation and the training of the trainees.
During the hunt for the Hydra, in that fleeting moment, his true body power had erupted once more.
It had lasted only an instant, yet it had been enough time for Enril to sense it.
Fortunately, luck had been on his side once again.
At the time, Enril had been poisoned and barely managing to endure by using the mana Rion had sent her.
Thanks to that, she had not noticed the power of the true body seeping out.
'Was it because of the power restriction?'
It would have been better if he had weakened or sealed his power.
In that case, he would have been suffocating, but not this restless.
How could power restriction be something that made the power wriggle uncontrollably?
"Haah—"
Rion let out a long sigh and immediately entered the mana cultivation technique.
He had consumed a significant amount of mana, especially more to hide the fact that he was detoxifying!
Even though he thought it was odd that it didn't affect him at all, it was a bit wasteful.
'Not only that, but he also had to transmit mana to Enril and the trainees.'
The fortunate part was that the power of the mana cultivation technique had clearly been demonstrated.
The trainees who were unconscious wouldn't have noticed, but Enril would have felt it bone-deep.
How much power the mana refined by the mana cultivation technique could exert in that instant.
Having felt the necessity twice, the probability that she would show enthusiasm and practice it greatly increased.
It was a good thing, he muttered to himself.
When the earlier incident came to mind, Rion unconsciously bit his lip.
'I almost died.'
Enril almost died. Right in front of him.
If it had been even a moment later, she would have died from the Hydra's poison.
Ruthlessly powerless, without even a chance to lift a hand.
It couldn't be helped. How could he lose the only hero he had found?
The only savior who had reached him, how could he lose her?
He had only taken one step to refine her.
But since he had almost lost her, it was natural for anger to surge.
Kuguguu—
When the flames flared up, his true body power erupted once more without warning.
Larger and thicker than when using mana.
Carrying a eerie aura that could manifest hell at any moment.
This couldn't go on. Whenever emotions ran high, the true body also rampaged.
He had to kill it repeatedly. To finish the job without being caught.
"Haah."
While breathing deeply and suppressing his power, he was refining the mana.
Knock knock—
A knock sounded, and Rion slowly stood up from his seat.
He already knew who it was. He had felt the presence since a moment ago.
"Instructor."
When he opened the door, Enril bowed her head and greeted him.
As Rion looked at her, he pressed his temples and replied.
"I told you to go back and rest. The trainees are one thing, but you're an injured person yourself."
It was only for a moment, but she was indeed poisoned by the Hydra's venom.
Although she had burned it all away with mana, she had clearly sustained damage.
So, he told her to hurry back and rest well, but why had she come all the way here?
"Th-that... I couldn't properly give my thanks."
She could have come with the trainees after she recovered, but now, instead of thanks, what bothered her was that Enril had almost died.
If she had really died... Well, the Hydra and the trainees... wouldn't they all have died?
"Thank you, Instructor Rion. For saving my life."
Without knowing Rion's inner thoughts, Enril bowed her head again.
"If it hadn't been for you, the trainees and I would have lost our lives too. Really..."
"Yes. As you said, the world almost lost the existence that fights against the Tower Master. The only hero who survived from the Tower. Enril, you."
The anger he had been suppressing flared up again.
She was the only savior he had found. She had to live. Live to save everyone.
Not just Enril herself, but the people around her and the entire world.
And even more, right in front of him, Rion himself!
"Why did you do something like that over there? I was there too!"
"I was just... trying to protect them as a hero, risking my life..."
"Don't die. Don't even think about dying. Live. Live to fulfill your duties. Fulfill your destiny. Become a true hero that way. Slay the Tower Master, bring down the Tower. Become the hero who saved the world, Enril."
While gripping the woman's shoulder, Rion said it with intense tone.
Enril must have understood what it meant: don't recklessly risk your life in vain places.
"...I was supposed to die in the first place."
"So what."
"I didn't survive. I just... endured..."
"So, you have to live even more. Living and winning is what matters."
Enril had a sense of guilt and humiliation about having survived.
Rion realized he had to eliminate that first.
"No matter what happened to you or what circumstances there were, I don't care. Living is winning. So, live and win. Live until you win, live more, and keep surviving."
"Instructor, does that mean I had to abandon the trainees earlier to live?"
"If necessary."
Enril's expression twisted as if she couldn't believe Rion's answer.
"That's ridiculous! How could you—"
"I clearly said I would be there. I will be by your side. If needed, I will fight in your place and save you. So you can focus on your duties."
I will take on all the things and matters that could interfere.
So, please, Enril, focus on what a hero must do.
"And I will do my best to make you strong. So that you can bring down the Tower while alive. Even though you'll be alone in there, I'll fight alongside you. I'll help you so you can do that. Enril."
"..."
Enril didn't respond for a while. She stood there blankly, just staring at Rion.
"...I'm tired. I'll go rest somewhere."
She finally pulled her lips away and left Rion, walking away.
Her insides, soaked with Hydra's poison, ached.
A faint sense of nausea from the mana she had just experienced for the first time.
But, above all, what was shaking Enril now—
'He said he'll help.'
A thoroughly lonely battlefield with no one to lean on.
Entering alone, fighting alone, even dying alone.
The fear that comes from there is only known to those who have experienced it.
Plus the burden of the name 'hero'. The pressure that comes from there.
She wanted to stop. She wanted to end it by dying.
It had been too much to bear, too heavy, and it had been difficult.
'Together, fighting...'
As Enril recalled Rion's words, she smiled.
Even though it was a bit ridiculous coming from someone who wasn't a hero.
It was enough to be a small respite in the silent and desolate journey.
*
The mana cultivation technique was officially incorporated into the training curriculum.
It was the result of the Hydra subjugation, with testimonies from the trainees and Enril.
"Well done. Teach them properly, Instructor Rion."
As the head instructor, he didn't ignore the opinions of other instructors.
At the same time, he seemed to accept the advice of the instructor with good skills.
Rion nodded at the pleasant appearance of Head Instructor Edmond.
There was a bit of calculating part, but rather, such types are easy to handle.
If you just show clear vision and goals, they become the most reliable supporters.
The remaining task was to teach Enril her best until the next full moon.
She had to reach a level where she could inflict even a little damage on his true body.
That way, Enril would have greater expectations for this method and put in more effort.
"The beginning of the mana cultivation technique is the same as the existing mana manipulation. Accept as much mana as possible into your body and stack it up. Of course, since mana sensitivity is high, this won't be an easy task either."
The trainees who entered the cultivation training with Enril stumbled a lot in the beginning.
The existing method was used as if releasing the mana right after gathering it.
But while using it was familiar, continuously gathering was an entirely different issue.
"Mana shouldn't be released. Keep holding onto it."
"Stay focused! If you hold it ambiguously and then let go, you'll get internal injuries!"
While pressuring the trainees, Rion kept watching Enril.
He was ready to stop her immediately if he sensed any sign of losing mana.
Of course, fortunately, such a thing didn't happen.
"Those who see this far might think it's easy. But from the next step, it can be called real. I also diverged a lot from here in the place where I lived. Between those who succeed and those who fail."
You have to compress the mana accumulated in your body. It will be very powerful, as if it might burst at any moment.
At the same time, the mana that couldn't be tied must be released to the outside as quickly as possible.
You have to do these two tasks at the same time, and from here, it becomes quite difficult.
"Ugh..."
"Cough!"
If you only focus on compressing the mana, you'll neglect releasing it.
If you focus on releasing, you won't compress properly and it will be worse than not doing it.
If either of these goes wrong, you have to start all over from the beginning.
That's why, even though the mana cultivation technique is theoretically efficient, in reality it's not.
'The trainees are almost all out. At this level, they have to start over from the beginning.'
Rion turned his head and approached Enril sitting in a corner.
Sweat pouring down, she was concentrating as much as possible on the mana inside her.
Gathering the massively gathered mana, compressing it, releasing what was no longer needed.
Then accepting mana again and repeating the task — extreme hard labor.
It only takes one time to get the feel. Then next time it will be much easier.
Later, she will reach the level of bringing extremely refined mana in large quantities inside her body in a matter of minutes, like him.
"Uuuuh..."
With her lips pursed, she was fighting with herself.
If she wins, she becomes stronger by one level, and if she fails, she has to start over from the beginning.
As Rion watched this silently, he cautiously bent his body.
"You can do it, Enril. You have to."
Yes. You can. You have to do it, so I can feel a bit more at ease.