Shoun threw a punch at a blue holographic figure. The right hook pierced through the hologram's chest, causing it to explode into harmless little sparks.
—Liam... ugh, turn off the training system— At that moment, the young man was drenched in sweat. He was only wearing part of his uniform, having set aside his hoodie and denim jacket. Around Shoun's wrist was a chain, which, like a serpent, slithered up his arm and coiled around his chest— Hey, guys.
—So that's your new weapon— Deuz commented briefly as he eyed the chain.
—An artifact? How did you get it?— Sein asked as he approached Shoun. The young man didn't resist and let the boy examine it. Kaze, on the other hand, stayed back with Deuz.
—There was one use left of the corpse, so I used it to create this chain. The artifact's name is "Iron Serpent." Basically, its ability is that it moves according to my will without me needing to dedicate part of my concentration to controlling it— As he spoke, the chain coiled around Shoun's right arm at his command, allowing his companions to see it better. The chain looked very similar to a normal one, except one end resembled a serpent's head, while the other looked like a tail— I think it's about a meter long, more or less, though it can grow if I inject it with electricity. Besides what I've already told you, it should be durable, so besides attacking, it can also defend me a bit— Shoun had consciously chosen to share all the information about his new weapon. It would be foolish not to, and he trusted them.
—It's so cool! Does it bite?— Sein asked as he touched the "head" of the serpent with one of his fingers.
—Yes— Shoun replied briefly before sending a small electric shock through the Iron Serpent to Sein, who jumped back more out of surprise than pain. After all, Shoun would never seriously hurt his friend— Hahaha! It's an artifact; it's not really alive. So no, it doesn't bite unless I want it to— The Iron Serpent, as its name suggested, was a conductor. Shoun had devised a way to throw it and trap his enemies, then generate a shock to paralyze them. That was still a work in progress, but it worked well against holograms for now. It wasn't that Shoun couldn't just generate a massive electric shock to achieve the same effect, but that would cost far more electricity than it was worth.
—Ouch, you're evil, Shoun!— At that moment, Sein summoned his sword and attacked Shoun, though very slowly on purpose so the young man could react.
From that moment on, the four of them began training in a rotation. Shoun trained with Sein while Deuz trained with Kaze.
From what Shoun could gather from watching the two apprentices train, Deuz didn't have much trouble finding Kaze even though the latter was wearing his cloak.
This happened because of the way the masked man moved his spiritual energy. As seekers, both Shoun and Sein didn't rely on it to survive, nor did they have great control or the ability to detect it effectively.
Apprentices were different. They controlled it more efficiently and were more sensitive to spiritual energy, so if Kaze got too close, they could sense him to some extent.
That was more than enough for Deuz to aim and fire some of his blunted arrows. They wouldn't kill Kaze, but they'd probably leave a bruise.
The two apprentices were relatively evenly matched. Kaze had no trouble getting close to Deuz and attacking, but Deuz could react quickly and counterattack with a barrage of arrows, all while repositioning himself with his ability.
Meanwhile, Shoun and Sein practiced more theoretical things and didn't attack each other. That was because their attacks could seriously injure one another. After all, Shoun's electricity in large amounts was enough to destroy a physical brute's arm, while Sein's golden sword was apprentice-rank, making it dangerous in its own right.
So Shoun focused on practicing with the Iron Serpent while Sein defended. Then they moved on to testing Sein's healing abilities more extensively than before, as it seemed similar to Shoun's electricity in that the more spiritual energy was poured into the healing, the greater the effect.
—Cut this— Shoun pointed to a part of his left forearm, telling Sein to cut it. If the boy couldn't fully heal it, it wouldn't stop Shoun from fighting, as he was right-handed.
—Are you sure? That's going to hurt a lot...— Despite the obvious, the boy still pointed it out with some hesitation— You don't have to go through that to test my powers.
—It's fine, Sein. I'll be okay. I can handle the pain— The boy had an idea of why his friend had such a high pain tolerance, but he could only sigh before taking his sword. He didn't want to prolong the suffering, so with a simple, precise motion, the indicated part of the forearm was cut— Ugh...— The young man only let out a slight grunt as he bit his inner lip. Both his shirt and the white floor were stained with his blood. Sein set the sword aside, still disturbed by the sound of human flesh being cut, which kept replaying in his mind. Placing his hands over the wound, he poured a large amount of spiritual energy into his palms, which glowed with a golden light that faintly illuminated the surroundings. Slowly, the blood stopped flowing from Shoun's wound, and the flesh began to regenerate. After a couple of minutes, Sein stopped injecting spiritual energy and collapsed to the floor, exhausted. Shoun, on the other hand, looked at his body— ...you're amazing, Sein. It's like I was never injured in the first place.
—Hehe... thanks... now let me rest for a bit— Sein asked before closing his eyes and entering rest mode. Shortly after, both Deuz and Kaze approached, and Shoun explained what they had just tested.
—That was a bit reckless on your part. You're lucky it worked— Deuz commented briefly, though he didn't seem upset— On the other hand, it's good to know the extent of his ability. He might even be able to heal more, but testing that would be even more reckless— He was clearly hinting that Sein might even be able to regenerate entire limbs.
—Yeah, let's rest a bit and then continue training— Shoun suggested briefly before sitting down. He had been training all night and part of the morning— I can still keep going, but I need to sit for a while— The apprentices didn't fully believe Shoun's words, but they trusted that he knew his limits better than anyone.
After an hour, everyone had recovered and switched training partners. Sein practiced his swordsmanship with Kaze, while Shoun trained with Deuz in a similar way to how Deuz had trained with Kaze.
The difference between the two training sessions was that, unlike Kaze, Shoun was learning to survive more effectively against a ranged enemy. After all, it wasn't like he expected to fight alone in the mirror world. They were a team, but he needed to be able to survive in those moments to create an opening for Kaze, Deuz, and Sein.
The young man blocked the blunted arrows with the chain, but he couldn't do it every time or too often, as there was a risk of the chain breaking. So sometimes he dodged or blocked with his body, trying to take the hits in less debilitating areas for a long-term battle.
The effects of all this training wouldn't be immediately noticeable. After all, it was necessary to internalize what they'd learned and gradually incorporate it into their fighting styles. But everyone was putting in the effort to give their best in the test the next day.
After a couple more hours, it was time for lunch. Everyone left their uniforms in the washer, including Kaze's, which had been washed and dried the day before. It was necessary after all the sweating they'd done over the past few hours.
Shoun prepared a simple lunch consisting of rice and beef, and he let Sein help by making a tomato and lettuce salad.
Lunch went by with Sein leading and dominating the conversation thanks to his cheerful and extroverted personality. Everyone else participated, though Shoun less so, as fatigue and lack of sleep were starting to weigh on him.
When they finished, each went their separate ways. Shoun went to sleep until around evening. During that time, Sein practiced his swordsmanship and techniques alone, Deuz read one of the books in the base (he mentioned that after skimming through them, he found they were mostly universal literature like Pride and Prejudice or A Thousand and One Spells). Kaze, on the other hand, sat on the couch with Deuz, doing nothing. Mostly because he didn't enjoy the readings Deuz recommended, nor did he feel like training at the moment. And since there was no TV, his only option was to sit around doing nothing—but the masked man didn't seem to mind.
After Shoun woke up and Sein finished training, they joined Deuz and Kaze in the living room. Unlike the other two, they couldn't just sit around doing nothing until the next day, so out of sheer boredom, they started looking for something new in the base and found a drawer full of board games.
—Wow, there's even a Stellar Path here— Shoun said as he held a box with a spaceship on the cover.
—Really!? I haven't played that in years. My grandma and I used to play it a lot when the neighbors came over for tea— Sein commented briefly before snatching the box from Shoun's hands.
—What's Stellar Path?
—It's a pretty old board game. Its origin dates back to the arrival of the Codex. A Codex user took an even older game and redesigned it, adapting it with more fantastical mechanics... I have the name of that game on the tip of my tongue...— Shoun explained briefly. Sein was already setting up the board and sorting the pieces before everyone could agree, but they went along with it and sat down.
—The game Stellar Path is based on is Parcheesi— Deuz said as he started the game with his move— Your turn, Kaze. For now, it's simple. You just have to...
—I'm surprised one of humanity's first saviors dedicated himself to designing this board game— Kaze's surprise wasn't very noticeable in his tone, but the fact that he even showed it was enough for everyone at the table to believe he was genuinely impressed. Instead of announcing Shoun's turn, Kaze just looked at the young man, who understood and started his move.
—Well, it's pretty normal. There are many people who, for one reason or another, end up becoming Codex bearers but don't want to work in that field. It probably wasn't much different centuries ago— Shoun commented briefly, a hint of melancholy in his gaze as he made his move— Your turn, Sein.
—The first saviors seem incredible to me. They managed to defend unstable humanity. Obviously, I also admire the elven and demon saviors, but I don't know much about them... I think I know what to research when I get back!— Unlike the other players, Sein took an aggressive approach, causing one of Kaze's pieces to retreat. From that moment on, a fierce battle broke out between the novice Kaze and the veteran Sein over the next few turns— Hahaha, Kaze, I've got you right where I want you!
—...— The masked man didn't respond to the boy's taunt. He simply waited for his turn and, when it came, quickly dismantled Sein's strategy.
—Huh?... What!? How is that possible!? Are you cheating, Kaze!?
—Surprisingly, no— Shoun commented as he held the game's rulebook. He already knew how aggressive and sore of a loser Sein could be during board games, so he had the rules on hand— Did you really not know anything about the game before we explained it to you, Kaze? We've got a Stellar Path prodigy right here!— Shoun joked shamelessly, aiming to provoke Sein, which he succeeded in doing spectacularly.
—Just you wait, I'll show you all my true power!— The game continued for a while, eliciting laughter to varying degrees, mostly because it was fun to frustrate Sein, though even he had to laugh at times. The winner was Deuz— How is it possible that you won?
—What can I say? You got careless while dealing with Shoun's fleet, and you insisted on going after Kaze even though at this point he couldn't come back without a miracle. Staying quiet is also a strategy, you know— Deuz explained briefly, smiling innocently at the boy.
—I want a rematch!
The four of them spent a fun evening playing and eating, perhaps trying to enjoy themselves more because of the challenge they would face the next day.
Shoun lay back down in the bed of the room he had claimed as his own. It was the same as Sein's, except it had a gray carpet instead of a cream-colored one.
—(I wish we could keep playing and having fun like this forever)— Shoun remembered Sein's smile and frustration during the game. He cared deeply for his old friend. Then he thought about his companion, Kaze. As always, he had been more expressionless—he didn't laugh, get frustrated, or really get angry. But even so, he showed genuine concern for Shoun and Sein—(They say actions speak louder than words, so I know Kaze cares for me just as much as I care for him)— Then his thoughts turned to Deuz. The former stranger, now companion, left Shoun unsure of what to think. He couldn't trust him as much as Sein or Kaze, but he knew Deuz also had his own reasons for wanting their survival. He had seen it during their training and in other small interactions, causing that seed of affection he already felt for the others to grow for his new companion as well—(...I don't want to feel powerless again. I want all of us to make it out of here alive, and I want to keep getting stronger... The vestiges are both the barrier and the gateway to my goal, so I'll kill every vestige that stands in my way.)