" I'm not sure if you understand what you've said. So I'll break it down for you. "
A heavy gulp was all I could respond with.
" Aura is the energy of the soul. It strengthens the body and can allow for miracles. This energy is not rare, however, its advanced applications are. "
A few workers helped sit me down while a board was dragged over. A lot of the Adventurers present stopped what they were doing and focused on me and the man's explanation.
" Aura, when released, acts as a bolster to all your physical capabilities and defenses. It's required to become an Adventurer because, without it, danger-beasts will tear through you. When the Aura is strong enough, it becomes visible to the naked eye and even gains a distinct color. Now, the only way to circumvent its necessity against danger-beasts is by being a combat prodigy even without it. "
" So that's the reason for the three-hit secondary requirement! "
" Precisely. Now, most people upon awakening their Aura simply coat their bodies in it entirely as they grow stronger physically and continue to train, allowing their Aura to stack onto their growing physical strength. But that method of power has a cap. "
Drawing onto the board, he drew a diagram of muscles and aura around them.
" If your physicality is a value of 100, your aura without any application will only ever be able to bolster it by ten times that. Your Aura's strengthening ability without application is set in stone. This is a fact that many Adventurers must come to terms with. "
So an inborn talent then? It's unfortunate but it seems there's no way to get stronger than I already am...
" You're probably thinking that your current level of power is all you'll get, aren't you? "
" A-Am I that predictable?! "
" Yes. "
Moving past Haruo's chiming in, I listened intently.
" You've been hearing me say without application, right? Aura when focused and hardened can produce over two times the effectiveness of Aura simply coating your body. What once was a ten-times boost can become twenty. Even thirty if you pack the aura densely enough around that specific muscle. "
He began to draw a diagram of a muscle exploding, quite a graphic picture for something on a simple whiteboard.
" But if you do this recklessly, you run the risk of destroying your muscles. And the same can be said...for Organ-Strengthening. Aura comes from deep within the Soul, however, Aura does still originate from inside the body and pours from our pores. By circulating that Aura back into the body you create a dense loop. And when you attempt to strengthen an organ with your Aura, you don't simply increase its strength or defense. You increase its effectiveness as a whole. "
Well, isn't that a good thing, I thought. But I stopped for a moment. And as I began to think about it, he continued.
" Your heart will beat faster, your lungs will intake oxygen faster, and your bladder will even drain faster. Strengthening your organs is a very intense process and unlike your muscles being destroyed, if your organ is bolstered in the wrong way, you can cause complete organ failure nearly instantly. "
Setting the marker down, he turned.
" I don't think I need to tell you what happens when an organ fails without warning or medical treatment. "
I'd die. Almost immediately.
" Everyone here was not only surprised by your tangible Aura...But also by the fact that you can strengthen your lungs for a minimum of 10 minutes straight across a five-hour distance. "
A heavy hand came down on my shoulder, a man leaning in close and smirking. It was RJ from before. The Giant's beard brushed up against me as he pulled me in close for what seemed to be a hug of sorts.
" Good thing I got to you when I did, huh Juri!? I didn't know you went on using such advanced techniques! If I came any later, you might've completely passed out! "
" Yes, it is indeed a good thing RJ came for you, young man. Or should I call you Juri? "
" Yeah! Juri Zo, that's my name! "
I reached my hand out toward the man who had taken the time out of his day to explain to me the severity of what I'd done. Though, Haruo probably would've explained it had I given him the chance later.
" I am Sebastian. I am the Master of the Adventurer's Guild. And I hereby welcome you as an Adventurer of D class. Your Aura is strong, no doubt. But you're inexperienced. The best I can do is offer you a spot among our recently formed Killer Bear extermination team. "
* GASP *
" How did— "
" Marie dear told me all about you, Juri. A young man with gold and blue hair. One that possesses eyes of truth. I was expecting you much later and even saved you a special spot if you managed to arrive here early tomorrow. But it seems you've gotten it even earlier than intended. "
Ms. Marie was truly a saint. She must've sent word out to the Guild Master before I had even left the village earlier today. I lowered my head to the Master, entering a deep bow. Back home a deep bow was considered a very respectful thing to do when showing gratitude.
" Thank you, sir! "
" No need for such formalities, Juri. You've proven yourself to be more than enough. But you must promise me you will not use Organ-Strengthening until you are truly accustomed to wielding your power. I can tell you've only just recently awakened to Aura. "
" Yes, sir! I've only just begun using it today! "
" Ah, of course, today. "
The entire Guild then went stone cold again.
" TODAY?! "
Voices erupted and people rushed me once more, this time Adventurers. They all crowded me and the Master, looking at me with envy as well as enthusiasm.
" You mean to tell me you've only JUST begun using Aura, Juri?! "
RJ asked as he slammed his hands down on my shoulders, pulling me in closely. He was quite the bombastic man, not that I minded. His energy reminded me I too could just be myself.
Reaching back and scratching my head, a bit embarrassed, I responded to them all.
" Y-yeah. Just earlier this afternoon I had gotten the hang of switching my Aura's focus from each body part... "
" I see! No wonder you've already used an application...You're a genius! "
" Genius? Me? No way! "
Never had I been a genius at anything before. I sucked at sports, I never could focus in class, and I wasn't a total people's person. I was middle of the pack if not last, always. It felt weird even having the word "genius" be associated with me!
" Make no mistake, Juri. You are truly an unprecedented prodigy. Your Aura is like nothing I've ever seen before. Even as a Celestial, I couldn't contain it. "
Haruo's words solidified it. Maybe I did have something special about me.
" Hm...I don't trust it. "
A gravely deeper voice came out from behind RJ, stepping in front of him and looking down at me. He was a big man, his ears sharp but not as long as you'd imagine on an elf. His skin was dark, even darker than the Giant RJ's. His appearance screamed monster but this was Human Territory, right? So he had to be some type of Humanoid.
" Don't trust what, Code? "
" If we're going to entrust our backs to this kid, we should at least know if he's actually up to par with that sword he carries, right? Just being able to throw around your Aura isn't all there is to a fight. "
" ? "
I had been confused, to say the least. He spoke as though—
" Ah, I had forgotten to mention, Juri. RJ here is the leader of the extermination party. And Code is the tanker of the party. He helps protect everyone. "
Now I got it. RJ was willing to accept me but Code didn't trust my capabilities yet. That had been understandable. Though, I had no idea how I was supposed to prove myself to him.
" Let's settle this the Adventurer way. Tomorrow morning, right after breakfast. Meet me in the right-wing training field. We'll do three rounds of sparring. If you manage to catch me off guard even once in those three rounds, I'll accept you with no fuss. "
The Guild Master had already given me approval...However, if I wanted to truly fight alongside these men, I had to show that I wasn't deadweight. Extending a hand out toward Code, I offered a handshake.
" Deal! "
Code had an unfriendly appearance, what with his rugged facial features and long dreadlocks that came down and covered bits of his face. His deep-set black eyes seemed to pierce into me as his mouth seemed to turn upside down at the idea of shaking my hand. However, he let out a sigh, seemingly giving in and lowering his hand that had been clad in a leather warrior glove and shaking my own.
Afterward, he turned away, heading upstairs. RJ, the gentle Giant, nodded his head to me, possibly affirming me that everything was all good, and ran behind Code.
" You didn't have to grill the kid... "
" You've got to be sure about the people you trust with your life, Ricky. "
They turned the corner and their conversation went out of hearing range.
Turning to all the other members, I bowed my head to them slightly, preparing myself to get a room after getting anything to eat.
" You can eat for free today, Juri. You should get some rest afterward. "
Taking the Master up on that offer, I ordered a delicious-looking ham platter to dig into. A bit of protein before a morning workout session. Ryota would love this.
" I have to win... "
Words fell from my mouth as I ate.
. . .
" Are you ready, kid? "
Raising the wooden sword given to me in the air and slashing it down, I nodded.
" We're using Aura, right? "
" Of course. But for the sake of safety, no applications for attacking, only for defense. "
I get it. Using Aura to boost our offensive skills would just put each other at risk. But using it for defense was encouraged—after all, this was just sparring.
" You can make the first move then. "
Code surprisingly handed it off to me first.
" Listen Juri, I won't interfere with this fight. If it were life or death, I'd help. But if you can't even get through sparring without me, this partnership of ours won't work. "
" I wouldn't want your help here anyway. I have to do this myself. "
Within my mind, I began to chant, focusing solely on the fight now.
"Open the box...Withdraw the power...Wrap it around yourself..." Repeated in my brain before my Aura slowly began to creep out from my pores. Unlike before where I had opened the box and allowed a massive rush of Aura to escape, I controlled the flow.
" Here I come!! "
Excitedly, I kicked off the ground, beginning a dash. With my Aura boosting my physical capabilities, I was right within the range of Code's blade immediately. Arm arced downwards, the sword in my hand blurred in the air as it swept forward. While I had expected to hit either Code or Code's sword, I struck nothing but the air itself.
* THWIP—WOOSH *
Behind me had been Code, his blade coming down toward my back. While I couldn't see it, I felt it. The Aura coiling around my body warned me of its attack, the multi-colored energy of my soul hardening around my back. The blade's tip met my back, sparking off of it as if meeting a steel wall.
"SHIFT."
With one command inside my mind, the Aura surrounding my back came to my legs, filling them with power. I jumped into the air above Code, now spreading my Aura out equally along my body to keep up the rules.
VERTICAL CUT, DIAGONALLY RIGHT UPWARDS, DIAGONALLY LEFT DOWNWARDS, THRUST, HORIZONTAL SWIPE
Each of my slashes while still in the air all came out in what seemed to be one instance. My eyes could keep up, witnessing my sword move in what seemed like a sort of slow motion. However, each time I had thrown an attack, it was met with an intercepting parry.
Code was keeping up while standing, seemingly unbothered. His wooden blade met my own in a rhythm. Eventually, we worked up a storm of attacks, until I broke the rhythm, coating my left hand in a dense Aura and reaching forward.
My hand latched onto Code's sword, giving me a moment to twist my body while in the air, throwing a kick with my left leg toward Code's face. He bent backward, dodging it effortlessly. But with my hand still tightly holding onto his sword, I snapped the wood, at the point just above his hand's position, giving me a whole lot of the wooden blade to work with.
Now in my hands had been two swords, though one was broken. Losing momentum that kept me suspended in the air, I began to fall, turning the blades I had in both hands down toward Code's bent back body, with full intentions of thrusting him with both.
* WOOSH—STAB *
The blade tips had met with the ground. Many people cheered around and RJ even clapped as he witnessed Code backing away from me, sweat coming down from his brow. I had seen it. Moments before he'd gotten away, my swords almost stabbed right into his chest and throat.
" You win, Juri. You caught me off guard—I trust you can handle this. "
Code spoke as though he were proud of me.
But...
" Again. I want to go again. I didn't show you all I've got yet. "
I tossed down the broken sword and turned. There had been an array of wooden weapons, of all sorts that were there. From spears to small daggers. But I wanted something familiar.
" What're you doing, kid? "
A bystander spoke up as he watched me grab a second sword. I threw it in Code's direction before grabbing a third. My body was moving almost on its own. I was watching the actions I had been taking, I even consciously knew what I wanted.
But being aware of it and doing it...They weren't the same.
In my hands there were two wooden swords now. I shifted my stance, preparing myself.
" You make the first move this time! And don't hold back! "
" Juri, what're you doing? I never taught you how to use— "
" Haruo...I've...I've got an idea. "
This just felt...natural.
" Agh...Fine then, kid. We'll go the full mile. "
CHAPTER 15 END