Free Web NovelChapter 10: Obvious Bullying
The days passed slowly.
Unfortunately, after using the Training Amplifier a single time for 500 GP, the system increased the cost to 750 GP. And with each new use, the price would rise even further.
Even so, Priam felt it was worth it and decided to keep saving points to use it.
With each passing day, he was like a sponge absorbing everything those two taught him. Half of his time was devoted to physical training, while the other half was focused on studying.
Priam also began concentrating on the Eyes of the Wind bloodline he had acquired.
With that bloodline, he could even learn that race’s Ancestral Art. But obviously, he would need to obtain it directly from them, which was impossible at the moment.
Even without that, the power of that race allowed him to manipulate one of the five natural elements: wind.
The five elements were: Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, and Fire. Most ordinary races could manipulate at least one of them.
After some time, Priam came to the conclusion that it was impossible to properly use the power of that bloodline without prior knowledge of the wind element or some Wind-related Magic Art that could serve as a foundation.
Life wasn’t that easy. He couldn’t simply go around stealing bloodlines and instantly use their maximum power as if by magic. He needed to study and learn how to control the corresponding power.
He asked Flaris if she knew anything about the wind element.
She shook her head, but quickly added:
"In the main clan, I’ve heard there are training grounds dedicated to studying the five natural elements. Soon, everyone participating in the coming-of-age ceremony will also be allowed to choose a Magic Art from the clan library. That library contains many things my demonic family dreams of obtaining; you’ll definitely find something like that there."
Priam nodded, his eyes shining.
He didn’t want to spend 400 GP right now to buy knowledge about Natural Elements. At the moment, he had other priorities. But soon, when he arrived at the clan, he would be able to learn about it.
***
Five months later, Priam turned fifteen years old.
All of his daily points, which totaled over four thousand, had been spent on the Training Amplifier. He had only been able to use it seven times, but the effects were definitely worth it.
In less than a year, Priam had gone from someone who wasn’t even a Mage to becoming a fourth-level Celestial Mage Acolyte. And in close combat, he looked like a young man who had trained diligently for years.
That learning speed was terrifying. Even Flaris had needed three years just to reach the fifth level, and she felt that she wasn’t much better than Priam in a fight anymore.
At that moment, there was only one week left before Priam would depart for the main clan.
The previous day, Flaris had said her goodbyes and been taken to her other demonic family. She would undergo a demonic coming-of-age ritual, similar to the one held by the Ylisse Clan. In one week, she would return directly to the Ylisse Clan, allowing her to participate in both ceremonies.
...
*CRACK!*
A metallic cracking sound echoed across the training field.
Seien looked at the training dummy, now completely twisted, with a fist-sized hole punched straight through its center.
"...It really broke," Seien murmured beside Priam. "My boy is now a grown man full of vigor and strength. I hope he doesn’t get tricked by some gold-digging woman in the future."
In the end, Priam chose to focus on mastering the Light Fists taught by his mother. Fighting with nothing but his own hands made him feel more alive. To him, the feeling of turning his own body into a weapon was extremely satisfying.
Seien wore a broad smile on her face. Her son’s talent had changed drastically in an incredibly short period of time. Now he was absurdly talented, so much so that it was hard to believe they shared the same blood.
’He’s a monster.’
Although it wasn’t exactly an appropriate thought to have about her own son, even she couldn’t help but feel admiration sometimes.
"The blacksmith in this city is terrible," Priam grumbled.
"Hehe... don’t waste your time thinking about that. You can already use Light Fists better than I can. Once you obtain a good Magic Art in the clan, it’ll be like a tiger growing wings."
Priam nodded, but he still wanted to keep training. Now he seemed insatiable, almost like a training maniac. Flaris’s illness had clearly infected him.
"Don’t worry about the training dummy. Just bring me an entire block of high-purity iron. I’ll be the only one hitting it anyway, so there’s no need to shape it," he said excitedly.
Seien simply stared at her son, unable to find the right words.
She noticed that he still had a lean physique, but he was gradually becoming more robust. He had already been handsome before, and now he gave off a wild yet charming aura.
’I gave birth to a caveman!’
She thought, feeling genuine joy over her son’s talent. She didn’t know exactly what had suddenly happened to him over the past year, but now that he was displaying such exceptional talent, how could she not feel proud?
However, along with that pride came a strong sense of guilt. It was an undeniable fact that, as his mother, she had not contributed much to his talents; in fact, her influence mainly existed in his shortcomings.
Even if he trained his body intensely, his physique and muscles would never grow that much, or would have extreme difficulty developing, because of the genetics inherited from her. Furthermore, it was also because of her that he had inherited only the most basic bloodline and power of the clan.
Fortunately, the coming-of-age ceremony was a clan tradition held every five years. And after obtaining a Magic Art, Priam would be able to partially overcome those natural limitations.
During the ceremony, all children who had turned fifteen throughout that five-year period, both direct descendants and members of branch families, were summoned to the main estate.
The purpose of that ceremony was simple: to determine which among them were the most talented and therefore deserved to be treated with greater care.
Before the coming-of-age ceremony, all young members of the clan were supposed to be treated equally.
Yes, it was completely against the rules for them to have cut off the resources of Priam and his mother.
But how could she complain?
In short, during that ceremony, the youths had to prove their worth. And until that day, they were forbidden from learning Magic Arts so that everyone would remain on equal footing... or almost.
"You’d better stop for today and focus on your studies. In one day, a soldier from the clan will come to pick you up. Since I have nothing left to teach you, you’ll gain more by improving your understanding. That way, it’ll be easier to learn a Magic Art in the clan afterward," Seien said calmly.
Upon hearing that, Priam merely snorted.
’What a stupid tradition.’
He wanted to learn a Magic Art immediately. There were some he could buy on the planet, even if they were quite weak.
It seemed that the sole purpose of that ceremony was to suppress the descendants of branch families. After all, the children of the direct bloodline who lived at the clan’s central estate were free to learn whatever they wanted, regardless of age.
’That’s what this is about. They want the descendants of the branch families to understand from a young age that they’ll never be able to surpass the direct descendants.’
It seemed like an obvious case of intimidation. But at the same time, it didn’t make much logical sense. Why would they want to hinder the development of the younger generation for no reason?
Perhaps there was a reason behind all of it, and Priam would only discover it when the time was right.
Seien noticed the thoughtful and slightly irritated expression on her son’s face. Although she found that frustrated expression somewhat adorable, the guilt she felt only grew stronger.
’If only he had been born with my bloodline...’
That thought constantly tormented her mind... Priam possessed immense talent, but part of his potential had been lost because of her.
"Why do you have that look on your face, Mom?" Priam asked as he turned slightly toward her. freewebnσvel.cѳm
She gently shook her head.
"No... It’s nothing."
"As if that’s possible. It’s obvious that you’re blaming yourself again for something meaningless," he replied seriously, seeing her expression change.
"I’m proud to be your son, and something as small as a bloodline won’t make any difference to me. Never blame yourself for anything again. Just wait a little longer... I swear I’ll make everyone in the clan beg for your forgiveness."
She quickly shook her head, but her eyes trembled.
"Just live happily and always do whatever you want. If you truly want to make me happy, then promise me only that."
Priam let out a deep sigh and nodded.
For some reason, his mother seemed to become more emotional with each passing day. He had already tried asking many times what she was hiding, but she always denied it, insisting there was nothing.
In the end, all he could do was wait and hope that it truly wasn’t something irreversible.
