Light shone, breaking the darkness. The light was warm and golden, reminiscent of solar magic but lacking its strength.
A voice broke through the silence, familiar and desperately needed.
"Please wake up, Master...!"
The real voice of Glacielle. Not the scary version.
The voice belonged to the real Glacielle, filled with worry and vitality.
The nightmare broke up like glass.
First, sound came back. Fire that crackles. The wind makes the leaves rustle. Sounds from far away that could have been weapons clashing.
Then he took a deep breath. The smell of smoke from the wood filled the air, mingling with the strong, medicinal aroma of healing herbs. Fresh air and the scent of new grass surrounded him.
Next was touch. The rough bark pressed against his back, and he could feel the tight bandages wrapped around his chest. Pain radiated from his injuries, which were slowly healing but still far from fully mended.
Last but not least, there was sight. Everything appeared blurry at first, as if it were swimming before his eyes.
Gradually, the haze lifted, and the details sharpened until he could see clearly.
A big tree trunk held Lucian up. Everything was bathed in golden hour light as the sun went down.
There was a small campfire nearby that crackled peacefully. Marshal's Banner of the Unbroken Sun was stuck in the ground, and there was a faint shimmer in the air that showed that the healing domain was open.
They had left the valley and gone to a safer clearing, where they could see and hide better.
He tried to move, but he quickly regretted it. There was pain in his chest and back that wasn't too severe but was definitely there.
His body felt like a big bruise.
A notification from the system flashed in front of him.
[HP: 65% - Stable]
[Status Effects: None]
[Recovery Time: 2-3 days for full combat readiness]
Lucian looked at how he was doing. Most of his torso and arms were covered in bandages that were put on with professional care.
He had been put in clean clothes by someone. His weapons and gear were neatly laid out so that he could reach them.
Then he heard the voices.
"AGAIN! Your footwork is all fucking messed up!"
It was easy to hear Marshal's harsh voice across the clearing. Lucian turned his head slowly and saw them about twenty meters away.
In a flat part of the clearing, a makeshift training ground had been set up. Marshal stood at attention, arms crossed in the same way they always did when they were Dawn Reapers.
She had a serious look on her face as she watched Glacielle do combat drills.
"An enemy won't wait for you to get your balance!" Marshal shouted. "You'd be dead three times over by now if this were real combat!"
"Yes, Ma'am!" Glacielle said right away, and she went back to her starting position without saying anything.
She didn't have on her icy bikini armor. Instead, she wore simple training clothes that made it easier for her to move around.
Even though she was made of ice, Lucian could see sweat on her face, which showed how hard she had been working.
Lucian watched as Glacielle did a series of complicated movements. Her footwork was perfect, and her frost fans moved in controlled arcs, but Marshal's sharp eye saw every little flaw.
"Broaden your stance! You're too narrow, and one strong push will knock you over!"
Glacielle made changes right away.
"Don't give away your moves! I can see what you're going to do from a kilometer away!"
This time, she made another change to the way her shoulders were positioned.
"Magic ice won't help you if your foundation is weak! A house built on sand will always fall down!"
The training went on with brutal efficiency. Marshal took out one of her Dawn Reapers and fought Glacielle at what looked like thirty percent speed.
Even at a lower level of intensity, the difference in skill was huge.
There was very little wasted motion in every strike Marshal threw. Glacielle's defense was excellent, better than most warriors could do, but there were holes that a real expert could use to their advantage.
And Marshal was a true expert in every way.
"That was a good block, but you used way too much force!" Marshal tapped Glacielle's fan with his blade to show her how to do it. "Conserving energy wins long battles!"
"You'll tire yourself out fighting like this!"
Glacielle took the criticism and changed the way she did things.
"Your ice magic is strong; I'll give you that," Marshal said as he circled like a predator. "But you depend on it too much!"
"What do you do when you come up against an enemy who is good at ice as well?"
"What do you do when your mana runs out?"
She showed with a controlled hit to Glacielle's shoulder that she could knock her off balance. Not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to make a point.
"You need to be deadly without magic first. Then add magic for the killing blow!"
"That's what makes a true warrior instead of a one-trick mage."
Glacielle fell to the ground but got back up right away. "Please, Ma'am, again!"
Lucian saw a small sign of approval in Marshal's face when she nodded. "Good...! A warrior who stays down is a dead warrior right away."
They kept going, and Lucian couldn't look away. He saw Glacielle get corrected for every little thing, get knocked down, and then get back up without ever complaining.
Her actions were a result of what happened yesterday.
He felt inadequate because he couldn't keep her safe. She knew they would have to fight stronger enemies and needed to be stronger.
And she wasn't taking a break or relaxing. She was working hard to improve while he sat here recovering from his own mistakes.
The guilt transformed into a different and more useful emotion, which became the drive.
A blue system window popped up in front of him, and the tone was very different from how it usually is when it teases.
[Master Lucian, you have awakened.]
[Analysis of recent combat encounter complete.]
[Assessment: Your survival was due to LUCK, specifically emergency protocol intervention, not SKILL.]
[This cannot continue if you wish to survive in this world.]
[Current Status Review:]
[Master Level: 8]
[Combat Experience: MINIMAL - Only 2 real battles]
[Tactical Knowledge: BASIC - Gaming instinct does not equal real warfare]
[Physical Conditioning: POOR - Civilian body with no combat training]
[Magic Control: NOVICE - Power borrowed via synchronization, not truly yours]
[Verdict: You are currently a LIABILITY to your warriors, not an ASSET.]
The words should have stung, but Lucian just nodded.
It was the truth anyway.
[However, there is hope for improvement.]
[Your second summon, Marshal Kyrathiel Sunbreaker, is uniquely qualified to address these deficiencies.]
[Background Analysis:]
[Former Commander: Trained 10,000+ soldiers during military career]
[Combat Instructor: Created hundreds of legendary warriors from raw recruits]
[Tactical Genius: Won impossible battles through PREPARATION and STRATEGY]
[Specialty: Transforming the incompetent into elite fighters through brutal but effective methods]
[Marshal is not just a warrior. She is a TEACHER.]
[Her harsh judgment is not cruelty for its own sake, but ASSESSMENT based on decades of experience.]
[She sees your potential clearly, but she refuses to coddle incompetence or reward mediocrity.]
[Recommendation: Request formal training from Marshal Kyrathiel.]
[Warning: She will accept ONLY if you demonstrate genuine commitment to improvement.]
[Half-measures will be rejected immediately. Empty promises will be scorned.]
[Are you prepared to EARN her respect through sustained EFFORT?]
Two options appeared: [Yes] or [No]
Lucian didn't even think about it. His mental choice was definitely [YES].
"I need to change," he said out loud to himself. "For them... and for this chance I was given."
[[Choice recorded and logged.]
[Additional Information: Marshal's training methods are BRUTAL by design.]
[Historical data: Survival rate of Sunforge Legion recruits was 73%]
[27% washed out or quit before completing basic training requirements.]
[You will experience significant pain. You will want to give up multiple times.]
[But if you persevere and complete the training, you will become WORTHY.]
[Good luck, Master. You will need every bit of it.]
The window shut, and Lucian was left alone with his thoughts.
He noticed something moving.
When Marshal called a break in the training, Glacielle's head turned right away to where he was sitting. She got wide-eyed when she saw he was awake.
"Master!"