Chapter Title: The Start of Training (2)
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A certain hill notorious for its steep incline, where even grown men were said to need at least one break on the way up.
At its summit, two middle-aged men had unpacked their loads and were standing against the blowing wind.
"Ugh... I can't keep doing this anymore. After this trading trip, I'm done shaking the dust off, I swear."
"Retirement? What retirement? You've got that late-blooming kid to raise now—you need every coin you can get! Having a child at your age proves you're still spry as ever!"
Peddlers, weary from the grueling trade route, exchanged trivial banter as they took a brief rest.
After a few more scattered words, one man paused mid-conversation and turned his head.
"…Hey, you hear some weird noise anywhere?"
"Noise? What noise?"
His companion naturally followed suit at the sudden remark.
At first skeptical, he soon picked up on the 'weird noise' his partner mentioned.
Zzzkiiiik— zzzkiiiik—.
A creepy sound that grated on the nerves.
The peddlers' brows furrowed sharply.
"What the hell is that?"
"Beats me."
As they tried to pinpoint the source, realization dawned.
It was...
Zzzkiiiik— zzzkiiiik—.
The eerie noise was gradually growing louder.
"I-It's coming this way?"
"G-Grab the gear!"
The sharpening clarity meant something unknown was approaching.
Veterans of countless travels across the continent, they instinctively gathered their packs and stood.
Ready to bolt at any moment.
Just as they hoisted their loads onto their backs in a frenzy.
A new sound mixed into the rhythmic screeching.
Zzzkiiiik— krrng!
Zzzkiiiik— hrrng!
A bizarre groan tacked onto the end of the ghastly noise.
It halted the men just as they turned to flee.
And soon, the source of the strange sounds peeked over the hill.
Zzzkiiiik— hrrrng!
The hill's crest.
The first to appear was a round head with striking black hair.
Zzzkiiiik—.
Another grating screech rang out.
"Hngh!"
With a pained exclamation full of agony, a boy's tortured face rose over the horizon like the sun.
He looked so exhausted that even the watching peddlers felt his suffering vicariously.
And then the culprit tormenting the boy revealed itself.
The peddlers blinked in disbelief.
'That's... a cart?'
Not just any cart, though.
A...
"Hey! Baldy brat with no manners. If all that attitude went into strength and stamina, you'd climb this hill on your hands!"
...cart carrying a chatty, cantankerous old man.
Zzzkiiiik—.
"Krrng."
"Dragging one lousy cart and you're groaning like you're shitting bricks!"
"Khk."
"You'll drop dead at this rate, drop dead!"
"G-Goddamn... old fart."
"Kehe, aren't you already half-dead?"
"Y-You cursed... geezer!"
The black-haired, golden-eyed boy—Yuri—pulled the cart, grinding his teeth in rage, and finally set foot on the summit.
Zzzkiiiik—.
The cart rolled to a stop right in front of the dumbfounded peddlers.
And then,
Thud—.
Yuri collapsed like a corpse.
"Krgh, hrrk...."
He sprawled out, gasping as if on the verge of death, pitifully reaching toward the peddlers.
"W-Wa... Wa... Waaater...."
Strangers or not, they couldn't ignore his trembling hand.
Figuring it was the least they could do for a fellow human, they rushed over and pressed a leather waterskin to his lips.
Gulp—gulp—gulp—.
Yuri guzzled so desperately the waterskin deflated in seconds.
"Buuuurp!"
Having drained it dry and belched, Yuri clutched the peddler's hand with moist eyes.
"Y-You'll... be blessed."
"Y-You okay there, lad?"
"I-I'm fine. More importantly... how far is it to Chrome Port from here?"
"Chrome? Chrome Port... about four days on foot, I'd say."
"Four days...."
His face stiffened at the news.
Johan, watching, cackled.
"What? Think you can't make it? Give up here? Not a bad idea."
"..."
"Tsk tsk, I must've misjudged you. What's the point of a weakling like you surviving?"
"..."
"Oh dear, when will this halfwit ever man up."
"Kh!"
"Just quit and croak already. It'd be easier for both of us. If you're gonna quit, do it quick—I don't wanna waste time either."
Yuri's forehead veins bulged as he glared at Johan, squatting on the cart and snickering.
"Damn it...."
Gritting his teeth, Yuri shakily rose.
"T-Thanks for the water."
With a curt bow to the peddlers, he seized the cart's handle.
Zzzkiiiik—.
The halted cart screeched back to life, lurching forward.
Wobble-wobble, slow and steady.
The cart descended the steep hill cautiously under Yuri's pull.
After the commotion died down.
"…What the hell was that?"
"No idea."
The two peddlers could only stare blankly at Yuri's receding figure.
Meanwhile.
Huff— huff—.
Descending the hill, Yuri panted hot breaths and gnashed his teeth.
'Damn it....'
This wasn't right.
No matter how he thought about it, it felt all wrong.
But there was no one to complain to.
It was all his own doing.
"Rotting...!"
As he spat the curse,
The hellish past three weeks flashed through his mind.
Running, walking while pulling the cart—even resting while dangling from it.
Even eating and drinking while dragging it.
Sleep?
Only unconsciousness let him close his eyes.
Anyone watching would call it madness, destroying his body rather than building stamina.
And they'd be right.
Especially since Yuri's bloated soul was already eroding his flesh.
In such a state, excessive physical training might even be poison.
But somehow...
'Holy... shit... it's... working?'
He should've been coughing blood and dying any second, yet miraculously, his stamina grew daily.
Day one: collapsed vomiting after barely two hours, then dragged himself up retching to continue.
That was routine the first few days.
But gradually, fainting spells lessened, pulling time lengthened.
Now, even summiting hills felt manageable.
'Damn... if it didn't work....'
Unbearably grueling each day, yet he felt stamina and health returning daily.
A bizarre phenomenon.
'I don't know what tricks that old man pulled, but this absurd cart-pulling is definitely helping me.'
No choice then.
He'd keep pulling as ordered.
Of course, beyond training benefits, Yuri's pride screamed, 'Give up on this pittance of hardship?'
That pride kept him silent amid the nagging from behind.
"Hey! Legs are made for walking, boy! Can't you move faster? At this rate, when'll we reach Chrome?!"
"..."
"A man's balance stems from sturdy legs! Nothing more vital to a guy! Ahem!"
"I'm dying here... gonna keep polluting my ears with useless crap?"
"Hey! Useless? It's priceless advice that'll become blood and flesh later—listen up!"
...He hadn't been entirely silent, though.
Yuri had tried smashing the cart multiple times.
'Physical pain? I can endure it for strength! It's my choice.'
But!
'I won't let that damn geezer lounge yapping! I'd sooner carry a boulder than see him comfy!'
So he resolved:
Smash the cart.
Then the old man would have to walk until they got a new one, right?
With that spite, he'd tried repeatedly.
Deliberately taking rough paths.
Subtly tossing the cart around.
Even sneaking rocks at it when the old man wasn't looking.
But somehow...
'Fuck! Is this cart solid steel?! How's it so damn tough?!'
No, even a steel cart would've broken under such abuse long ago.
Yet this rickety wooden heap showed no scratches, let alone breakage.
Made any sense?
'That old fart rigged it somehow. Yeah!'
Otherwise, a mere wooden cart wouldn't last.
Grit—.
Yuri ground his teeth.
"What're you doing? Cart-puller croaked? Even a sluggish worm rolls faster!"
As expected, the nagging hit, and Yuri vented his rage.
"Raaagh!"
His legs sped up with the roar.
Johan cheered gleefully.
"Ooh! Finally caught up to the worm's pace! Faster! Faster!"
"Youuuu cuuuursed geeeeezer!"
"Reflex, punk! Take it yourself!"
"Raaargh!"
Thus, with agonized yells, the rickety cart raced down the hill.
Toward the south, where the Cradle lay.
* * *
Yuri opened his eyes.
A clear blue sky filled his vision.
'Passed out again.'
Three weeks of this daily; fainting and waking felt routine now.
'Still daylight... wasn't out long.'
Lately, blackout-to-wakeup time shortened.
Recently, just an hour.
Common sense said no overworked body recovers from a mere hour's rest.
Yet amazingly, upon waking, Yuri's body felt brand new.
Look at him now.
Before fainting, limbs like lead weights; now light as feathers.
"Ughhh!"
Stretching grandly, Yuri eyed Johan wiggling his toes on the cart.
'While I'm out, that old fart must be doing something to my body.'
Otherwise, this illogical recovery made no sense.
As Yuri's gaze narrowed suspiciously at Johan.
"Awake? Then move! Gonna laze there forever?"
The inevitable nagging struck; Yuri sprang into conditioned motion, pulling the cart.
The reflexive response made his shoulders twitch.
'Ah... I'm brainwashed.'
Three weeks in, his body moved unconsciously now.
That reality brought a surge of pathetic resentment.
But regardless,
His body dutifully pulled on.
How long had they gone?
"How much do you know about mana martial arts?"
Johan, who'd lounged on the cart nagging uselessly daily, finally broached a new topic.
A constructive one, at that.
Yuri stammered, caught off guard.
"Uh... w-well? About as much as anyone?"
"So what do you know?"
"That thing—mana martial arts exploded because ancient Easterners settled here... and their knowledge mixed into ancient mana martial arts, forming the basis of what we use now?"
"You picked up scraps somewhere, huh?"
"Yeah, heard it from a retired mercenary once. I was kinda curious about mana martial arts back then."
"Hoo, really? What else?"
"That's it?"
"..."
"Wanted more, but he said pay up—so I bailed."
"Tch."
"Oh! He said they're tough to learn since they use mana, but master them and you'll eat well... Hurry and fetch money, he said."
"...'As much as anyone,' my ass."
"Ain't it?"
"Not wrong, but not properly taught either."
"Then?"
"Mana martial arts: the process of tempering the body by accumulating mana on a foundation of proper martial principles, and all acts of manifesting mana power through the flesh."
"...Mana power?"
"Mana power measures force output per unit mana. Usually, 1 mana power means 1 mana yields 1 force."
"So 100 mana power is 1 mana for 100 force?"
"Oho, not bad?"
"...Who you calling dumb? Anyway, higher mana power means stronger, right?"
"Not the only measure of strength, but it's the standard—used everywhere, from the Cradle you're headed to, to official exams."
Johan's lecture continued.
Even untrained folk could tap innate mana for occasional 1 mana power bursts.
100 mana power: twice a grown man's strength.
Over 1,000 needed to qualify for Certified Rank 1 exams.
Expensive to measure normally, but Cradle folk got it free anytime.
Yuri focused intently on these mana and mana power basics he'd never heard.
Then curiosity surged.
"So...."
A question anyone might ask slipped bluntly from Yuri's lips.
"What's your mana power, old man?"
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