Chapter 15: Training — Part 2

Seeing the orb shatter into countless glittering fragments, Chuck froze in place.

He had never seen anything like that before.

Nor hadn't expected that result either. He stood across from Chuck with a confused look on his face, his hand still stretched forward.

— I'm sorry... — he said quietly, scratching the back of his head.

Nor expected Chuck to get angry. After all, he had just broken an artifact that, judging by everything, was definitely not ordinary.

But to his surprise, Chuck simply sank to his knees and started muttering something under his breath.

— We only had one of those... And Orlan gave it to me. If he finds out the artifact cracked... no, not cracked... exploded... he's definitely going to demand compensation from me...

Tears almost formed in Chuck's eyes as he imagined Orlan's calm, yet terrifyingly unpleasant face.

A second later, he noticed Nor's strange stare.

Chuck quickly jumped back to his feet, wiped the corners of his eyes, and coughed.

— Ahem... It's fine. Nothing serious. These things happen, — he said so quickly it sounded like he was trying to convince not only Nor, but himself as well.

Nor blinked.

— They happen?..

— Yes. It simply means that your mana is extremely strong, — Chuck said, trying to sound calm.

But his thoughts were completely different.

Or your stage is far beyond what this artifact is even capable of measuring. Far beyond. But how can a seventeen-year-old boy have that kind of power?..

Chuck did not say that out loud.

Nor lowered his gaze to his palm.

— Strong mana, huh... — he muttered to himself, remembering the black-and-white sphere he had seen inside his body.

Clap.

Chuck suddenly clapped his hands, snapping Nor out of his thoughts.

— Alright. Now we'll begin the real training.

He pointed at a massive boulder nearby.

— Punch that stone with your fist.

Nor looked at the stone, then back at Chuck.

— Just punch it?

— Yes, — Chuck answered seriously. — With a normal punch.

Nor walked up to the boulder and unconsciously remembered how he had tested his strength in the forest not long ago.

Back then, I punched through wooden posts... but I've never hit stone before.

He pulled his right arm back and threw what he thought was an ordinary punch.

Crack.

A strange sound rang out.

It didn't sound like a normal punch hitting stone. It sounded more like a knife sinking into soft butter.

Nor's hand passed through the boulder with ease, and since he hadn't expected it, he lost his balance and nearly fell forward.

His arm was stuck in the stone almost up to his shoulder.

Chuck silently watched the scene.

I thought so...

His gaze grew more serious.

And he didn't even use mana for that punch.

Chuck remembered how Orlan had shown him the bruise on his back after that strange collision with Nor in midair.

His stage must be far beyond Lord. Maybe even higher...

He looked at the boy, who was now struggling to pull his arm out of the boulder.

Just who are you, Nor Verner?..

Finally, Nor pulled his arm free and stared at the hole he had left in the stone. Then he turned to Chuck with a slight smile, as if he had just done something impressive.

— So... how did I do?

— Terrible, — Chuck answered shortly.

Nor's smile froze.

— What? Why?

Chuck calmly walked closer.

— I asked you to throw a normal punch. Instead, you almost punched a hole straight through the stone. That means you have absolutely no control over your strength.

Nor looked at the stone, then at his fist.

— But I really did punch normally...

— That's exactly the problem, — Chuck said.

He stepped in front of another part of the boulder and raised his fist.

— Watch carefully. This is a normal punch.

Nor focused and stared closely at Chuck's hand.

And at that moment, he felt something change.

The sounds of the forest seemed to fade away.

The rustling leaves grew quieter.

Even Chuck's movements looked unnaturally slow to Nor.

— What is this?..

He could see Chuck's fist slowly moving toward the stone. Every motion, every turn of his shoulder, every bit of tension in his muscles — everything looked unbelievably clear.

Then the feeling vanished just as suddenly as it had appeared.

Time returned to normal.

Chuck's fist struck the boulder.

Thud.

Only a clean fist-shaped mark remained on the surface of the stone.

Nor stared at it.

Unlike Nor's punch, the stone hadn't cracked or shattered. Only a clean fist-shaped dent remained.

— That, — Chuck said, turning back to him, — is what you need to learn. You must control your strength, not simply release it.

But he stopped when he noticed the confused look on Nor's face.

— Did something happen?

Nor stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to find the right words.

— Yeah... I don't really know how to explain it, but when I was watching your punch, it felt like time slowed down.

Chuck narrowed his eyes.

— You're saying my punch looked slow to you?

— Well... kind of.

Chuck silently stared at him for several seconds.

Then he let out a heavy sigh.

— I see.

Nor tensed.

— What do you see?

— All these signs tell me one thing, — Chuck said calmly. — Your strength is far above mine. But you can't control it.

He looked Nor directly in the eyes.

— And that means one of two things. Either you're actually some old monster pretending to be a seventeen-year-old boy...

Nor froze.

— Or you received this power recently and still have no idea what happened to you.

Gulp.

Nor swallowed without meaning to.

Chuck had figured out the truth far too quickly and far too accurately.

For several seconds, silence hung between them.

Then Chuck looked away and continued calmly.

— I won't ask how it happened. It doesn't matter to me. Everyone has their secrets.

He smiled faintly, but his voice remained serious.

— But I want to ask you one thing. Don't use that power unless you have to, not until you learn how to control it.

Nor said nothing.

— I don't think you want to hurt innocent people by accident, — Chuck added.

After those words, a heavy silence settled over the clearing.

Nor slowly looked down at his hand.

Not long ago, he had been excited about becoming strong. To him, overwhelming power had felt like something incredible, almost like a dream.

But now, for the first time, he truly understood.

Strength that he could not control was dangerous not only to his enemies.

It was dangerous to everyone around him.

Nor raised his eyes to Chuck.

— Alright, — he said, his tone much more serious. — I understand.

Chuck nodded.

— Then we'll start with the basics.

He pointed at the boulder.

— Your goal is to hit it and leave a mark. Not a hole. Not a crack. Just a mark.

Nor looked at the stone, then back at his fist.

For the first time in a long while, he felt not excitement toward his power, but responsibility for it.

But neither Nor nor Chuck noticed that, from deep within the shadows, a pair of cold eyes had been silently watching them the entire time.