Only one attempt remained.
Kael's final attempt.
His last chance.
Whatever he planned for this attempt would decide whether he would be able to enter the academy or not.
Perhaps, from Aeronis's perspective, Kael still hadn't managed to obtain his Dragon Badge.
But if you asked any of Kael's friends about his growth and improvement, their answer would be completely different.
It was remarkable.
His Satu, Bilah, and Tawan training had become more intense, yet Kael continued to improve.
His Satu physical training had become even harder, with new exercises and heavier weight training added by Grak'Mar.
Even though Kael could never match Grak'Mar's natural Ogre strength, compared to the Kael from his first day, the Kael standing here today was far stronger, far faster, and far more durable.
He had grown taller.
His body had become more muscular after months of intense training.
And then there was Nibsken.
Kael had already beaten him in their Tan'Mara duel.
Even during the Racial Race, Kael occasionally managed to beat him.
And today…
He did it again.
"Arghh!"
"Okay! Okay! I give up, Human!"
Nibsken was pinned to the ground, screaming for his life.
"Hahahaha! I win again, Nibsken!"
"Yeah, yeah! I get it!"
After Kael finally let go, Nibsken stood back up and dusted himself off.
"Ya gotten stronger again, Human."
Grak'Mar walked over and tapped Kael on the shoulder with his enormous hand.
"Of course, Ogre! It's all because of you two!"
Kael grinned.
"Hahahaha!"
He suddenly flexed his biceps, copying the exact same pose Nibsken and Grak'Mar always did.
The three of them had somehow turned it into their own little tradition.
Grak'Mar tilted his head as he looked at the iron armor Kael always wore during their walk from Kael's house to the training area.
It had started at only 20 kilograms.
But over time, Grak'Mar gradually added more and more weight.
Now, it was almost 70 kilograms.
And Kael was still able to walk even with a struggle.
Is it just the time that has passed… or is this Human…really getting stronger and stronger?
Grak'Mar wondered with his Ogre mind.
His tusks showed as a proud smile formed across his face.
He looked at Kael
the same human who had once struggled just to lift a weight.
Now, Kael could even compete with him in the number of pull-ups they could do.
The thought made Grak'Mar proud.
"Alright, Human. Pack up! We're done for today."
Kael nodded and began packing his things, grabbing a few bottles of his energy drink before leaving.
"So… we're leaving all this mess again?" Kael asked, looking at the training ground.
"Yeah…"
Grak'Mar glanced at the pile of bodies scattered around the area.
"Just leave all those infected Trevians there. Someone will come pick em up."
Just as they predicted, a hunter soon arrived.
"Uhm… excuse me. Is that… all knocked-down infected Trevians?"
The male Crow hunter from Faundrakin looked at Kael and his friends, his eyes widening at the mountain of bodies.
"Yeah! All of them!"
Kael pointed toward the pile of infected Trevians he had knocked down using nothing but his physical strength and Tan'Mara training.
"You can pick them up if you want!"
"No way…"
The Crow hunter stared at the mountain of bodies.
"There have to be more than a hundred here!"
He looked back at Kael and Grak'Mar.
"You guys can get a few bronze coins and maybe even a silver coin for all of this! Are you sure you want to give them to me?"
"Yeah, sure! Why not?"
Kael smiled as he looked back over his shoulder.
"Go ahead."
"Thank you."
The Crow hunter hesitated for a moment before looking at Kael.
"Uhm… you're the human who wants to become a Realm Protector, right? Kael?"
"Yeah, that's me!"
"Thank you, Kael. You've made my work much easier today."
The Crow Faundrakin smiled sincerely.
"I'm grateful."
"Haha… You're welcome!"
Kael smiled back before leaving the Venforeva Forest together with Grak'Mar and Nibsken.
The Crow hunter watched them disappear into the distance.
Truly magnificent child…
His eyes remained fixed on Kael's back.
I hope he becomes a Realm Protector… With a heart as pure as his.
The Crow smiled to himself before turning toward the mountain of infected Trevian bodies.
The trio continue walking, leaving the forest.
_____________
After a 15 minutes of walking Kael eventually arrived at his backyard.
As usual, to train his Bilah with Liraen.
However, there wasn't much left for Liraen to teach him.
Kael had already mastered several sword skills beyond the basics of single-sword techniques, while his resonance with the Tesseract had improved significantly.
Liraen knew it.
His role as Kael's teacher was slowly coming to an end.
There was simply less and less that he could teach him.
Rather than treating Kael like his student anymore, Liraen had begun treating him more like his model.
Just as he always did.
KTANNG!
SWOOSH!
"Argh!"
Liraen Ralis was sent flying by Kael's sword swing before landing hard on the ground, the sword driven into the earth stopping its momentum.
"You got me again, Kael…"
Liraen slowly pulled himself back up.
"You've gotten so much stronger now…"
"Hahaha! As always, it's all thanks to you, my teacher, Ren!"
Kael smiled as he walked over and tapped Liraen on the shoulder.
Liraen could only let out a quiet, proud smile.
There was nothing he wished for more than to see Kael accepted into the academy and eventually fight alongside the others as a Realm Protector.
"Ah, it's already late afternoon, Ren…"
"Yeah. And you asked me and Nylum to wait, right?"
"Yes! Grak'Mar, Nibsken, and the others will come too."
Kael looked toward the house.
"I have something to tell you guys about. Let me prepare first."
Kael entered his house, leaving Liraen and Nylum outside, sitting beneath the roof of his home.
As they waited, The three suns eventually set and the night arrived
And so the others gradually arrived in the backyard.
Grak'Mar.
Nibsken.
Volgran.
Reyvik.
And Brasskert.
"What does this Human want tonight, huh?" Nibsken asked the others.
"I'm not sure," Liraen replied. "But he told me it was something important."
After a while, Kael finally stepped out of his house.
He carried the three guidebooks along with the other tools he had prepared for tonight.
He placed everything on the wooden table.
"Alright, guys!"
Everyone turned their attention toward him.
"Since you're all already here…"
Kael looked around at everyone gathered in his backyard.
"I think it's time I tell you why I wanted all of you here tonight."
He placed his hands on the three guidebooks and the tools spread across the table.
The others stared at him, waiting for his explanation.
"So, what ya wanna talk about, Humanzzz?" Brasskert grunted.
"Two things."
Kael looked around at everyone.
"One is about my invention, and the second is about my… training for my last attempt."
Everyone nodded.
"Alright, I'll start with the first one."
Kael opened his three books.
The X, Y, and Z.
He turned to the newest page of the X book.
A blueprint was drawn across the page.
Even at first glance, it was obvious that this was the most complex invention Kael had ever designed.
It required an enormous amount of mechanical components, along with iron and steel so much material that it looked more like something that would require an entire team to construct rather than a single person.
"Wow…"
Brasskert adjusted his glasses as he leaned closer to the blueprint.
"Whatzz diz?"
He stared at the complicated blueprint drawing for a few seconds.
"Itz makin' me dizzy…"
The others could only stare at the blueprint.
None of them could understand what they were looking at.
"Guys…"
Kael finally spoke.
"The reason I wanted to tell you about this invention is because…"
He paused.
"This is one of the most controversial inventions in this realm."
"Controversial?"
Liraen pointed at the blueprint.
"What's so controversial about this?"
"Good question, Ren. Have you guys seen a bow and arrow?"
Kael pointed at the blueprint.
"Or a crossbow?"
He paused for a moment.
"Or, for something much stronger… a cannon?"
"Hmm…Of course."
Liraen nodded.
"Except for the cannon. That weapon is extremely destructive, so only Realm Protectors are legally allowed to own one."
"Yeah."
Kael smiled faintly.
"That's the point."
He tapped the blueprint.
"Legally."
Reyvik's ears twitched as he suddenly raised his head.
"Awooo!"
"Don't tell me you wanna invent a cannon, Kael!"
"Nope."
"It's not a cannon, Reyv."
He looked back at the blueprint.
"It's more like one…"
"But this one is more dangerous, more flexible, and potentially even more harmful."
Everyone fell silent.
Kael turned the book slightly so they could all see the blueprint.
"This blueprint is for a firearm."
"Specifically…"
Kael pointed at the complicated mechanism drawn across the page.
"A shotgun."
"A shot.. what?"
Liraen tilted his head, curiosity immediately taking over his expression.
"Okay, I know you guys don't actually know what a firearm is."
Kael closed the book halfway before opening it again.
"But don't worry."
He smiled.
"I'll explain a little about what this weapon can do."
"Back when we were working in the underground levels of Kallidorra Forgehold…"
Kael looked around at them.
"Have you ever come across those small metal balls? And those hundreds of deformed little metal pellets created as a result of excess metal from forging weapons?"
"Yeah, I remember that!"
Nibsken snapped his fingers.
"You liked collecting those, right?"
"Exactly."
Kael nodded.
"I collected them because I wanted to use them for a bearing mechanism or some other experiments."
He tapped the blueprint.
"But we're not talking about that right now."
Kael picked up one of the small metal balls he had brought with him.
"What I want you guys to understand is the purpose of these."
Everyone looked at the tiny piece of metal.
"Imagine putting a few of these metal balls, along with hundreds of these small pellets, inside a single cylindrical projectile."
Kael pointed toward the blueprint.
"And when I pull the trigger…"
"All of those metal balls and pellets will be launched out of the weapon at once."
Liraen and Reyvik began to understand.
"So… it's like an arrow…"
Liraen placed a hand beneath his chin.
Reyvik's ears twitched.
"Awooo… but Kael… if those metal balls travel at the same speed as an arrow, wouldn't it be easy for a Commander to dodge or parry them?"
"Exactly."
Kael's expression became serious.
"That's why I gathered you all here."
He turned the blueprint toward them.
"If I manage to invent this weapon perfectly…"
Kael looked at each of them.
"This will be the first time this realm has ever witnessed a firearm."
The backyard became silent.
"And why do I say it's dangerous?"
Kael tapped the drawing of the projectile.
"Why do I say it's controversial?"
He took a breath.
"Because the projectile can travel at up to six times the speed of an arrow."
Everyone froze.
"And let me remind you…"
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Even though this weapon is ranged…"
"I'm not planning to use it from far away."
Their expressions changed immediately.
Some widened their eyes.
Others simply stared at Kael.
"Six times?!"
Nibsken nearly jumped.
"Are you lyin or somethin, Human?!"
"That's impossible, Human…"
Grak'Mar crossed his enormous arms, his expression filled with disbelief.
"You gotta be lyin', Humanzz."
Brasskert, unable to digest, stared at Kael in disbelief.
For once, nobody laughed.
They were beginning to realize what Kael was actually proposing.
"Surprising, right?"
Kael smiled.
"I told you guys. This thing… is dangerous."
"And it could change how ranged weapons function in this Fatamorgana Realm."
"Isn't that too dangerous?"
Liraen looked concerned.
"A Commander could get seriously injured if you shot him with this."
"Of course."
Kael nodded.
"But I'm not planning to use it just to injure him."
"That guy is almost impossible to scratch anyway."
Kael's expression became serious.
"And the reason I can't even touch him is because of his immense control over his Might ability."
"The more I fight him, the more of his Might ability he reveals."
Kael looked at the shotgun blueprint again.
"Who knows? I might actually need to use this shotgun to fight against his Might."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
"Oh, yeah…"
Kael suddenly looked toward the caged crystal sphere sitting on the table.
"Speaking of Might abilities…"
"I think I've already figured out what this thing does."
"This Caged Crystal Sphere…"
Kael tapped the cage.
"I think this thing works like a shield."
Liraen's eyes narrowed.
"Remember when Commander Aeronis attacked me with his Might Command?"
"Yeah…"
Liraen recalled the incident.
"I saw that."
"Well…"
Kael looked at the sphere.
"That's how this thing works."
"It absorbed the attack."
"Wait."
Liraen suddenly remembered something.
"But I tried shooting it with my Wind Might when we first took it out of the box. Remember?"
"Yeah, I know, Ren."
Kael nodded.
"But did you actually intend to attack it?"
Liraen paused.
"Or were you just testing it?"
"Oh…"
Liraen thought about it.
"I think I had no intention of actually attacking it."
"I was just testing it out…"
"Exactly."
Kael smiled.
"That's why it didn't activate. It require the opponent to have intentions of hurting the holder of this sphere…Regardless if it's a Might ability or not… It still absorbs it."
A few of them nodded, beginning to understand what Kael explained earlier.
"And I have another invention from the other books too…" He continued.
Kael reached for the other two guidebooks.
"Take a look at this."
He opened the Y and Z books and showed them the blueprints.
"These two aren't nearly as controversial."
Kael smiled.
"But I think they could be great inventions for this realm."
He pointed toward the blueprint in the Y book.
"This is what I call an improved protective material."
"You guys must be familiar with armor, chestplates, and all kinds of body protection, right?"
"We see them all the time whenever we work at the Forgehold."
Everyone nodded.
"Of course, Human…"
Nibsken smirked.
"You're what Boss Durmuk called the number-one armor blueprint designer."
"Yeah, yeah. That's me!"
Kael laughed.
"HAHAHA!"
He cleared his throat and returned his attention to the blueprint.
"Anyway…"
"The materials we use to make armor all have their own weaknesses."
"Take crystal, for example. If it gets struck at its breaking point, it can crack."
"If it's metal, extreme heat or extreme cold can affect both the material and the person wearing it."
"And diamond or Black Bone?"
"They're rare and extremely heavy."
Liraen and Grak'Mar nodded.
"Ha! I've noticed that too…"
Grak'Mar rumbled.
"Well, that's why we keep producing new armor, right?"
Liraen added.
"There's constant war. We need to keep up with repairs and replacements after months of use."
"Exactly."
Kael pointed at the blueprint.
"Not because our products are low quality…"
"But because the chemical structures of the materials themselves have inherent weaknesses."
Kael turned the blueprint toward everyone.
"But what if I told you that this material could overcome those weaknesses?"
Everyone looked at the blueprint.
"This mixed material…"
Kael tapped the design.
"It can withstand heat, extreme cold, and powerful impacts while still being durable, practical, and made from materials that are available in this realm."
"Awoo!"
Reyvik's ears perked up.
"That's brilliant!"
"Yeah."
Kael nodded.
"I'll try to invent it myself and share the blueprint with everyone afterward."
He grinned.
"And I'll be the first one to test it."
Grak'Mar gave him a suspicious look.
"Of course you will, human… Of course you will…"
End
Next part will be the continuation