Blade Of Life Energy:The Outcasts

10

Shouts of joy echoed in the hall of the Nameless, and they were chanting Erik's name. Erik signaled for them to be quiet and spoke up again, "My friends, I have found the power, but I cannot fully use it yet. If you give me a little more time, I will fully understand the power and share it with you."

After a few hours of conversation and fun, everyone began dispersing to their rooms. As Erik was about to fall asleep in his bed, Partan asked, "Why did you lie to them?"

Erik asked with a surprised look, "Where did you get that from?"

Partan replied, "I heard what you and Manas talked about; you were saying you hadn't discovered the power."

Erik spoke up again, "The reason I said that is because I suspect Manas is spying for Group 13."

Partan was quite surprised and answered, "Manas can't be a spy!"

Erik said with confidence, "If you give enough gold, anyone can become a spy. I saw him with the members of Group 13; after talking for a bit, they handed him a pouch. I am sure it was full of money."

Partan couldn't believe what he heard. Manas couldn't be a traitor; he always thought of his group and wasn't someone who would commit treason. Then suddenly he remembered the past; once, Manas had mentioned that his family's financial situation was inadequate and that they needed support. Now he truly believed Erik.

Partan asked, "So why did you tell him you hadn't discovered the power?"

After pausing briefly, Erik said, "He is a good person, but he was forced to do this because he fell into a difficult situation. If I expose him now, he will be completely ostracized from the group and left alone. First, I will give him wrong information to mislead the enemy, and then when I demonstrate the power to everyone, Manas will become a lying spy. They will stop receiving news from him, which will cause them to question the information he gave them before. Do you understand?"

Although Partan didn't quite understand Erik's words, he was sure his plan was good, so he simply nodded, turned around, and tried to sleep. Throughout the night, thoughts kept him awake. He looked at Erik sleeping beside him and noticed that he was sleeping comfortably. "He is really a strange person; he knows how to enjoy himself in every situation. Maybe I should try that too," he thought, turned around, and closed his eyes.

In the days when winter was slowly withdrawing its hand from the land, Erik was walking in the garden one day with Partan, chatting while strolling around.

At that moment, they noticed a young man coming toward them from ahead; he was the head chef's son, struggling to walk with containers in his hands.

Just as he passed by them, his foot tripped over Erik, and he fell to the ground. While rubbing his head, he saw Erik's outstretched hand, grabbed it, and stood up.

He gathered his belongings, thanked them, and continued on his way. Partan laughed and said, "I've never seen anyone as clumsy as this kid."

The two continued walking. Erik turned to Partan and said, "The tournaments start next week; we will issue the first challenge. Inform everyone."

Partan said okay and set off toward the Nameless building.

When Partan arrived at the hall, he felt an atmosphere of panic. Everyone thought Erik was stalling them. Manas was trying to calm them down.

Even though there was only one week left until the tournaments, they were quite angry because they still hadn't obtained any results.

Just then, Erik entered. Noticing the shouting, Erik slammed his hand on the table and yelled, "Shut up!"

The voices of everyone in the hall cut off instantly.

In a loud, firm voice, Erik said, "There is no need to panic or be afraid; I will give you what you want. But if your bodies are not suitable for it, you will collapse and die. Know this well—are you ready to take the risk?"

Cries of "Yes" began to rise in the hall.

Erik spoke again, "Now we are going to form a circle for exactly 5 hours. Clear the chairs and tables from the center, sit on the floor in a circle, and put your hands on the shoulders of the person next to you."

Everyone quickly did as he said. At the end, Erik sat on the floor, placed one hand on Manas's shoulder and the other on Partan's shoulder, released his life energy, and directed it to his hands. The life energy spread to the others starting from the center.

After staying like this for a full five hours, Erik stood up. It was evening, and they had missed dinner.

Turning to those around him, he said, "Although going to sleep on an empty stomach might uncomfortable for you, I want you to know that you are the gainers today. Starting tomorrow, we will begin training, so make sure you rest well."

Because they had been sitting for 5 hours, they walked with heavy steps. Only Erik, Partan, and a few others remained in the hall; Manas had disappeared, claiming he had business to attend to. As the 4 kids talked among themselves, one of the kids looked at Erik and asked, "Have you heard the story of the Mad King?"

Erik could only answer "No" to this question he didn't understand.

The frail boy said, "Then let me tell you," and began to narrate:

"The Mad King was someone who lived years ago, a strategist and a warrior. According to what is said, he was the first person to show that the weak could also rule this world. Defeating dozens of armies with his army, he brought countries to their knees and managed to take charge, ruling over those around him with his ruthless and evil heart... Until his enemies gathered again, and the king grew old and lost his strength.

His enemies gathered a final, massive army and marched toward the king's cities. After days of war, they advanced enough to beat at the gates of the capital. The Mad King, in a manner fitting his name, tried an unprecedented tactic with the army remaining by his side: cursing his soldiers, then stepping out to face his enemies and fight them. As his soldiers were killed one by one...

The Mad King was laughing! Just as his army was about to end, an incredible event suddenly occurred: the dead soldiers began to rise one by one.

Even mangled corpses stood up and fought! Lacking minds and thoughts, the dead bodies moved like puppets and attacked their enemies. When the army of corpses was defeated as well, this time the skeletons stripped themselves from their bones and threw themselves at the enemies. The soldiers no longer wanted to fight; this endless army would bring about their end. Realizing this, they returned like a herd of cowards to where they came from.

And on that day, a saying emerged: 'The Mad King came with 3 armies: the living, the dead, and the bones.'

And he finished his words.

Erik asked with a curious expression, "So what happened to the Mad King?"

The boy spoke again, "To be honest, I don't know that either. According to some rumors, he said 'I'm sleepy' and had himself buried alive in an unknown place. According to other rumors, he vanished in the exact same manner he suddenly appeared. According to some, he has been wandering the wild lands for years as an immortal... Who knows?

Actually, the reason I told you this is because I likened you to him. There is an old saying, I don't know if you know it: 'If one Mad King leaves, another is born. There is no end to such things.'"

In this pleasant and peaceful environment, amid the crackling of the fire, listening to this story felt as if it had transported them to completely different realms. All 4 of them stood up and returned to their beds.

Before sleeping, Partan turned to Erik and asked, "Could you really be the new Mad King?"

Facing this ridiculous question, Erik replied, "It's just a story, no need to exaggerate. All I want is to become a hunter, experience adventures, and travel the wild lands, nothing more."

Partan laughed and said, "Go whichever way you want; if it's in your fate, you will end up on the same path eventually, nothing more." He ended the conversation, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

Erik found this attitude of people absurd; he was someone who only thought of himself.

Meanwhile, in the dormitory of Group 13, Manas was conveying what he knew to Hela, "I'm telling you, he has a plan. If he didn't, he wouldn't act with such confidence. Maybe he really did discover the power of hallucination."

Hela asked, "Why do you suspect that?"

Manas replied, "I don't know exactly."

Hela said, "If you learn Erik's plan and come back with it, you will receive a great reward, understand?"

Manas spoke up again, "Actually, the one you should deal with isn't Erik, but Partan, who is always by his side. He is the one managing everything from behind; Erik is just a puppet."