Chapter 367 – Parting Lessons

Chapter 367 – Parting Lessons

Kai propped his elbow on the slick weeds to sit up. “Wraith’s Edge? Is that what you call—urgh.” His muscles tensed to keep still. A thorn caught on the torn fabric of his sweater and scraped the raw flesh on his back. Pain drowned out his thoughts and curiosity.

Skirting the limit of his reserves, he wove a wisp of Nature mana. His jaw clenched as the bramble slid free from his flesh. Pain held him from reaching to touch the cut.

“Let me see your injuries,” Elijah said, hand still extended. His smirk turned into a deepening frown.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say he seems almost guilty.

Pain lanced his body as the butler unceremoniously lifted him to his feet.

“Thank… you. I can stand,” Kai hissed. His boots squelched, soaked in the icy water from the creek. Strips of his sweater and shirt hung in tatters, the fabric torn and caked with dirt from his falls. Everything hurt. Though none of his wounds were deep, he was bleeding from dozens of cuts and scratches. “Give me… a second.”

Raelion’s dense elemental mana streamed into his drained pool. Dirt, roots, and leaves clinging to his body slid away, followed by cold pink droplets. His wounds burned as he washed them clean. Getting dry brought no warmth, only the sharp awareness of his shredded clothes and the hot blood seeping from his wounds.

Wind snuck through the rents in his shirt. With the heat of battle dwindling, the chill crept swiftly back in. He had to channel a trickle of mana just to keep himself from shivering.

How am I going to explain the sweater to Rain? And… uhm… didn’t I have a hat?

“I forgot how convenient your affinities are.” Elijah surveyed his state and clicked his tongue as if disapproving of a mess he had no part in causing. “You’ve gotten quite battered. I’ll look at your wounds. Stand still.”

“I can—” The throbbing pain in his body swallowed his complaints. He’d rather not drink more potions if possible, or continue dripping blood. A soothing warmth spread through his back, melting the pulsing burn.

Elijah circled him, prodding cuts and bruises with methodical focus. He spent longer stitching his face, still scowling. “I’m no healer. Stop twitching.”

“Ow… Did you have to cut me a dozen times?” Kai gently rubbed his ribs. “Or kick me that hard?”

“Did you have to get hit so many times? You could have dodged. You could’ve stopped earlier instead of pressing on until you could barely stand,” Elijah said dryly without pausing his work. “The spar was over before the first blink. Why did you have to be so damned stubborn?”

Kai snorted. “Wasn’t the purpose to do my best? You’re the one who taught me to treat every fight like my life hung on it.”

“I did,” Elijah pinched close a cut on his arm. “I’m proud of that stubbornness.”

“So… if I shouldn’t give up and shouldn’t keep going. What did you expect me to do, exactly?”

“Not argue with your master,” Elijah smirked haughtily, his scowl softened. “Is that the attitude befitting my disciple? Four years away and still you haven’t learned to act respectfully.”

“Yeah.” Kai gave a crooked grin. “Gods know where I learned that?”

Elijah halted his prodding. His lips twitched before he reasserted his stoic visage. “Would you like to tend to your own wounds?”

“No, master. Thank you for your care.”

Even if you cause them.

“You’re welcome, brat.” Elijah stood back with a curt nod as if to approve of his own work. “Do you feel any sharp pain?”

“Uhm, wait…” Kai rolled his shoulders, then slowly stretched his arms and back, suppressing a wince. He was sore and aching all over, but the searing stabs had dulled together with his staunched bleeding. “I think… I’m fine.” He scratched the drying blood on his cheek, only managing to smear it. “Could you maybe… You know?”

Elijah huffed an exasperated breath and flicked his wrist. Crimson flakes fluttered off him like dried leaves. “Don’t get used to it. I’ve closed the surface wounds and stitched the cuts over your major arteries, but the deeper tissue is still torn. Your profession skill should be able to fix it in a couple of days.” He hesitated. “Unless you want me to heal that too?”

Damn, he might actually feel a little guilty if he’s asking. Though I never triggered Nature Healing in front of him. How does he know— uhm… never mind.

Green motes drifted toward him, drawn by the abundant woodland’s mana. The passive aspect of Nature Healing wouldn’t mend his wounds in a pinch, but it would greatly hasten his recovery, especially inside a Green-1 zone dense with vibrant green mana.

“You can leave them. My skill should be enough. Thank you,” Kai drew his fur coat from his ring, still warm from when he’d taken it off. At least he’d saved one piece of clothing.

Nature Healing had to reach level 100 for a proper profession advancement, and the sooner he could pick the specializations, the better.

Gesturing to a patch of surviving level ground, he waded through the cracking shards of his ice spears and sank onto a rock with a grateful groan. From the picturesque meadow, only a ravaged and trampled battlefield remained.

Hopefully, this wasn’t the secret spot of some gardener. Hmm… now, guess it’s answer time.

“So you’re really Blue?” Kai muttered. With the pain dulled, he couldn’t hide his disbelief. He’d known Elijah and Dora must have reached Green, but Blue. A single grade with a chasm of difference.

Having survived Professor Lysander’s class, he could recite the statistics in his sleep. More than half of those who reached Green in the Republic never advanced past the low grade—even with the experience from their professions. Unlike earlier advancements, most ended up with fewer general skills at Green; some far fewer, if they hadn’t planned their paths.

“Indeed, I’ve recently advanced.” Elijah leaned his back on a nearby trunk, arms folded with studied nonchalance. His impassive face just confirmed he must be inwardly gloating.

Fine. If that doesn’t earn him bragging rights, what does?

Kai let a little awe show, squinting up at the butler’s visage as the man stoically gazed on. “How old are you?”

The butler snorted. “It’s rude to pry information without an invitation. And I remember you being the one who owes me an answer,” he said, then continued after a moment. “I’m in my first century.”

“I see. Meaning… around seventy? Eighty? Ninety-nine? Drop the mysterious act. Don’t tell me I’m apprenticed to an old man!”

The butler regarded him with a snideful huff, though his annoyance looked performative. “I’m thirty-four, you brat.” A half-smirk showed his teeth. “Why did you think Lady Virya chose to instruct me among thousands? You’re not the only one who has been called genius. And not in a backwater.” He motioned at the spires soaring above the woodland in the distance.

Thirty-four…

Kai blinked. Raelion restricted information about Blue—if there were even enough to draw statistics. The dean, famous for his early advancement, must be closer to twice that age.

Wait! Does that mean the butler was what… twenty-five when we met? Around that. It explains a few things… Not that he has changed much.

“What stage of Yellow were you born at?” Kai squinted at the man, though the damp rock he sat on gave away more than him. “C’mon, you know mine. I’m an open book to you.”

Elijah sniffed. “I’m your master.”

“And I’m your one and only disciple.” He grinned smartly.

“Are you? How do you know I don’t have scores of more respectful disciples?”

Kai looked him over, from the polished boots to the perpetually grumpy face. “Do you?”

Elijah harrumphed without dignifying him with an answer. “For someone who’s an open book, your last chapters are still blank. You haven’t explained how you used my sword skill.”

“I copied it.”

“Obviously. How? Even with a profession skill, and accounting for severe restrictions… Uhm, so you know what grade Wraith’s Edge is?”

“Not really.” Kai’s inquisitive look earned him a flat stare. “I do have a large restriction. Echoing Empath can only mimic skills and spells that hit me.”

The explanation about his echoes smoothly drifted to Spatial Shift before turning into a rundown of Favored Mystic of the Isles. Sadly, the butler had no tips on the level of Elemental Swordsman; profession skills were less studied and too specialized.

Elijah prompted him with terse nods and thoughtful grunts, his questions sharp and pointed. At last, he declared, “That’s the most ridiculous profession I’ve ever heard of.”

“Huh… thanks? It wasn’t easy to get.” Kai grinned as if he’d just gotten full marks on an exam.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The steady trickle of Nature mana dulled the worst of the soreness, but not his light-headedness from blood loss. He drew his legs up onto the rock and wrapped his coat around them as Elijah grumpily muttered to himself.

I need a distraction.

Elemental Swordsman (lv20>24) – Blend martial precision and elemental mastery, turning each attack into a cutting spell. The sword is an extension of your will, and mana is the essence that sharpens it. True mastery lies in weaving their natures in balance.

Attacks… damn. How did I miss that? I’ve been using it wrong all along. Is that why it was such a chore to level?

From the searing pain when he mischanneled Earth mana, elemental enhancing wasn’t the most intuitive application. How long would he have taken to discover it without assistance? As a mage student, probably months to years.

Moreover, Elemental Swordsman wasn’t his only gain.

Profession Skills:

• Spatial Shift (lv26>27)

• Echoing Empath (lv24>28)

• Water Cannon (lv23>24)

• Nature Healing (lv18>23)

General Skills:

• Hallowed Intuition (lv92>93)
• Mana Observer (lv60>61)
• Body Augmentation (lv49>50)
• Mana Weaving (lv48>49)
• Split Mind (lv44>45)
• Water Magic – Advanced (lv45>46)
• Elemental Swordsman (lv20>24)
• Nature Magic – Advanced (lv19>22)