Chapter Twenty-Nine
When the fighting ended the two of them rejoined the others. They started training — this time practicing mana control outside the body, just as Leon had shown them back at the Knights' headquarters — and then Malik's voice rose, reproachful, aimed at Daniel.
"I told you not to use the Eira unless it's necessary," he said.
Daniel shrugged, unbothered. "Doesn't matter. That was the last use anyway." He thrust his hands forward. Between his fingers one of the two rings began to crumble, its glitter scattering across the sand like vanishing dust.
Lucas, who had heard, grinned and teased, "I didn't use an Eira, so I win."
"You couldn't have used it from the start even if you wanted to," Daniel shot back. "You fought it with all your strength and so did I. Since I'm faster than you, I win — no question."
Lucas retorted, "If you hadn't used the Eira it would have taken you an age to kill it. Look — you missed your first strike."
"Stop with the losers' excuses," Daniel said, dismissive. "We were competing to see who killed it faster — so you lost. Even ask the others." He gestured toward the group with a smug smile.
When Daniel and Lucas looked around, no one wanted to take sides; the group quickly changed the subject. Daniel, still fuming playfully, added, "The whole camp knows I won. You only pity him because I win every time."
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After many battles Daniel and Lucas became experts at hunting the Dry-Lizards. Each developed a deep understanding of the species: how to avoid its poisonous breath, how to handle its cracked hide.
Daniel's progress had been remarkable from the start. Anyone who knew his past could see why: in his former life he had trained his body for combat, mastered many killing techniques and physical tactics. Lucas's physique, by contrast, was the product of hard labor rather than formal fighting training.
What surprised everyone even more was how quickly both of them had improved their mana control.
Azrian, the old man, finally spoke — his voice deep with curiosity and approval: "You two are good… but tell me, how did you raise your mana control so much? Especially you, Daniel."
Daniel and Lucas exchanged a puzzled look. It was obvious Lucas had improved his mana handling faster than Daniel in some ways — yet they both had advanced remarkably. Risha noticed the expressions and explained.
"Lightning is violent by nature — unstable compared to the earth element. Lightning mana is hard to tame, so mastering it is far more difficult."
Daniel felt a twinge: he had suspected Lucas was some kind of natural prodigy, but he hadn't asked. He had spent long hours and great effort improving his mana control.
Lucas was the first to answer, calmly: "In my old life I was always busy. Work, study — my days were full. Now I spend every day training my mana control. I do nothing but hunt and practice control… so progress is natural."
They all nodded in understanding; Lucas's words carried weight. Then they looked to Daniel, waiting for his explanation. He sighed and said quietly, "I'll tell you a serious secret…"
But Lucas interrupted: "Daniel, we want this group to stay united. Don't make anyone hate us from the start."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "You wrecked the moment."
He resumed with a more casual tone. "Some people enter an extreme focus — they forget the world around them and produce results they couldn't otherwise. I can enter and exit that state at will. Sometimes I go very deep into it, which is why my progress seems astonishing. I've been doing it every day since we arrived. But it has a price… a terrible headache afterwards."
He dug into his pocket and produced some herbs, smiling as he held them out. "I take these daily. Luckily, they taste fairly decent."
The group understood then and felt a mixture of surprise and a little envy at Daniel's rapid gains. Azrian's voice, calm but thoughtful, cut through the silence: "There is actually an Eira that increases concentration, but it's extremely rare — not available here or in nearby kingdoms."
Excitement lit the others' eyes.
Niral looked at Daniel and said, "I've also heard of an Eira that reduces the size of the headache. There are potions for that too. Some types eliminate it completely. That would be perfect for you, Daniel, right?"
"Really?!" Daniel responded, the wonder showing openly on his face. Yet Niral's next words were less enthusiastic: "Yes, but that Eira exists only in the higher-tier kingdoms."
Daniel's smile dimmed. Risha flipped rapidly through information in her head, then leaned toward Niral and asked skeptically, "Wait… I haven't read that anywhere. Where did you get this?"
Niral hesitated, then answered, "From a book used as a support for a library shelf…" His reply was odd and left a strange impression.
Daniel, ever the showman, broke the tension with a grin. "I'm the winner — fair result. Tell Lucas to work harder. It's for his own good."
They left him without comment and continued on their way.
On the twentieth day of the mission the party returned to the rendezvous point. Each of them now carried a single-circle Heart of Orne — the kind found after killing many Dry-Lizards. Though these hearts mean little to those who have passed the first circle, they are valuable for anyone below that level, so the group decided to sell them for coin.
The official bounty for the mission was modest — after all it was only an F-rank task — but the team made up the difference with the value of the resources taken from the lizard carcasses.
Risha also revealed a new use that didn't appear in any of the books Daniel had bought: the eye can be distilled into a liquid that helps a hunter see under the harsh sun without straining his eyes — a discovery born of Risha and Niral's joint work.
When the profits were split, each member took home one hundred silver coins. Daniel used part of the share to buy a new Paralysis Eira, and Niral was compensated for the uses he had burned during the hunts.
On the way back, as Niral walked one of the sandy lanes toward his home, two men in uniforms resembling the Knights' gear suddenly approached and stopped in front of him.