"Usually, when we release mana, it's in the form of a Spell or a Skill. Indiscriminately releasing mana is usually considered a waste. Usually…" ~Shallies Mythernal

"I heard you got accepted into the sub-raid."

Grace turned to find her father entering the dining room. He had an all-nighter and just got home, while she and her mom were already having breakfast.

"Congratulations," he followed up.

"Thanks. It was hard fought, but we managed to get the win in the duel."

"I also heard from Vice Guildmaster Coraline how you won that fight." His eyes were stern and worried. "I need your promise that you won't do the same thing in the actual raid."

Elesia inquired and the Mayor made a quick summary of how Grace had essentially sacrificed herself.

"I think she got it from you," said the wife, serving her husband some breakfast. She replaced his coffee with tea.

"I don't doubt it," Schooner said.

"What do you mean?" Grace asked.

"It's one of my tribe's tenets," he explained. "Before my father and I left, the quality of self-sacrifice was ingrained in our core. To do great things for the benefits of others, for us, that's our greatest honor. You wanted to make sure you and your friends got into that sub-raid, and you were willing to pay any price for that. Not exactly what I would recommend, but you do make your own decisions now."

"But I didn't do it for anyone else," Grace reasoned. "I wanted to get that last point. I wanted to prove to myself that I can go toe-to-toe with someone way stronger than I am. And the truth is, I can't."

"Oh," her parents said, looking at each other.

"I think that's still because of you, hun," Elesia said to Schooner, smiling. "It's not really a bad thing, I don't think. But I think it's the result of your dad urging you to be better than the city folk since you were little. And now you're trying to apply it to almost anyone or anything you do. Don't think I've forgotten when you said you wanted to close a dungeon all on your own."

"I don't know. I can't really explain it." Grace sighed. "I guess I just don't like feeling weak."

"That's why you have to keep training, Grace," Schooner said. "When my father and I left, we met an adventurer who hated the concept of self-sacrifice, specifically when you throw your own life away so that other people can survive or gain the victory. He said it was a sign of weakness.

"He said that the strong should not have to sacrifice their lives when saving other people, or winning. He said that the sacrifice you must give is the effort to get stronger so that you wouldn't have to risk your life."

Grace analyzed the quote. She understood the concept behind it. In short, she just needed to get stronger. Rather than sacrifice everything to win, she should sacrifice everything to get even stronger. She agreed with that wholeheartedly.

But what if, even after all that, I'm still not strong enough?

The answer hit her just as quickly as she made the question.

Just get stronger…

"That being said," Schooner continued. "Your growth has actually been terrific. Killing a noldzwjak, arachbat, ura'alar, an actual kraken… I have no idea what Shallies is putting on you, or how she's training you, but it's working like a miracle. I'm sure that if you keep that up, you'll become even stronger. So don't rush into things, alright? You're already progressing significantly quickly."

"That's right," Elesia followed. "We've heard stories about adventurers being favored by a god and improving at an almost alarming rate."

"She's just that good of a mentor, I suppose," Grace said, feigning ignorance.

"Well, that she is, true enough. I just hope she's giving you some proper advice to adjust with how quick you're leveling up."

"She is, she is." Grace couldn't help but sigh. "She even scolded me about what I did in the duel. Far harsher than you guys."

"You're supposed to have more training today, right?" Schooner asked. "Aren't you running late?"

Grace scrambled after looking at the clock. If she ran as fast as she could, she would still make it on time. With a flex of her will, she beckoned Chippy over. The phoenix gobbled up his mana-infused fruits and flew after his mom.

"Take care on the road," Elesia said.

"I will!" Just like that she was gone in a flash.

On the way, she saw the Gaiamaxims Guild headquarters. The people there had started doing business with Cinterbrim Town, which would explain why her father had been having all-nighters more often than usual.

She kept peering over whenever she got the chance, looking for some people she might recognize. Back at the Academy some of her classmates had been expressing the desire to join the guild. Mostly the arrogant rich kids, more than the actually talented ones.

Grace couldn't help but wonder. If her former classmates knew that the Gaiamaxims Guild wasn't only full of rich people, but also strong ones, they might've had second thoughts.

Dashing through Catelyn Road, the half-orc saw her teammates walking merrily along. Apple was with them. They noticed her approach and beckoned her over.

"Grace, look at this!" Tayin said, pointing towards a bunch of trees. "There's so many cute ones!"

The halfling was pointing at a bunch of rabbits along with other small critters, sitting together as the teacup fairy made elaborate figures with mana. It was like a teacher telling a story to attentive children. The animals didn't seem one bit concerned about their presence.

"It's an entire warren," Ren commented.

"Isn't that for wild rabbits?" Grace asked.

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"They are wild. At least, that's what Apple said… Err, gestured. I think that's what she gestured."

The teacup fairy giggled a few chimes, before nodding towards Ren.

"Ah, see. Wild rabbits."

"Alright," Grace said, shrugging. "What's up with the setup, though?"

Apple pointed towards the direction of the Gaiamaxims Guild, then to the bunched up trees.

"Ah, you're taking care of them because they were moved all the way out of their habitat?" Tayin guessed, to which Apple gave a thumbs up. "Oh, I didn't expect to get it right the first time."

The fairy giggled a bit more before pointing towards the direction of the tavern, then she moved her arms about, mimicking running in a hurry.

"Oh, right," Ren started. "We have training."

"We'll see you in a bit, Apple," Grace said. "Do you want Chippy to accompany you?"

The teacup fairy nodded quickly, so the half-orc allowed the phoenix to stay and join the group.

"Don't accidentally burn the trees, alright?"

Chippy squawked a complaint, which she immediately recognized. She had been the same way with her own mother whenever she said something she was already doing.

"Ah, right. My bad. Have fun, then." Laughing to herself, Grace followed the other two towards the training grounds.

Though they didn't expect Shallies to be already there with someone else.

"You guys are late," said the Godkiller. "I replaced you all with Yoshelle. I'm training her now."

"What?"

"I'm kidding," Shallies said, feeling disappointed that her joke flew over her students' heads. "Your System Consoles would've notified you if I had let you go. Gather around, we're training The Perpetual Method."

"I'm not sure if I should be angry or not," Tayin said.

"You guys just don't have a sense of humor," the Godkiller interjected. "If you guys haven't noticed, none of you have laughed at any of my jokes since the chuchili."

"That's because you have a twisted sense of humor," Ren countered.

"Ah, well, I suppose you're right."

"Is she okay?" Grace asked, ignoring the banter and pointing towards Yoshelle.

The Elemental Archmage had insisted on training The Perpetual Method. So Shallies gave more pointers on how to meditate while moving at a slow pace. But none of them seemed to be working.

"She's falling into a trance," Shallies said. "Barely. She's slipping in and out, so I'm waiting to see where she ends up. Val, can you come out here?"

With the last sentence, she called out the seraph using her System Console. While Yoshelle was slipping in and out of her trance, Shallies couldn't risk mentioning Stachie's name in order to make a call, so she had manually done the procedure. Nonetheless, the seraph was already awake and went to them as fast as he could.

Shallies, then, interviewed Valor'el about what he had taught the Elemental Archmage.

"That's basically everything I taught you," Shallies concluded. "Does she always end up in this state?"

"Yes," the seraph answered.

"Does she eventually break out of it?"

"It's a gamble."

They waited a bit more, and eventually, Yoshelle broke out of her meditation. She gasped for air, before realizing the other people around her.

"Sorry," she started. "Am I taking up your training time? I can come back another time, if needed."

"No, it's fine," Shallies said. "We're doing the same training anyway. To be blunt, you're having it a bit more rough than my students. Primarily because you're too used to how you're controlling your mana-flow. But I think that's not the only problem."

The Godkiller gestured for everyone to take a seat. Everyone except Valor'el, who preferred to stand on the side and observe.

"Can you explain what you're going through before you go into a trance state, Yoshelle?" she asked. "It would help us identify what might be holding you back."

Shallies had done the same for her other students, individually assessing what was going on with their meditation. Overall, the three of them had the same temptation urging them to unleash their powers. A common psychological influence with strong mana.

"I felt like sinking," Yoshelle started. "I kept sinking in a bottomless ocean. I felt all my senses heightened to unimaginable levels. Like I could predict everything by seeing and hearing and feeling. It felt like everything was in slow-motion."

That made Grace and the others look at each other. The Elemental Archmage noticed.

"It's different for you?" she asked them.

"Theirs is different," Shallies answered. "It's because they're still unfamiliar with their own mana. You, on the other hand, have nourished your own mana for far longer than they have. You know exactly how it feels, how it strengthens you, and how it flows within you.

"Deep inside, you're only really mildly interested in The Perpetual Method. You confirmed its reality, then it made you curious. Your heart is both in and out of seriously learning it, because you already have something you can trust wholeheartedly."

Yoshelle didn't deny the observation.

"I do want to learn it," she confirmed. "It's just that, letting go of what I already know is difficult. I keep trying to find ways to make them blend together instead."

Shallies sighed. "If you want, we can try a simple solution. It doesn't have any life-threatening risks, but you might end up not pursuing this method anymore, if it backfires."

"May I know what it is first?"

"We'll do a shock therapy," Shallies said. "I will show you the effects of what The Perpetual Method can do. I'll unleash my mana to help convince you of its gifts. Either you withstand and appreciate it, or you give up because of the gap that you'll surely see."

She presented a hand to her students. "Technically, they've all undergone the same treatment, just in different circumstances."

"And it'll do nothing to damage what I'm capable of right now?" Yoshelle confirmed.

"None whatsoever."

"If you don't mind. I'll take the shock therapy, then. It seems like I have nothing to lose."

"Alright. Val, can you cover us up?"

The seraph nodded and erected a Runic Barrier. Shallies turned to him with an eyebrow raised.

"Just one?" she asked.

Valor'el frowned, but added two more layers of the barrier.

"What are they for?" Grace asked.

"Go stand on the side," Shallies instructed before answering the question. "I need to make sure that the Gaiamaxims Guild won't notice the sudden change of the mana in the atmosphere. I'd rather not deal with the complications. Val, just two more, please."

The seraph did as told. "I can do a maximum of six, if you want."

"Sure. All six, then."

Shallies instructed Yoshelle to stand. "Now, all of you, engage your Focus and Constitution. You'll feel a lot of pressure once I release my mana, so prepare to brace yourselves."

The Elemental Archmage raised a hand, looking confused. "Umm… I can only engage my Focus and Mana-Affinity. Wait… By the sounds of it, are you saying they can engage any of their Attributes?"

The Godkiller smiled. "You're lucky Ren decided not to engage all of his Attributes during your duel."

"What!?"

"It's not like that, Miss Yoshelle," the Shield Knight interjected. "I can't keep engaging all my Attributes for more than a second. It's more of tapping all of them at the same time. And if I do that, I'll break down from fatigue almost immediately. I couldn't find the chance to do it when we fought."

"That's in the past," Shallies said. "Let's focus on the now. Yoshelle, you can at least tap into your Constitution, right?"

"I can."

"Good. Then engage your Focus and keep tapping into your Constitution. Try to stay conscious for as long as possible, so you can get a real feel in The Perpetual Method's true power. Alright?"

"I'll do my best!"

Shallies turned to her students. "You three ready?"

They nodded in unison.

"Yoshelle?"

"I'm ready!"

Shallies removed one of her veils and released her mana. Immediately, two of Valor'el's Runic Barriers shattered into mana residue. The space around them bent and all four people in front of her collapsed to their knees.

The Godkiller simply released her mana. She wasn't even forceful about it. It was similar to a dam opening its gates to let the water out, and already it overwhelmed the others.

Even the seraph was struggling to maintain his posture. He had experienced this pressure more than anyone else around. And still, he had to properly brace himself in order not to fall. He couldn't even remake his barriers.

Shallies had the option to stop releasing her mana. But she didn't. She was challenging them to last for as long as possible.

Ten seconds in, and three of Valor'el's six barriers gone, Grace was the first to collapse. Tayin and Ren followed almost immediately.

Yoshelle was enduring as hard as she could. Her nose was bleeding, but she was doing her best to keep her consciousness active. But she didn't last long.

Three seconds later, the Elemental Archmage collapsed as well.

Shallies redid her veil.

"Well… I suppose lasting for ten seconds is pretty impressive." She turned to Valor'el. He was gasping for air. "You okay?"

"You didn't say you'd release your Stellar Mana."

"Oh?" Shallies raised an eyebrow. "Are you skipping your training again? That's just normal mana, dumdum."

The seraph fell on his butt. "What? But it felt so different."

"Do you want me to release Stellar Mana? You know I'm not trying to kill them, right?"

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