The Sound Of Despair

The feeling was exhilarating, and Sturm found himself checking his statistics every day. Every time a decimal changed, a feeling of accomplishment filled him. 

<<If I had [Electroanalysis] back on Earth, I would probably have trained even harder. There is just no comparison to seeing actual numbers.>>

It was frustrating that his will would not be displayed. While that did not mean Sturm slacked on his mana training, there just was not the same motivation as when he trained his body or mind. Interestingly, there was some correlation between intelligence and willpower. Even though it could not be confirmed with numbers, Sturm had the feeling that increasing his intelligence accelerated the training of his will.

It made sense, though. Intelligence increased both memory and learning efficiency. As a result, Sturm had an easier time remembering every time he made a significant improvement. In the beginning, he often vainly tried to reenact those moments, in which he somehow isolated more cells than usual. But, over the last months, the rate at which he succeeded in repeating those lucky moments where even Sturm himself did not understand just how exactly he achieved something increased significantly.

There were two important aspects to training the will. Most arcane apprentices only learned to increase their willpower, allowing them to create larger mana constructs and thus more potent spells. That was fine at the beginning, but as Licht taught Sturm, not anymore when entering a more advanced level.

Going through the process of sensing, isolating, expelling, converting, constructing, and launching put a mental strain on the mage as they exerted their will. Gradually, an arcane apprentice would get used to it, learning to ignore the mental strain until the spell was cast. There was a reason Sturm felt exhausted every time he kept his [Fists of Mjölnir] up for too long.

In the end, though, this was simply a stopgap solution. The only reason arcane apprentices were encouraged to do so was that the pressure on their minds would further stimulate their will, resulting in quicker growth.

As soon as the apprentice graduated to being a novice mage, they had to undergo intensive training to use their will with more efficiency. An apprentice was weak, and exhaustion was the only consequence they would suffer. This was no longer the case with a proper mage, as too much strain could literally fry their brain. Sturm's face paled when Licht told him that.

<<We were too naive. Simply trusting a beginner's magic tome. Even if we had escaped the clutches of that sorcerer, sooner or later, we would have probably killed ourselves. If I had not met Schatten and Licht, then that would have been my fate, sooner or later.>>

The solution was simple. Instead of simply using will to complete the different phases, one had to keep efficiency in mind. Which cluster of mana cells would be the easiest to isolate? Which arteries would provide the quickest and shortest path? Instead of converting mana cells and then use the mana matter to fill a construct, why not convert the mana cells already in the construct's shape and simply build around it? 

There were so many ways to improve the usage of will that Sturm knew even tens of years would not be enough to master them all. The challenge made it all more interesting, but as long as he made gradual progress, there would be no worries about having enough will but being unable to use it.

Licht disagreed and argued Sturm should invest more time in mana control, but it was a hopeless undertaking against the satisfactory feeling and Schatten's gift. Additionally, the tiger cub did not dare to complain too much, or else extra training would await him.

{Your [Fists of Mjölnir] are effective, but it is impossible to use your mana in a more primitive way. On top of that, even though your strength is not that inferior to ours, the sturdiness of your body is severely lacking. I imagine you almost destroy your fists every time you punch something, right? Well, there is a solution for both of your problems. Licht taught you [Electroanalysis], so let me enhance your [Fists of Mjölnir] for you,} Schatten told Sturm.

Brumawolves were a proud warrior race, and as conquerors, they faced many different types of enemies. Some of them, like the relampa apes, used armor, and others, like the donnercrocs, had a natural armor with their scales. Unfortunately, against these foes, even their sharp claws often proved to lack the durability and penetrative force to cause serious damage.

To enhance their offensive power, the brumawolves developed a similar spell to Sturm's lightning fists. Just like him, they coated their claws in lightning, but in a much more sophisticated way. Instead of steadily converting cells into lightning matter, they created a complex mana construct that directly connected to the arteries and veins in their paws.

The mana construct would integrate itself into his vascular system, allowing it to sustain itself without any effort from the caster's side. Initially, Sturm did not feel as interested in the spell as Schatten had expected. Even after the boy tried it out, creating a pair of metallic blue gauntlets with intricate lightning patterns engraved in it, his enthusiasm seemed forced.

Everything Sturm had experienced in this world had shown him power was the single most important thing. Without power, your fate would be in the hands of others, and you would have no hold over your own destiny. Clinging to his obsession with hitting people with his bare fists had proven to be a mistake. 

Weapons were superior for a reason, as their reach and hardiness gave advantages that were hard to overcome for an unarmed opponent. Now, Sturm knew with enough skill and technique, which he knew he had, those advantages weapon wielders possessed could be turned around. 

Nevertheless, gauntlets would not impede any of his combat techniques, as they would simply be protecting his fists and hardening his blows. It finally came to the point of no escape. Either Sturm adapted, or he would have to forsake all close combat abilities and only focus on magic instead.

Sturm accepted his fate and told Schatten about his inner struggle. All the more was he surprised when he found out that all those reflections had been pointless. 

{You do not have to worry about that, Sturm. We share the same sentiment; there is nothing more satisfying than feeling how your claws rip through the opponent. Feeling the resistance and then break it, demonstrating your superiority. You have not tried hitting something with your new [Fists of Mjölnir], am I right? There is a reason I did not recommend you to change the name to something like Gauntlets of Mjölnir. Come on, try it out.}

Without further ado, Sturm stepped next to Schatten and knocked on the wolf pup's head. Then, to his astonishment, he felt his knuckles hitting against Schatten's skull as if he were doing so with his bare hands. Instead of regular gauntlets that would simply cover his fists, the [Fists of Mjölnir] felt more like an extension instead.

{Ouch! What is that about? I am teaching you a spell exclusive to my race. So, you may be the first outsider to ever learn it, and that is how you repay me?} Schatten complained.

"You could have explained all of this while finishing your set instead of pausing to do so. You know you can directly communicate with my mind, so why did you step next to me? The only reason I only lightly knocked is precisely because of how much I appreciate this. If this spell was just a little less amazing, then you would be jealous of Licht's easy schedule today."

Having seen such tricks far too many times back on Earth, Sturm instantly saw Schatten's intention to take a little extra break. However, it was hard to blame him for it because the new training truly forced even the last bit of potential out of them. Having access to their statistics allowed Sturm to work even better on fixing their weaknesses and enhancing their strengths. 

Due to their newfound motivation, Licht and Schatten never complained, but small tricks such as asking for water or relieving themselves a few more times than usual allowed them small escapes from the monotony. Actually teaching Sturm something so useful was thereby easily pardonable.

Month after month flew by, and Sturm's 18th birthday arrived. The trio had spent a little over two years training in the central cavern. No magic beast dared to approach the lone mountain, remembering the frightening hegemons that fought inside without rest. Sturm only left to gather food, often paralyzing weaker magic beasts and letting his two contracted beasts kill them in a fight. 

Licht and Schatten had not been allowed to leave, both because they were still too weak and to keep up the illusion that they were still platinum beasts. At first, the brumawolf and raitiger had to reluctantly work together to defeat even a single fang wolf. Nothing less expected of former absolute overlords; they quickly adapted to their new bodies and techniques and advanced to the third bronze tier in record speed. 

Defeating most wild magic beasts by themselves was no longer a challenge, and Licht especially liked to fight against dozens of fang wolves at the same time, mocking that he was beating up Schatten's parents during the whole fight. Unfortunately, to Schatten's annoyance, there were no magic beasts of the tiger family on Dagger's Rock Island, making it impossible to reciprocate the raitiger's actions. 

The two beasts had also grown considerably, already reaching Sturm's hips. Their size was similar to fully grown german shepherds on Earth. But not only did the two beasts grow in both body and strength, but so did Sturm. As an 18-year-old in body, he would be considered an adult in most countries on Earth by now.

"Schatten, Licht. I know you have been waiting a long time for this, and the day has finally come. It is time for revenge." 

{Do not worry, Sturm. Those who made you suffer will pay for their transgressions a thousand times over.}

{He is right. The time for reckoning has come.}

Their bonds had grown over the years, and avenging Sturm's foster family had long become a goal for both Schatten and Licht. With two trustworthy companions and a fundamental increase in strength, the gap between him and nobles had closed considerably. There was no need to hide anymore.. The same, though, could not be said for his enemies.