Rogue Villain-Chapter 192: Leap

As he ran, Ackster took the opportunity to inspect the various areas on the island. The island was big, but he hadn’t expected it to have almost every kind of climate and habitat. It assured him that Bo could indeed train him beyond what he could do by floundering around on his own.

Ackster gradually began to suspect that Bo had no intention of stopping him.

He had tried to distract himself from his exhaustion, but that was getting more and more difficult when he could barely run.

’Is he petty or something?’

Ackster wondered if Bo was intentionally holding a grudge for when he knocked and entered the house without waiting for a response.

’Fine! I won’t stop then.’

Ackster had grown a lot and fast on his own, but the further he grew, the stronger he got, the more he realized how much more he could grow and how flawed his growth was. He also realized that it was getting harder and harder to progress.

It wasn’t surprising, but if he was already having trouble progressing, Ackster wasn’t sure he would be strong enough to keep up with The Hero’s growth.

The Hero had, after all, a solid foundation, the world on his side, overwhelming talent, and all kinds of resources within reach. The ten years—nine and a half now—was when The Hero blossomed in the original story and reached the heights necessary to save and destroy the world.

Ackster knew he was talented enough to do it in theory. The last half a year or so had confirmed it. But even a person with the talent to shatter the skies won’t get anywhere if they walk in place.

Given enough time, Ackster could become strong enough on his own. But time was one of the things he didn’t have.

So, he desperately kept running, fully intent on continuing until he was physically unable to, even with Limit Breaker and Last Stand or any of his other skills.

Ackster stopped thinking to stop feeling the fatigue and pain in his limbs and lungs. But he couldn’t help his gaze wandering, and it got stuck on the blue waves reaching beyond the horizon.

’Maybe...’

A mix of inspiration from his slumbering mind and his body’s instinctual craving for energy sparked the idea. It wasn’t a revolutionizing idea since he would learn how to do it sooner or later once he had enough mana.

But Ackster had only amassed enough mana to form a drop of water barely larger than a coarse grain of sand. It shouldn’t be enough for anything more than looking at it.

However, a single drop of water could be enough to make a glass overflow—to make a dam burst.

It wasn’t like Ackster had anything to lose by trying. He might collapse a little earlier from the extra exertion, but who cares?

Ackster hadn’t gotten far enough in the Sea God Manual yet to learn how to reinforce his body with mana. But he had read the basics in the original story. He just needed to bring the metaphysical mana into a more physical state and connect it with his body. He just had to run the mana through his body.

How difficult could it be?

It would be easier and more effective with more mana. With as much as he had now, Ackster wasn’t even sure it would make a difference. But the slightest improvement counted. If he could take one or two steps more, thanks to the mana, it would be worth it since it would be one or two more steps that would help convince Bo to train him.

Like that, Ackster began trying to get his mana to power his body and reinvigorate it. He thought it would be more difficult than it turned out to be. In fact, he hardly needed to do anything.

Ackster’s body wanted—needed—the mana now that it hadn’t gotten any food for too long. And it seemed like the droplet of mana wanted to follow Ackster’s wishes as it stopped floating in the middle of his body.

However, Ackster’s need was too much for the single droplet of mana, and right after it started trembling and getting ready to take a lap through his body, the droplet exploded and dispersed all over his body. It was like it had been tossed in a ragingly hot fire.

’Shit.’

Ackster’s first thought was that he had ruined his mana and that he would either have to start over or be unable to use mana in the future. But that thought only lingered until his body took a sudden leap forward due to the surge of energy filling it like warm tea on a cold day.

It was more than Ackster had expected, much more. It brought him forward at a surprising speed. But it wasn’t without its cost. The energy from the mana and how his body had used it wasn’t perfect.

Ackster’s muscles had used up the absolute last of themselves to handle the surge of disintegrated mana flashing through his body, and Ackster crashed.

The mana had given him the strength necessary to practically soar through the air with a great leap. But he could no longer move. He was completely finished.

Ackster considered trying to push Limit Breaker further. At worst, he couldn’t do it and suffered a couple of additional internal injuries. He would recover and grow stronger.

But he had already run for a couple of days without a single break. If he forced Limit Breaker, he would, at most, be able to stand before collapsing again.

Ackster deliberated what to do while nursing the accomplishment that he had used his mana.

In the end, he passed out with a slight smile barely raising the corner of his lips.

Ackster had pushed himself until he passed out. He had also learned something new without almost dying in the process. There wasn’t much more he could do to earn Bo’s acceptance. Even if he didn’t, this trip hadn’t been for nothing.

He had discovered what might just be his first occasion of rewarding training without treading the line between life and death.