There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 753: Side Story 4. Endless Journey - 36

Just like what he had told Byul, Kar took his final basic exam before the summer break. He still had to take the final practical exam--which had to be taken before he climbed the tower for the first time to get his license--but he was free to do what he wanted before then.

Still, as a student, he had to submit his self-study plan--otherwise, leaving the school grounds would be counted as a violation. So, he was busy making schedules and arrangements during the summer break. After all, a signed letter of agreement from the coaches and the guild for his internship had to be submitted for his official academic leave.

But of course, he could get everything done smoothly in no time. After all, one must know how to use their privilege well--or so his Uncle Dia said. And so, after the summer break, he did not return to the dorm in Projo but packed his bag to Althrea.

"I don’t understand you father and son," Han Joon crossed his arms while watching Kar doing warm-up.

It was their first day of official mentorship, and while he had agreed to teach his godson personally, he hadn’t talked about it extensively with the boy.

Kar looked up from the floor where he was doing his stretching. "Why, Uncle?"

"You have a mana pool that makes all magicians envious, but why do you keep training to fight close combat?"

"Well...because it’s your specialty?" the boy shrugged with a grin.

It wasn’t a secret that Bassena and Kar adored Joon. Both of them loved following the man all the time. If they lived in the same city, Kar would probably ask to go over every day. Even in the Academy, when he was asked about his role model, he would tell everyone about the former Mobius Captain Han Joon.

People had always thought he was strange for it, especially having Bassena Vaski as a father. But, so what? The man was also the role model of the Bassena Vaski. In fact, Bassena approved of this choice wholeheartedly.

If there was someone out there the Saint class agreed to teach his son, it would be Han Joon.

"A pair of weirdoes," Joon shook his head and sighed.

"Who love you very much, Uncle."

"Thanks," the man rolled his eyes in response. "But serious answer now."

Kar chuckled and finished his last stretch before standing up. "Well, I don’t know with Dad, but...for me, it’s survival and flexibility."

Han Joon arched his brow. That reasoning sounded like Zein instead of Bassena. But then again, for Bassena, close combat was a necessity--not an option. To survive the beating from his cousins, he had to strengthen his body. And then, when he met Joon, the kid thought it was cool--even with the enormous amount of mana he had.

Kar didn’t have to do that, though. He didn’t need to put his body in strenuous training to survive. Even if he only did what those in the magician path did, he would still be on top of his generation. Simply by his innate mana and raw talent.

Something Han Joon did not have.

"I don’t want to find myself getting ambushed or limited because I have to stay in a certain place," Kar explained. "In the first place, every esper has mana, right? Not just magicians. I heard magicians become magicians just because they have more mana."

"Right..."

"But I talked to Dad, talk to Grandpa Yu, Uncle Cohen, and the teachers..." the boy frowned. "In the end, everything is about mana application."

Having a lot of mana didn’t mean he had to take the magician path only. If every position’s skills used mana, it shouldn’t matter what path he choose. Rather than seeing it as he had to be a magician, shouldn’t he be free to be anything because he had a lot of mana?

"What I want is to understand the mana application itself. Whether as a spell or imbued into weapons..." he opened up his hand, flowing the unsullied mana inside his system and manifesting it on his palm.

At first, he couldn’t even maintain a sphere. But now, he could make any shape he wanted, just like how his father shaped the darkness. But he didn’t want to be limited to just one field like that. Only darkness. Only ice. Only fire.

How boring. The boy who had been playing with magic before he could even walk couldn’t be satisfied with merely following what the tower would give him in the future.

"I want to know how other espers use it and how I can use it."

"So, essentially, you actually want to be the purest of magicians," Han Joon chuckled.

Kar tilted his head. Well, that may be so. To manipulate mana without relying on the skills that the patron deity gave them during the trials--shouldn’t that be what magicians try to achieve?

"And everyone said you have the best mana control in the Eastern Federation, Uncle," Kar pointed at Joon with a grin. "Even more than Dad."

Unlike Bassena, Han Joon wasn’t blessed with a lot of mana. And yet, his skill repertoire--such as stealth and swift step--was heavy with mana usage, and he chose a weapon that needed a delicate control of mana. To be able to do that, he had to be very calculative and make use of every drop of mana he had without letting any waste.

But he wasn’t very talented, never had been. His talent was on persistence and perseverance. He looked for a way by himself, found it, and trained it until he became so proficient even magic users thought he was more talented than them.

He could no longer use mana, but the knowledge he acquired by himself did not disappear.

"So it’s not about the close combat?" Han Joon tilted his head.

"Oh, that too," Kar clenched his fist to scatter the mana rabbit on his palm. "I just want to be good at everything."

Han Joon scoffed. "Cocky boy."

"I need to know this much to protect my family, no?" the boy grinned.

"What a frightening family."

Indeed, geniuses who worked hard were always terrifying. But the laughing boy in front of him probably didn’t even think it was hard work, but something basic. He saw his fathers train and exercise almost every day, even though they already stood at the apex. Being surrounded by high-ranking people, the boy didn’t even think he was a genius.

Han Joon smirked. "Did your Dad tell you how hard my lesson is?"

"Yep," Kar nodded, eyes blazing with spirit.

"Heh," the former esper curled his eyes. "I wonder how much you understand that."

Well, then. Let’s introduce a genius to the amount of work an untalented person needs to do.

* * *

"My dear Father..."

Zein arched his brow at the pair of pleading amber eyes. "Yes, son?"

"The school...didn’t go this hard," Asa groaned while sprawling on the floor, breathing heavily after the set of dodging exercises his father gave him.

Just as Kar received direct mentoring from Han Joon, Asa also had his own mentoring session. Of course, there was no better guide in the Eastern Federation than the legendary Luzein Ishtera. But if people thought Asa would have it easier learning from his own father, then they were mistaken.

Zein was especially strict with his best students. Just asked the first generation of Trinity’s combat guide.

"Naturally," Zein scoffed. "People will run away if I give them my routine."

"I am people!"

"You’re also my son," Zein chuckled. "And your first client would be your twin. You need stamina and precision."

Asa groaned again as he remembered the vast ocean he felt from his brother during their joint training. "You goddamn twin of mine!"

"Now, now--that’s enough rest," Zein clapped his hand. "Let’s go again."

"Gaaah!"

Despite his constant whine, Asa still did everything Zein asked him to do. All the dodging exercises, the shielding, the close combat; and right after that, while his body was still exhausted, he had to survive the simulation device Bassena installed in their house as Lucy’s tenth birthday gift.

Interestingly, almost all companies had installed Deathzone simulation as one of their basic extension packages, using Trinity’s real combat situation during Operation Fallen Star as a reference. It was restricted to adults, but academy students could use the extension under supervision.

Zein did not tell them to try it, but the twins naturally wanted to know what their parents had personally gone through.

"Father," Asa pondered hard during the lunch break after his first simulation trial. "Will I have to go to a lot of dungeons?"

"That depends on your esper’s ratio," Zein shrugged.

In his case, five-star espers and above were rarely going inside dungeons. But once they did, it was always the dangerous ones.

Asa, who knew his twin the best, grunted again. "That damn twin..."

He knew very well that Kar’s ultimate goal was to clear the other Deathzone in the continent. With Kar’s personality, he would diligently enter many high-ranking dungeons before then to gain experience and hone his skills.

That was fine and all, but what would happen to Asa’s spaceship project if he was busy clearing dungeons?

"Don’t curse your brother," Zein flicked the boy’s forehead. "Didn’t you say you want to go to the outer space?"

Asa pursed his lips while rubbing his head. "Well, yes--but what’s that got to do with our conversation."

"My dear son," Zein leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms. "What do you think exists between the stars?"

The amber eyes narrowed. Of course, he didn’t know what was there among the stars. No space project had been successfully done at that moment--not even in the Western Republic. People were still too busy clearing dungeons to put their focus on the space.

But, there must be a reason why his father asked that question, right?

"No way..." Asa gasped. "Dungeons?!"

"No," Zein shook his head.

Asa pursed his lips. What the hell? What was the point of that question then?

"My dear son," Zein smiled. "The outer space is a giant open dungeon."

After all, it was where the Celestial War happened. His experience in the star corridor and his vision of Lucre and Setnath told Zein enough what they would face beyond the sky. Frejya had told him already; their Earth wasn’t the only planet--heck, not even the only world--existed in the universe.

More importantly, they weren’t the only ones brimming with dungeons and troubles.

The amber eyes widened for a few seconds, before Asa slammed the table as he stood up. "Hah! We need to train more, then!"

Zein chuckled and nodded. "That’s the spirit."