The forest next to the village of Clear View was massive. The inhabitants of the forest were all dangerous monsters and no human would dare enter to far in. But this time there were 2 humans running and jumping around the forest. The sounds of metal clashing echoed throughout the forest.

“You’re still to slow Kan. You have to be faster than that to avoid me.”

A dagger was thrown at Kan. Without hesitation Kan used the dagger in his hand to deflect the incoming dagger while also throwing another dagger where Cole’s voice was coming from. After counter-attacking Kan kept on running through the forest. He was jumping over tree roots and weaving around the trees to lose Cole but nothing worked. Cole’s daggers kept assaulting him endlessly.

Kan was starting to run out of breath. They had been playing this game of cat and mouse for 30 minutes already and Kan still couldn’t get away. No matter how much he climbed the trees or even change his paths, Cole was still able to attack him. It was at this moment that Kan wasn’t paying attention that he tripped on a tree root.

“You need more training if you want to master the use of daggers and always pay attention to where you’re running Kan. You have lost this battle.”

Cole was already standing over Kan with his dagger up to Kan’s neck. Kan was catching his breath as Cole began to explanation to Kan what he had done wrong.

“You lasted longer this time but you still couldn’t escape from me. You couldn’t calm yourself while you were running, so I could hear your rough breathing from miles away. Whenever you are being chased down, always calm your breathing. This way your pursuers won’t be able to hear you. Another problem that I saw was that you weren’t able to hide your presence. I have told you this before and i’ll say it again, become one with your surroundings.”

“Ok.”

“Good, let’s take a break by the stream over there.”

Kan got up and they started walking towards the stream. Kan was remembering what Cole had just told him. He was analyzing what he had done wrong and what he could have done better. Every time Kan would train, he would review over what he had just learned, so he could improve himself.

This part of the forest was relatively close to the village so there was no real danger in this area. Since this area was close to the alarm tower they had trained here frequently. Cole had decided that Kan should train in the forest because being able to adapt to an uneven terrain would improve his skills vastly.

After a few minutes of walking they had reached the stream. It was a very small stream with many fishes swimming in it. It was the peak of spring so many fishes were swimming vigorously in the stream. Off to the side was a very large rock they that had used many times to rest on.

“Big Brother i’m going to hunt some fishes to cook.”

“Ok, be careful not hurt yourself.”

“Ok.”

Kan stripped and dived into the stream. Kan opened his eyes and he could see where all the fishes were. The stream was very clear so it was not a problem for Kan to see the fishes. The only problem now was catching them.

Kan contemplated on how to catch these fishes. He wondered if he should use magic but he decided not to because lately he hadn’t been using his combat locksmith powers as much. In the 2 years that he had been training, his limit as a combat locksmith had recently reached 5%. This was amazing for such a young boy who had only been training for 2 years.

Kan unlocked 2% in his arm and swam towards a fish. He knew fishes were fast and tricky to catch, so his plan was to unlock the strength in his arm to instantly catch the fish. Kan swam and pushed his hand forward to catch the fish closest to him, but the fish easily dodged his hand. Kan tried it multiple times but he hadn’t caught any fish at all. So for now he decided to go up for air.

……

‘So he’s still trying to catch fish. This is going to be a difficult task for him if he doesn’t learn how to use his own powers.’

Cole thought to himself as he watch Kan continuously bob his head in and out of the water to get air. Cole had usually caught the fish to eat and lately he had been allowing Kan to get the fish. Those times it was simple for Kan to catch the fish because he had used magic but this time it wasn’t. Cole knew that this was a major roadblock in Kan’s path in becoming stronger.

Kan has been to reliant on his skills as a magic locksmith and not his skills as a combat locksmith. When he did use his skills as a combat locksmith, he would forget to use his skills as a mage locksmith. This was the problem with learning to many things at once. He would use one and forget the other. Kan needed to learn how to combine everything together if he wanted to become stronger. Cole knew this but hadn’t told Kan because Kan wouldn’t truly learn, if he didn’t learn it himself.

Cole went back to looking at the papers in his hands. As he read the papers his eyes turned cold and he sighed. But Cole’s thoughts were soon interrupted by a sound coming from the forest.

‘What’s that sound?’

Cole heard some rustling from the forest. It was faint but was gradually getting louder. It sounded like teeths grinding against each other. It was soon that he realized what that sound was.

“KAN, WATCH OUT!!!!!”

……

‘Why can’t I catch these fishes? I should be faster and stronger than them, so why can’t I get any?’

Kan began thinking and thinking about what the problem was and he was stumped. He couldn’t think up of a reason why he couldn’t catch the fishes but then he suddenly remembered what Clive and Claire had taught him.

“...What use is a strong body if you are unable to have courage in using this power to help others and what use is a strong body if you don’t know how to use it effectively. This is why as a combat locksmith you must train your body, your soul, and your mind...”

“...Mana is like the ocean and we are like fishes. Every breeze you feel is mana, every piece of dirt has mana, and even the body has mana in it. You just have to feel it, don’t force anything. Let it all come naturally…”

‘I understand now!!!’

Kan closed his eyes and he no longer looked at the fishes. This time he was sensing the mana around him. He sensed the mana in the water, the mana in the fishes, and even the mana within himself. He had become one with the water. He was now a fish flowing freely in the stream. As all this was happening he unlocked 2% throughout his body and moved his hand towards a fish. Without any trouble he had caught a fish.

Ecstatic, he swam back up to the surface so he could show Cole.

“Cole I caught a fish!”

“KAN, WATCH OUT!!!!!”

In the moment that Cole had called out to Kan, Kan felt a burning sensation on his back. He had never felt this type of sensation before but it was painful. It felt like someone had slashed at his back with a burning iron rod. Before he knew it, he felt another type of pain coming from the front, and his world turned dark.

“YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!!!!!!!!”