# The fifth stage. Is when a warlock can change an Imprinted Essence. But this stage I know nothing about because I’m in the fourth stage. So I’m not qualified to talk about it. Only a few of us achieved that stage in history. #

“I see. Thanks for explaining all this to me. It was very important.”

# Now to the training. The rest i will teach you along the way. #

Raz moved to the side and gestured to Mack to observe. .

He then took his sword, and after talking with the green NPC, bot started sparring.

Raz was showing the basic forms of attack and defense to Mack.

After a few minutes of sparring they stopped and Raz took the portable board, drew some runes, and showed it to Mack.

# You two are going to repeat these same movements until you get it right #

Mack nodded with his head and started repeating the same movements while sparring with his ancestor NPC.

While one did the defending movements, the other would do the attacking ones.

Repeating and alternating.

The movements themselves were not in any way advanced, just basic sword movements.

But for Mack, they were very hard already.

Even seeing the warlocks fight during battle and trying to copy them, he still struggled to move the feet or to put the correct force in each attack.

After half an hour of training, Raz signaled to them to stop, took his board, and drew some runes on it.

# Ok. You two are going to practice these movements for 2 hours each day. I will come to check from time to time. Use this same place here to train. We will only change places if the army retreats or advance too much. #

“And what about the first step of Essence Manipulation?”

Raz looked annoyed, but drew some runes on the board.

# I will teach you for one hour a day about the rest. Come to me after the training. #

After saying that, Raz left the two alone and went back to the camp.

And just like this, Mack now had a Master. An NPC Master, but a master in the end.

Mack was not sure if his ancestor arranged this. But seeing the annoyed face of his ‘Master’ he knew it was not an easy feat to become his apprentice.

Mack turned his gaze to his ancestor light construct and resumed the sparring session.

He still did not punch him in the face twice, as he had promised himself.

~clang~

The sound of sword clashing could be heard from meters away as the two practiced.

This would become a daily routine for Mack in the days to come.

Only he knew how he will miss those simple days.

Train. Eat. Sleep. Fight. Repeat.

Humans are simple creatures. Give them a motive and a routine and they will strive to do their best. And Mack had the best motive someone could have. To survive.

Ten days later.

At one of the warlock camps.

“Ten days already. You promised to teach me how to use Essence to reinforce my body.”

Said Mack, furious because his master kept avoiding him like the plague.

# I told you already. But you don’t listen! I’m very busy with the war right now #

“You are eating now. Why can’t you spare 10 minutes? Just 10 minutes.”

Mack, for the first time in his life, saw himself begging for attention. His master had not taught him anything in the past 10 days.

Seeing no response from his master Mack took his dagger and scratched the two runes on his belt.

“Now you own me nothing.”

And turned his back, walking to the bushes where his ancestor NPC was.

Seeing Mack, his ancestor NPC waved and was about to write something on the portable board.

~slap~

~slap~

Mack gave two slaps at the Ancestor NPC and walked away. Leaving a stunned man with a board in hand not knowing what to do.

‘Done. It was two punches, but the anger rose. Dammed bastard!’

Leaving the bushes, Mack walked in direction of another camp. He was tired of being a sparring partner for his ancestor NPC. Better play solo now.

’10 days! 10 fucking days lost!’

But in reality, they were not lost at all. Mack improved a lot on how to use the sword.

But still…. He felt like he could have progressed way more.

Mack also felt like all this was prearranged. It was strange to learn from an NPC how to yield Essence. No matter how he thought, it seemed wrong to him.

Maybe….. He was not supposed to learn this way.

~sigh~

“Why all this secrecy? Why all these tests. Dammed!”

Screamed Mack, kicking a small rock by the entrance of the camp.

Mack walked a few meters, entering the camp, and seated on a small rock close to the food tent.

He needed to figure out what to do now.

Annoyed by the situation, Mack rested his chin over his hand and entered in a deep thought and contemplation state.

Several minutes later and in the same state he suddenly moved his head to the right.

He looked at one light construct doing something trivial. The light construct was actually cleaning his sword.

But the odd part, Is he was cleaning his sword from a non-existing blood. No light constructs left blood behind when being cut.

‘They are just the result of a magic circle, after all, it’s not like they could really teach me anything about how to use Essence.’

“I see.”

Said Mack, remembering he was alone here in this huge tower, passing gate after gate.

Alone.

For a few days, Mack forgot he was alone. Interacting with those light constructs, even if in a strange way, made him feel like he was with other people for a few days.

Alone again. As always.

‘At least I got information about the five stages. This will help me progress somehow’

“And I can go 1×3 against normal acolytes already.”

“The problem is those mages.”

“Without being able to reinforce my body or my sword with Essence. I will never be able to kill them.”

Mack pondered over the matter for a few minutes.

‘How did I break the gates on my body? Just breathing that technic? Impossible.’

‘And the chants….. ‘

“I guess it’s time for me to review the basics.”

Said Mack aloud, thinking of a way that may be the correct way.