Four days later. Yes, it took them four days to finally be able to stand and lift their heads up. By now their bodies smelled so bad that flies were circling around them, but that did not matter. The looks they had on their faces told me, they were ready to face my training. Now the question is how long they will be able to last standing in my presence when I stand closer to them. I took a step towards them, just a single step and immediately three of them fell on their knees trembling. Jon had a bit more time delay before he also kneeled, about half a second more than the others.

Was that a good enough result? No, not even close. However, their improvement proved to me that training them will be very possible and that the invasion of the neighboring kingdoms will proceed after they last a few rounds of sparring"s time standing chest to chest with me.

I want to see how long they will take to get used to pressure at this distance. I moved my seat to where I am standing and sat there comfortably. They haven"t eaten anything since last the few days and so have I, but in my case I can probably last for a long time without eating, they on the other hand will probably die a few days after this. If they use the potions they"d probably live, but I won"t let them.

"Hunt for your own food. The moment you feel you can move already go ahead and look for food. I won"t try to hinder you at all. You will have until sunset to move about. How you use that time will be up to you. The farther you are from me the less my influence will be. If you understand that then use that information well."

For this, I need to set "anything" that comes within 500 meters from me, will feel my presence. How they will use that information I gave them is up to them, I want to see how they"ll utilize something as vague as "use my influence" in their actions.

With that in mind, I still sit around and observe them. Obviously I don"t want them dead, I want them trained.

A few hours later, Jon again showed promise and with a very terrible to look at face, he struggled to his feet and spread snot and spit all over the place. *groan* The sound of him groaning constantly filled the place but he couldn"t maintain his stance and while trembling uncontrollably he fell down yet again face–first.

The sight made my heart skip a beat. Not in the sense that I pity them but in the sense that I am very excited to see how these men will overcome this and start training with me. The moment they overcome my pressure is the moment that their strength, even when not enhanced further will be enough to face even the leaders of the Demon Realm 4 to 1, meaning, four of them versus one of the demon realm leaders.

That in itself is a feat that no other human being can achieve. The Demon Emperor is – or in this case, Demon Empress – a vampire that lived for centuries already and that usually equates to their power as well according to manga and novels.

If they perhaps grow steadily as I grind them slowly, then their strength will probably reach somewhere even the Demon Realm leaders could not reach all their lives. If that becomes a reality then maybe, even if I don"t fight the Racial Battle Royale, I"ll still be able to send one or four of them to defend humanity"s side.

I want to start grinding them but if they succ.u.mb to their fear then I won"t be able to train them and instead just kill them with my attacks. Even I am still not in perfect control of my current strength.

Jon is already getting better at this, but we need a bit more time. With my a.n.a.lysis alone, it would take them a whole 5 months just to get used to the pressure I am leaking through Overpower. They are sure to die from hunger if they don"t hunt properly. The faster they can get away from me after overcoming this distance, the faster they can hunt for food.

Jon finally began to stand in front of me looking directly at me with determination and a bleeding nose. He must have hit his face hard from the fall earlier, but his body is full of vitality so I"m not worried about blood loss. The rest of them also showed promise after getting provoked by Jon"s progress and started to really struggle and even broke their bones from forcing themselves to stand up by pushing themselves up from ground with their arms. Caltec, Isaac, and Mor stood up and fell down almost immediately, but they also moved their bodies to struggle to feed themselves potions. Jon on the other hand, used this time to actually help them all instead of looking for food immediately. He pa.s.ses, if this were Kakashi"s test.

Obviously, the three of them struggled hard but couldn"t get it into their mouth without their arms, so Jon"s help is a G.o.d-sent for them. Even the cheery and comedic Jon had a serious expression on his face when facing the three on the ground. He actually sat down beside them and just watched them like I was doing until they could match him. He knows the value of having the four of them together than hunting for himself, I"m sure.

They are steadily maturing; maybe a desperate fight from time to time would really help them grow even more eager and motivated to pursue strength to the fullest. I can"t wait to actually witness this growth. I want to see how much and how far I can actually guide them.

If they can protect the entire city and their families especially then all I"ll have to do is stay in place and relax. I don"t want to travel needlessly. Then I"ll be able to teach the alchemists more of the craft and the Elementalists and Specialists magic that I can think of and remember from manga and novels in my time of leisure. That"s a good thought to have ain"t it?

When more than a few more hours came and night was also coming to an end, all four of them seemed to find the strength to finally be able to face me without falling down and the look on their faces were of determination and perseverance. I liked it, until they took a step towards me which, "Tch!" made me click my tongue and get annoyed.

"It seems your enthusiasm has itself overcome the ability to rationally think things through before challenging something you cannot yet do. You have lost a point because of that and that point lost is something vital. Go reflect on it before you come back." *BANG*

I waved my right hand in a backhand motion which generated enough force to get even s.p.a.ce to bend and push away the four of them with impact great enough to break their bones. They"ll live, but I sent them towards where the monsters of the forest where most active and powerful.

With broken bones and exhausted spirit, normal people should die with this a hundred percent most of the times. These guys are not ordinary though, so they will live. Plus, I"m here anyway, just that they don"t know if I"ll really rescue them or let them die because of their mistake.

Their desire to really pursue power is great and admirable, but stupidly rushing forward without thinking over the pros and cons is not something I would tolerate. I want them to grow rapidly but not without the substance. If they grow too quickly while destroying their bodies without care and planning, then that itself is just stupid. When I made them destroy their bodies with gravity rings and accessories and forcefully repair it through potions, there was a plan involved there; it was reckless but not abandoned, so to say. What they did just now was something reckless and just plain stupid so it"s annoying.

They"ll probably come back a few days later I"m not worried, they"ll manage. For now, I should build a tent for myself. I need to sleep.

*Rumble* *Rumble*

I commanded the earth to bend according to my will and build myself a tent, well not exactly a "tent" but more of a proper house. It has a solid door, few windows and then a bedroom. I can easily survive without food for a while so it doesn"t matter that I don"t eat for now. The roof is made of gla.s.s like transparent material, which is actually just air, manipulated through Elemental Magic, just as earth and the other affinities in the elemental category is. Solidifying a wall of air and suspend it in the form of a roof is a good idea I came up with to accommodate my body absorbing the sunlight even when I"m just sleeping.

"Those d.a.m.ned guys, being stupid instead of wise. Who would"ve thought, that even Isaac succ.u.mbed to the fear and desire to overcome everything instantly?" Murmuring to myself, I realized how foolish it really was, what they did and how disappointed I am at the brains of the entire city. Isaac is efficiently the most reliable man to put into the logistics or thinking processes of anything, but even he could not make heads or tails just now.

The only explanation I can think of is that he also struggled really hard just to catch up and never bothered about anything else. Such dedication is good, no, great! But doing something like what they actually did earlier is not something I can tolerate.

With hands as pillows, I took a nap…

***

It took them almost a week to get back to me just as predicted. They brought skins filled with jerky meat and salted meat and then the bones. It looked like they really hunted hard and came back prepared for a long training session. The moment they came into the house, I waved my right hand again and sent them flying through the walls and the skins they were bringing fell to the ground. Their bodies looked weak but were actually stronger. They looked weak because of the lack of strength and food they were feeding themselves with.

Having magic sure is convenient! I threw their things towards them as well. And bid them farewell. They can"t enter this place for now. They"ll stay there and reflect. Just because there"s a house in front of them with a door, doesn"t mean they can just come in without any thoughts, what if that wasn"t me and I attacked them without hesitation and with the intent to really kill?

I came out of the house and prepared another chair outside. They were sprawled on the ground like garbage but breathing. Not injured in the slightest. The distance was enough for them to barely move, meaning the distance they overcame earlier, now, I"ll again step forward.

*HUM*

The same thing happened again and again until they finally were able to stand almost nose to nose with me, it took them just as predicted five months to fully be able to stand up to me even with fear gripping their minds. It is not fear like that of the fiend"s abnormal status effect but the fear for life that they are feeling. I really did pour out my best for them in showing them the extent of my Overpower"s pa.s.sive effect. That doesn"t mean that what I had them experience is the full extent though. Giving my best to them in considering their abilities is one of my own training in control as well. Just as I said, it"s not just their training but mine as well.

Now we"ll start the real training.