[22] FIVE-THOUSAND

"Yes… Yes!" Galarax said with excitement. "You're doing it, kid, keep going!"

Sliff nodded, straining his alchoseye to shut, trapping in his Luma. He felt as if the water of the lake around his feet was gripping him. It must've been because the ripples were calming. "Here I go!"

Just like a week before, the Luma within him shrunk to an orb, revealing his alchoseye. However, this time the orb resembled the colored part of the eye even more. It seemed more refined—glossier. And just like the last week, he also found a lazily floating shard in front of the eye—which was still the same.

The markings came together, shutting in the orb, Storing his Luma.

"You've done it, Sliff!" Galarax shouted.

Sliff opened his eyes with a smile and found Galarax stepping closer to the lake. He looked down at his feet, leaning over to rest his hands on the knees. He caught his breath, drops of sweat dripping off from his forehead, falling on the calm surface of the lake, not creating a single ripple. "I knew I'll get it this time!"

The lake was so clear and so still that Sliff could see his own reflection. He looked at his own face, only to find himself smiling like a little kid.

"Galarax," Sliff said, looking up as his smile stretched. "I did it!" He lunged out of the lake at the big man ahead.

Galarax caught Sliff in mid air, spinning around then putting him down. "Well done, kid! You've sealed all of your Luma leakages. You've mastered the first principle of Alchos!"

Sliff nodded, raising a fist. "Finally, Galarax, I'm one step closer to my dream."

Galarax ruffled Sliff's hair. "Way to go, shorty."

"Mastering Lumasurge is next, right?" Sliff said, putting his shoes back on. "What do I have to do?"

Galarax raised an eyebrow. "No need to rush, kid. We can start working on alchosurge from the next time, alright?"

Sliff shook his head, shrugging. "Why? I'm not tired." He wiped the sweat off his forehead as he looked at his left wrist. "We still have more than four hours remaining, Galarax. I'm not rushing, I'm just saving time. The war can happen any time, as I told you."

The messenger that Sliff bumped into unfortunately had brought the exact news that he wanted to run away from. But the news only sharpened his resolve, speeding his training as he put even more hours.

Galarax sighed after smiling. "Fine, I guess…" He stepped closer to the tree underneath which he always rested while Sliff trained in the lake. "Come here; let's cool off for a bit."

Sliff followed Galarax, his legs tired after standing in the same spot for hours. However, he was getting used to it. Who wouldn't after two weeks? He sat beside Galarax in the tree's shade.

"Here," Galarax handed him a yellow fruit. "It'll refresh you."

Sliff nodded as he accepted the fruit, chomping away sweet bites. "Mmm… It's good, Galarax."

Galarax snorted. "I know, kid."

Sliff gulped as he leaned back at the trunk. "So tell me about Lumasurge."

"Right," Galarax said, putting away his own fruit then turning. "Lumasurge, Sliff, is the alchosurge of a Lumus. Alchosurge is a mid-level Harnessing technique that almost anyone can learn. But mastering it…that's where the difficulty starts."

"There are levels to Lumasurge?" Sliff asked, meeting the big man's eyes.

"Of course," Galarax said in a matter of fact tone. "Now that you've mastered Storing, you'll be able to Harness Lumasurge quite easily."

"I can already use Lumasurge?" Sliff said, his eyes shining.

Galarax wheezed softly. "You get excited way too quickly, kid."

Sliff flushed, settling back, nibbling at his fruit.

"Now that you've learned to fully close your alchoseye," Galarax explained. "I think just opening it and letting your Luma flow out will activate your Lumasurge."

"You 'think'…"

"I don't know much about alchoseye… But we have to start somewhere."

"O…kay…" Sliff said, thinning his eyes. "What about the ten-fold thing about Lumasurge that you told me, Galarax?"

Galarax's brows rose. "Oh! Right… Sliff, Lumasurge is the 'Surge of Effort'. It increases the effort one has to put out on things, but as a result, it also increases the results."

"I'm…not getting it fully."

"Do a pushup."

"Huh?" Sliff said, rolling to the side and getting into position. "Like this?"

"Yeah. Let's see how many you can do."

"Right…"

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three…"

After ten pushups, Sliff rolled toward the trunk, breathing heavily. "How many were those, Galarax?"

"Seven."

Sliff whipped up his head. "I did ten!"

Galarax chuckled. "Why did you ask me then?"

Sliff pouted as he flushed, leaning back on the trunk. "Now tell me why I did that."

"Activate you Lumasurge."

Sliff snorted. "Yeah, right."

Galarax pushed Sliff onto his feet. "Right now! Weren't you the one who wanted to train?"

Sliff sighed, standing upright. "I was…" He closed his eyes, looking into his closed alchoseye. "I just have to open it and let all the Luma free—" He paused as the light started to leak out of the 'eyelids'. "If the light hits the shard…my alchoskill activates." He tried to move the shard but it was a wasted effort—

His alchoseye started opening.

"Oh, no…" Sliff thought. "I can't let it look at the shard."

The alchoseye did not focus a beam on the shard. Instead it let out all the Luma it Stored, discoloring into white as a result.

"Woah…" Sliff was surprised to see the blue light that spread within him. It had always been a bright colorless light. But now it was blue…

"Good," Galarax said, making Sliff open his eyes.

Sliff scanned around his arms, noticing the faint blue glow his body was radiating. "So this is Lumasurge, huh—?"

"The hell is happening?" Galarax said, jolting onto his feet.

"Huh?" Sliff said in sudden panic. "Wasn't this supposed to happen? Am I going to turn into blue dust—?"

Galarax patted Sliff's shoulder. "Ha! Just pulling your leg, shorty."

Sliff flushed, folding on himself. "You scared the crap out of me, Galarax!"

Galarax laughed. "No. I simply succeeded! You should've looked at yourself, kid…"

Sliff sighed, straightening his back. "So this 'is' my alchosurge, right?"

"Yeah," Galarax said. "Now do a pushup."

Sliff nodded, getting to the ground in position. "Here I go—"

It seemed like the ground was pushing upward on him, not letting him bend his elbows. "What the…"

He got to the bottom, breathing heavily, pushing against the ground before his fatigue became his enemy. He felt as if gravity had grabbed him with a powerful grip, refusing to let go.

Sliff gritted his teeth, putting his all in one mighty push. "AAAH!"

He reached the top, breathing heavily, looking at the drops of sweat dripping on the ground underneath.

Sliff gulped. "I swear this wasn't supposed to be this difficult…" He dropped onto the ground.

"This is Lumasuge, kid," Galarax said, sitting against the tree, pulling Sliff in the shade. "It increases the results of any activity you attempt voluntarily by ten-fold but also increases the effort that activity requires."

Sliff's face tensed, an eye closing as he propped himself against the trunk of the tree. "That was difficult." He breathed faster, heart racing. "Was I just tired?"

Galarax smiled. "You didn't think you'd get ten-fold results easily, did you?"

Sliff shook his head, tilting it toward Galarax. "I wasn't ready for this, Galarax. It was not what I was expecting."

"Too bad," Galarax said, shrugging. "You'll have to do at least a hundred of those daily, along with squats, sit-ups, and running."

Sliff tilted to a fall. "I'm dead after one, Galarax. Do you think I can do a hundred of those?"

"That's not the question, Sliff," Galarax said, raising him by gripping his shoulders. "The question is: Do you want to?"

Sliff looked down, catching his breath. "I promised myself that I'll do anything for my dream, Galarax…"

"And…"

Sliff met Galarax's eyes. "I will never break a promise!"

Galarax patted his shoulder. "I like your warrior-spirit, shorty! Now get to work."

Sliff exhaled softly. "A small break?"

Galarax shrugged. "Fine. But keep your Lumasurge active, though."

"Huh?" Sliff asked. "Won't I run out of Luma?"

"That's not how alchosurge works, kid," Galarax said, shaking his head. "The level, in which you're using it, will eat away your Luma at a pace slower than a tortoise. You don't need to worry about that."

"Right…" Sliff said, looking at the clear sky. "Lumasurge… Increases effort to increase results…"

"Be sure to stay consistent, Sliff," Galarax said, raising a finger. "I want you to make training a part of your life, not just a means to an end."

"I will do it, Galarax, I promise!"

Galarax smiled, giving a brief nod.

"Wait…" Sliff said, recollecting memories of the end of the council. "Can Lumasurge work on thoughts too? Like…make it hard to think but then make the mind clear."

"Ah…" Galarax said while stroking his beard. "That's what happened to you at the council meeting."

"Right?" Sliff said with raised eyebrows. "I was using Lumasurge even before I knew Storing? That's crazy!"

"And you know what you told me about the Celestial," Galarax asked, "Her enchanting you and all."

Sliff flushed, whipping head sideways. "I still swear it wasn't just me being a teenager, Galarax. It was different."

"I was just pulling your leg before, kid," Galarax said, chuckling. "I think it was just her Lumapulse hitting you."

"Luma-pulse?"

"Alchopulse is just one of the higher level uses of alchosurge."

"Alright… What does Lumapulse do?"

"Lumapulse detects life."

"Heh?" Sliff said in confusion. "How did she enchant me then?"

Galarax smirked, looking away. "She must be strong… She projected her will onto you—something that all styles of Pulse can do. But it seems your Lumasurge countered it without you even knowing it."

"Did it?" Sliff asked. "I don't think, Galarax…"

"I'm the master Alchoser here, kid," Galarax said, pointing at himself with a thumb. "Take my word for it."

Sliff shrugged. "Alright… But I can't ever believe that I countered an attack from a Celestial."

"Attack?" Galarax said with a brief snort. "Don't get me wrong, Sliff, if she really wanted to send an alchopulse at you, she would've done that. I'm just guessing that the Pulse that hit you was a passive one, not directly targeted at you."

Sliff's chin rose. "That makes way more sense."

"Uh-huh," Galarax said. "But don't worry about things like that. All you need to focus on right now is to just slowly getting a better grip on your Lumasurge while you train your body."

Sliff nodded, raising glowing hands in front. "I will get stronger…"

Galarax exhaled through his smirk, climbing onto his feet. "Come. I want to show you something."

"Huh?" Sliff said, getting off the ground, dusting off his butt. "Where are we going?"

"Just follow me."

Sliff curiously followed Galarax around the waterfall, finding another clearing ahead. "Are those…trees?"

"They are," Galarax said, gesturing at the rocky columns ahead.

Sliff gawked at the columns ahead, from the top of which bright-green leaves were sprouting. The rocky columns were chipped badly near the bottom but got smoother as it ascended toward its leaves. "Is this what you wanted to show me?"

Galarax stood near one of them, running his hands though the rough surface of the column. "These are perhaps the best Alchosers you'll ever find in nature, kid. These are called the hollowbark trees."

"What?" Sliff said, looking along the high beams. "How can these weird trees be Alchosers?"

Galarax chuckled, jabbing his fingers into the rocks, pulling apart the rocky bark. "These trees Store Grana from the atmosphere through their leaves at the top then use their Granaskill to grow a hard outer shell like this one." With that, he stuck an arm inside the bark.

"I don't think trees work that way," Sliff said, shaking his head. "Why would it need to do all this, anyway?"

Galarax pulled out his hand from the trunk, tossing something to Sliff. "Try it."

Sliff flailed around his hands to grab the golden and pink fruit. "Huh? This was inside that?" He looked at Galarax for answers, who just kept smiling silently. Sliff shrugged, taking a bite out of the sweet smelling fruit. "Well, since I'm hungry—"

As Sliff sunk his teeth into the piece of fruit in his mouth, he found that it burst into a thick and sweet liquid. It was like honey…but different. He chewed the rest of the fruit, only for it to melt on his tongue, leaving a different aftertaste.

Sliff gulped as his body shivered. "What…is…this…?"

Galarax smiled. "This is the sweetest fruit in all of Valhalla: The nulaiph fruit. These hollowbark trees grow them on the inside of their barks to protect them from getting eaten by predators. That's why their barks are degraded down here. But if you extract their juice, boil it with water, and then cool it, you can use that as the base ingredient for all sorts of elixirs and potions."

Sliff breathed heavily, the sweet taste still dominating his mouth. "Why are you telling me all this, Galarax? I thought you're going to show me something related to my training."

"This is your training," Galarax said, slamming a fist into the rocky trunk. "You'll be harvesting at least five thousand nulaiphs in the next thirty days."

"F-Five thousand of these?" Sliff asked, gulping. "How many does a single tree grow?"

Galarax raised a finger.

"You're pulling my leg."

"Around one hundred."

"So that means…"

"Around fifty or so hollowbark trees."

Sliff turned sideways, knocking on the trunk of a tree. "This is hard as rock."

"Actually," Galarax said, leaning sideways. "Their shells are way harder than rock."

"Then, how will I harvest the fruits? Are you going to give me special axe or something—?"

Galarax showed his palms. "You're going to do it by hand."

Sliff placed a hand on the rocky trunk then turned to Galarax. "Are you sure?"

"Don't worry," Galarax said, patting his shoulder. "Your Lumasurge and exercise will help you greatly."

"I figured that much," Sliff said, looking along the height of the rugged column. "But can't I do something else?"

Galarax exhaled softly, tapping on the bark of the tree beside him. "It's not natural for them to use Alchos, you know. In their natural habitat, they don't have to."

"So these are not supposed to be here?"

"No…" Galarax said, rubbing the bark of the tree. "I brought them here because I liked the fruit so much. You can cook some pretty tasty stuff from it, you know. And they give you additional benefits and what not. Pretty healthy, I'd say."

"Is that what was cooking during your council meeting?"

Galarax turned with a smiled. "You're goddamn right! I wasn't going to serve my friends some mediocre garbage."

"So you want me collect these fruits for you?"

"I want you to collect these fruits so we can get elixir ingredients," Galarax said, "but also because I want you to take their seeds somewhere else."

"Ah… You want me to return these to their home."

Galarax nodded. "Something like that."

"So where will I take them?"

Galarax wrapped an arm around Sliff's shoulder. "Patience, kid. I'll tell that to you once you get me five-thousand nulaiphs, alright?"

Sliff breathed deeply, nodding. "I'll do it." He glanced sideways, punching a bark softly. "Even if I can break the shell, I must stop before hurting the fruits."

"That's right," Galarax said, folding his arms. "That's why this is perfect for your training. Not only will you get a grip on your power but also on how much power to put out. You'll be hitting a lot of moving targets in the future, Sliff, so I figured that I should teach you how to hit, first."

Sliff's jaw relaxed as he nodded. "Ah… That makes sense."

"So what's the wait," Galarax said, clapping his hands together. "Let's get to it, kid. We'll start with running, alright?"

Sliff pulled back both fists. "Right!"