The group of men on the mat had gone through a series of emotions all at once. The guild was definitely surprised when Shambala told them that in recent times, very few people could be counted who have been able to unlock up to fifty percent of their artifact powers.All others simply settled for mediocrity in announcing their artifacts and their grade, or by being very quick to announce the number of artifacts they control. They never even see the need for mastery.“You know what makes this whole situation worse than it even is?” Shambala said it direly.When they shook their heads, not knowing what he meant, he continued, “It’s the fact that this trend began about twenty-five years ago. It has persisted for so long that this new generation—your generation—has begun to think that this is the norm. This has cut down on half the already slim chances that every generation has to produce great men!Grover’s head hung in despondency, thinking about all these details. Krystal seemed to be
Grover was looking at Shambala, hoping that his eagerness to find out the level to which he had tapped his artifact power so far would not show. It would not do to appear too eager, but Shambala’s assessment of him mattered a lot more to him than he would care to admit.Vladimir was in the same position but had more experience in schooling his features not to reveal the secrets behind his eyes, but even he could not hide how eager he was.He had been fighting the urge to look up at Shambala in an attempt to appear tough, but Shambala said nothing. As soon as he looked up, though, Shambala began speaking.“So far, Grover has barely scratched the spot of his power at five percent. And even at this level, you have barely unlocked up to five percent of your power.”They were shocked to hear this! Vladimir returned to his earlier thoughts on how he felt he was playing two games at the same time. And while he was not outright losing any of the games, he was not exactly winning any either! H
After they had concluded this portion of the discussion, Krystal then sought to ask Shamabala a question, and he was permitted. His question was about the members of the organization that had opposed them in the crypt. There were myths he had heard about them, and he wanted to use that opportunity to clarify them. This was because, as much as Shambala had explained to them why they were beaten by the men earlier, he did not explain what made the men seem so invincible.After clearing his throat, he asked, “About the two men in the crypt and even the other members of their organization. I have heard things about them in the past that I would like to clarify.”“Sure. Go ahead.” Shambala asked gently.Encouraged, he continued, “I want to know how many percent of their powers the members of the organization have unlocked so far.”"Hmnn," Shambala said slowly as he stroked his beard.He looked at them from his perch on the bed and began talking. Instead of him telling them directly about
Krystal was startled when Shambala told them to get ready to go to the library. ‘This little village has a library?’, he thought, and he could not help but ask out loud. His first opinion of the place was that it was a small, sleepy village without anything serious going on.“Sure it does.” Shambala asked, while he felt like rolling his eyes at Krystal. Of course, it would only have dramatic effects on what he was saying.“Just because it is a small village does not mean it cannot hold great treasure. Besides, I would think that by now, you would have learned not to judge people and circumstances by their appearance.” He said this to correct an attitude he had noticed the guild was very quick to exhibit, which was making premature judgments based on facts that had not yet been determined.The young chap felt embarrassed at this rebuke and rubbed the back of his neck in response. To make things worse, Grover and Vladimir were teasing him over it.“Now you know how it feels," Grover en
Back at the village, the atmosphere was really tense. Since Krystal, Grover, and Vladimir had followed Shambala, things could no longer go back to the way they were before Shambala. There was a deeper sense of purpose that his presence had brought, and up until now, the idea persisted in the minds of those left behind.This is the town where Krystal and the others came from before beginning their journey and training with Shambala, and their peers who had been left behind were all busy on the training ground with the manual Shambala gave them. This manual was so detailed that they could already sense a difference in their training sessions. They were much better than they previously were. And of course, it was tough.There were a few busted lips and sore muscles. but they persisted as they thought of the three who accompanied Shambala. In addition, the training was not just about their bodies but about their minds and souls as well. Of course, they all would have preferred to go wit
Krystal and the others had been in the magnificent library in the village when Shambala had barged in in a very uncharacteristic manner. They had been so engrossed in reading their assigned materials that they had not even noticed that he had gone out. Krystal had seen enough to make a man’s mind burst with an overload of information, but still he persisted in reading. They had been here for hours, but he did not feel like leaving. If anything, he felt they needed several more weeks in this library. Grover, who had been reading on a chair when they first started reading, had gradually slid to the floor on a mat in the general area. It was amazing to see a library of this magnitude; how much more in a village like this? Vladimir felt like he could live here forever, just consuming this information, seeing the stories of legends unfold before him, and gaining insight and understanding into deep. Baam!!! The door to the library sounded like a bomb of sorts as it was bashed in. Who
It had been two days since Shambala had abruptly pulled them from the library. They had been reading and absorbing the materials he had assigned them earlier. They read about various artifacts, artifact beasts, beasts of artifacts, and even warriors who wielded those artifacts.Seeing him in the doorway, all three of them had varying theories about why he showed up the way he did. For starters, he had slipped out of the library in a way that did not even catch the attention of the group. They were so engrossed in reading that they did not notice his earlier departure.Grover, for one, was surprised that he was this invested in reading a book, as reading had never been his thing. Now he realizes that he simply did not have access to the right books. What he was seeing in these books was phenomenal! Their moment was, however, cut short by Shambala’s outburst, and they were left in confusion.After they left the library, their journey was hasty and arduous, as they were not even sure in
They finally arrived at the town after two days of steady trudge work. They began to see familiar sights and scenes, and though they were not particularly excited about returning home, the overall feeling was that they were glad they were back home. As they approached the city gates, the guards, who had been alerted of their presence by the sole sentry on duty in the watchtower, drew the wide metal gates open to let them in, and that was where their greetings began.Immediately after they arrived, the atmosphere of the village changed. By word of mouth, practically everyone was made aware that the three nominees who had followed Shambala on a mission to be trained by him had returned. As they entered the village, they were hailed on every side. Theirs was the welcome of great warriors and good friends who had returned home. Grover wanted to be happy that they were back, and he really did. The problem was that he could not help feeling a little despondent. Maybe more than a little de