Chương 91: Riftrocks

There was no true leaderboard. I couldn't see how our rankings actually stacked up, and it certainly wasn't just proportional to how many monsters we killed. Our teamwork was far more important to the score—as long as we were efficient at it. When I checked my reading slate at the end, I hadn't gained a tier in my archery Skill, and the rankings weren't that quick to update. No other lesser Skills, either—but admittedly, I hadn't been trying to gain any fodder Skills today.

Today was to get back to the top of the rankings. So, while it wasn't the best run, and while we weren't the first back, I considered it an objective complete—we'd hunted as much as we could, and had our most efficient hunting run yet. Our Presence allotment waited for us when we returned. The Drillmaster handed us our pouches of the misty white orbs, and I couldn't help but look inside right away (even if it earned a grumble of "Soulstealers…" from the Drillmaster—apparently, that was a little rude).

It had nearly triple the amount of Presences as usual, which was our reward for taking Lord Ceonwin's mission.

"We need to take more missions, brother," Brawl said.

"We can't forget our Skills," I said.

"Missions might be nice for Presences, but not for accumulating Skills."

"And you are all falling behind on your general attribute points," Sage commented.

"What? Don't be angry with me. It's the truth."

"As if you're getting any stronger," Anchor retorted.

"I don't have specific numbers. But wait until I reforge my body. Then you will see."

"Your legs aren't going to regrow, are they?" I asked.

"Not likely," Sage said.

"But Morph is improving too. He's getting faster."

"I think the Drillmaster has something planned for us this coming week," I said.

"At least, for us Dupes. I've heard whispers. Just you wait. I'm pretty sure something's coming." ~ ~ ~ Anchor, Brawl, and I, as well as the rest of our division (there were about fifteen of us in our specific training group), stood in front of Lieutenant Owl. It was the next day after our Labyrinth run, early in the morning, and we stood in the outer wall, awaiting our training instructions.

"The Drillmaster has approved your cluster for enhanced conditioning," the lieutenant said. The crowd murmured. This was the rumour I'd heard in the mess hall.

"Your bodies have improved to a point that your physical conditioning can now truly take off. We shall steadily increase your physical standards, day by day, until we start to see massive improvements in your standard attributes." A row of large rocks sat behind him. He motioned to them with a wave of his hand. On the surface, there was nothing special about them. They were just rocks. But they gave off the same pressure I felt during my very first Labyrinth run, which I'd since started disregarding.

That building sense that you were approaching a depth you couldn't handle. Castle Urcia's labyrinth didn't have it, not really. Or not yet. Since the upper levels had been cleared out, and the city below was stocked with monsters they knew we could defeat, I'd never felt a similar pressure until now.

"These are riftrocks," Lieutenant Owl said.

"The dwarves of the Scar mined from the deepest caverns. They have been soaked in the powerful, ancient maegen of the earth, and they have become Emerald-tier artifacts. You will find their weight impossible to bear at first, and we will start by filling your training backpacks with small stones. Soon, however, we will have you pushing these larger rocks uphill or lifting them from the bottom of the pond."

We all approached Lieutenant Owl one at a time, wearing our backpacks on our shoulders, with the main pocket unbuttoned. He placed the stones in one at a time. The closer I drew, the worse the pressure was. A headache formed behind my eyes, and pressure built in the top of my nose. Darkness crept in from the edge of my vision. The weight in my backpack pulled down on me, and my knees wobbled as soon as Owl placed a pair of stones in my backpack.

I remembered hearing about neutron stars back home, and how dense they were. A single teaspoon being as heavy as a mountain. These rocks probably weren't that dense, but I couldn't help but wonder if there was something that was. Was it possible to go higher than Emerald tier? Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

Once everyone had three fist-sized rocks in their backpacks, tucked into a specific reinforced pocket so it wouldn't tear, we set off, going about our daily physical conditioning. We ran laps around the castle grounds, did pushups and other workouts (which all faded into a blur after a half hour, anyway—I just worried about getting enough air into my lungs and keeping the sweat from dripping into my eyes). Soon, the chill of the cold weather didn't affect me. Even in just a light tunic, I was overheating.

And that was just three stones. At lunch, we ate as much as we could. It was regular food, and our bodies burned through multiple plates without much effort. Sage joined us, sitting across the table, and said, "You three look beat. What happened?"

"Maybe next time, join us for training," I said between mouthfuls.

"If all your healer can do is punch things, she isn't a very good healer," Sage said.

"Point taken," I replied. Brawl mumbled something unintelligible.

"Is he…alright?" Sage asked.

"They put four stones in his bag," Anchor said.

"He'll survive," I added.

"He's a big guy." Sage gave us a skeptical glance.

"Conditioning is really starting to pick up, huh? Don't overdo it. I don't want to heal any strained muscles if I don't have to. And a ripped tendon? No thank you."

"Actually, speaking of pushing it…" I began. Anchor, Brawl, and Sage groaned.

"This evening, I have an idea," I said.

"Instead of going to the library, I think we should keep practicing our sparring. With…uh, a twist."

"We'll see if you reconsider after sparring all afternoon—with rocks in your backpack," Anchor said.

"We'll see." All afternoon, we did just that. Owl led the regular sparring practice, and a few other senior sappers dropped by to give us suggestions. Not only did we have to worry about proper form, we had to contend with the extra weight in our backpacks. Even Sage had to partake with this practice. When they finally released us for dinner, my limbs barely responded to me. Everything was going to ache tomorrow, I just knew it.

We arrived in the mess hall, dragging our feet and yawning, only to find every other trainee who hadn't been in our group wandering the mess hall, gathering food like nothing had happened.

"How…?" I breathed.

"How are they not exhausted?" Sage sat down at a table, folded her arms, then dropped her head down onto her arms.

"They didn't train with riftrocks, Levi."

"Hm?" I gave everyone else another look.

"Oh. That would make slightly more sense. But…" Brawl flopped down beside Sage, but he laid on his back on the bench, hand on his forehead, shielding his eyes from the light of the hanging chandeliers.

"This is a reward for us, brother. Don't look so dejected." I snorted.

"A reward?"

"They let us advance ahead faster than the others," Anchor said.

"Because our cluster holds the top squads in the training program."

"Ah." I nodded.

"We should be thankful, then…"

"I still want to know what dustbrained scheme you've cooked up for this evening," Sage said.

"If he's still up to it," Anchor said. I had been considering putting it off until tomorrow—until Anchor spoke. Now, out of spite, I had to.

"I'm still going to give it a shot. And I need at least one other person to lend me a hand."

"We'll be there, brother," Brawl promised me.

"All of us." He paused.

"Is there any chance you can get a tray of food for me, brothers?"

"Me as well?" Sage said, yawning.

"Of course, princesses," I replied with a grin. But before I could get up and join the food line, the Drillmaster approached us. Those of us in Owl's training group hadn't scattered too far, and the Drillmaster beckoned us closer. He said, "To help with your physical conditioning, Lord Ceonwin has authorized me to allow you to eat maegen-infused rations." I glanced at Anchor, but I knew better than to ask questions while a commanding officer was still speaking. In theory, I was supposed to keep my eyes forward too.

I still was working on perfect decorum, though.

"These rations have been blessed with maegen over the course of their growth—meat from druid-raised livestock, and crops grown with water from the spirit-springs of the Dun Altir runoff. Do not waste it. It will not be pleasant at first, but if will manifest in your flesh as vital energy, enhancing your muscles and helping you gain physical attributes faster." He didn't explain after that. He simply motioned to a new tray of food at the end of the mess line, which had been reserved for us.

I took a tray of potatoes and steamed barley, and a tray of poultry (it was a little too dark to be chicken—maybe it was duck). As the Drillmaster promised, the taste was enough to make my tongue shrivel. The meat was gamey and the barley was bitter, and the potatoes, despite being obviously cooked, had the consistency of a raw potato. I swallowed, though, forcing it down. Once it reached my stomach, a pulse of resonance shot through my nodes, and in a matter of seconds, my flesh shifted.

Nothing changed, not visibly, but the soreness faded, as if my muscles were rebuilding themselves twice as quickly—and stronger. They were denser as well. I was still exhausted, but at least I could keep moving. And this had to help the work we were doing take effect faster. Once we were done, I turned to the others, watching their puckered faces as they forced the food down, and joked, "Now, I'm feeling especially refreshed." I smiled.

"But if we really want to pull ahead, there's still more work to be done."