“I don’t know the limits of my body,” Ketal admitted. Since coming outside of the White Snowfield, he had never once been injured. Only a single time—when Lubitra left a mark on him—had he sustained anything resembling a wound. Even then, it was just a reddish trace that would fade with time. Ketal truly had no idea what kind of strength it would take to break through his body’s defenses. “That’s not exactly a good thing,” he mused. He couldn’t just keep relying on his physical toughness forever. There was always the risk of underestimating an opponent’s power and suffering a serious injury as a result. “But if anyone could help me gauge my limits, it would be you. You’re the High Elf Queen. You’re a Hero.” Heroes were one of the strongest existences in the world, and she was right in front of him now. If anyone could determine where his limits lay, it would be her. Arkemis, who had been quietly listening, nodded as if Ketal’s reasoning made sense. “That’s actually a good idea.” “Is it possible?” Ketal asked her, eyes alight with anticipation. He had his reasons, but in truth, Ketal simply wanted to fight. He wanted to measure the strength of the world’s strongest—how they compared to the monsters of the White Snowfield, and what kind of power a Spirit King’s contractor could wield. It was something he had been deeply curious about for a long time. Now that he finally had the chance to satisfy that curiosity, it was almost impossible to hold back. Karin hesitated for a moment, then spoke gently but quickly. “No. I’m afraid it wouldn’t be possible. This place is our sacred ground. If two people as strong as us were to spar here, there’s no telling what kind of consequences there might be.” “In that case, how about outside the sacred ground?” Ketal suggested. “That would be difficult as well. The forest is crawling with evil beings right now.” Currently, the elven sacred ground was surrounded by dark mages. It was easy to forget, since things were so calm inside the sacred ground, but outside was anything but peaceful. “I have to keep my power contained to protect my home. I really can’t leave,” Karin finished. “I see.” Ketal clicked his tongue in disappointment. Karin’s reasons were perfectly sound. To press further would only be stubbornness on his part. Arkemis tilted her head, puzzled. “But does it really matter? I doubt a duel would give those dark mages a chance to break your defense, Your Majesty.” “There’s always a chance,” Karin replied, voice gentle but firm. Arkemis started to argue, “But—” “Silence, Arkemis,” Karin said brightly. Arkemis immediately closed her mouth. “In that case, could we do it once everything is resolved?” Ketal asked Karin. Googlᴇ search novel✦fire.net Karin laughed. “Let’s talk about it then. Right now, things are too urgent.” “That’s fair enough.” Ketal clicked his tongue and backed down. Inwardly, Karin thought, If we fought, I’d win. However, there was no reason to fight. Fighting just to prove her strength was too barbaric; as queen, she needed to maintain her dignity. I’d win, but..., she told herself, it was only the situation that prevented her from agreeing. Still, she couldn’t quite settle the odd feeling in her chest, so she quickly changed the subject. “Let’s move on, then. You came to learn how to contain your presence, didn’t you?” “Oh, right. Please teach me,” Ketal said, giving her a relaxed smile. Karin felt a secret sigh of relief as she saw his attention shift. Once the atmosphere had calmed, Karin began her explanation. “Right now, Ketal, you’re completely exposing your aura. That’s why your presence is pressing down on everyone around you. It’s not ideal. You need to learn how to contain it.” Controlling one’s aura was essential. There was a huge difference between grabbing a sword any which way and using a proper grip. This was much the same. “I’ll show you a simple example,” she said. The moment she finished speaking, her presence expanded. In an instant, Karin’s existence blanketed the entire sacred ground. The elves looked up at the World Tree in shock. Ketal’s eyes widened. “What’s this?” Karin’s presence was gentle, but it was now unmistakably enveloping the entire sacred ground. It was very similar to what Ketal himself exuded. Karin was a Hero, and she could affect her surroundings with presence alone—but she had always kept it contained. “In this way, you can either expose your presence or hide it as you like.” Karin then gathered her presence inward again. The oppressive feeling vanished, as though it had never been there. “Wow. How do you do it? Do you need Myst for that?” Ketal asked her. “It has nothing to do with Myst. What matters is your existence itself.” Karin spoke calmly, explaining the method. “Focus on your own existence.” “Yes. Think of it as containing yourself within yourself. Imagine you’re observing yourself from the outside and then drawing everything inward.” “Hmmm...” Ketal closed his eyes and concentrated. Arkemis watched him, making a curious face. “Your Majesty, when did I learn to do that?” “I think you were about ten,” Karin replied, shifting her gaze toward Arkemis. What Ketal was doing now was the absolute basics, the first thing anyone who could handle Myst learned—like a baby’s first steps. For someone as strong as Ketal not to know how to walk, it was an odd sight. “I think I’ve got it,” Ketal said. “That was quick. Now try compressing it,” Karin said. “What do you mean when you say compressing?” “Imagine putting all of your accomplishments and feats inside yourself. Visualization is key. It might help to think of writing them in a book.” “In a book, huh.” Ketal followed her advice and began mentally recording everything he had achieved in the White Snowfield, one by one, into an imaginary book. “This is taking longer than I thought,” he muttered. Arkemis echoed him, “It sure is...” The process took a long time. Ketal sat with his eyes closed for over an hour, silently recording all of his accomplishments in his mind. The sheer number of feats was staggering. Karin watched with a look of disbelief. Just how much has he achieved...? At last, after what felt like hours, there was a change. Arkemis was the first to notice. “Wait—” The crushing aura that had always surrounded Ketal was beginning to diminish. Ketal opened his eyes. “Is this it?” “Excellent,” Karin nodded. “If you keep repeating this process and make sure not a single thing escapes, you’ll master it.” “This process is also essential if you want to handle Myst. If you skip this, you’ll lose too much energy and won’t be able to focus your power properly.” Ketal spent the following days under Karin’s guidance, practicing aura control. After a week had passed, Karin asked gently, “Don’t you need a break?” Ketal had gone a full week without eating or sleeping—dedicating all twenty-four hours of every day to mastering aura control. Even with his stamina, the mental strain should have been immense. Containing one’s presence required considerable willpower, and even Ketal’s endurance made this a remarkable feat. “It’s just fun,” Ketal answered nonchalantly. Learning to control and manage his own aura—his very presence—felt like something straight out of a comic book. Now that he was doing it for real, he was too absorbed to feel tired. Karin looked at him with a slightly exasperated expression. “If you say so. I’m going on a quick patrol. If you have any questions, just ask when I get back.” “No problem. Take your time,” Ketal replied. Karin descended the World Tree. Alone, Ketal continued training, smiling to himself. Thanks to devoting all his time, the oppressive aura he exuded had diminished dramatically. Soon, he felt, he’d be able to suppress it completely. He’d finally be able to interact with elves without misunderstandings. The thought pleased him. While practicing, a new idea crossed Ketal’s mind. If I can suppress my presence... can’t I also expand it? His natural aura was powerful, unconsciously pressing down on everything around him. Now that he was learning to suppress it, he could just as easily choose to release it—expanding its influence even further. After all, Karin had blanketed the entire sacred ground with her presence before—surely he could do the same. “Hmmm...” After a moment’s thought, Ketal made up his mind. He relaxed, letting all the accomplishments he had written into his imaginary book flow outward. His powerful presence exploded outwards, instantly sweeping through the area. At that very moment, Karin, having descended the World Tree, was looking out beyond the sacred ground. “The dark mages are moving,” she observed. “I think so too. They’ll probably make a move soon,” Ash replied, nodding. “Tell the guards to prepare for battle.” “Yes, Your Majesty. But...” Ash hesitated, then asked carefully, “How is the barbarian doing?” The barbarian who had entered the elven sacred ground was now infamous. Although Ketal himself had no idea, almost all elven conversations were about him. Not only was a barbarian staying in the heart of their home, but he was living in the Queen’s residence—and Arkemis seemed to have taken a liking to him. It was impossible not to talk about it. “He’s fine. No problems at all,” Karin replied. Ash still looked uneasy. He was an elf, after all. It was only natural to worry about a barbarian living in the most important place in their world. Sensing his anxiety, Karin said confidently, “There’s nothing to worry about. Even if something happens, I’ll be here.” “You’re right, Your Majesty. I guess I was worrying over nothing.” Ash smiled, finally reassured. Just as Karin was about to tell him there was no need for concern, a massive pressure crashed down on them. “No...” Ash’s face went pale. Without thinking, he dropped to his knees, gripping the wall as his entire body shook. It wasn’t just Ash—every elf nearby felt it. The weaker ones fared even worse, gasping for air under the suffocating pressure. Only Karin seemed unaffected. “Wait—!” Karin gasped. A colossal presence was pressing down on the entire sacred ground. What in the world...? Could a god have descended here? Was the Spirit God manifesting in person? That was how overwhelming the presence was. Karin quickly located its source. “Huh?” Her eyes widened. The presence was coming from near the leaves of the World Tree. No way! Karin leaped upward, racing toward the top of the World Tree—toward Ketal’s location. She gasped at what she saw. The pressure here was staggering—so intense that the air itself seemed distorted. At the center of it all stood Ketal, eyes closed, perfectly still. “K-Ketal! Please stop!” Karin pushed forward, fighting through the warped space with her strength. “Huh? Karin? What’s wrong?” Ketal asked her, opening his eyes. “Please, contain your aura!” “Oh. Sorry,” Ketal replied, and calmly drew his presence inward again. The oppressive force that had blanketed the sacred ground quickly faded away. From beneath the World Tree, she could hear elves sighing in relief. Karin stared at Ketal, her face frozen in shock. “What on earth did you just do?” “Well, you expanded your presence before, so I wanted to see if I could do it too. Sorry for not warning you.” “Of course. Was there a problem?” What is he, the ruler of the White Snowfield or something? Karin wondered, suddenly and very seriously doubting if Ketal was even mortal.