GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?

SQUARESKULL hadn't known about the effect of her bloodline on SLEEP DEPRIVED DEMON in the past few years of being his student. It wasn't until when he mentioned it in the meeting that she had a spat with Soverick. They had casually mentioned her motive and he had honestly been terrified about the powers of such a dangerous bloodline.

He asked them why they even allowed someone like that to exist in the battle academy where they were supposed to improve the potential of the trainees. They informed him that she wasn't dangerous until she reaches the mana entity stage. Which made him ask why they allowed such an insidious bloodline to exist at all.

What they said was that there are a lot of dangers in life. If they start eliminating them all, then they will be spending a lot of manpower to prevent their offspring from growing. Those threats and dangers are meant to sharpen them and make them stronger.

Besides that, it is not anyone's fault who their parents are, only what they do will they be faulted for. And SLEEP DEPRIVED DEMON has not done anything worth killing her for. The plan is to wait until she becomes a mana entity. If she goes off rails then, they will send some talented mana entities to kill her. The ones that fail will have their talent siphoned, they will probably die so their talent doesn't matter anymore. While the one that succeeds will have his or her talent improved, reaping the fruits of her accomplishments.

That's how the way of the world is. The strong eat the weak.

SQUARESKULL shook his head. He resumed his meditative stance while he pondered a question that one of the titans of law asked. What will Soverick master when he becomes a mana entity?

The first step was supposed to only be mastered by the vitality core stage geniuses. The second step is normal for hardworking mana entities to master. The third step is meant for really talented mana entities.

It is without a doubt that Soverick will master the third step easily. What about the fourth step? It is meant to only be mastered by transcendents. But if Soverick could break the norm for the second step, can't he also do so for the fourth step?

SQUARESKULL dares not to say it is impossible for Soverick to achieve the fourth step as a mana entity. But where does that leave him, the teacher? He has been stuck in the fourth step for a long time and yet, there is a distinct possibility that his student will catch up to him soon in spear mastery. He thought he was prepared for the eventuality of Soverick catching up to him and beating him, but he didn't think it could happen so soon.

A notification informed him that Soverick was at the door and was requesting entrance. He smiled and shook his head before giving the access. Soverick entered and his gaze immediately found SQUARESKULL's figure. He started walking towards SQUARESKULL.

SQUARESKULL shook his head in wonder. He noticed the changes in Soverick's steps. They were light as if he was not in a hurry, but he was still covering ground at a normal pace. Soverick sat in front of SQUARESKULL.

"Have you reached the empowerment phase of your gate?" He asked Soverick.

Soverick nodded.

SQUARESKULL clapped and said, "Congratulations. We have a lot to celebrate. You achieved the first and second steps of spear mastery. You also reached the empowerment phase of your gate. You will start to see returns on that investment."

Soverick shrugged. "It's ok I guess."

"It's ok. That's all you have to say? You're a buzz kill. What do you want now?"

"I want to know all the available steps of spear mastery. Make it the ones you know for sure. I don't want the wrong information. I believe I am entitled to it." Soverick asked with that same apathetic attitude of his.

SQUARESKULL considered the question. And he considered for a brief moment whether to answer or not. He suspected that he was at a crossroads. His decision to answer will affect Soverick and will inadvertently boost his growth.

He had long noticed that as long as Soverick has an aim and the requirements to achieve it, then it is just a matter of time for him to achieve it. But withholding information will not hold Soverick back. It has been shown that he can work it out himself. Plus Soverick can easily get that information from someone else. Most important of all is that this moment will be watched and reviewed by those titans of laws. He doesn't think any excuse can get him out of not doing his job of teaching Soverick.

"You think you're a big boy now. Are you sure you should know? You may deserve the knowledge but it can hinder you later on."

Soverick nodded.

SQUARESKULL sighed. "Fine. The first step is known as one with the spear. You become capable of harnessing and controlling momentum at that stage. You will be able to control the pace and the rhythm of battle with it. It requires the fusion of technique and instinct. You should know that already."

"The second step is called seamless. It is when you have reached such efficiency and infallibility in control of momentum that every single action of yours will lead to an expected and inevitable end, the defeat of your enemies. Technique and instinct are fused with the mind which transforms the reflex reaction of one with the spear into a conscious effort of seamless. Usually, only the powerful mind of a mana entity can handle such a task. But you did it anyway. How did you do it?"

SQUARESKULL asked after his explanation. His gaze was locked onto Soverick as if he was interrogating him and he was a child that will crack under a heavy gaze.

The key to Soverick's success lies in his understanding of seamless and the control of his body.

Technique comes from the mind, it is a voluntary execution of skills driven by the conscious mind. Instincts come from the subconscious mind and it drives the body involuntarily to execute skills. Both of them originated from the mind and are executed through the body. He had perfect control of his mind and complete control of his body.

He didn't say all this. In fact, he didn't say anything. He continued staring back at SQUARESKULL silently. He wasn't a child that will crack under the pressure of such a weak gaze. SQUARESKULL finally had enough of the staring contest and continued his explanation.

"The third step is called one with the world. It was pioneered by the sages. They were the first mana entities of the battle sage monkeys and they remained relevant till today through their innovations."

"One with the world involves harnessing the momentum of the world to fight. You probably know that the plane is moving. It is rotating and revolving around the ancient battlefield. All that movement gives it a huge amount of momentum, almost unlimited. Tapping into that momentum will make you so much stronger than what you can achieve by hand."

Soverick raised his hand and asked. "Do you mean world power?"

SQUARESKULL. "What do you know about world power? Do you know what it really is?"

"Isn't it the power of the world? You need to become a titan of law and have the seed of a concept before you can come in contact with world power."

SQUARESKULL nodded. "You know what it should be, not what it is, which is understandable. The best explanation for world power requires an understanding that a vitality core stage refiner or transcendent don't have."

"But no, they are different. Imagine riding a bull. The strength within the muscles of a bull is world power, the momentum of the bull as it races forward is, well, momentum. A stationary bull will still have that inherent strength of its muscles and body, but it will have no momentum. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Soverick replied.

"Good. Now let's move on. If the seamless step is about fine planning then the one with the world step is about brute force. After all, the bane of every careful plan or scheme is pure strength. It is not unheard of for someone to skip the second step and go to the third one. Some people are just not capable of thinking ahead. So they double down on sensing the momentum of the world and skip the second step."

'Like Ghaster.' Soverick thought to himself.

SQUARESKULL continued talking. "Those that have mastered coiling momentum and have built their gates can siphon momentum from the plane instead of their body. It is something to look forward to since you have a gate already."

Soverick suddenly remembered something.

"Sorry to interrupt, but were you using the third step to bully me during our duels?"

His teacher sighed and answered. "Yes. I thought you were taking on more than you could handle by tackling the second step at your stage so I wanted to show you the error of your ways with brute force. It turns out I was wrong."

Soverick nodded. "Please continue."