The next morning, Ryuzen woke before sunrise.
His entire body was sore.
His arms ached from the previous day’s training.
His legs felt heavy, and even his fingers were stiff.
He slowly sat up.
For a moment, he considered going back to sleep.
Then he remembered Eldran’s words.
Tomorrow, the real test begins.
Ryuzen sighed.
“Why do I feel like I’m going to regret this?”
He stepped out of his room.
Eldran was already outside.
The old wizard stood beside a wooden post.
Something was hanging from it.
Ryuzen stopped.
“What is that?”
Eldran looked at him.
“Your next training tool.”
Ryuzen walked closer.
It was a whip.
But it wasn’t an ordinary whip.
It was long, dark, and thick, with several metal sections running along its length.
The handle was wrapped in black leather, while strange symbols had been carved into the metal.
Ryuzen picked it up.
His arm immediately dropped.
“What…?”
The whip fell from his hand and struck the ground with a heavy THUD.
Ryuzen stared at it.
“That is a whip?”
“Yes.”
“Why is it so heavy?”
“Because I made it that way.”
Ryuzen looked at Eldran suspiciously.
“How heavy?”
Eldran’s expression remained calm.
“Twenty pounds.”
Ryuzen’s mouth fell open.
“TWENTY POUNDS?”
“Yes.”
“You expect me to fight with this?”
“Not yet.”
Eldran picked up the whip with one hand.
Ryuzen stared.
Eldran continued.
“You will first learn to carry it.”
Ryuzen’s expression became serious.
“Why a whip?”
Eldran placed it back on the wooden post.
“Because your body needs more than strength.”
He pointed toward Ryuzen’s arms.
“You need coordination.”
Then his eyes moved toward Ryuzen’s legs.
“Balance.”
Then toward his hands.
“Precision.”
Finally, Eldran pointed at Ryuzen’s chest.
“And control.”
Ryuzen looked at the whip.
“With a sword, your movement is mostly determined by the direction of the blade.”
He looked at Eldran.
“But a whip?”
Eldran nodded.
“A whip has movement of its own. If you lose control for even a moment, it can turn against you.”
Ryuzen understood.
“So you’re saying I need to control something that doesn’t move exactly where I expect it to.”
“Exactly.”
Eldran picked up the whip again.
“And there is another reason.”
“What?”
“Your thunder.”
Ryuzen’s eyes narrowed.
Eldran continued.
“Electricity is difficult to control when it spreads randomly. You must learn to guide it along a precise path.”
He held the whip horizontally.
“The whip will teach you to control your thunder over distance.”
Ryuzen smiled.
“So eventually I can use thunder through the whip?”
“If you become good enough.”
Ryuzen reached for it again.
This time, he used both hands.
The moment he lifted it, his shoulders dropped.
“It’s still ridiculously heavy.”
Eldran nodded.
“Good.”
Ryuzen gritted his teeth.
“I’ll master it.”
For the next several hours, Ryuzen trained with the whip.
At first, he couldn’t even hold it properly.
Then he tried swinging it.
The whip barely moved. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
He tried again.
This time it swung forward— and immediately wrapped around his own leg.
Ryuzen fell.
THUD!
Eldran looked down at him.
“You have defeated yourself.”
Ryuzen rubbed his leg.
“Don’t say anything.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“You were.”
“I was.”
Ryuzen stood.
Again.
He tried another swing.
The whip moved farther.
But his grip loosened.
The heavy weapon slipped from his hand and crashed into the dirt.
Ryuzen stared at it.
“This thing hates me.”
“No.”
Eldran walked past him.
“You simply haven’t earned its cooperation.”
Ryuzen looked at him.
“It’s a weapon, Eldran. It doesn’t have feelings.”
“Then stop treating it like a piece of rope.”
Ryuzen looked back at the whip.
For the first time, he understood.
He had been trying to force it.
Just like he had forced his thunder.
He picked it up again.
This time, he didn’t swing immediately.
He adjusted his grip.
He moved his feet.
He breathed.
Then he swung.
The whip moved smoothly through the air.
CRACK!
Ryuzen’s eyes widened.
The tip struck a wooden target several meters away.
Eldran nodded.
“Better.”
Ryuzen smiled.
“I did it.”
“Once.”
Ryuzen’s smile disappeared.
“Right.”
By afternoon, Ryuzen’s arms were shaking.
But he refused to stop.
Again.
CRACK!
Again.
CRACK!
Again.
CRACK!
His movements slowly became smoother.
He learned to use his entire body instead of relying only on his arms.
His feet moved with every strike.
His shoulders turned.
His wrists guided the weapon.
The whip became an extension of his movement.
Then Eldran changed the exercise.
“Thunder.”
Ryuzen looked at him.
“You want me to use thunder now?”
“Yes.”
Ryuzen swallowed.
He had only recently learned to channel his thunder without immediately suffering intense pain.
“Okay.”
He closed his eyes.
The Electric Eel stirred inside his soul.
Blue sparks appeared around his fingers.
Ryuzen slowly guided the energy into his hand.
Then into the whip.
Nothing happened.
He opened one eye.
“Did it work?”
Eldran shook his head.
“Again.”
Ryuzen tried.
This time, a tiny blue spark traveled along the metal sections.
His eyes widened.
“I did it!”
The spark disappeared.
Ryuzen frowned.
Eldran said nothing.
Ryuzen tried again.
Then—
CRACK!
The whip struck the ground.
Blue lightning exploded from its tip.
Ryuzen jumped backward.
The impact left a black mark in the dirt.
He stared at it.
Eldran’s expression became thoughtful.
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“The thunder traveled farther than I expected.”
Ryuzen smiled.
“Does that mean I’m talented?”
“No.”
Ryuzen’s smile vanished.
“You really don’t like giving compliments.”
“I give them when they are deserved.”
Ryuzen sighed.
“Then I’ll make you give me one.”
Eldran smiled faintly.
“That is the attitude you need.”
That evening, something changed.
The forest became strangely quiet.
Ryuzen was carrying firewood when he stopped.
He looked around.
“Eldran.”
The old wizard stepped outside.
“I felt it too.”
“What?”
“The animals.”
Ryuzen looked toward the forest.
There were no birds.
No insects.
No small creatures moving through the bushes.
Then came a distant growl.
Ryuzen dropped the firewood.
“What was that?”
Eldran picked up his staff.
“Something is approaching.”
The growl came again.
Closer.
The ground began to tremble.
Branches snapped.
Ryuzen grabbed the weighted whip.
“Is it a monster?”
“Yes.”
“How strong?”
Eldran looked toward the trees.
“Strong enough to kill you.”
Ryuzen’s grip tightened.
“Then I’ll fight.”
Eldran looked at him.
“No.”
Ryuzen frowned.
“No?”
“Not this time.”
The trees ahead suddenly exploded apart.
A gigantic beast stepped into the clearing.
Its body was covered in dark, stone-like armor.
Four massive legs supported its enormous frame.
Two curved horns rose from its head.
Its eyes glowed red.
Ryuzen felt the pressure coming from it.
His body instinctively released blue sparks.
“What… is that?”
Eldran’s expression changed.
For the first time, Ryuzen saw genuine concern in his eyes.
“I have never seen one this close to my home.”
The beast opened its mouth.
Dark energy gathered inside.
Ryuzen stepped backward.
“Eldran…”
“Stay behind me.”
The old wizard stepped forward.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
His eyes began glowing.
Ryuzen stared.
The old wizard he knew—the man who spent his days drinking tea and assigning impossible exercises—was gone.
Something ancient stood in his place.
The monster roared.
Eldran raised his staff.
“Ryuzen.”
“Yes?”
“Now you will see the difference between a teacher…”
A strange wave of energy spread through the forest.
The monster suddenly stopped.
“…and a guardian.”
The beast lunged.
Eldran finally moved.
And Ryuzen realized that he had never truly understood who his master was.