One week, two weeks, three weeks and finally, a month had passed as Rion continued to spar with his squad members.

Each day they progressed further and became better than the day before.

They invented new tricks and techniques to defeat him.

Even though, they did nothing but amuse him. Rion had also learned from them, and he had made sure not to stop training himself while training them - if one could call his one-sided beatings as such.

During the past month, he had also honed himself as a spearman.

From the day of his birth, he had begun to see his father as his ideal — A person he was supposed to follow and become in the future.

Even though both Haden and Lara had told him that he couldn't and shouldn't become like him, he still continued to pursue that goal.

That was also the reason why he had decided upon a spear, his father had promised to teach him his spear art once he became a squad leader.

At the moment, He was a sub-squad leader and even though Haden would've still taught him, Rion didn't want that. He wanted to give his best so he could be proud of learning Haden's spear.

Swish! Swoosh!

Rion swung and thrusted his lunging serpent spear while focusing his silver aura at the tip of the spearhead.

At his current level, it was very hard for him to channel his aura at the tip of a spear because it required a person of his level to focus all of his mind on controlling the aura.

That was the reason why Rion was having difficulty mastering it.

He had to use half of his mind just to control the aura, while the other half was forming different patterns that he could use to further his mastery of the spear.

His swings and thrusts were fluid and precise with no wasted movements.

The spear twisted and moved like a serpent lunging at its prey, and the blue azrath spearhead illuminated with his aura.

The dark shaft and luminescent blue spearhead formed a contrasting image that pulled the person standing at the bitter end of it in a strange illusion of there being no weapon.

"How long is he going to do that?" Yuura asked while nudging Dora.

All of them were currently watching Rion train under his orders.

Rion understood that if he truly wanted to master the spear, he had to use the brilliant minds of his squad members, so he allowed or borderline forced them to watch his training and devise counterattacks to his moves.

Just so he could improve and make sure that none of those counters worked.

"I don't know!" Dora answered irritatedly as it wasn't his first time asking the same question.

"So he sweats," Tarun pointed out and others nodded.

After Haria's training and defeating the spider-like kareth, Rion hardly did anything that pushed him enough for him to sweat.

His body was simply too adaptive for his own good.

Karhun didn't join their chatter and focused on Rion's movements.

He focused on the movements of not just his spear but also of his hands, arms, legs and the stances he used to channel as much power as he could.

Rion was his first friend, so he wanted to help him as much as he could.

Rion suddenly lowered his spear and turned his head towards the left.

All of them raised an eyebrow and turned their heads back.

A few moments later, sounds of dried leaves and twigs giving way reached their ears, and Muro stepped into the clearing.

Muro strode towards Rion with a dark look and stated, "Your squad have been called to attend the deliverance."

Rion furrowed his brows and gestured for him to show the way.

Muro turned around and began to walk back to the camp.

Rion's squad frowned and Yuura asked Tarun, "Deliverance? Do you know anything about it?"

Tarun shook his head and looked at Rion.

Rion felt his gaze and answered with a shake of his head, "I don't know what it is about either."

A few moments later, all of them stopped behind a crowd.

Seven of the ten squads under Haria stood silently before an elevated platform, and at the top of the platform stood the squad leaders.

Kuro, the strongest squad leader in Haria's group, held onto an unconscious squad member who had strange purple lines moving and squirming all over his body.

Rion's expression hardened, and he approached a squad member.

"What's wrong with him?"

The squad member turned towards him with a sorrowful look and answered in a bitter tone, "He is cursed."

'Just as I thought.' Rion shifted his gaze at the cursed. It was his first time seeing one and he asked, "Are they trying to help him?"

A dry chuckle escaped the one beside him, and he muttered, "Ha! Only if."

Rion frowned and asked with a puzzled expression, "What's wrong?"

The one beside him sighed and explained, "There's no way to cure them. After being cursed by the purple fog, they turn into a tainted within the next week, and during that time, they feel unimaginable pain."

Rion and his squad's expressions darkened and before Rion could continue his question, a heavy pressure blanketed all of the chatter.

Everyone turned their heads towards the end of the platform and their eyes fell on Haria.

Unlike usual, she had draped a cape of dark wolf fur and was walking towards the platform with sharp and bitter eyes.

Rion, who had only seen her playful and cheery side, clenched his fists at the sorrow in her eyes and finally understood what was about to happen.

"Wake him up," she ordered.

Kuro nodded and channelled his aura within the cursed to wake him up.

"AHHHHH!" A dreadful scream tore through the silence.

The cursed fell onto the ground and threw his arms and legs around while squirming and groaning.

"Aghh!"

"AWAHHH!"

"S-shut UPPP!"

Everyone helplessly clenched their fists and bit their lower lips at the inability to ease him.

Haria walked over to him and enveloped him in her dark yellow aura.

The pain eased and the cursed finally opened his eyes.

He pushed through the torturous pain, sat on his knees and cried with all of his will, "G-group l-leader… i-it… hur-hurts…"

All of the new squad members lowered their heads as they couldn't bear to see him.

Haria knelt before him and kissed his forehead.

She pulled him into her embrace and comforted him while patting his back, "Everything would be fine, Tarnak."

Tarnak hugged her back with his trembling hands and mumbled tearfully, "K-kill... m-me..."

Haria let go of the hug, grabbed his shoulders and praised with a forced smile, "You are a brave warrior, aren't you?"

Tarnak gave her a broken smile and lowered his head onto the ground.

Haria stood up and raised her palm.

Khalira, a squad leader gave her the deliverance long sword and stepped back.

Haria unsheathed the long sword and its silver white blade gleamed under the sunlight.

She raised the sword with both of her hands and whispered, "May you reach the celestia..."

The sword fell.

Thud!

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