"I'm sorry you had to take a beating because of my actions." Instructor Mandu sighed and helped Vuhal.
"No, you made my work easier." Vuhal coughed once and healed his lungs, "Since you killed Mahuddu once and turned him into an elite, I have the authority to punish him for his actions. It's a lot simpler now."
"Since the Settlement Leader gave his verdict, Mahuddu's family cannot hold me accountable." Saying so, Vuhal approached the closest building and stared at Mahuddu's corpse.
The bone spear lodged in his chest came out slowly as the wounds recovered in an instant. The body became pristine, sporting no signs of injuries. It was basically a rebirth, the speciality of the Life Stage.
"You…Bastard!" Mahuddu glared at Instructor Mandu, "You destroyed decades of my cultivation. I'll make you pay…"
"Mahuddu, tell the truth. Why did you sabotage Lady Asaeya?" Vuhal extended his hand and unleashed his Prana, constricting Mahuddu's body, preventing him from moving.
"I didn't, promise!" Mahuddu shuddered. Since he regressed to the Body Stage, he was unable to endure a master's suppression, trembling from Vuhal's aura, "I suddenly fell asleep…"
"Well, let's have that as the cause." Vuhal nodded and retracted his Prana.
"Vuhal…" Instructor Mandu muttered.
"Then," Vuhal announced calmly, "For your dereliction of duty and carelessness that harmed Lady Asaeya, I hereby sentence you to 40 years of community service."
"40…" Mahuddu's face paled in response to the verdict. It was called community service, but it was no different from slave labour in the Empyrean Tusk's stomach where he would have to mine resources without rest.
He would be unable to cultivate. And every unit of Prana he expends would be a unit lost, for he would barely be provided enough food to sustain his body, not to mention recover his expended Prana. Forty years in such an environment ensured his future as a cultivator was no more.
His cultivation would regress to the early Body Stage, no different from a graduated student. Even though he had a long life thanks to his Beginner Silver Grade Pranic Beast, the Clan would no longer grant him cultivation resources.
Unless he contributes enough and makes a positive image of himself once again, he'll be neglected by the Clan. Moreover, anyone that performed community service was so traumatised that they no longer had the will to cultivate again.
"Don't you know who my father is?" In fear, Mahuddu had no other choice but to pull the father card.
"I know," Vuhal said calmly and unleashed a wave of Prana, contacting someone, "The Settlement Leader passed down a judgement. Let me check if your father wishes to go against Settlement Leader's orders for your sake."
He was contacting Mahuddu's father. A couple of seconds later, Vuhal sported a stunned expression.
"What happened?" Instructor Mandu asked.
"Well…" Vuhal coughed awkwardly and stared at Mahuddu with pity, "His father told me to extend the community service to sixty years."
"Let this be a lesson to him. I'm embarrassed already since his contribution to the Clan has been negligible as of late." Vuhal stared at Mahuddu, "This was your father's exact words."
"Well, I'll be on my way, Mandu. Don't give up hope. Think of something to help your student." Saying so, Vuhal carried Mahuddu and vanished.
"Inala…I'm sorry." Instructor Mandu sighed as he reverted to his human form and dejectedly returned to his home. In the meantime, to avoid giving a rash to the 44th Empyrean Tusk, Asaeya's request to stay beside Inala was rejected.
She was escorted to her Settlement by a group of elites.
Two days passed in such a fashion as Inala woke up without much trouble. He stared at his legs, unable to feel anything in them, "They're completely busted."
He closed his eyes and sensed his body's condition, surprised, 'My Prana grew by 13 units?'
"Well, that's good." He smiled and activated his Mystic Bone Art, beginning to heal his injuries. He wasn't even concerned with the injury. Rather, he was excited. Had his legs been destroyed a couple days ago, he would have become depressed.
But now, he was a completely different person, 'My efficiency in using the Spirit Reinforcement Skill would improve. Since in my current state, my Fragment Disease is flaring up more than usual. Training now would strengthen my Spirit Containers. I can also take this chance to progress Imprint Acceptance.'
"Moreover," He grinned, 'I'll accumulate this healing experience and conceptualise another Skill through Mystic Skill Creator.'
With the Mystic Skill Creator in his possession, as long as he doesn't die, every encounter, whether good or bad was valuable, as they might allow him to derive a Skill.
That was why Inala was excited. Moreover, that was the first time in his life when he was so desperate. His emotions flared up to their peak, something that never happened in his past life of stability.
Once he woke up, the healer informed him of his situation. But Inala wasn't concerned, 'Two years? That would have been the truth if I was a normal Death Row student.'
He possessed various Skills to hasten his recovery. If he went all out, he could recover in four months. But that was only if he made healing his priority.
Inala had to earn Parute Fruits through his portraits and also nurture Asaeya. 'Even in that situation, she was able to quickly calm down and remain patient until she was rescued. That isn't something a kid her age could do.'
'Moreover, she trusted me enough to place her life in my hand. And before I fainted, I could feel her concern for my well-being. She was crying for my sake. She's perfect. I cannot ask for a better disciple.' He was further assured of taking her under his tutelage. With that in mind, Inala requested a wheelchair from the infirmary and calmly returned home, resuming his work.
"Gannala, I thought of something," Inala muttered in inspiration.
…
'She has changed.' Virala thought, sneakily opening his eyes after a steamy session with Ruvva. He was supposed to have fainted once again, but Virala had dosed himself with enough medicine to not faint.
He observed Ruvva calmly dress herself and leave the house. An hour later, she returned with a basket of Mud Viper eggs and entered Granny Oyo's office room to train in secrecy. 'So, this is what she has been doing in secret. Oyo disappeared for some reason, leaving Ruvva in charge of everything here.'
Virala recalled her plot from Sumatra Chronicles, 'Awakening? Already? What was the trigger? In the book, she awakened only after the First Major Disaster.'
After a moment of confusion, he calmed down, 'Well, there are enough reincarnates to act as variables. All our actions might have caused a chain reaction to spark her awakening prematurely.'
"Well, it doesn't matter. My plans are in a state of automatic progression now." Saying so, Virala picked up a book and continued reading it. The book was an epic detailing the Mammoth Clan's Ancestor, a tale of her youth.
It was depicted as an autobiography, but treated as fiction by the Mammoth Clan, because it was about events so far in the past, unable to be verified. Despite that, the Mammoth Clan valued the book, for the story detailed in it was entertaining and also valuable.
It taught one the best way to live as a Mammoth Clansmen. Hence, the book was part of every student's curriculum. Everyone had a copy of it, including Virala. And these days, all he had been doing was reading the book while maintaining his Mystic Bone Art.
Soon, a set of words formed in his mind as Virala muttered, "Talk to me, Empyrean Tusk."
An intense headache plagued him; for an instant, a connection was formed. And in that short window, three words had been transmitted to his mind, making Virala grin.
[My Son, Virala!]