We returned to the area where I met them.

To start on my training and education I need various items. Mainly the weapons they are good at.

This place was apparently the battlefield where many of the adventurers died. Finding a good weapon there might not be possible, but there was a hut of an eccentric dwarf further west from there. If we are lucky we might found an intact one in the ruin of his house. Let's consider the other options when I did not find one.

I successfully recover the broken staff and put it in my bag. It could not be used again but I need to at least report it to Matron. Because it was a gift that Matron and Head Temple gave me.

Fortunately, I still have this green stick.

"That reminds me, I think I have seen that stick before." Suddenly Daag talked to me.

"This?" I lift the green stick in my hand.

"Ah, it's that guy spear." After looking at it for a while, he quickly remembers whose it was.

"He was one of hella famous spear user in my day, his nickname is Flash Spear. To think he also died. That spear made with mithril mixed with rare wind metal. It was a magic spear which both sturdy and light. And yet it was broken. Just what kind of monster he faced I wonder."

"Is he really strong?" I asked.

"Stronger than us, yes. But how much I am not sure. Well, some people even hailed him as a hero. He was also just one step behind to become S rank. We don't have much contact since our base was different. But we did share a drink, the night before the war. And from what I can see, he was a great guy."

Even a hero died on the battlefield.

That was the cruel reality of the tragedy fifty years ago.

There was nothing much to be found in the area so we quickly proceed toward the direction of the hut.

I only met with some skeletons in the way. That was kind of weird. If many dead in this area, this place should be filled with more undead. And yet, there were not many. Optimistically, someone has purified them or they did not become undead in the first place.

But if it was not the case...

"That place huh..." I mutter to myself.

The area around the undead manticore filled with high-rank undead. Some of them must have been the adventurers that defended the town of Libell.

I need to put them to rest, someday. I grip the green stick--let's call it staff from now on--in my hand.

 

We arrived at the place where the hut should have been. And found nothing. Not even a ruin.

If it was made from wood most likely it had been destroyed by time.

But Daag and Gerdan did not looks disappointed, but keep looking for something.

"There, could you dig this place, Lumie?"

I did as he said and we quickly found a trapdoor. An underground cellar huh.

I opened it. Somehow the wooden trapdoor still intact after all this time. It must be made with good wood. Later Marina told me that it was magic wood called iron wood. It was very strong, sturdy, and heavy.

I carefully thread down to the underground cellar.

And found the inside to be almost empty.

"I guess he loads it away huh," Gerdan muttered.

We still able to find what we going after though.

"A greatsword, a hammer, a battle axe, a sword. The quality is not the best but this should do."

Hmm, is this not considered a crime?

"Well if you met with his descendants you could just pay what you borrow."

Please let me borrow them to appease these lost sou---ghosts.

"Well none of them are magic weapons so it should not be that pricey. The quality is pretty good though since none of them broke down after all this time. A bit polishing and you would ready to go."

Other than weapons there were also some tools to maintain them. I did not know any of them because I only have staff this entire time.

"Oh my, what I found." It seems Marina found something else too.

"Lumie, come here." She urged me.

What she showed me was a bag made of leather. Similar to the one in my waist--a magic bag.

To think I could find a magic bag here. And it seems the quality was better than mine.

"Great, now we could load all of this stuff here." Daag smiled widely. I think I really need to pay up for this. I hope his descendants would give me a discount.

I load up all usable items into the magic bag returned to base.

 

In the base, I took out the weapon of their choice. Polish them a bit under Daag instruction and then I was ready to go.

That said I could not solely dedicate my time to them and thus I decided to defeat some lesser undead and used up my mana before returning to the orphanage.

The training would start tomorrow.

I have discussed with them my desire to defeat as much undead as I could, and thus asking to limit the training time.

The result was since I decided to take all of them, I would train rotating every morning. One day for greatsword, one day for the battle ax, one day for hammer, one day for anti-magic, one day for magic swordman. Every morning.

I hope I could at least pick up something from it.

Matron and Head Temple worried that the staff they gave me broken. But since I was alright, they let it slide.

They also noticed my new magic bag, I decided to tell them honestly that I picked it up in a ruin inside the dead forest. I haven't decided whether to tell them about the ghosts so I keep it for myself for now.

 

The next morning.

I followed Gerdan instruction and swung the greatsword. It's pretty heavy. But he said it was amazing that my slender arm could lift it at all. Well, I did take them by myself yesterday because they are ghosts, but apparently, they still surprised by it.

Now that I think about it, maybe I really have good physical strength? Considering my age and my build lifting a greatsword that was taller than me really come out really comical.

The training was not really that hard. Gerdan only taught me the most basic exercise and form. Mainly to let me become familiar with it first.

It really drains my energy though. So after training, I completely exhausted and laid down on the stone bench.

The wisps floated around me. I could feel some breeze from them so it was pretty comfy.

"I keep forgetting to ask, but what are those?" Suddenly Marlina floated next to me and pointed at the wisps.

?

"They are wisps." I kind of do not understand what is her question, I thought it was pretty obvious?

"Well, I do know they are wisps but are they your familiar? It's unnatural for them to be so close with people that have not made contact with them, but I found it is weirder that someone would make a contract with wisps..."

Well, I guess I got her point.

"Yes, they are familiar." They are cute right?

Marlina's expression was kind of strange. But suddenly she looked like understand something and nodded.

"But if you could make a contract with them, it might be possible to made contract with other spirits." Mumble mumble.

I did not exactly get what she said.

"But the mana cost would..." Mumble mumble.

She left while still think about something.

I returned to relax and recover my energy.

And then defeat undead like usual after this.

The next day the giant Gon's turn. And to be honest, the hammer is harder to control than the greatsword. Nevertheless, it felt really powerful.

The third day was finally Daag turn to teach me with the battle-ax. It's a bit similar to a hammer but sharper. Daag told me that the ax technique he learned was originally to fight scaled monsters which hard to fight with a greatsword or hammer.

Marlina's lesson about magic was kind of hard to understand. But she also teaches me a useful technique which was mediating.

It could increase the speed of mana regeneration, but of course, I must stay still. Finally a useful technique!

Another useful technique was taught by Rex the next day.

It's body strengthening magic.

That said, apparently, my mana could not sustain it for a long time. The mana usage actually not that bad, but from Marlina I learned that my mana actually not that much either. If I plan to use my mana to use light magic, it might not be that wise to use body strengthening magic for now. At least not until my mana pool increases a bit more.

Another technique that Rex taught me was element enchant.

Actually, this one was the most amazing thing that I learned from him, even more than body strengthening magic.

Element enchant was a technique to cover weapons in the mana of the user's element. And thus giving the weapon power to deal elemental damage.

It's not like I have many elements in me, only the light element. But isn't that perfect? If I could use it well, couldn't I just hit the zombies into submission?

That was the first thing that comes to my mind when I was taught that technique. But apparently, the reality is cruel.

It's really hard to do.

And because my mana leaking due to poor control, I quickly exhausted my mana and feel tired.

Daag told me that with that kind of control I would not be able to hit any enemy before my mana run out dry. That's blunt!

That said it was only the first day, I would surely master it one day!

That kind of schedule continues for three months.