"...how are they doing so far?"
In his office, Ashton stood in front of the glass window with his hands behind him. Felicia, the old Oracle, was sitting down on the opposite side of his desk, saying:
"Great so far." She stated, "The menial missions they're doing was allowing us to maintain order and peace throughout the metropolis. A lot of work was being done each day. Estimates show that we might get most of them done ahead of the anticipated deadline."
"Good. How are we managing our stocks then?"
"Honestly, the drain isn't that severe. Probably because there are only 100 people so far. They barely made a dent in the resource pool. Plus, with the amount we're generating from other sources, we're replenishing them as quickly as it's being consumed."
"I assume that we're moving forward with the expansions then?"
"Yes, it's already under construction. We're also starting another round of recruitment by the end of the week. We're just waiting for your further instructions."
Ashton frowned and faced her. He then asked: "Instructions for what exactly?"
"The contents of the tests!" She stated, "We thought we'd use the same thing for the first few tests to filter out the participants but we're at a loss for the final test. We were hoping that you could give us some suggestions at least."
"Ah, that..."
It has been three months since the Mystic Guild has been established. Three months where the first batch of guild members started becoming active and changing Fantasia for the better.
Though three months wasn't a long time, it was enough to establish the Guild's reputation with the masses. Due to the nature of the missions they have and the generous rewards it gives, a lot of progress has been done.
It's crazy how a small group of people could have that much effect on the entire population. But the proof was right there in front of them, it's something that can't be denied.
Now, that the guild settled down. It's about the right time to recruit more people to join. With the recent expansions being done with the anticipation of introducing more people to the guild, they're ready to start another round of recruitments once more, they just need Ashton's final input that it'd be set into motion.
"Well, feel free to use the captives. We caught them specifically for this purpose anyways."
"...should we use the mid-tier Angels and Demons then?" She asked.
"Let the participants choose." Ashton stated, "Make sure you tell them the risk first before you move on. If the participants still decided to do it, then allow them to pick how strong their enemies would be."
"If they chose an Infant Angel or Demon, tell them they're going to face three. If they picked teenagers, they'll fight two. If they picked an Adult, they'd face it one on one."
"To pass the trial, they'd need to last at least 15 minutes against their chosen enemy. Give them a bonus if they killed some or all. You all can decide about the rewards."
"Alright, we'll go with that." Felicia nodded after jotting his instructions down in her notebook. "How many should we recruit this time?"
"Same as the first batch." Ashton replied, "Then, after the recruitment period, we'll tighten up the competition for resources. It's about time they feel more pressure so that they grow faster."
Ashton looked through the clear glass windows once more peering down on the entire Fantasia in this view.
"We might need to send people off on expeditions soon."
"...what am I doing wrong?"
Justin grumbled as he slumped on the ground, panting in exhaustion.
He didn't mind the heaviness he felt as he lay down there. He also didn't mind how his hair was sticking to his forehead and how much he was drenched in his sweat.
Justin can't feel his arms anymore with how much training he has been doing. The frustrating part about this is that his training was for something he used to be able to do, but somehow, due to some mysterious reason, he had forgotten how to do it.
"Why can't I do the basic Sword Intent enhancement anymore? I used to be able to do it just fine back then. What in the world happened?"
Justin truly couldn't understand it. He didn't know why his Sword Intent seemingly vanished out of nowhere. He used to be able to use it fairly easily back then.
His Sword Intent was in its rudimentary form. Meaning that it's nothing too impressive yet. He could only use it to amplify the sharpness of the sword he was holding.
That being said, the fact that he was able to condense a Sword Intent this early was a testament to his talent. It had to be known that Sword Intent was usually something that Grandmaster Knights studied 'after' reaching that level of cultivation.
Justin had tried different ways to rouse his Sword Intent and it has been a month since he started, however, he's still at a loss.
"...I should ask Guild Master for help."
"I'm here, what do you want?"
"Shit!!!"
Justin's soul nearly jumped out of his body due to how badly he was startled. He held his sword in alarm as he searched through the room only to find Ashton staring at him with an unimpressed gaze.
"Geez, I can never get used to that." Justin sighed in relief after finding out that it was just Ashton.
"I've arrived here more than a minute before I even spoke. You really need to work on your Field Awareness."
"I know." Justin grumbled while sitting down.
Seeing the dude's defeated expression, Ashton didn't continue making fun of him. Instead, he asked:
"What got you so down?"
"...I think my Sword Intent vanished." He grumbled once more.
Ashton raised a brow upon hearing that, but he didn't say anything just yet.
"I don't know what happened. Before I could rouse it just fine. I was even nurturing it pretty decently if I do say so myself. But now...I don't know what happened. It became radio silent."
"I tried all sorts of things already. It's been a month but not even once did I ever manage to succeed. I'm starting to think that it might've vanished altogether and I'll need to re-discover it again."
"..."
"..."
"...you're an idiot." Ashton spat.
"Hey! That's mean." Justin protested. "I'm being serious here."
"And so am I," Ashton stressed. "It's like you never attended any of my public lessons so far. I specifically remember me discussing something about Sword Intents two weeks prior and if I remember it correctly, you were present there. If you were truly listening to my lesson, then there's no way you'd think like that."
Ashton does public lessons now and then to enrich the knowledge of the Guild Members about cultivation. During those lessons, he'd often be asked certain questions by the guild members and he'd try to answer them as truthfully as he could.
"But...but...what else am I supposed to think in this situation? You said that it might be because I wasn't taking care of myself. But I made sure I was and it's still not working."
"That's because you only dealt with the first half of the problem." Ashton shook his head.
"What does that mean?"
"I did say that sometimes, obsessing over sword techniques and all might not be good for you and sometimes, the fact that your Sword Intent wasn't manifesting was because you're too exhausted and needed rest or your mental state was not in a good space."
"You said that you have taken good care of yourself. I can see that! You're obviously healthy and well-rested for the most part. You did well in that. But what about your mental state?"
"..."
"How long have you been marinating in this problem? Have you tried to at least forget this first and come back to it later? How far did your own stubbornness take you?"
"..."
"And more importantly, that sword in your hand, is yours or your Ancestor's?"
That was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Ashton witnessed Justin going through the five stages of grief in mere seconds.
He wanted to laugh but he prevented himself from doing so, Justin might resent him to death if he did so.
Honestly, for a publicly acclaimed genius, this kid was pretty stupid. All along, his problem was the fact that, even until now, he still hasn't accepted the sword yet.
The Heavenly Punishment Sword had already acknowledged him as its new wielder, but Justin himself still thinks of it as his Ancestor's sword. That's the reason why his Sword Intent wasn't willing to move despite his obvious call to summon it.
A swordsman's Sword Intent comes from the heart. If the heart isn't willing, then the Sword Intent will stay dormant.
Seeing Justin collecting himself with an obvious clarity in his eyes, Ashton decided to leave him to his own devices. He already pointed the way, the rest is up to him.
'Good luck, Kid. I'm expecting great things from you. Don't make me wait too long.'
