Worldly Force, as an energy that existed ambiently in the world and parallel to mana, was the cause of a lot of Ezekiel's natural advantages.
The natural healing factor he possessed which was second only to Damien's Authority of Immortality, the durability of his body, and even his talent to learn techniques at a glance, all of it came from the blessing of Worldly Force.
The first few were obvious. With the energy of the world nourishing him at all times, it was only natural for Ezekiel's body to become monstrous.
The last point, on the other hand, was a bit more intricate. Worldly Force was, as Damien said, in a similar position to the system.
While the system actively recorded any and all things, Worldly Force did the same in a passive manner.
Alt things that flowed through the world would be touched by Worldly Force, and thus, recorded in its flow.
Ezekiel couldn't consciously read that flow yet, but he was inherently connected to it. Damien told the boy he wasn't especially talented only so he didn't become arrogant.
In reality, there was nobody born with as unique of a body as him.
His innate connection to Worldly Force meant that any technique recorded in its flow could eventually be comprehended by him.
That included any law.
'I don't think he'll be able to reach my level, but he definitely has a chance to touch Existence based on potential alone.'
Damien gave Ezekiel his technique that day. It was the first time Ezekiel had ever seen a technique that he couldn't immediately understand.
Hell, he didn't even know what those things were.
He'd taken the entire night reading over it as many times as he could, but no matter what he did, the matter didn't become clearer to him.
At the end of the day, this was Ezekiel's flaw. He had a lot of natural talent, but since growth had come easily to him, he didn't know how to consciously focus on practicing small things to perfection.
It was a skill he would've had to learn at some point if he wanted his growth to continue smoothly, but now that it was at his doorstep, he just couldn't figure anything out.
After all, he didn't know what to do.
He didn't have a direction, nor did he know where to start and in what order to do the things he would eventually need to do.
Hell, he didn't even know what those things were.
The technique Damien gave him was extremely detailed. To any other practitioner, all the things Ezekiel lacked could be found within it.
But it had to be remembered.
Ezekiel had never been taught to read.
Nor had he been taught how to learn.
He had never seen a written technique before. Ezekiel had spent his entire life learning by watching others and copying them.
Thus, as time passed, he found that the task of gaining Worldly Force wasn't something he couldn't complete on his own.
From then on, his training schedule changed.
Ezekiel stopped focusing on physical drills, and he started spending the majority of his points to buy vacation days that excused him from attending training.
He put a hold on everything he already knew and prepared to forget everything he thought he knew.
For the moment, he put away the training manual he'd received from Damien and focused only on himself.
There were only two things he knew how to do.
Observe, and fight.
And in both matters, his instinct was what gave him the biggest advantage.
If that was the case, then in this situation where he didn't know what to do, he had to rely on that very instinct.
Ezekiel began to coop himself up in his own room, which was also purchased with points. He sat in meditation every day, ignoring the rest of the world.
He was trying to connect to his mind.
In material terms, he was taking steps to prepare himself for Worldly Force rather than attempting to gain the power as soon as possible.
A slow, thought-out process through which he could reap the most benefits. That was what he needed.
Because in the process of trying to learn Worldly Force, wouldn't he learn a great deal of other things as well?
Right, there was no way Damien didn't know about his flaws. Damien was the person in the palace who knew the most about Ezekiel.
Damien knew from the start that Ezekiel wouldn't be able to gain Worldly Force easily. He couldn't even read the manual yet.
But that didn't mean he would baby the boy and feed him everything.
Whether it was a basic skill like reading or something more complex like comprehension, Ezekiel needed to gain these skills on his own. Not just for power, but for general education and his growth as a person.
There weren't many soldiers in the army that Damien was this interested in.
Even as Ezekiel started to understand his intentions, Damien watched over him, smiling the whole time.
No matter what was thrown at him, Ezekiel never betrayed the expectations others had for him.
Perhaps that was why he seemed so reliable despite still being in his growth phase.
"This kid…" Damien muttered to himself.
"...he's not too bad."
***
In the main residences of both great clans, events seemed relatively peaceful and slow-moving, but it wasn't so for those outside of those places.
The war between Void Palace and the Straea Clan was getting more and more heated by the day. It wasn't just one or two people who died in every single battle they fought. The the number of battles had stacked such that their corpses could form an entire range of mountains.
The majority of the war had taken place in the Northern Region, since Void Palace made the first strike, but it wasn't exclusively there anymore.
The war was expanding further south into Void Palace territory, and as Malefice continued to command his troops, the palace army was pushed to its limits.
They also had Swords supporting them from the back line, but it wasn't enough.
That is, until Hestia Void joined the fray.
She had received permission to take full command over the army, and though she was on a probationary period at first to test her skill, her strategic mind was able to make her position final in a matter of weeks.
She was able to not only recover several thousand kilometers of land that had been taken by the armies of Straea, she was able to reduce the average casualty rate of every battle by a considerable percentage.
Damien's training had paid off more than anyone had ever expected it to. The second Hestia was given the chance to shine, she showed that this was where she was always meant to be.
When it came to strategy, only Hestia could compete with Malefice.
While neither of them were on the frontlines, the battle between armies soon turned into a battle between the two of them, a true showcase of the most advanced minds of the era.
Regardless of what face the war was showing now, it was only background noise to the truly powerful characters of this world.
The key players had yet to come out.
But a storm was surely brewing on the horizon.
It wouldn't be long now. Within a year at the very most…
The strongest forces of those two great clans would lose their patience.
That was when the real war would begin.
