PDHMO 25

Chapter 25

Today’s training place was different from usual. Instead of the training ground, we were on a big grassy field in the garden.

“Sometimes training outside is a nice change of pace,”

Finn said with a fresh expression when I asked why we were outside.

But I couldn’t agree at all.

It made sense why—I was standing in the middle of pouring rain.

Wouldn’t it be better to train indoors under a roof on a day like this?

The training ground would get wet too, so it might have been better to postpone or just do image training.

Anyway, I couldn’t understand Finn’s intention for bringing me outside in such heavy rain.

But Pepe, hearing that we’d train outside, had a completely different reaction.

“Hmm… so you plan to use a trick, huh? Your teacher probably can’t watch your stupidity directly anymore,”

he had said, spouting nonsense.

Of course, he never explained what he meant.

Next to me, Ellie holding an umbrella seemed to think the same.

Her face was full of complaints.

Before going out, she had already spilled her worries.

“What in the world is Finn thinking, training outside in this weather…! And if the young lady catches a cold… oh dear!”

Even while tightening my clothes to keep me warm, she couldn’t stop worrying.

Finn, ignoring Ellie’s concerned gaze, looked at the gray sky and cheerfully claimed it was nice weather.

“But Finn… are you really saying today’s training is in the rain?”

“….”

I asked, and Finn, who had been moving around, froze for a moment.

Then he slowly turned to me and gave a shocking answer.

“Yes, that’s right, Young Lady.”

“Wait! What are you saying?”

Ellie burst out in shock.

Finn calmly handled it, as if he expected this.

“Now, calm down…”

“Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down in this situation?”

“I’m not asking you to get wet right away. You may start when you’re ready,” he said.

What nonsense.

Ellie and I shared the exact same expression: what is he talking about?

Smiling, Finn added a further explanation.

“Young Lady, do you know which element is the worst match for lightning?”

“Earth?”

I answered without hesitation, and Finn’s eyes widened a little.

Ah, should I have pretended not to know like a five-year-old here?

But this was basic knowledge.

I decided to give a five-year-old reaction anyway.

“Really? I just guessed, and it’s right?”

“You’re amazing, Young Lady,”

Ellie clapped and praised me, and Finn looked at me with an unreadable smile.

“Yes… really amazing. Then what other elements are bad besides earth?”

“Hmm…”

Wasn’t earth the only mismatch?

I squinted and racked my brain for even a small clue.

But nothing came to mind.

Finally, I shook my head.

“I don’t know.”

“It’s water.”

“Water?”

I wasn’t expecting that, and my head felt dizzy.

Lightning and water are usually a good match, right? Sending electricity through water causes huge effects.

I tilted my head in confusion, and Finn rested the umbrella on my shoulder and continued explaining.

“Of course, combining water and lightning can be very powerful. The attack range increases greatly. But the power is also dangerous, so anyone nearby, including the user, could be at risk. Only someone who can control the power properly should use it.”

Ah.

I understood immediately.

Lightning and water are a double-edged sword.

Used well, they give huge synergy, but uncontrolled use could cause disaster.

As someone with hidden lightning abilities, I needed to be careful.

While I seriously thought about this, Finn cheerfully spoke again.

“But it’s true that lightning is stronger with water. That’s why I brought you out today in the rain.”

“To make it easier for my abilities to come out?”

“Yes. Take a deep breath of this rain and humid air. Oh, close your eyes first.”

Following his instructions, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. The cold air seemed to seep straight into my lungs.

“Huuuhk, cough, cough!”

“Young Lady! Are you okay?”

Maybe I inhaled too suddenly. The cold air scraped my throat and made me cough.

Ellie, with tears in her eyes, kept patting my back until I recovered.

“Did you feel anything inside?”

“Keuhm! Inside?”

I put my hand on my stomach and closed my eyes, trying to feel any change.

And surprisingly, I felt something hot rushing quickly through my body.

“Uh…?”

“Do you feel it?”

“Y-yes… something hot… no, not hot, more like warm? My body feels ticklish inside.”

Finn’s face immediately brightened.

“Yes, that’s it! That’s proof you absorbed natural energy! You took in new energy, and the cough is a reaction.”

Ah, so that’s why I coughed. My body absorbed natural energy for the first time.

It probably worked because the rain and humid air strengthened the lightning.

My body was now ready to accept natural energy.

I was thrilled at this huge progress.

Even thankful to Finn for bringing me outside in such gloomy weather.

This was the most satisfying moment since I started training.

“Now, Young Lady, let’s try taking a deep breath again and exhale. Watch my breathing. Huuuh, pahh… exhale strongly!”

“Huuuuh, pahh!”

“Don’t exhale too quickly. Think of holding your breath as long as possible. Again, huuuh, pahh…”

“Huuuuh, pahh…”

“Yes, very good. Again?”

Following Finn’s instructions, I felt natural energy filling my body.

After repeating this several times, I got used to his breathing method.

Then suddenly, Finn clapped his hands.

“That’s enough for now.”

“Huuuh, huh?”

I had been doing so well, so I opened my eyes wide.

“How do you feel now?”

“Now?”

“How does the natural energy inside feel?”

“Hmm…”

I concentrated to sense my body.

“It’s here, in the center. Huh? Before, I felt it everywhere?”

At first, the warm energy moved throughout my body, but now it felt like it was bubbling in the center of my stomach.

“Now, let’s spread this gathered energy throughout your body.”

“How?”

“Come here.”

Finn walked toward a large tree with only bare branches left.

Ellie and I followed behind.

“Try touching this tree.”

“This one?”

He rubbed the tree with his hand, and I placed my hand on it too.

Without leaves to block the rain, the tree was soaked.

“Now, imagine transferring all the energy from your hand into this tree and push with your strength.”

“Hhh, uuh…”

Honestly, I didn’t know exactly how, but I pushed with all my might.

And then…

Crack, crack!

The tree split with a loud sound, a bright flash appeared, then disappeared instantly.