CHAPTER 323: A THOUSAND

Just like the other day, William had to help them learn the spell. Both Kali and Geneva were struggling. The bone spear was slightly harder than the skeleton summoning spell.

The reason was simple: it required more runes. Twenty, to be exact.

Creating twenty distinct runes and keeping them stable at the same time wasn’t easy.

If this had been any other type of magic, the girls would’ve had a better time. They weren’t beginners—they knew how to work with spells.

But necromancy spells were just harder. Maybe that was why the necromancer group gave recruits extra time to prepare.

"I honestly don’t know if we’ll make it in time," Kali said. "This is too hard. The five spells we need are just the minimum required. It would be better if we had more..."

They really wanted to enter that cult. William could see it clearly now. And oddly enough, he was starting to feel curious himself.

"Relax," William said. "I’m here to help. If you were alone, then yeah—maybe it’d be impossible. But you’re not alone."

The girls smiled at that. William helped them with rune formation again, spending the entire day with them, just like before.

Rebo had wanted William to help with his own training, but when he saw how focused William was with Kali and Geneva, he backed off.

"They need him more than I do," Rebo muttered.

It wasn’t like he was alone—he still had his grandfather to guide him.

It took five full days to master the bone spear spell. William helped whenever he could, and in between, he practiced other spells from the book.

By then, he’d already learned twenty spells. A massive number.

He kept that detail to himself. Telling the girls would only make them feel worse about their own pace.

But with that many spells under his belt, William was confident he had what it took to enter the cult.

"We did it!" Kali shouted, falling to her knees and staring up at the sky.

The hard work had paid off. They were ecstatic. William felt proud too.

He looked at them and said, "You two should take a day off. Do something else. Give your minds a break."

Sometimes the best way to improve is by not doing the thing.

Geneva and Kali were clearly exhausted. William had wanted them to rest earlier, but they insisted on learning the bone spear first.

"Fine, we will," Geneva replied. "But what can we even do out here? It’s so remote."

Kali smiled. "I might know something."

Kali showed them a waterfall near the house. The sound of flowing water, birds singing in the distance, and the cool breeze on their faces was calming.

Geneva and Kali enjoyed their time there. William jumped in too—he’d been feeling dirty—but he didn’t stay long.

After washing up, he left the water and sat quietly beside the falls.

Rebo tried to coax him back in. "Come on, Master," he said. "Are you afraid of water?"

William wasn’t. He just didn’t feel like it. So he went with the first excuse that came to mind.

"It’s hard to swim with one arm. I’ll pass."

"You’re missing out," Rebo grinned.

The kid was really trying. He wanted William to join him and Yunk. But William declined.

Instead, he settled on the soft grass and relaxed. He never imagined he’d be somewhere like that.

Everything had happened so fast. Without his portal skill, he’d be dead—and this wasn’t the first time that skill had saved him.

His mind drifted toward the necromancer cult.

"Should I really join them?"

It would be dangerous—and require serious work. If he wanted real answers, he’d have to climb the ranks.

And who knew what kind of tasks that would involve?

Kali said the cult wanted to use Rebo and her husband in a sacrificial ritual.

Would William be asked to do something like that too?

It bothered him. He didn’t have an answer. Part of him wanted to learn more—maybe even stop the cult from spreading and hurting more people.

But sacrificing innocents?

"I’ll have to do things I don’t want to... it seems."

There was no way around it.

They stayed a few hours at the waterfall. When they returned to the mansion, food was already waiting.

Everyone ate, and then went to rest. It felt like a collective nap.

Everyone but William.

He didn’t feel tired. His body was starting to feel stiff. He needed to move—maybe even fight.

So he left the mansion and entered the forest.

While walking, he sensed someone following him. It didn’t take much effort to recognize the presence—it was Rebo.

"Why is he following me?" William wondered. "Trying to test his skills?"

It was the only explanation. Rebo had been training every single day with his grandfather. He hadn’t fought William since the beginning.

Maybe he just wanted to show off.

William acted like he hadn’t noticed, letting the boy trail him.

Eventually, he reached a clearing—an open stretch of forest, with no trees for cover.

Then he turned around and said, "I know you’ve been following me."

Rebo stepped out from behind his cover and faced him.

"Since when did you know I was following you?" he asked.

William chuckled.

"Since the start. Kid, you’ve got a lot more training to do before you can surprise me like that."

"Damn it..." Rebo cursed.

He was proud of the progress he’d made in training and had hoped to catch William off guard.

"Can I show you what I’ve learned? You won’t believe it."

"Sure. Show me."

Rebo had his sword with him. He took a deep breath and activated his breathing technique. William could feel his aura shifting.

Then Rebo dashed forward. His movements were different this time—fluid, strange. It was like William was staring at an illusion, a mirage.

Rebo appeared blurry—not just visually, but in position. William’s eyes told him one thing, but reality was something else entirely.

When Rebo approached and swung his sword, William was certain the blade was still far away—until it was suddenly right beside his neck.

He looked down to meet Rebo’s gaze. The sword sat lightly against his skin.

"So? Are you impressed?"

"I am. What did you just do?"

"It’s called Illusory Swordsmanship. It’s the foundation of all the techniques I’m learning."

"This is pretty good. If I didn’t catch it at first, most people wouldn’t. You basically have a clean hit against most opponents."

"You think so? I’ve spent the whole week learning it. My grandfather helped me a lot."

"I know. And I know you want me to teach you more, but for now, I can’t. He’s better suited for your family’s techniques. I’m not."

"I know," Rebo said. "At first I was mad—and a little sad—but now I get it. But you can still teach me movement, help me get stronger physically, right?"

"Probably, yes. When do you want to start?"

"Now?"

William was genuinely surprised by Rebo’s determination. While everyone else was sleeping—even his other master, Yunk—Rebo was awake, eager to keep learning.

"Alright, but this is going to be exhausting. We’ll start with physical exercises to build strength," William said.

"Bring it on. I can take it. I want to become strong and independent," Rebo replied.

"Good. Then let’s begin—start with a thousand push-ups. Go."

"A-A thousand?" Rebo stuttered.

William crossed his arms, dead serious. That number wasn’t up for negotiation.

"A thousand. Break it into sets however you like. But don’t stop until it’s done."

Rebo took a deep breath, trying to hide the rising panic. The ground didn’t seem so welcoming now.