"But if we rush things, won’t it affect us later? It’ll be like rushing a horse to run without a strong leg." Catena said.

Crypt Master nodded. "That’s a good question, Catena. But leave that to me. I have already have a way to fill those foundation you might think is weak and that is with experience! You have already use nine months out of your five years. Do you think with all the training you’re doing since you get here there’s a shaky foundation?"

Catena frowned but as the crypt Master said, there isn’t anywhere they are lacking and they all know they are powerful as it is.

And crypt Master confirmed it when he said. "You are already one of the powerful in all the Initiate level that is existing now. If all Initiate rank from all over should clash you guys will be among those who will be at the top."

And this is part of why Commander Apex felt some kind of way because he’s afraid of power going to the Hound. They are just flesh weapon to the Legion. But the sponsor wants something a bit more.

Azaroth smiled mentally because what he wanted is happening already. Use the Inferno Legion to climb to the top. Azaroth then asked while he looked at the portals that still spread across the dark sea like stars. "Are we going to continue to continue to hunt crypts?"

He’s not saying out loud but what he meant is that can they can’t possibly finish the Initiate crypts before they advance.

The crypt Master understand him. "Your training will continue as before but now each of you will start clearing crypt by yourself instead of by team."

Azaroth wasn’t expecting that. Now they’ll clear every crypt by themselves? He wasn’t the only one surprised. Others look just as shocked but they weren’t worried or afraid, just surprised.

But the Crypt Master wasn’t done speaking. "And we’ll mix theories with it since I want you to start learning the Acolyte techniques right now. You won’t be able to use them but you must train your mind to accept them and get familiar."

It’s the ninth months after they entered the crypt training and their training intensified. The crypt Master became even more ruthless as he now take direct action in training them directly but as he said to them on the day of their test his own focus was on the formation to the next level.

He told them bluntly that they were close to advancing to the next stage and get familiar with a complex formation with help them. And so their day was splited into hunting and learning.

There’s an almost unofficial competition among them to see who can hunt the most crypt in a day. Of course Azaroth didn’t join because he just set an amount for himself. He made sure to clear four crypt a day but others cleared at least two and three if they wanted to work really hard.

But what surprised them was that it looks as if Azaroth could have cleared way more if he wanted to. After their round of hunting, they all focus on learning the formation for the next level. Unlike their current formations this new formations are more complex and aimed at bringing out the special potential from individual.

To trace and hold the technique in their mind alone took a lot of mental energy. Not to talk even activating it at their stage.

And like this they spent they tenth months in the training Crypt, they still above the sea and now the weather have become even colder that they only come above deck to train and if they are leaving for their individual crypt training.

They rarely speak to themselves now since everyone is working themselves until they are tired. Even cooking become a personal thing as they have to stick with their individual schedules.

By the eleventh month, the weather is so cold the sea began to freeze but it didn’t affect their ship movement at all because of the enchantments put on it by the crypt Master.

And by the end of the same month he suspended their crypt hunting and now all the crypt Master does is force them to learn the formation for the next level.

If Azaroth didn’t already have a Acolyte core he would have wondered just how they will power the formation because they are so broader but his chaos core that advanced let him know that essence will become thicker and more plentiful. The difference between each level is on another different level entirely.

When they start their twelfth months the crypt Master took them to a place with strong essence and told them all they had to do was meditate and process the essence while they hold the different formation in their mind.

The technique each wanted to learn is splited into two. Absolute technique or relative. Azaroth made the words up in his head to explain how the crypt Master said it.

Absolute technique is a technique that is Absolute in the sense that Awakener will have such technique for the rest of their life, they’ll just keep improving it. One of Absolute technique is the ability to control the elements like fire or earth and lightning, and even crystals.

They will improve only have to improve the technique each time they upgrade and not discard it.

Relative mean choosing a new technique at each level.

Azaroth discarded the ’ember strike’ and keep the fire wave unlike Catena who chose to make his two skills absolute and he’ll just build on it. Stallus who only have one skill before kept it and chooses to add more and build. Same as Alex.

Once that was out of the way the Crypt Master gave them the technique book for the next level. He told them to pick the one they think they can build till they reach the master rank because they’ll be changing technique every time they advance. And he did promise them they’ll advance four or five times in Five years ti become Masters.