"We all decided that we would accept the alliance," Lenore said when they finished their meal together. "I don’t like the idea of risking the lives of our people, but we can’t afford to stay idle any longer with the world in this state. At the same time, we can expand our area of activities when it comes to rescuing slaves and war orphans."

Raiden and Iri looked at each other. They weren’t surprised, but they felt a bit conflicted by Lenore’s word choice."

"Do you think that some more incidents will happen in the future, Mother?" Raiden asked. " Like large-scale conflicts?

"They have been already happening more often than not, even though we don’t participate that much in them," Lenore said. "We sent some small teams over the years to help on those conflicts in order to make sure those who can’t protect themselves won’t be turned into slaves. Many leaders in the past thought of doing that, but we didn’t have that many people to affect such a large area. Our skills are good, but with our numbers, they aren’t enough."

"So, you are planning to make up for it with the gear and technology that we can obtain from the alliance?" Iri asked. "Somehow, I can tell that a lot of people wouldn’t like this since it will affect our overall livelihood."

"That is right," Lenore explained.

Lenore’s decision might seem like a shortcut, but it was driven by necessity rather than convenience. The village’s warriors, despite their skills, have been severely weakened by ongoing conflicts. This attrition has weakened their ability to protect and aid those in need. By integrating advanced equipment and resources from the alliance, they aim to offset the losses and bolster their defensive and offensive capabilities.

The reluctance to use these resources came from a sense that relying on technology might undermine their traditional strengths and values. However, without such support, the village faces a grim future. Continued engagement in conflicts without the necessary gear would only exacerbate their weakening position, putting more warriors at risk and decreasing their overall effectiveness.

Lenore’s approach reflected a hard truth: to sustain their efforts and protect their people, adapting to new resources and technologies was essential. While it may feel like a compromise, it is a strategic move to ensure the village’s survival and continued ability to rescue and defend the vulnerable. In this context, using the gear is not about diminishing their warriors’ skills but about preserving their capacity to fight and protect.

"Most of the village agrees with that. Only those who lost a lot of allies in the past think that this is a wrong move," Lenore added. "Still, they aren’t that against it since they have kids and grandkids who might lose their lives."

"We already sent a messenger to the closest post of the Lunaria kingdom, so in the next few weeks, we will begin to work together," Harth followed after he crossed his arms. "We will probably gain some resources in exchange of sending some people to teach them how to use Aura Force like us."

"So, they can use it in a different way?" Raiden furrowed his eyebrows.

"You should have realized it by now: skilled people can use Aura Force without proper training. It isn’t that obvious, though," Harth said.

Elves consciously avoid using brute force. Instead, they channel their energy to enhance their skills, focusing on improving their aim with bows and extending their range. This technique allows them to strike with remarkable accuracy and efficiency, leveraging their natural agility and keen senses to achieve superior results in battle.

On the other hand, dwarves embraced a different approach, utilizing their physical strength and dexterity in their craft. When creating their gear, they actively apply Aura Force to shape and mold materials, enhancing their dexterity and honing their senses to perfect their forges. This method enables them to produce exceptionally durable and effective weapons and armor, reflecting their deep understanding of materials and the demands of their craft.

Both methods demonstrate how each race adapts its inherent strengths to its practices with Aura Force , even while doing so unconsciously. Elves refine their precision and skill through energy manipulation, while dwarves apply force and craftsmanship to create superior gear.

"I see... isn’t it dangerous to spread this knowledge around?" Raiden asked.

"It can be, but it will only make the focus of the people and their weakness more obvious," Lenore explained. "It isn’t something that you can master and become insanely powerful in a few years. Besides, a long time ago, the use of Aura Force was common around the world, but those who didn’t want to spend years training its use decided to use tools and weapons of war to hunt those who could it."

Power, just like knowledge, is a lot more efficient in the hands of a few, but the customs of the village didn’t make people think along those lines. Still, considering how useful Force could be, he didn’t think that random weapons would be enough to wipe out such a large group.

"Who they did that exactly?" Raiden asked.

"That kind of information was lost over the years... all that we know was that a powerful civilization started that," Lenore said while looking in the distance. "After they accomplished that, two hundred years later, all of them were wiped out by internal conflicts. Anyway, I am a bit tired, so it is time to go to bed."

That was an interesting topic, but it didn’t seem that Lenore was that interested either. Iri was yawning as well, so Raiden decided not to insist on that.

In the end, Raiden went to bed thinking about that and wondering if he could learn about that civilization, but he already had too much stuff on his plate, and with his new training, things would be even busier from now on.

Over the next few days, life in the village settled into a routine. Raiden continued his rigorous training, dedicating himself to mastering his Path of Perception. Despite his efforts, progress seemed slower than anticipated, leading him to question whether he had made the right choice in his focus. The complexities of the path were proving more challenging than he had expected, and he wondered if another aspect might have been a better fit for his strengths and goals.

Meanwhile, Javier and Ruth demonstrated noticeable progress with their new techniques. Javier had quickly adapted, enhancing his speed and agility, which was a testament to his ability to incorporate new skills rapidly. Ruth, on the other hand, had begun to learn the path of healing, showing a promising aptitude for them. Their advancements contrasted sharply with Raiden’s slower progress, highlighting the different rates at which each individual could absorb and apply new knowledge.

Raiden’s observations of his peers’ achievements served as both motivation and a reminder of the varying paths to improvement. As he continued his training, he considered whether a shift in focus might accelerate his development and bring him closer to achieving his goals, but soon he changed his mind.

Raiden decided to experiment with his lunch when he tried to use his Force to improve his perception, and he noticed the food tasting a little better... even water felt a bit more satisfying than usual. The downside was that the smell of medicine was stronger, too.

"It is embarrassing that I am making less progress than these two, but it is better not to focus too much on that," Raiden thought. "Unless they complete their techniques and then can reach the next level first... that would be pretty embarrassing."

Still, fortunately, Raiden began to get used to his training and got less tired, so things got more efficient. He began to look forward more and more to his meals, and that they filled him with vigor. Maybe the perception path made his body work more efficiently as well.

"It looks like you have chosen the perception path as well," Lenore said when they were having a meal.

"You can tell, Mother?" Raiden smiled. "Well, your fighting style looked really cool, so it gave me a good impression."

"What about mine?" Harth asked.

"It was fine, I guess," Raiden replied. "Nothing too fancy, but very effective and basic speed and strength."

"Ouch, that stung a bit," Harth forced a smile.

"Putting that aside, negotiations between us and the Lunaria kingdom have been progressing smoothly," Lenore suddenly said. "Teaching those who are older is a bit difficult since they are stuck in their ways, so they want to send some young students to show their young warriors the difference in skills. If you want to join this kind of thing, you need to reach the next level at the tower of mastery at least."

"I am fine either way," Raiden said. "Still, there aren’t a lot of students on the adept level?"

"Not really. We have four towers of masteries, and the number of students on those four towers and adept and scholar level doesn’t reach even one hundred," Lenore explained.