Chapter 21: The Curse of the Gifted

The air was a bit tense as Marius, Ria, and the Mountain Ax Senior stared at each other in silence, each with a different expression as Marius was the only person who had a look of curiosity on his face.

Grevlin and the adorable Little Rose were currently without a care in the world, unaware of the tension between adults.

As if the Mountain Ax Senior had wait long enough, he stared at Marius and spoke, "For every talent to advance to the higher rank, they will each require a period by which their body will need to adjust their mystic power. Weaker talents such as those of the Fifth Grade have weaker bodies and generally require a long period, but greater talents have to wait for lesser periods."

Marius didn't see a problem with that as it would only mean that he'd be able to strengthen faster, but it was at this point, both Ria and the Mountain Ax Senior's face turned solemn.

The Mountain Ax Senior spoke again, "That isn't much of a problem, but the world has its means of balance. It is to such an extent that many of termed it as the Curse of the Gifted, for all ranks advanced, every person must undergo its trial, the weaker the talent of that individual, the easer the test bestowed upon them by the Divine Rules of the world. For cases such as Fifth Grade talents, they won't even have to make an effort to pass the test given, but for those of the Third Grade and higher, things will be different, it's not infrequent that many talents lose their lives due to these very tests, not to mention for someone like yourself. So, Marius, my words to you are this; never you dare to slack off on increasing your mastery and knowledge of Combat Arts, the stronger you are, the better you'll be able to overcome your Advancement Trials."

Marius had a dark look on his face, but he pretty much understood everything that the Mountain Ax Senior had told him.

He made a polite gesture and spoke, "Thank you for telling me these details. I will do my best to ensure that I never fall to any of them..."

The Mountain Ax Senior gave Marius a good look before the tension vanished as he smiled and spoke while drinking a bottle of wine, "Haha, why so serious? From what I've seen, you should be more than capable of handling even the first two or three Advancements Trials, based on your current level of skill mastery and usage. So, fret not, I expect to see great things from you in the future..."

Marius smiled, not saying anything, he knew of his current strength, and if it was anything he didn't lack, it was confidence in his ability to improve and overcome any difficulties.

Ria looked at the two men and smiled while thinking, 'My husband is naturally the strongest, he will be able to overcome any odds.'

While Ria was thinking, she suddenly felt her shirt being pulled, she looked down and saw that Little Rose was currently rubbing her eyes with a somewhat sleepy look as she stared up at her and spoke, "Mama... I'm slweepy..."

Ria couldn't help but find it cute; she played with Little Rose's cheek with her fingers as she spoke, "Okay my little darling, let's go rest."

As Ria said this, she picked up Little Rose and stood up from the table, giving both Marius and the Mountain Ax Senior and nodded before leaving for the house.

Marius watched as Ria left with a warm smile, but his eyes soon stared at the slender waist and ample buttocks that shook from side to side as her hair danced.

The Mountain Ax Senior glanced at Marius and sighed as he murmured, "Oh... the joys of youth, look at the time, it's almost noon and an old man like me should also get to chopping..."

Marius felt a bit embarrassed at those words, he knew what he was implying by 'chopping,' the Mountain Ax Senior chuckled and didn't say anything to tease Marius, he merely got up and went over to his log.

However, as if he recalled something, he turned and saw that Grevlin was sleeping with his head resting on the outdoor wooden table with drool coming from his mouth corners.

He smirked before he glanced at Marius and spoke, "Marius, I forgot to mention, but your son is not the ordinary boy, his potential vastly exceeds even yours, I trust that you know what you should do, how you should raise him..."

Marius understood what he meant, he gave him a good look before he stared at Grevlin with pride as he gently rubbed his black hair while speaking, "I know, he is my pride after all, the things I can't do, he will be able to achieve..."

The Mountain Ax Senior nodded at this, not saying anymore, he didn't even tell him about the technique he had given him, nor did Marius ask, he left that to Grevlin as it was his own secret.

'Well, since he's asleep I can't train him today, if he wakes up a little earlier, I'll take him to the wilds, if I can get him to the max level of his growth limit that would be nice. That inborn skill of his is also quite incredible, I'll need to have him maximize it as well,' Marius thought as his eyes glowed in bright lights, causing him to see and understand all of Grevlin's details.

After thinking to here, Marius then took up Grevlin and brought him towards the direction of the house, he wanted to let him rest more comfortably, and it also needed to ease his burdens before he went off training.

The Mountain Ax Senior turned towards his direction but said nothing as he curiously stared at the bright sky while thinking, 'It will be a fascinating month. I wonder, just how much can they all grow...'

After thinking this, he no longer pondered it as it lifted up and a large chunk of wood before raising his great ax with one arm as its edge glistened in a sharp ray.

The scene here returning to peace as now only the sounds of chopping were heard, the pleasant melody of the wood being split merging with the songs of the fragrant winds that blew across the surroundings.