The Monster King's Legacy

Chapter 29 Awakening!

The next day, the work continued, with the goblins maintaining their output, progressing steadily towards their goal of upgrading their immediate territory. Even with such work, Rynne still managed to drag those under her to train a little before the day was up.

The sun crept over the horizon, bringing a cooler atmosphere, Lance stood at the edge of the training grounds, watching as Rynne barked orders at the group of goblin warriors. The air was alive with the clang of wooden weapons and the grunts of exertion as the goblins sparred, their movements a little dull, but the sharpness was still visible.

"You call that a block?" Rynne growled, glaring at a younger warrior who was still catching her breath. "If you can't stop a wooden spear, how do you expect to stop a real one?"

The goblin gulped and nodded, resuming her stance.

Lance smiled faintly, 'man she's tough.' He thought to himself.

He turned to leave, but a sudden, sharp pain shot through his chest, forcing him to his knees.

"Lance!" Rynne's voice cut through the din as she rushed to his side, prompting the others around to look over with concerned and shocked faces, some even rushing towards him.

"I'm fine," Lance managed, though his vision swam.

The pain intensified, as a searing heat that seemed to pulse from within him burned his every essence. Then, just as quickly as it had started, it was gone, replaced by a strange warmth that spread through his body.

"What... just happened?" Lance muttered, clutching his chest.

Lia appeared moments later, her expression calm but concerned. "You just went through an awakening," she said, her sharp yellow eyes studying him while she did some checks on his body, though, nothing much.

"As in some kind of ability? Like magic?" Lance asked, his voice hoarse.

Lia nodded. "Most likely. Every being in this world has the potential for it. Some just take longer to awaken, while others never do."

Lance stumbled to his feet, leaning heavily on Rynne for support, Lia helping him up by his other side. "Great. What is it? Can I throw fireballs or summon storms now? Perhaps, even fly?"

"I wouldn't count on that," Rynne said, smirking. "You're more the strategy type."

Lance laughed weakly. "We can never tell until I figure it out."

As he regained his balance, he extended his hand instinctively, curious about what his newfound power might be. To his surprise, a faint golden glow enveloped his palm. The warmth from earlier surged outward a few inches, and to Rynne's arm, where a small bruise from sparring had darkened her green skin.

To everyone's surprise, the bruise vanished instantly, leaving behind no sign of it ever existing!

"What...?!" Rynne stared at her arm, wide-eyed.

Lance blinked. "Did I just... heal you? Is my special skill a healing skill?!" He 'almost' panicked as he stared at his faintly glowing palm in disbelieve, the concept not yet sunken in.

Word spread quickly through the camp: Lance had awakened a healing skill. The goblins crowded around him, their expressions a mix of awe and curiosity.

Lance, being a leader who wanted to lead his people not by brains alone, but by might, felt whatever pride and ego he had in him sink into a bottomless abyss as everyone stared at him.

After at least two minutes, he was finally able to bring his head up to look at his people, expecting disappointment as he pictured it in his mind, but instead, what he saw was pure fascination and happiness. This gave him a little bit of hope momentarily.

...

The next day, Rynne wasted no time incorporating Lance's healing magic into the warriors' training regimen.

"You're not getting any special treatment just because Lance can patch you up," she announced to the gathered warriors, her voice sharp. "If anything, you'll train harder. No excuses."

The goblins groaned but obeyed, their drills becoming increasingly grueling under Rynne's watchful eye. Lance stood nearby, his hands glowing faintly as he healed cuts, bruises, and the occasional sprained joints amongst other injuries. Rynne used the excuse, saying it would also help Lance practice his new ability to explore his limits and capabilities.

So far, he had experienced no set backs, and was yet to hit his limit. Needless to say, his ability offered perfect healing and was fast.

"Keep moving!" Rynne shouted, her golden eyes gleaming. "Lance can heal your bodies, but he can't fix your laziness!" Well, they could be least described as lazy, but so goes the words of every trainer.

Despite the harshness of her words, the results were undeniable. The goblins pushed themselves harder than ever, knowing that even if they stumbled, Lance's magic would get them back on their feet.

...

By the end of the first week, the warriors had transformed. Their strikes were faster, their movements sharper, and their endurance nearly doubled. Even Rynne, who was rarely impressed, couldn't hide her satisfaction.

"They're improving," she admitted, watching as a pair of goblins sparred with surprising finesse.

"It's because of you," Lance chuckled drily to himself, visualizing Rynne as some intense military officer training new recruits. "Your leadership makes all the difference."

Rynne smirked. "And it's because of you they're still standing after all this. If it was Mira, she would have already collapsed by now, honestly, do you ever run out?"

"Well, I don't know yet. I guess we'll see."

...

Mira approached Lance later that evening, her expression thoughtful.

"You're using a lot of your magic," she said, her tone laced with concern. "Doesn't it take a toll?"

Lance shook his head. "Not really. It's strange, it's like the magic replenishes itself almost as fast as I use it. I barely even feel tired after every day's use."

Mira frowned. "That's... unusual. Healing magic normally comes at a lot of cost."

"Maybe I'm just lucky," Lance said, though her words lingered in his mind.

"Also, you might be healing the goblin warriors to enable them train harder and longer, but healing magic can only go so far. It only heals the physical, not the mental." Mira explained.

"Yeah, I thought about it too. I've actually spoken to Rynne about it. To make sure they don't collapse from mental exhaustion, we won't utilize it frequently." Lance explained.

"That's a great idea!" Mira said with a warm smile.

"Haha, it's just common sense. You just came back not long ago, right? Let me help you carry the basket." Lance offered, stretching his hand to take the basket of herbs she was holding.

"Thank you very much. Come on, I'll tell you something fascinating I came across."