Chapter 22

The second step of training begins when I nearly die.

Sigh-san evacuates to a distant sky, and I use my ability to its limit at a certain distance from the camp house.

The explosion resounds, and the trees groan as they are hit by the shockwave.

I had already driven away the monsters and birds with a light sound, so there’s no unnecessary killing of living things.

However, the birds perched on the trees in the forest still take flight at the sound of the explosion.

At first, using my full power is fun, but it gradually becomes painful.

After repeating it a few times, I eventually pass out without realizing it. It’s that painful.

That’s when Sigh-san finally comes to help.

Once I’ve recovered a little, Sigh-san forcibly wakes me up.

Waking up in the worst mood, I suffer from nausea, dizziness, and headaches for a while, but they eventually subside.

From there, I’m forced to eat the food Sigh-san made and recover to a level where I can function (mostly through sheer willpower).

This is not at all funny.

Using my ability to its limit nearly kills me, just as Roll taught me.

The feeling is as if I’m wearing myself out to the point of death.

“How’s it going?”

Sigh-san peered at my face, which was in a terrible state.

I was lying face down on a makeshift table in the square in front of the camp house.

It’s only natural, given that I was forced to eat to my limit while in a groggy state.

“How’s it going... I can’t even walk, it’s that bad…”

“Can you hear my heartbeat?”

“...No, I can’t.”

“That’s the off state. Your stamina will gradually recover.

But even when your stamina returns, maintain the off state.”

“How do I maintain it?”

“Get used to the feeling of not being able to use your ability.

Even when your stamina returns and you can hear sounds, deliberately don’t listen.

Reject your ability.”

I see.

I don’t quite understand how to do it yet, but since I use my ability by feeling, I guess I can manage by feeling.

I continue the training with this in mind.

But reality is not so kind.

As my stamina recovers, I inevitably start to hear sounds.

While I’m weak, I can suppress it, but as I regain my strength, I can’t control the constant presence of my ability.

If I can’t maintain the off state, the training is repeated.

I have to push myself to the limit and use my ability again.

This training takes a lot of time.

It takes a long time for my stamina to recover, so I can’t practice many times in a day.

The training is conducted for three days straight, and I’m forced into the off state three times a day.

Sigh-san says not to do it more than three times.

It seems he’s thinking about me a little.

But it’s still hell.

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I started to get the hang of it from the fourth time.

The fourth time, I was able to maintain the off state for a much longer time than the third.

I immediately reported to Sigh-san.

“That’s the spirit. Keep it up.

Think about why it worked.”

So, I keep it up.

Why it worked.

Maybe it’s because I was doing something else.

Until the third time, I just lay face down on the table while recovering, but on the fourth time, I forced myself to walk around.

The purpose was to pass out and have Sigh-san take care of me.

That evil intention helped me take a step forward.

If I only think about my ability, I accidentally turn it on.

It might be more important to have the feeling of “realizing I’m not using it” rather than always straining to listen.

I continue the training.

I faint every time I push myself to the limit, and I get a little sleep when I recover, so my sleep time isn’t a problem.

Considering that 10-day period, I can go without sleep for three days in this safe place.

Anyway, my training progressed smoothly on the fifth and sixth attempts.

But something happened on the seventh attempt.

I managed to switch from the off state to on and then back to off again.

It was only for a moment.

I wanted to report to Sigh-san immediately, but he was sleeping at this time.

Even when I’m working so hard, he’s sound asleep in the camp house.

Yet, if I try to sneak into the camp house, he immediately wakes up and stops me.

How does he notice me even when I’m not making any sound or presence?

Well, that’s fine.

I can’t wake Sigh-san up.

But it’s a waste. It’s a shame to lose the chance to get Sigh-san’s advice when I’m just about to grasp it.

So, I thought of trying to push myself to the limit again and re-attempt it.

My stamina hasn’t fully recovered yet.

Sigh-san says that even if my stamina returns enough to turn on, I should rest for a while.

That’s why it’s limited to three times a day.

Going back and forth to the limit in quick succession is dangerous.

But I want to recall that feeling now.

I feel like it’s just a little more from there.

Just one more time. Just one more time, let’s try it.

With that thought, I leave the camp house and head deeper into the forest.

I can walk because I’ve recovered to a certain extent, but it’s a strange feeling to get used to being in a tough state.

For the early eighth attempt, I won’t use my ability until I pass out because there’s no help from Sigh-san.

I just need to reduce my stamina to a level where it’s easy to turn off.

When I reach the edge of Sigh-san’s gravity barrier, I release my ability.

Sigh-san would wake up if I make a loud noise... or so I thought, but when I use my ability to the limit, I don’t just make random sounds.

The direction of the sound.

Yes, I’ve learned to give the sound a certain direction.

I can’t pinpoint the sound yet, but I can control the direction of the sound I produce to some extent.

Yes, this way, I can reduce my stamina without Sigh-san noticing!

This training method is also kind of masochistic...

I feel sad that I’m getting enthusiastic about a training that involves reducing my own stamina.

No, it’s for getting stronger.

I start the masochistic work.

The direction of the sound is up.

I keep making sounds that aren’t too loud.

Sometimes I make different sounds or play with the frequency.

It’s quite fun.

It seems that sound isn’t affected by gravity.

While listening to the sound passing through Sigh-san’s gravity barrier, I think about this.

After continuing to make sounds for a while, when it starts to become painful to make sounds,

It broke through the gravity barrier above my head and came.