Chapter 222 - No Time (2)
Billy passed the message, and Jean thanked him for it, but he didn't say anything else. It didn't seem like he was planning to make his group move too soon. That seemed the correct choice since the new recruits being trained by Kate, Natalie, Lily, Alexander, and Sarah barely had two months of training.
After Billy informed Jean, he gave a day off to his staff and then invited his friends to have dinner with them. That was a good chance for him to inform them properly and make them prepare to move as soon as possible in case something happens.
"For them to be spotted near Aura's territory… didn't they realize that Rosalie is there?" Kate asked.
"The possibility exists, but it might be a coincidence and they are just trying to use their new power on Aura," Billy said. "She is aware of the changes in the war, so she won't fall for their plans that easily."
Aura was smart, so she probably has been preparing for a situation like that since she decided to ally with Jean. The only problem was the fact that Billy didn't come up with any good counter against the tamers' skills to manipulate others. A log war would be disastrous to their side since the barbarians are good with melee fighting and could use Fierce Aura. The knowledge of that skill was spreading thanks to Billy's friends. Still, it was necessary quite a lot of time to learn how to use mana and apply the aura, which was something that the barbarians could do Instinctively without knowing how to control mana.
"Each of your groups will be important in the next war, so we will end up leading many people," Billy said. "I hope that you have been sharpening your skills because we will need to keep our troops with high morale."
His friends nodded. Naturally, the commanders of each group would be the ones who would control that. They weren't soldiers, so they could only do so by showing an excellent fight to their students. Billy knew that they wouldn't lose to run-of-the-mill soldiers. Still, he couldn't help but feel worried since they would be targeted for being who they are and for being leaders of many groups.
In the end, Billy couldn't spare many thoughts for the manipulated barbarians, he felt bad about them, but if he pulled back his punches, his side would pay the price. Whatever losses they may suffer, their leaders will be the main cause of it, for picking a fight with enemies they couldn't yet understand.
Billy's friends realized the severity of the situation, and while they weren't slacking off with their training, they began to reunite early in the morning every day again in order to train as much as possible. Billy thought that Lily and Alexander would have a hard time keeping up, but they never missed a day... even though they were having busy nights. It annoyed Billy to know when they did the deed, and it was easy to realize since Alexander would always show up while humming. Whenever that happened, Billy would make his trip by using Earth magic. Alexander would look for rocks in Billy's garden afterward, but he never found anything.
In any case, after doing some research, Billy learned that the barbarians excel at brute strength, stamina, and their healing capacity. So, he decided to focus his training and his friends based on their capacity to keep fighting for longer periods of time. Again, their leadership would be essential if they wanted their students to survive, and with that in mind, he pushed his friends to the limits and made them level up Vigor. Making them learn recovery was also a good idea, but Billy didn't know the trigger for that skill yet.
Aside from that, Billy also made them train their evasive maneuvers and reacting speed. They couldn't keep blocking the attacks of those physically stronger every single time, after all. In the end, they managed to keep up training like that for two more months until some spies informed Jean that the barbarians were moving in droves westward. At least twenty thousand of them… they really were being controlled. Bringing that many of them to cross two countries would leave their borders unprotected. In any case, an army was preparing to leave the capital and head to intercept the enemies, and just like Billy thought, Jean gave his friends the power to lead the recruits. That was probably their best option, given their lack of experience.
Billy thought he would have to give his friends a hand, mostly the girls, since they didn't participate in the last war. Some pointers were necessary for how they should act in front of the soldiers that they were going to lead. Still, after four months of interacting with them, they didn't need to do much aside from saying a few words to them. When Billy passed nearby the recruits, he saw them looking at his friends with eyes full of respect… they frowned while looking at him, though.
Billy - Lv 89 3300/25.000 EXP
HP: 548/ 548
MP: 997/ 997
SP: 457/ 457
Strength: 213
Speed: 155
Magic: 296
Endurance: 91
Dexterity: 73
Status Points: 75
Skills: Deadly Wind Lv 29 (+ 03), Steel Spear Lv 29 (+ 09), Light Spear Lv35(+ 03), Fierce Aura Lv 48 (+ 04 UP), Power Throw Lv 17, Combo Lv 09
Spells:Mana/EXP conversion Lv ∞, Exp Master Lv ∞, Analyze Lv 31, Appraisal Lv 35, Meditation Lv 56 (+ 04), Earth Manipulation Lv 59, Mana Infusion Lv 53, Water Manipulation Lv 51 (+ 13), Wind Manipulation Lv 51 (+ 14), Fire Manipulation Lv 51(+ 08), Zen Lv 33 (+ 06), Check Up Lv 05, Earth Transformation Lv 05 Wind Transformation Lv 05, Water Transformation Lv 05, Fire Transformation Lv 05
Passive: Language Skill Lv 60 (+ 03), Spearmanship Lv 64, Swordsmanship Lv 15, Archery Lv 33, Firing Speed Lv 15, Quick Spear Lv 30 (+ 03), Block Mastery Lv 21 (+ 03), Writing Lv 29 (+ 03), Reading Lv 29 (+ 03), Pain Resistance Lv 17, Recovery Lv 18 + 06, Blacksmithing Lv 31 (+11 UP), Dash Lv 15 (+ 02 UP), Fire Resistance Lv 19, Heat Resistance Lv 17, Vigor Lv 19 (+ 06UP), Poison Resistance Lv 12
Skill Points: 100