The following day, the young Ryūsuke no longer has to attend the military institute. He now enjoys two full months of vacation. However, he intends to manage this time carefully and focus it entirely on training for the martial arts tournament that will soon take place.

With that training-driven determination, he rises very early in the morning.

After a short while, an elderly man who lives in the same house also awakens. He is a master of martial arts named Jōdosu Ryūsuke. To his pleasant surprise, as soon as he gets up, he immediately realizes that his grandson is already training in the small practice field located on the property.

This training field is covered in grass, which is usually kept neatly trimmed, and trees line its sides. Besides being a place for training, it also serves as a garden, one that the old man tends to with care. Despite his age, he still carries himself with a healthy presence. He walks with a straight back and maintains a well-toned body. His long white hair is tied back, reaching down to his lower back. Across the small training field, which also doubles as a garden, there are several sand dummies and other training tools.

The elder is dressed in a green robe with red stripes and a black belt. He steps barefoot onto the training field. His grandson, deeply focused on his exercises, notices his presence and immediately stops doing push-ups. He stands upright before his grandfather and master, adopting a firm military stance.

“Good morning, Grandpa!”

“Good morning, my boy. I see you’ve started your first day of vacation with great enthusiasm. I must say, that attitude is a good one.”

“Thank you! But I still have a long way to go, honestly, far too much. Please, train me!” the boy pleads, bowing respectfully.

“If I remember correctly, the last time we trained, we focused on hand-to-hand combat, didn’t we?” the grandfather asks as he walks toward the flowers in the garden while speaking to his grandson.

“That’s right…”

“Physical combat training is very important, but working on your control of Element-Energy is even more so. The Wind techniques you currently control are ‘Wind Step’ and ‘Wind Explosion,’ correct?”

“That’s correct!”

“Then show me how you apply your ‘Wind Explosion’ on that sand dummy, please.”

The boy focuses on the indicated sand dummy. He then takes a slow breath, concentrates elemental energy into the palm of his right hand, and points it toward the target.

Element-Energy gathers within his palm, and this flow of energy causes the surrounding wind to accumulate in his hand. He then releases that energy toward the sand target. Upon impact, a loud explosion echoes, and powerful gusts of wind are expelled in all directions, creating aggressive wind bursts.

This form of attack is known as “Wind Explosion.”

When the wind from the attack finally settles and the dust stirred from the violently shaken sand dummy dissipates, it becomes clear that the impact only destroyed the left half of the dummy.

“Argh! I think I needed more element!” the young man complains angrily.

“No. What you lacked was more energy,” the adult states firmly.

“What do you mean?” Jin asks, confused.

“For an energy-based attack to have a great effect, it must carry more Energy than Element. Never forget that. The element exists naturally in the environment. It is we who mold it with our energy and give it form in order to execute an attack. We also give it power and direction. The same amount of Element you expelled could be used in the weakest possible gust and still not result in a powerful strike.”

“In other words… you have to apply more energy than element?”

“In battle, yes, but—”

The old man suddenly extends his hand. He opens his palm, and a blue flash of energy bursts forth, striking his grandson forcefully in the stomach. Jin doubles over from the impact, the air knocked partially from his lungs.

“Cough! Cough! W-what?!” Jin groans in pain, clutching his stomach.

“Applying more energy than element during training would be very dangerous, don’t you think? You don’t always need to use more energy. What you truly need is the common sense to know when to apply more and when not to. The attack you performed a moment ago can cause significant damage, but in real combat, it’s not wise to use raw element alone. That causes excessive exhaustion.”

Jin steadies himself and stands back up.

“Now, I want to see your Wind Step.”

This technique is a rapid movement skill that allows Wind element users to evade attacks or cover long distances in a short amount of time. Jin moves across the training field using this technique repeatedly. However, after fifteen consecutive uses, when he finally stops and returns to stand before his grandfather, he is visibly drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.

“The fact that you’re this tired means you lack energy stamina. You get exhausted far too quickly. It seems you don’t know how to properly control your energy reserves. You release it too aggressively and fail to manage it. How many times did you use Wind Step? Fifteen, perhaps?”

“I-I think so… W-what is energy stamina?” the boy asks, worried.

“It’s the same concept as physical stamina in combat. Both physical endurance and elemental endurance are necessary to maintain strong resistance. Both exhaust the body. The difference is that if you run out of energy and overexert yourself in battle, you can collapse unconscious.”

“Then… is poor energy stamina worse than poor physical stamina?” he asks, stunned.

“You are the living example of that right now,” the old man replies with a smile.

Jin shows clear fatigue due to his inability to properly control his energy reserves. For users of his element, energy control is particularly demanding because of how easily it disperses into the environment.

The ability to retain energy and prevent it from dissipating uncontrollably through the element is what grants true mastery over energy reserves for Wind elemental users.

After some time resting, the young Ryūsuke resumes his training.

Will he be able to learn how to conserve his own energy without letting it dissipate so easily?

Information Piece: The Ryūsuke Family

This is a small family native to the Nation of Wind. They place a strong emphasis on honor compared to other clans and family dynasties.

The family consists of several sub-branches that have expanded over time, particularly in one of the more distant districts of the Nation of Wind. All of these Ryūsuke family branches share a specific martial style. One of the most influential members due to his martial and elemental talent has been the man known as Jōdosu Ryūsuke, head of a Ryūsuke branch residing near the Capital City.

Within this family, many members have won elemental tournaments held internally within the Nation. The elder Jōdosu himself was one of them.

For this reason, the young Jin Ryūsuke feels immense pressure to achieve the same success. He trains with the ideal of continuing the prestigious legacy initiated by his grandfather, a legacy that his father also upheld.

According to the customs of this Nation, winning an Elemental Dragon greatly elevates a family’s prestige, as well as that of the individual. It places them above many of their peers, not only in terms of power, but also in recognition as someone who stood out among their generation by earning that honor through publicly won battles in the tournament.