“Mira!”

  Ats’s heart raced as he sed the area, slipping slightly on the slick rocks. Finally, he spotted her—ging upside-down to the cliff wall, her legs spyed awkwardly as if she were some kind of overenthusiastic lizard.

  Her face, however, was lit with excitement. “Hahaha! My Lord, this is fun!” she said, ughing gleefully before promptly losing her grip and tumbling forward.

  Ats sprinted over to make sure the girl was truly unharmed—including her head, which had hit the cliff wall.

  Well, as for what was inside her head… that wasn’t something to worry about. It didn’t seem like it had been in a normal state to begin with.

  Before he could say more, another massive wave loomed, surging toward them. Ats pulled Mira behind a rge boulder, knowing it would provide some cover.

  The wave crashed, water r around them. He spotted Lyrassa rushing toward them. But the wave struck faster than she could reach them.

  Ats felt himself thrown by the force of the water, smming into Mira and pinning her against the cliff wall.

  “Is she okay?!” He thought.

  To his shock, even amidst the chaos and the overwhelming surge of water, her face broke into a wide grin. She ughed hysterically as if she were on the ride of her life.

  “Is she seriously okay?!”

  The wave’s retreat dragged them both back toward the boulder, where they collided heavily.

  “My Lord, this is fun! Hahaha! I love it!” she giggled, gripping him tightly.

  Ats barely had time to catch his breath as another wave began to form. If they couldn’t hold onto the boulder, the o’s pull might drag them out into the depths, leaving them at the mercy of the current—or worse, lost entirely.

  Kurogasa appeared nearby, attempting to expin something, but his voice was drowned out by the deafening roar of the wave.

  The moment, the water smashed into them again, and Ats was hurled backward, his body smming against the cliff.

  Eugh! His back felt like it had been shattered into a hundred pieces.

  Then, something soft collided with him from the front.

  Dazed, Ats realized it was Mira, who had been thrown directly into him. As the wave receded, they were flung once more toward the boulder, nding heavily.

  Eugh!

  Ats groaned, his lungs burning as he struggled for air. He had to figure out a way to secure them before the wave hit—or they might not be able to stay on nd for much longer.

  Between each retreat of the massive waves, Kurogasa tinued expining. Ats did his best to focus on Kurogasa’s words while enduring the relentless assault. Lyrassa, thankfully, had secured both him and Mira to the ground with vines, preventing them from being swept out to sea.

  “My Lord, let me expily how you mao survive that monster of a wave.”

  Another wave smashed into them, hurling Ats face-first into the cliff. Blood trickled from his nose as he groaned in pain.

  Mira? Still ughing and having the time of her life.

  “First off,” Kurogasa began, “your Water Affinity is what will guide you to master the wave. When it hits, don’t try to fight it. Instead, let the force of the water flow around you. The protective barrier you’ve jured will soften the impact, giving you just enough space to take a.”

  “Then, there was your Earth Affinity. Right before the wave smmed into you, I noticed how you instinctively anchored yourself in the sand. Smart thinking. That e to the ground gave you the stability you o hold your position.”

  Ats tightened his grip on his spear, using it to brace himself as another wave began to build. Holding onto the on was being increasingly difficult as the relentless water battered him. His entire body felt like it had beeen down, bruised and cut from head to toe.

  “And stly,” Kurogasa added, “your Ironcd Will. It kept your head clear when panic might’ve made you freeze. Most people would’ve lost their wits staring down a wave of that size, but not you. That resolve is why you’re still here, My Lord.”

  Another massive wave roared toward them, and Ats braced himself, gripping his spear tightly as he prepared to e another assault.

  “Great… now I just o survive one more lecture and not drown in the process,” he muttered to himself.

  Ats steeled himself, spinning his spear as he focused ily on drawing elemental particles around him for prote.

  “Strengthen your footing—water! Let it flow around you!” he thought, grounding himself firmly as the massive wave surged forward.

  He let the energy of the water course through his body, attempting to move with the force rather than against it.

  “Split the wave!”

  With a determined shout, Ats swung his spear in an overhead strike, aiming to cut through the ining wall of water.

  And then—

  WHAM!

  The wave smmed into him with relentless force, sending him hurtling backward. His body collided violently with the cliff wall, and sharp rocks dug into his back.

  “Eugh!” he groaned.

  I’m dead. This is how I die.

  Nearby, Mira g effortlessly te rock. “My Lord, I know you do it! Let’s go, My Lord!”

  Lyrassa, standing behind her protective vines, called out. “My Lord, you’re doing wonderfully.”

  Kurogasa gave a respectful bow toward Ats.

  “Thanks. I always knew you enjoyed watg me suffer like this.”

  Lyrassa chuckled softly. “I’ll always celebrate your successes, My Lord.”

  Another massive wave approached, r louder than the one before. Ats braced himself again, fortifying his body with the elemental particles he had gathered.

  The wave hit.

  No!

  Ats was flung backward once more, tumbling through the chaotic water. This time, his mouth filled with seawater as he choked down a hefty gulp.

  Eugh!

  Great. If the waves don’t kill me, I’ll probably drown from drinking half the o.

  Ats released Zefyros, his spirit beast, who immediately leapt into the sand, crag with electricity. However, Zefyros’s enthusiasm sent stray bolts of lightning shooting out, one of which struck Mira.

  “Zefyros! Stop with the big sparks!” Mira shouted.

  Zefyros zipped toward the ining wave, diving headfirst into the o and vanishih the surface.

  Ats steadied himself once mripping his spear tightly as the massive wave crashed down. It sent him hurtling bato the cliff wall yet again, his muscles screaming in protest. He g to his spear with all his strength, refusing to let go.

  This cycle repeated for hours. Wave after wave, Ats ehe brutal impact, struggling to el the elemental particles and hoping for even the slightest breakthrough.

  But with each punishing hit, he began to notiething. The flow of the waves, their rhythm, and the way they surged and receded—he could feel it now. He started to anticipate when the wave would throw him bad how its force would pull him forward.

  Ats adjusted his footing, brag himself with newfound awareness.

  I do this, he thought, determinati within him. I finish this training.

  “Let’s go, My Lord!” Mira cheered from a distance, her forehead bleeding.

  “You do it, My Lord,” Lyrassa called.

  Fog deeply, Ats let the elemental water surround him, feeling its energy resohin him. He spun his spear, preparing for the massive wave as it approached.

  The wave loomed higher, r as it crashed toward him. At the perfeent, Ats swung his spear in an overhead strike.

  Split the wave!

  The wave cleaved in two, parting momentarily before closing again and crashing into him. Ats was flung backward, but this time he nded on his feet, pnting his spear firmly into the sand.

  Digging in with all his strength, he held his ground against the powerful pull of the water, his body leaning forward as if in defiance of the wave’s might.

  He focused on staying calm, letting his body align with the flow of the water rather thaing it. As the wave retreated bato the o, Ats remaianding, only inches away from the cliff wall.

  For the first time, he had mao ehe wave without being thrown pletely off ba wasn’t perfect, but it rogress.

  As he looked around, he noticed the sky had begun to darken. The day was nearing its end, but he knew he had made a breakthrough!