[ A record of years 5-10 spent inside the time chamber ]
"Again, Max." Kremeth's voice echoed over the windswept plains.
Max looked up from where he lay, battered and bruised from another failed attempt. His body ached and his mana was low, but he knew he couldn't afford to give in.
With a sigh, he pushed himself up, eyes hardened with resolve, he had all the time in the universe inside this chamber, all that he needed to do was keep getting back up and progressing slowly, everything else would fall into place.
The first weeks of year 5 in his training were gruelling. Max would levitate a few feet off the ground, only to lose control and crash back down moments later. The pain was familiar, an old companion by now. But that didn't make it any easier to bear.
Despite the brutal regimen, Max's progress was undeniable. His crashes became less frequent, his control, while not perfect, steadily improved. The days he spent circling the same tree, making micro-adjustments to his direction and speed, began to pay off.
He was no longer the puppet of the wind, instead, he was able to manoeuvre against even some of the strongest torrential winds while achieving speeds of flight that were comparable to that of a newly ascended god as per Kremeth.
His mana control had also improved significantly. The high consumption rate of his fire nature mana was no longer an insurmountable obstacle. His training sessions grew longer, his recovery periods shorter. The physical exhaustion still loomed, but his mental stamina soared. For the first time in a long while, Max felt that he was truly learning something that would help him with combat.
His mana stat had increased significantly since the start of his training and he eventually got stat boosts in departments such as intelligence, agility, constitution and endurance from his training session.
Physically, Max had grown leaner and stronger, his body honed by the relentless training. His energy reserves had improved manifold, enabling him to maintain flight for prolonged periods without fatigue. But it was his mental growth that was the most significant. Max's mind was as sharp and resilient as a finely crafted blade, unyielding in the face of challenges.
While it was nowhere close to stat maximisation, he had improved significantly.
With flight training completed as per Kremeth, Max was now a master of stage 2 of way of the wind. This meant that he could fly like the god's although he was a mortal and could instantly see-through the faults of a wind based attack that could be used to [ Disperse ] the move.
He was also a walking, talking weather channel now, which was capable of predicting every small gale, every shift in weather based on the scent of the wind alone.
A benefit of this was seen when he tried to use the [ Nature's Whisperer ] spell, he could now almost certainly trigger a tornado at will that could wreak havoc on enemy territory.
Having spent close to 6 years mastering level 2, Max was ahead of Kremeth's expected schedule by a full 3-4 years. According to Kremeth, if he could keep this pace up, he might be able to finish the wind training aspect of his journey in the next 12-15 years and end it a full decade earlier than he had anticipated at the start.
As Max moved into the third stage of his training in the [Way Of The Wind], the nature of his practice transformed drastically. His newfound mastery of flight was only the beginning. Kremeth began to instruct him on the practical applications of the wind on how to weave it into offensive and defensive manoeuvres.
The first set of exercises focused on utilising the wind for attacks. Under Kremeth's watchful gaze, Max began learning to shape the wind into focused gusts, sharp enough to cut through solid rock. These 'Wind Blades' were powerful but challenging to master, requiring precise manipulation of energy. Max would spend hours practising, sometimes the wind would scatter harmlessly, too weak to make a mark; at other times, it would erupt with such unexpected force that it would cut through trees, startling Max himself.
Max's defensive training was equally challenging. He had to learn to create wind barriers, protective shields that could deflect attacks. These wind shields required constant energy feed to remain stable. To maintain such a barrier under the pressure of an attack tested both Max's energy control and his concentration to their limits.
What pissed Max off was that he had to do all that knowing full well that although he could summon a very strong version of the [ Fire Wall ] a move that he could insta-cast and used no mana on his end, he still had to practise hard to create [ Wind Wall ] a move that depleted his physical stamina and mana and was still not nearly as strong as his Fire Wall
With every passing day, Max grew more adept at manipulating the wind for his attacks and defense. However, these abilities were far from the true purpose of the [Way Of The Wind] – to become one with the wind. To achieve this, Max had to infuse his very being into the wind, to make his will and the wind's will indistinguishable.
Years turned into a decade within the Time Chamber. Max's days began and ended with the wind. The vast plains had become both his home and his training ground, every gust and gale a known friend. His skills grew exponentially. The Wind Blades he summoned now sliced through the toughest boulders with ease, and the wind barriers he erected were strong enough to withstand the fiercest storms.
Physically, Max was at his peak. His body, lean and muscular, was honed by the relentless regimen. His energy reserves were greater than ever, allowing him to sustain prolonged battles without fatigue. But the most significant growth was in his understanding of the wind. His command over it was nearly flawless, his energy merging with the wind's energy to create a harmony that was beautiful and deadly at the same time.
He was also a much more refined fighter than before as for the last four years his sparring partner in this desolate world was none other than Kremeth, someone who was an even better opponent than his own clone in the mirror world and someone who could actually point out his flaws while training.
While most of their fights revolved around wind based moves, on some rare days Kremeth did allow Max to spar with him with all that he had got so that Max did not rust up on his actual abilities and on those days even Kremeth had to admit that he had fun while facing Max.
While it was not at the level where it made him sweat, Max was now certainly at a level where Kremeth could not casually ignore him and take him on with an arm tied behind his back.
The boy was growing fast, and Kremeth could see him becoming a nightmare even for tier6 god's once he was through with all his training.
His unique genius, his fast improvements and his untapped potential all gave Kremeth goosebumps when he seriously thought about it.
He had been isolated from the universe for too long and had not seen the universe shaking fight where Shakuni The Terrifying had taken on Thor Odinson, however, while they said that Shakuni was the strongest mortal to ever be, looking at Max now Kremeth could not help but wonder if he was even stronger than Max here?