The Value of Knowledge

"What do you mean by profit, isn't it clear that profit is gaining strength that exceeds human limits?" Someone asked in confusion

"No, the benefits are much more magical than that. However, the one that stands out is the increase in lifespan." The sergeant uttered calmly.

'How can mana make someone live longer?' Kayden wondered, his mind filled with doubt.

"Mana purifies the body," The sergeant explained as if he could read Kayden's thoughts, "Cultivating it will increase its resilience and the longevity of your organs, slowing down aging."

"How long can someone live?" someone asked expectantly.

"You have to know that in mana cultivation there are several stages, and each stage greatly increases longevity." He said, dodging the question and gesturing for a woman with a raised hand to speak.

"You mentioned talent earlier, what exactly does it affect when it comes to training?" a red-haired woman asked.

"Well, this is a very broad topic so I'll summarize it for you." He began by saying.

'My talent shouldn't be bad. After all, I have two elements and I've already unlocked four nodes.' Kayden thought.

The sergeant paced back and forth as he spoke, "There are many types of talent. Talent for fighting, perceiving mana, cultivating, or enduring pain."

"Which is the most important?" Questioned a voice.

"All are fundamental and all are related to each other. However, for what I'm going to talk about next, the most important one is to endure pain." Said the sergeant.

"Shouldn't it be the talent to cultivate or fight?" Said another person, mentioning what everyone was thinking.

"No, in the face of absolute power, fighting talent is useless. As for the cultivation talent, its fundamentals depend on how much pain you can endure." He looked at them and asked, "Can anyone think of why that is?"

"I'm guessing it's somehow related to node unlocking." Kayden reasoned, earning a smile from the sergeant.

"Exactly. Unlike what the Introduction to the Art of Mana Use says, which only states to unlock nodes, the Nodes Unlocking stage is more complex." He explained.

"Can you be any clearer?" Questioned the red-haired woman.

"Of course. While it explains that the individual can advance to the next stage as soon as he has a certain number of nodes unlocked, it omits that the more nodes he unlocks before advancement the greater his potential will be."

Many frowned when they realized that they wouldn't have known this if they had not been told.

"Does that mean we shouldn't advance to the next stage as soon as we can?" Another voice asked.

"Yes, otherwise you would be wasting your potential."

"Why didn't the representative tell us that?" said a boy who barely looked fourteen.

The sergeant laughed and replied, "Why should he? You don't seem to understand something. In this society, knowledge is power, and power is not free."

Kayden thought about it and agreed, 'Times are changing. With the right knowledge, someone once harmless might become a threat.'

"Imagine sharing your knowledge with someone, so that when they are more powerful they will turn on you." He explained in a serious voice, making the others begin to understand that not everything was wonderful.

"How many nodes should we unlock before we try to advance stages?" the red-haired woman asked, causing everyone to strain their ears.

"This is where mental fortitude and talent for enduring pain come in. You should unlock nodes until you can't take the pain of the process."

They all swallowed when they heard the drastic answer.

"Okay, let's move on now to the new department. You have been selected to enter the new Mana Users Department, where you will be able to earn rewards based on your achievements."

"Are there any conditions that limit our freedom? Such as a period of stay or orders that we have to compulsorily follow?" A puny old man asked in a cold voice.

"Not in principle." Replied the sergeant, as if expecting the question.

"In principle?" the red-haired woman questioned in an icy voice while she narrowed her eyes.

"Yes. Your freedom will not be restricted unless our country is at war." The sergeant enunciated unperturbed, "I must remind you that, if we go to war, everything you value will be in jeopardy, so I don't think it will be a big deal to have to defend your country."

'Tsk, I'm afraid the time when I would sacrifice myself for others is long gone.' Kayden thought coldly.

"You have two choices, join the department and get the advantages it grants, or leave the aid station and make a life for yourselves." Announced the sergeant, smiling as he saw that no one was leaving.

He walked over to a table, grabbed some badges from one of the boxes there, and walked back to the entrance of the building as he looked around at everyone.

"Next, those of you who have unlocked a node will receive a badge and return to the building. Those of you who have unlocked more will have to wait here." He said, handing a staff member the stack of badges.

"What do you mean by those who have unlocked more?" A young woman asked.

"Exactly that. While most of you unlocked one node, a few of you unlocked more than one." The sergeant pronounced emotionlessly.

"How is that possible, didn't we all have equal time?" The young woman questioned angrily.

"Of course you had equal time, but some made it while others didn't."

"How is that fair, we made the same effort, but the result is different!" The young woman exclaimed, her eyes shining with envy

Sergeant Lee burst out laughing and replied, "Fair? Who said anything about fairness? Such is this new world, the talented stand out, the mediocre are forgotten. Now take your badge and leave."

The young woman bit her lip in anger, grabbed the badge, and stormed off toward the building.

A while later there were only four people left in the courtyard out of the more than eighty that had originally been there.

"Let's see... Charles, Audrey, Will, and... Kayden." The sergeant said, pausing on Kayden's name and causing the others to stare at him.

From the sergeant's words, Kayden deduced that Charles was the wimpy old man, Audrey the red-haired woman and Will the teenager.

"Before we begin, I would like you to tell me how many nodes you have managed to unlock at the end. You will say so in the same order in which I have named you."

The older man named Charles cleared his throat and replied, "Two." The sergeant nodded and looked at Audrey.

"Three." She said, surprising everyone presents except Kayden.

The sergeant pointed somewhat excitedly before turning his head to Will.

"Two."

Finally, the sergeant looked expectantly at Kayden and waited for his response.

"Four."

The yard fell silent before the sergeant burst into laughter and clapped his hands at Kayden. The other three, on the other hand, were dumbfounded.

"We'll see later if your words are true or not." The sergeant paused before continuing, "For the time being, you will tell me your elements and we will talk about the advantages you will get if you join the department."

The old man cleared his throat again and replied, "Darkness."

Everyone's eyebrows rose in surprise for a moment before returning to normal.

"Water." Audrey said expressionlessly.

"Earth." Will exclaimed, with a defiant look as if he was daring them to belittle him.

'Knowing that knowledge is power, I should probably hide one of my elements so I don't draw too much attention to myself. Even if I have to reveal it in the future it'll be better than if someone decides to kill me because of my potential.'

"Light." Kayden announced, causing everyone, including the sergeant, to gawk at him.