Master Of Astral Summoner-Chapter 156: The path of Stillness

"Uhm..." Chelsie looked around, making sure she wasn’t the only one feeling confused. "What do you mean by ’different’ compared to the others?"

"The creatures of darkness that you must defeat in the cave are skilled in disguising themselves, so you will have a hard time finding them."

"Good disguisers?"

"That’s right, Miss Nalira. The advantage of these creatures is that their bodies can adjust their color to match their surroundings.

’Ah, sounds like a chameleon,’ Shaan stroked his chin slowly. ’Unique.’

"However," Dr. Marshal continued, "even though the creature prefers hiding rather than attacking, you must remain extremely cautious once it strikes. Its attacks carry enough power to incapacitate a Daemonist."

"T-that sounds terrifying..." Chelsie swallowed hard, her face growing tense. "S-so what should we do to find it more easily?"

"Same question," Nalira added. "Is there a special trick to dealing with it?"

"Whoa, calm down, young ladies." Dr. Marshall smiled, seeing their enthusiasm. "There are actually two ways to find that creature easily. However, the second way is much more difficult than the first."

"What?" Shaan leaned forward slightly, his face looking tense. "What should we do?"

"The easiest way is to ask your daemon for help in using their skills to easily locate the creature," explained Dr. Marshall. "Daemons of the charity class have skills that can track the location of enemies."

’Charity?’ Shaan was silent for a moment. ’Chelsie’s Daemon is a Charity’s class. She will definitely have an advantage in this match. ’

"What about the second way?"

"Of course—meditation," Dr. Marshal said enthusiastically. "Meditation calms your mind and sharpens your senses, allowing you to perceive the creature’s presence more clearly."

"That sounds reasonable, but also quite difficult," Nalira said.

"Exactly," Shaan scratched his head. "How are we supposed to meditate calmly inside that cave? What if the creature suddenly attacks us while we’re meditating?"

"The creature won’t attack you as long as you don’t attack it first," Dr. Marshal explained. "As long as you leave it alone, it will choose to hide rather than engage."

"Uhm... I don’t know, but I feel like this creature is similar to a mimic."

"That’s right, Miss Chelsie." Dr. Marshal smiled in satisfaction. "However, this one is far stronger than a mimic—so you must remain extremely careful."

"Meditation also helps strengthen your bond with your daemon, so the stronger your bond, the more trust you will have with your daemon." Dr. Marshal explained. "The stronger your bond becomes, the more trust you build with your daemon. A higher bond level will greatly help you subdue this dark creature."

"Alright, we understand."

"Good. If you don’t have any more questions, all of you should all eat and get some rest," Dr. Marshal said as he stood up from his sofa. "You’ve exhausted your energy, and you need to keep yourselves in top condition for the second examination coming soon."

"Sir Marshall, Shaan, Miss Nalira, and Miss Chelsie, the food is ready," Mr. Courier winked. "Let’s eat together."

Without wasting any time, they all walked to the dining table and began eating together. Mr. Courier’s cooking never disappointed—its taste rivaled even Dr. Marshal’s own dishes. Naturally, he had learned everything from Dr. Marshal himself. Everyone looked cheerful and enjoyed the meal happily.

However, despite enjoying the food in front of him, Shaan couldn’t calm his mind. His thoughts kept circling back to one problem—how he could prove his words so others wouldn’t label him as crazy or suspicious.

’Just forget it,’ Shaan thought. ’Instead of worrying about it, I should calm down and prepare myself for the Daemon Hunt Rite that is coming up soon.’

***

"Once again, you impress me with your cooking skills, Courier 020," Dr. Marshal said as he placed his spoon beside his empty plate and smiled in satisfaction. "Your cooking keeps improving. At this rate, your dishes might even surpass mine someday," he added with a laugh.

"I’m glad you enjoyed it, Sir Marshal," the courier replied with a smile. "No, that would be impossible. Your cooking still far surpasses mine," he said as he began collecting the plates from the table one by one. "I’ll head to the kitchen and clean these up."

"I’ll help you." Nalira stood up from her chair and helped Mr. Courier collect the plates from the table.

"Uhm... Me too," said Chelsie. "It will be done much faster if we work together."

Mr. Courier was silent for a moment. "Very well. If Miss Nalira and Miss Chelsie don’t mind, I won’t stop you."

The atmosphere grew quiet once the others left for the kitchen, leaving only Shaan and Dr. Marshal in the dining room.

"Uh, Dr. Marshal, there’s something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

"It’s about the second method you mentioned earlier," Shaan said as he let out a long sigh. "Honestly, I still can’t properly master meditation. It’s hard."

"You’re right," Dr. Marshall nodded. "Meditation can be very difficult if you don’t take it seriously."

Shaan leaned back in his chair, rubbing his forehead. "That’s right, and I’ll probably have a hard time performing the daemon hunt rite."

"Hmm..." Dr. Marshall stroked his chin. "I could help you with that."

Shaan fell silent immediately, his eyes widening slightly. "R-Really? Do you want to help me?"

"Yes, of course. Why not?" Dr. Marshal replied calmly. "Besides, the Lunaris Revia event has suspended my courier duties for the next few days, so I don’t have much to do. I can help you—if you’re willing."

"Oh my—of course I am!" Shaan immediately broke into a wide smile. "Thank you so much, Dr. Marshal. Once again, thank you for always helping me."

"Just don’t expect too much. I’m just teaching you what I usually do, so this method may not necessarily be effective for you."

"I understand, Dr. Marshal."

"Alright. I’m going to rest now." Dr. Marshal stood up and stretched his arms above his head. "Today’s meetings drained more energy than I expected," he said as he yawned several times. "You should rest as well. Today must have exhausted you."

"I understand. I’ll go rest right away."

"Good. Have a good rest. "Tomorrow, we’ll start practicing."

"Okay, I will. Thanks. Have a good rest, Dr Marshal."

As Dr. Marshal left the dining room, Shaan stood still for a moment. Deep down, relief and happiness filled his chest. Dr. Marshal’s willingness to help meant more to him than he expected. Meditation had always been one of the hardest things Shaan had ever tried to master, and he sincerely hoped that—with Dr. Marshal’s guidance—he could finally overcome this long-standing difficulty. Maybe.