Physical Training

At night, Alex was woken up by Simon to have a meal. The food was provided by the inn since the price was four gold coins which could feed a family of seven for over a month. Alex took his food silently as he tried to think about what this life had in store for him. After the meal, Alex rested for the night as he waited for dawn to come.

During his sleep, he always heard someone murmur the words, 'Golden Star.' This began since he had a strange dream and this seems to have intensified this night. While he was asleep, the dagger in his bag shined with a pale blue brilliance. The box unlocked itself as the dagger floated in the air. After some time, the light faded and the dagger dropped back into the box as it closed itself.

When Alex opened his eyes, it was already dawn, it was around 4 am, the time that he got used to waking up since he began his training. As he looked at the side, he saw that Simon had already woken up and was ready to go. "Good morning elder Simon," Alex greeted him although he was still half asleep. It seems the journey took a toll on him after enjoying the one week break he was given.

"Good morning Alex, it's almost time, prepare yourself, we're leaving in thirty minutes," Simon said as he left the room. Alex left the bed and rushed to the bathroom. He let the cold water fall on his skin driving away all the sleep that was left in him. After he was done, he used the towel he found in the bathroom to dry himself before heading back to the main room. There, he found clothes placed on his bed.

It seemed that Simon had decided to buy him some new clothes to use during his training as they were far away from their territory. It was a blue tracksuit with red stripes and a blue t-shirt. Alex hurriedly put on the clothes before putting on the black sport shoes that were left for him below the bed. He began admiring himself in this new outfit as this was the first time he had worn clothes this good since he turned seven.

After a few minutes, he left the room with his bag on his back and went downstairs where Simon was waiting for him. They then left the inn and went to the nearby forest, Famko. This is where Alex would finish his physical training course. The forest was plagued with some low level monsters that were mainly categorized as rank 1 low. Even though they might have a low rank of martial monsters with no magic powers, for someone with no skill like Alex, they were very dangerous.

"Today onwards, your training as a warrior will begin. You will train to not only increase your strength but also your skills as a warrior. Every warrior must have a certain level of skill if he or she wants to be recognized as a warrior. So no dilly-dallying here, you must train seriously if you want to improve your life. Just know one thing, in this world we are in today, strength is supreme. Those who have the greatest strength have a better life, so you must also seek your own," Simon began his lecture after arriving in an area where no monsters would be.

"I understand elder Simon," Alex replied with a glint of determination flashing in his eyes.

"Now, we are going to begin with strength training. The weight you are having on your body is a child's play. Here, take these bracelets and replace those you currently have," Simon said as he gave Alex a new pair of bracelets. Alex took them and put them on after removing the previous ones.

Just as he put on the last one, Alex felt a tremendous amount of pressure on his body. His legs began shaking as if he were experiencing cold in tundra region. Slowly but surely, he began to sweat.

"The pressure you are currently experiencing is that of a rank 1in the late stages. You have to get used to that pressure because during an encounter with one, that's the pressure you will feel and if you have to fight, you'll have to be capable of moving even with that pressure on you without affecting your movement. So, start with physical fitness training as you usually do, push-ups, sit-ups, frog jumps and jogging. You'll be doing ten of each and running a kilometer round here," Simon instructed.

Alex began his training till noon. At noon, he was really worn out as the training was in circles. He sometimes wanted to quit but he always strengthened his resolve that after this, he'll have a good life. After his afternoon meal and an hour of rest, he continued training till evening came.

He went to a nearby river and took a shower and changed into a new pair of clothes left for him by Simon. A white t-shirt and black pants. After this, Alex dragged himself back to the inn. The inn which would take him ten minutes to arrive, he spent a whole hour if not more to arrive. On the streets, people gave him weird looks as some even reprimanded him for being drank at such a young age.

When he arrived, even Jane gave him a weird look but since it was against the inn's policy to meddle with a customer's personal life, she never spoke more after the initial greeting. When Alex got into the room they were in, he dropped on the bed, dead tired. He never even bothered to remove his shoes or the bag on his back, he silently drifted to slumber land.

While asleep, the dagger once again shined with a brilliant pale blue light which in turn enveloped Alex. All the exhaustion and the tension his body felt vanished and Alex had a peaceful sleep.

Two hours later, he was woken up by Simon to take his meal. After the meal, he again slept but he was still wondering if sleeping on a good bed would always remove exhaustion since he never felt exhausted since he woke up but sleepiness. He threw the thoughts to the back of his mind as he went back to sleep.

The routine went on for over four months until he finally got used to the pressure of a rank 1 peak stage. After this he was trained body hardening where he struck the ground from morning to evening. After that, his wounded knuckles and elbows would be healed by special herbs that strengthened the bones when broken after putting them back in place. He also socked in herbs that hardened his skin. This went on until he could hit a rock without his arms suffering any injuries.

After this, he trained instincts. He would be attacked at random times when he would be least expecting. This made him to have sharp senses and to be aware of his environment at all times.

Finally, One and a half years had passed and Alex had finally finished his physical training and it was finally time to train his skills.

"Well done Alex, you've finally finished your physical training and you've cemented your foundation in terms of body fitness. It's now time for you to move to the final stage of your training," Simon said as he stood in front of Alex with a warm smile. He then gave him a new pair of bracelets only this time they were blue with silver stripes.

"Those bracelets are special, don't remove them until you are capable of moving at your maximum speed while putting them on. They'll help you in breaking your limits. But for now, let's choose a suitable weapon for your training," Simon added as he pulled out of his ring several types of weapons.