Aching pains greeted Elderond as he awoke. His quadriceps were sore whilst his feet were riddled with blisters, serving as a reminder of what happened yesterday.
Surprisingly, there was someone else who sat down on his right-hand side to greet him.
"Ah, morning Elderond, you must be feeling quite sore; however, don't fret, I have the perfect remedy."
Elderond watched as Grandpa Lex fiddled with his robe pocket for a few minutes. After approximately five minutes, a small bottle appeared in Grandpa Lex's hand. The bottle was transparent, showcasing the glistening green-yellow mixture inside.
"Now, this vial contains a herb-based lotion that I made which once applied will numb the pain and slowly restore the tissue affected."
"I will leave you to apply this to your body, at the parts which are most affected by yesterday's training."
"Thank you, Grandpa."
"Don't thank me yet I haven't told you what told what training you will be doing today, he-he."
"Damned old man…"
"Oi, what was that boy?"
"Nothing Grandpa, I'm looking forward to it!"
"Hmm, well, get yourself treated and meet me at the back of the house."
Lex exited the wooden house and headed to the green clearing at the back. He walked to the already pre-collected stash of materials and began to build the strength training course.
Meanwhile, Elderond was busy applying the lotion to his aching body. The cold solution touched his worn-out muscles, a warm yet soothing sensation travelled into his tissues, negating the feeling of pain.
"Amazing."
"It's only a mid-tier healing lotion. Healing items come in the form of elixirs, lotions or weapon enchants. The one Grandpa made is specifically for recovery purposes."
"Wow, so there are even tiers in terms of items and cosmetics?"
"Of course, as you grow; so, should your equipment, otherwise how will you live when you're out of essence, energy and aura?"
Elderond nodded his head in acknowledgement, it is as Medea said, and he should always be prepared- for battle.
"A true warrior can assess the situation and prepare himself to meet it but also adapt against the unknown."
"There you go again talking philosophically."
"Well, I'm not wrong in battle- those characteristics in a warrior- are required."
As the two ended their conversation, Elderond finished treating his aching muscles and blistered feet. Adorning his usual oversized trousers and loose-fitting t-shirt, he headed out.
"I need to get some more clothes."
"Yes, Master, I agree."
He approached the green clearing behind the wooden house, two constructed platforms came to view, spanning half the length of the clearing.
"Grandpa, what's this?"
"Took you long enough boy, This is your basic strength training."
"The first platform contains three levels: the first level is a wall made of hard mud, the second level is a wall made out from the trunks of ancient trees, and the last level is a wall made of rock-boulders."
"In this platform, you will be training the strength of your knuckles: the more conditioned they are, the more things you can smash through at the mortal level."
"The way to do this is to hit each wall till you can successfully smash through it without damaging your knuckles. However, you won't be just hitting the walls randomly-you will be hitting them with proper technique. Now watch."
Lex positioned himself into a fighting stance: his feet were shoulder-width apart, and his knees slightly bent, the shoulders rested at the same height, whilst the attacking fist lay anchored to his waist. His fist was formed correctly, thumb on the outside, protecting the fingers.
With a step forward, Lex launched the fist. The air currents parted as the punch pierced through the air, with the predominant knuckles first. The shockwave emanated throughout the surrounding, making the greenery agitated.
"Now that is the correct form you need to do whilst hitting each of the walls."
"Incredible for how long do I need to hit the walls?"
"You hit them till you wear out; or, as I said before, smash them, then move onto the next."
Elderond's admiring expression turned dark.
"Ah shit, here we go again."
"He-he, I bet he's going to make you train till you drop every time, Master."
"Thanks for the optimistic view Medea."
"Your welcome *wink*."
His Grandpa's training was physical torture whilst Medea's retorts were his mental torture.
Would he ever get out of this in one piece?
The demonstration and explanation come to an end. Lex moved on. He headed to the second platform containing an assortment of different sized boulders.
"Within this platform, you will be building up your physical strength- building up your body."
"Each of these boulders varies in size. What you are required to do is start from the lowest and work your way up once you have completed all the exercises required."
"The first exercise is to pick up the boulder and launch it as far as possible, working your deltoid muscles as they will have to wear the brunt of the load and your biceps and triceps to launch the boulder."
"The second exercise will be laying on the platform and pressing the boulder from your chest; therefore, working out your pectorals."
"The third exercise is to place the boulder on your back and squatting to the floor; therefore, training your quadriceps muscles and calves as they will be involved with taking the load and maintaining your balance."
"The final exercise is to use the vines lying on the side to attach the boulder to your back and go on a walk up and down the hill path to the house; thus, training your traps, rhomboids, lats and lower back muscles."
A moment of silence occurred so that Elderond could process the vast array of instruction.
Grunting, he nodded.
This strength training was going to be tough.
"Well, Elderond, I have explained what you must do. Now get on with it!"
Taking a deep breath, Elderond headed to the first platform and positioned himself to the mud wall. Eyeing the mud wall, he loaded his fist and launched it. A thud sounded. Not much damage could be seen- on the surface of the wall.
"Master, your form is wrong! bend your knees a little to lower your centre of gravity."
Heeding Medea's advice, Elderond tried again. Another thud sounded; however, this time, a much more effective indent formed on the mud wall.
He was still missing something. Not a single crack had formed on the hard mud wall, only some abrasions.
Replaying Grandpa Lex's movements in his mind, Elderond remembered the slight rotation in the waist as the punch was thrown and make contact with his predominant knuckles.
He once again launched his fist at the hard-mud wall. The punched landed flush with a resounding thud. At the impact point, cracks spread out, spider-like, into the edges of the hard-mud wall.
"I did it. I hit it properly."
Lex's eyebrow twitched.
"So fast… that adaptability…impressive."
Elderond moved away from the wall just as it broke and fell to the floor; however, his knuckles were red. Blotches of blood dripped out of the cracked skin.
"Valiant effort Elderond; but, you're still not there yet."
"Damn, I failed in the end."
"Failure is fine, as long you learn from it."
Setting his sights on the next platform, he began to work at the boulders. His arms and legs worked in tandem, moving the boulders proficiently.
Eventually, he reached halfway through the selection and came upon the start of the mid-tier boulders. The boulder in front of him was one metre in diameter and stood as tall as his knees. Realistically, it didn't look too bad; yet, Elderond wasn't confident.
The reason for the lack of confidence was his lack of energy; he hadn't had breakfast.
Gritting his teeth, he began the boulder toss. The boulder only flew a couple of centimetres whilst Elderond panted hard. The exercises only got more taxing.
The boulder press made his pectoral muscles scream in agony. However, by some miracle, he completed the repetitions. The same thing occurred with the squats; he finished whilst spitting blood and saliva from his mouth.
"Ugh, only one more to go."
His words were becoming sluggish. But, he persevered, wrapping the boulder onto his back, he began the climb down. Using his leg muscles to control the descent became extremely exhausting; he almost fell forward.
Reaching the base of the hill, Elderond once again looked towards the wooden house: the sanctuary.
Taking deep breaths, he began the climb.
Like the accumulation of all his insecurities, the boulder weighed him down, trying to flatten him forwards into the hill's exterior. But, Elderond refused to give in. He would have to do this again. What was the point in stopping here?
With a shout, he reached the top. Legs wobbling, back aching, chest panting, he collapsed onto the green floor.
"Grrr, that finished me. I can't even move my toes."
Lex looked on proudly at the scene.
"Yes, that is the way never give in."
Elderond's determination was his best characteristic. Alongside his stubbornness to not quit. He kept going till the end. It was the correct mindset an essence user needed.
To reach the peak, one has to better themselves by surpassing their limits and continually looking for improvement.
That was the method to reach perfection- the peak of all things.