[19 days until The Trial]
The past couple of days had been hectic. Cain made sure of it. It had been over a week since he started Abel's training.
And It was going surprisingly well. Cain had zero expectations. I mean, he wasn't exactly a pro athlete back on earth. In fact, he was the exact opposite. A college kid who enjoyed fast food, sleep, and web novels. So, when it came to training Abel, he was more or less shooting in the dark.
The training plan he made for Abel was "borrowed" from David. And when he says borrowed, he means completely stolen, except for a few tweaks.
500 push-ups
1000 sit-ups
10 km run
100 minutes of mana meditation
1 hour and 20 minutes of technique training.
An hour for sword training and 20 minutes for training his movement technique.
Did Cain feel guilty for stealing a training technique? Nope! In his opinion, it was one of his rights as a transmigrator to steal anything he knew about. Sure he was a little worried that this might affect the timeline, but he was on a time crunch. His survival was worth a couple of ripples here and there.
And If he was being honest, Cain wasn't expecting Abel to accomplish much. Cain didn't have any gripes with Abel or anything. It was just that Abel was severely lacking in the talent department.
Based on his original calculations, Cain figured that with the schedule he had him on, with the training and studying, he'd barely be able to survive the trial.
But, upon seeing Abel in action, Cain had to throw his calculations out the window. He wasn't wrong about the lack of talent. Realistically speaking, Abel was average. Definitely not "Mc material."
But, when it comes to Abel's effort and work ethic, He was something else. Anything Cain made him do, he did it while putting in maximum effort.
Cain watched as every rep, movement, and step, Abel pushed himself harder and harder. He kept pushing his limits.
His determination to get stronger and overcome himself was incredibly intense.
One day Cain's curiosity got the better of him, so he asked.
It was during the third day of training.
Abel had just finished his run.
His whole body was drenched in sweat, and his arms and legs were covered in dirt. His hands were clutching his knees while he was panting heavily.
"Haaaaaaaaah Haaaaaah haah haaah....time?"
("31:42")
Hearing what Cain said, Abel got off his knees and flashed a satisfied smile. Seemingly proud of himself.
Breaking him out of it, Cain went for it
("Hey, do you mind if I ask you something?")
Abel seemed a little wary of Cain's curiosity but didn't stop him
"Shoot"
Not missing the chance, Cain asked the question that had been eating at him for days.
("Why are you trying so hard?")
Abel was confused.
"huh?"
("I mean, why are you trying so hard to get stronger?")
Abel was more confused than the first time
"Isn't that the whole goal of this training? To get stronger?"
Cain sighed to himself and asked his question a third time.
("That's not what I'm talking about. What I'm asking is, Why!? Why are you trying so desperately?")
Pause.
Abel stopped. He hadn't thought about it before. Or, more aptly, he had been too preoccupied.
Abel took a couple of minutes to sink deep into his thoughts. He seemed to be debating whether to tell Cain or not. Eventually, he decided and chose to open up to him.
"….As a baby, I was abandoned on the steps of an orphanage run by the church of the flame."
"For the first couple of years when I was really young, things weren't that bad. They kept us clothed and well-fed, so there wasn't much to complain about. Everything was fine."
"It only took a turn when the other kids started awakening, and I didn't. My eleventh birthday passed, and I was completely the same. Obviously, this was a big blow not just to my self-esteem but to my place in the orphanage. Suddenly I was way weaker than the other kids, and they started bullying me, a lot."
"I was already on thin ice because of my strange red hair, and being weak as shit shattered it. My days were no longer spent reading and enjoying playing with my friends. Instead, they became an endless nightmare full of getting my ass kicked and verbally harassed.
I was suffering. Due to my own weakness and because of the cruelty of my peers."
Every word Abel spoke was laced with melancholy and a deep, deep anger. The more he spoke, the more his eyes narrowed.
"Not only did no one help, the nuns actively encouraged it! They claimed that it was my fault. That I was cursed by the gods and deserved to be treated like a criminal.
Just remembering their faces fills me with an unquenchable amount of Rage. I wanted to burn it all to the ground and leave, but something was holding me back."
("The Law?")
"Nah, I could care less what laws I broke.
The reason I stayed was that there was a kid at the orphanage just like me. I knew him for a long time. He was younger than me and had just found out that he wasn't able to become an awakener."
Abel's scowl faded, and in its place grew a sad smile.
"He was subjected to the exact same treatment as me. The bullying, the harassment, and the contempt of the nuns. It got so bad that he ended up taking his own life. I didn't blame him. How could I? I had been in his position for far longer. I knew how bad it was. It was too much for such a bright and upbeat kid to take.
But seeing that once bright and cheery kid swinging from the ceiling was my breaking point."
Abel's sad smile turned back into a fierce scowl.
"So, I found the main group of kids who pushed him to it and challenged their leader to a duel.
The kid accepted. He knew I was a normal human and figured it would be a cakewalk. It wasn't. I didn't hold my punches at all and kicked his ass in front of the whole orphanage."
Abel erupted into laughter
"HAHAHAHAHA ha…. ha….Man just thinking of all their faces cracks me up."
As Abel's laughter faded, his scowl returned.
"I decided to be honorable and let him go after I won, but that kid just had to push my buttons. He started mocking Tim right in front of my face, trying to get a rise out of me. It worked. I was so furious that I pounced on him again. I hit him over and over. I kept punching and punching until my knuckles were drenched with his blood. I couldn't help myself. I was letting out years of aggression on one shithead."
"When I finally eased up I could barely recognize him. His face was too swollen. It looked like he got stung by a million bees.
Suffice it to say I couldn't stay there anymore, So in the confusion, I grabbed whatever I could and ran away. And escaped to this dump."
When Abel finished his story, he closed his eyes and calmed down. Recovering a bit, He opened them and fixed his gaze forward, staring at something that wasn't there. After a brief pause, he resumed.
"To answer your question, the reason I'm trying so hard is that I'm tired.
I'm tired of living on the bottom. Tired of loss. And Tired of having to put up with other people's bullshit."
He looked at his hand and clenched his fist.
"I want more. So much more. And to get what I want, I need to be strong. Incredibly strong. So strong that no one will be able to touch me."
Cain was stunned silent. How much pain had this kid gone through? Slowly it started to sink in. That this world wasn't a novel anymore. It was real and filled with real people and real pain, and he had to stop treating it like it wasn't
("I'm sorry, I had no idea.")
Hearing Cain's apology Abel let out a smile and brushed it off
"Nah, don't worry about it. It's all in the past anyway. Besides,"
The tone of his voice shifted, and that bottomless rage surfaced again, "Things like that will never, ever happen again."
That declaration gave Cain a glimpse into Abel's true nature.
The thing that was hidden beneath his sarcastic facade.
A flame.
An endless and all-consuming flame.
A flame that destroys everything it touches, using its surroundings as fuel to grow stronger and stronger.
A flame of pure chaos.
Cain could feel his soul shiver as he had a chilling thought.
If given enough time and training, this flame could become an unstoppable inferno.
One that could burn this world to the ground.
….
[1 day until The Trail]
"Status"
[Status]
Name: Abel Vulcan
Race: Human
Age: 15 years
Moniker: N/A
——
Rank: 1
Realm: Foundation
Strength: 13
Agility: 11
Endurance: 14
Stamina: 17
Dexterity: 10
Intelligence: 12
——
Mana Core: Red
Affinity: Fire
——
Ability: Overheat
——
Techniques:
{★ Basic Swordsmanship}
Mastery rank: (Advanced Novice)
A technique used to teach beginner swordsmanship. Teaches basic sword stances, footwork, and basic attacks such as Stab, Slash, and Pierce. The greater the mastery, the more powerful the moves.
{★★★ Fox Trot}
Mastery rank: (Novice)
It provides a 1.18% speed boost to the user. The increase last as long as mana is supplied. The greater the mastery, the stronger the speed boost.
——
Class: Warrior
——
Skills:
[Observe] Lv.1
A skill that allows the wielder to gaze into the essence of anything.
——
Condition: Confident, Excited, Nervous, Schizophrenic
Taking pride in his new improvements, Abel closed the panel.
("You ready?")
"As ready as I'll ever be."
A smile found its way onto his face.
"Let's go kick some ass!"