"..."
John could only speechlessly stare at his unusually motivated son.
Wasn't this guy supposed to be lazy? What happened to the hopeless glutton? Can one training session be so effective?
At a time like this, Alfred couldn't be bothered to care about John's feelings. With a 50% Exp buff, he didn't want to waste a single second. As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm. Well, right now he, Alfred wanted to be that ambitious bird.
"There is no point leaving now. Besides, you haven't even told your brother and aunt goodbye. You must learn to be more mindful of the feelings of those around you." John advised him patiently.
Alfred's face blushed in shame. To think that a small 50% buff would cause him to forget himself and act a fool. He couldn't help feeling a little conflicted.
"Besides, why are you so eager all of a sudden?" John couldn't help but feel curious.
"Haha, I just feel a little motivated after completing the training," Alfred replied succinctly.
"Well, we can leave tonight. It's a 3,180km journey from here to Elincia. If we leave tonight, we can get there within 2 hours and 40 minutes. What do you think?" John eyed him calmly.
"There's no rush. Whether we leave tonight or tomorrow, won't make a difference. We can't do anything in the middle of the night anyway." Alfred answered. He could tell that John was testing him.
'Not bad. Being steady is a good thing.' John praised inwardly.
"I always keep my promises. So let's have lunch, then relax on the lake for a while." John tapped on his com-link, giving Xavier and Janine a call.
...
That afternoon, John, Alfred, Xavier, and Janine went jet skiing on the lake. Even the ever-present Mark and Aubrey joined in later.
After blowing off steam for the rest of the day, Alfred retired for the night before checking his status screen on his bed.
'Status'
---
[Status]
[Host: Alfred Gibbs]
[Title: Baby Steps (50% Bonus Exp, 29D,17H,28M,42S)]
[Class: NIL]
[Sub-class: NIL]
[Level: 1]
[Exp: 0/200]
[Attributes]
[Attribute points: 10]
[Strength: 3]
[Vitality: 5] [Endurance: 3]
[Agility: 2] [Dexterity: 2]
[Intelligence: 7] [Perception: 8]
[Charisma: 4]
[HP: 59] [EP: 0]
[ATK: 30] [MATK: 140]
[DEF: 34] [MDEF: 42]
[STA: 31] [Fatigue: 0/31]
[ACC: 16]
[SPD: 2.9 m/s]
[SCT: 1.6 m]
[Currency: 20 silver, 0 credits]
[Skills: NIL]
[Abilities: NIL]
[Auxiliary Skills: Observation LVL1]
[Item Skills: NIL]
---
Looking at his naked stats, Alfred didn't have any idea how to distribute his unused stat points.
"..."
'My agility and dexterity are the lowest. But with my equipment, they become exceptionally high. From a certain standpoint... Isn't my VIT a little too low? 50 HP just look way too shabby.' Alfred pondered.
'Damn. VIT is the best way, if I die then there is no future to speak of.'
'System, what do you recommend?' He asked after being unable to decide for a few minutes.
...
[The hosts MDEF and HP are below the stage one standard. If the host meets a rare stage 2 Ferocious Beast with an awakened element, dying instantly isn't impossible. Even an extremely rare stage 1 Wild beast with an awakened element can cause serious harm to you]
[The host is recommended to increase his survivability]
[The most effective distribution is to add all 10 points into VIT. It solves your problem without early wastage]
...
'10 VIT equals 100 HP and 50 DEF and MDEF respectively...'
'Am I going to become a tank?' Alfred thought while distributing his stats.
...
---
[Status]
[Host: Alfred Gibbs]
[Title: Baby Steps (50% Bonus Exp, 29D,17H,22M,53S)]
[Class: NIL]
[Sub-class: NIL]
[Level: 1]
[Exp: 0/200]
[Attributes]
[Attribute points: 0]
[Strength: 3]
[Vitality: 15] [Endurance: 3]
[Agility: 2] [Dexterity: 2]
[Intelligence: 7] [Perception: 8]
[Charisma: 4]
[HP: 159] [EP: 0]
[ATK: 30] [MATK: 140]
[DEF: 84] [MDEF: 92]
[STA: 31] [Fatigue: 0/31]
[ACC: 16]
[SPD: 2.9 m/s]
[SCT: 1.6 m]
[Currency: 20 silver, 0 credits]
[Skills: NIL]
[Abilities: NIL]
[Auxiliary Skills: Observation LVL1]
[Item Skills: NIL]
---
'Hehehe. With these kinds of stats, I could probably fight a grown man in Aperture Opening Realm.' Alfred felt pleased looking at his high defense.
***
6:30 AM the next day.
After having their breakfast early, Alfred and John waved goodbye to a few people.
John was dressed in his signature blood-red battle suit, while Alfred was fully decked out in his sky blue suit made from the skin of Lord Kui. Such a red and blue combination indeed looked quite dashing together, but also looked quite odd at the same time. One looked tall and heroic, while the other looked quite short and pudgy.
Xavier, Janine, Mark, Aubrey, and Martin were there to see them off.
"The next time you see me, I'll be in the Molding Realm. At that time, I'll give you a good thrashing." Xavier punched Alfred on the shoulder while laughing sinisterly.
"Do you think I'm going to prison? It's only training, I don't think dad would take me away for so long... right?" Alfred rolled his eyes before asking suspiciously.
Xavier's face darkened. He could remember his training two years ago after he turned 6. Although it only lasted for nine months, it felt more like three years. He shuddered at the thought.
Xavier snuck a peek at his dad before leaning in to whisper in Alfred's ear.
"For my training, the demon sent me into the neutral zone to fend for myself for a whole six months. You better prepare yourself." He took a step back as if he didn't say anything.
"..."
Alfred's lips twitched. He was too speechless to respond. Was this brat an idiot? How strong was John? Just a mere 7 points in perception could boost his stats by so much, then what about the stage 6 Nova Realm John? Nobody asked him to court death, but just look at him looking at Alfred with pity, while Alfred was looking at him with even more pity.
While John was delegating orders to Martin, his lips curled up in a small smile. Martin looked at Xavier and shook his head.
...
The others came around Alfred, giving him various warnings about things to look out for. Of course, everyone had their own ideas. So Alfred could only smile without making promises.
After saying their goodbyes, Alfred and John walked towards a black Lamborghini Huracan STO parked thirty meters away.
Everyone had different feelings and thoughts. But one thing was for sure, they all knew that the little fatty would definitely suffer a hard life in the coming months.
Xavier like the rest was also feeling a bit complex for his lil bro. He silently shed a tear while watching them go farther and farther away.
Suddenly, John stopped walking and turned around. He looked at Xavier with a smile and said.
"I almost forgot. You're about to break through soon, so I think giving you a bit of help should be good."
Xavier started trembling. He knew that the smile on his father's face meant nothing good. His bright days were over. He had just gotten rid of Alfred, but now even worse trouble was coming his way.
Of course, John would not disappoint.
"Send him to join the 3rd brigade under Colonel Huey for a few months. It should help him open his last few energy channels a bit faster." John's smile was quite generous as if he was giving freebies.