Cain ran for almost an hour before reaching a secluded part of the forest. He enjoyed training here due to the serenity of the location.
After resting for around five minutes, Cain took a couple of rusty weights covered by the roots of a large tree and continued exercising.
Another hour went like that, and then the youth performed a series of martial arts moves.
The improvement granted by physical exercise could not compare with Wave Cultivation, but Cain knew that being in peak physical condition helped the body draw Life Wave faster. While the help it provided was minuscule, it was the only method someone like Cain could get access to.
For his final training, Cain put arm guards and leg guards before adopting a martial stance in front of a large tree and began to strike it.
Cain's attacks were precise and carried great control, proving how diligent he was with his training.
Performing those blows put significant pressure on Cain's body, making a sharp pain appear in his ribs where Jonathan had punched him, but that only made him put more strength into his strikes.
The sharper the pain in his ribs, the more strength Cain put in his punches. He only stopped after feeling blood leak through his arm guards.
"Dammit!"
Cain yelled with all his strength as he finally expressed the rage that had built inside him.
"I train so hard, so why do I have to be so weak!?"
He may present a stoic front and do his best to ignore all the bullying done to him, but Cain was still fourteen years old. How could he accept that despite his hard work, he would never succeed?
Rage and frustration burned inside him, but Cain's eyes showed his resolution and that no matter how hard the path ahead was, he would not surrender.
The youth took a deep breath to calm his raging heart when a feeling of utter doom suddenly assaulted him. He threw himself to the ground just in time to dodge a spear.
Cain saw how the spear had pierced the tree he had been striking, and cold sweat ran through his back as he imagined what would have happened if he had not dodged.
"I guess even garbage can have good instincts."
Cain's eyes narrowed as he heard those words. He stood up and turned around to see a bulky youth walking toward him.
The attacker was none other than the youth accompanying Jonathan through the school in the morning, Kiron.
"What the hell do you think you are doing!?" Cain's voice was full of rage. That spear would have killed him had he moved one second later.
"Hmph, is not obvious? I am here to teach you a lesson. How can I let garbage like you offend me and do nothing?" Kiron spoke in such a relaxed manner as if he saw Cain's life as nothing important.
"Do you think you can just kill me, and nothing will happen to you?"
Even if the Godslayer Humankind Empire accepted that power reigned above everything, society still had codes and rules. Otherwise, civilization would have fallen a long time ago.
"Hahaha, who will notice if orphan garbage were to disappear. Besides, no one will know what happened here."
Kiron's smile grew wider as he spoke those words, and he took a black metallic orb out of his pocket.
Cain got a bad feeling as he saw the orb, and when he attempted to use the A.I. Chip to call the authorities, he found some form of interference.
'That orb must be projecting an electromagnetic field that blocks signals from going out.' Despite the danger in which he found himself, Cain remained calm.
Unfortunately, what happened next totally shocked him since it meant the danger in which he found himself multiplied exponentially.
A sky-blue aura emerged from Kiron's lower belly and soon covered every corner of his body.
It was similar to the aura Jonathan had used to reinforce his body but much weaker.
Cain clenched his fist as he saw it since it meant that Kiron was a Level 1 Wave Warrior.
"How do you like my Wave Cloak? Now that I have it active, your little tricks are useless."
Kiron lunged toward Cain as soon as he finished speaking, covering the more than forty meters between them in four seconds.
Despite the immense danger in which he found himself, Cain did not let fear cloud his judgment. Turning around and running away would be the same as suicide since there was no way he could escape from a Level 1 Wave Warrior.
Cain used those four seconds to calm his heart and analyze his next movement. At the last moment, he put his back against the tree and dodged the blow toward his head.
Kiron's punch made the tree tremble, and splinters blew everywhere, blocking his vision. It was then that he felt a fist land directly in his temple.
Kiron only felt a little disoriented thanks to his Wave Cloak's protection, but things grew worse as a sharp pain assaulted his leg when a kick landed on his right knee.
Cain knew he lacked the brute power to overcome Kiron's Wave Cloak, so he aimed at points where a little strength was enough to weaken someone's ability to fight.
While a newly advanced Level 1 Wave Warrior was capable of superhuman prowess, that was only when they had activated their Wave Cloak. Once their Essence Wave ran out and they could no longer project the cloak, there was not much difference between them and an average human.
Cain immediately pulled back after striking Kiron's knee, avoiding a sudden blow to his chest, before kicking his opponent's jaw.
Kiron's felt his senses weakening again due to that kick, and rage flooded his heart. Those blows would have been enough to incapacitate him if it weren't for his Wave Cloak.
How could someone as narcissistic as Kiron accept that his martial arts were inferior to those of someone he considered nothing more than garbage.
"Fucking trash!" Kiron roared, and there was nothing left from the arrogant smile he arrived with. He attacked like a madman, sending blow after blow.