The training ground was identical to a stadium in terms of size and shape, but in terms of looks, it was a mile too behind.
The ground was uneven, having many pits and bumps in the shape of rocks protruding from the ground.
It was like a wild jungle, dangerous for any untrained man to be in.
It was hard for Amelia to walk here. A single misstep and she might fall and hurt herself grievously. So it must be harder for her master than it is for her, right? No... It wasn't! To her surprise, he was freely walking through this mess of terrain as if he was taking a stroll in the park.
Still, instead of keeping a check on where she was stepping, she kept her eyes on him. She was ready to help him at any moment. Roy could feel someone's protective gaze on his back. He guessed it was his maid. Only she would be mad enough to look at a meatball like him in such a way in a place that could become her deathbed.
"Ahh!"
It was Amelia that tripped over the bump on the ground she had overlooked and lost her balance, falling sideways. In the corner of her vision appeared a jagged stone. Her head was about to hit it. She closed her eyes out of fear. She knew how she would end up if it really happened. At worst, it would penetrate into her skull, giving her a slow and tasteful death. Pain at its finest would be the taste. At best, it would cause her to bleed liters, and she would die of blood loss. Unless, of course, her master decides to save her and give up much of his wealth to a priest to make them heal her.
She didn't fear death or pain.
She only regretted that she would either be leaving behind or burdening her master.
The feeling of pain she envisioned never came, however.
Instead, she felt a strong grip on her arm.
Then a strong tug brought her into a protective embrace.
She opened her eyes and saw the person who had protected her from dying in a cliche way.
It was none other than her master.
Instantly, mirth filled her eyes.
"Thank you."
Words couldn't explain how thankful she felt at this moment.
"The first thing that comes out of your mouth after escaping severe injuries are words of gratitude? How adorable of you! How can I not reply in kind?" She was too overprotective when it came to him. Roy really wanted to scold her so that she would better take care of herself, but he didn't let his temper get the best of him. Hiding his real intention, Roy smiled sweetly at her. "You're welcome."
She nodded, pleased. Then, realizing their position was inappropriate, she hurriedly distanced herself from her master. A snake-like shadow reached for her the very next instant.
"Ouch!" Roy flicked the head of his maid, really, really hard, causing her to cry out.
She looked at him accusingly with those wide eyes that would melt an ice block. "What was that for?"
"I know you're loyal to me. I know you're doing your best to not let my mother down. But that doesn't mean you can overlook everything about yourself to keep me out of harm's way. What I mean to say is... you should stop focusing all your attention on me and keep your eyes on the road. If I found your gaze on me for more than 3 seconds, I would punish you. Hmm.. If I found you doing that again, I will flick your forehead like this again."
Amelia never thought there would come a day when she would be bullied by her master.
"My innocent lord has become a big bully that likes to blackmail me overnight! What to do?!"
She didn't say that out loud, but her expression told Roy what she thought right after hearing him out
"You think so? Well, then I guess I am."
Amelia blushed. 'How did he read my mind?!!'
Although 20 years old, She didn't know that one thing unique about her.
Her thoughts were visible on her face!!!
If she were to become a spy, she would be the worst one in existence.
…
Roy didn't see a single place to sit down, only a lot of small, round rocks and a few huge flat slabs of stones.
On one such thing, Arlo was lying.
He was shocked to hear what his nephew barked out at Amelia.
He clearly knew Roy was just like a child. He didn't know how to scold others, much less blackmail them for their own good. On top of that, what he said went against the norm of the empire. Every slave was meant to die for their master. No noble would go out of their own way to tell a slave to be less attentive to their needs.
Just what was going on?
Why had he changed so much? And why am I finding myself liking him more than I liked him in the past?
Is it really as he had told me? Almost dying had brought a great change in him. A good change!
He looked at Roy's back, clear-headedness vivid in his eyes. He had gained a sudden interest in this nephew of his. Memories of the past surged to the front of his mind. They were about the times he had seen him.
"The first time he came here was when he was very young, only four years old. Badulf brought him here to check if he had any potential to become a weapon master. After finding out he had a completely shut Gate of Aura, he left satisfied. Gate of Aura is like the Magic Gate. Without it, one can't become a knight, one of the many paths a weapon master can take to reach greater heights in terms of capabilities and abilities. Four years later, he overhead his maid saying how good life will be for them if he is stronger like his brothers. He went out in search of strength, not knowing what it was. Fate brought him to my doorstep. So, I allowed him entry. Who would have thought that no one, not even the trainees, would teach him a thing and bully him back to the manor in mere minutes? If not for that vow, I would have hammered some sense into their scummy bones. This is the third time he has come here to train. I wonder how long he will last this time."
Since long ago, Arlo wanted to look after this boy.
There was, however, a huge wall stopping him from being too welcoming to the boy.
"If that hadn't happened and everything was simple... How good it would've been. The county would've gained an archmage. Alas, his betrayal and his fear have pushed the child born under the conqueror's star far, far away from his glorious fate..."
Only the wind heard what he said, thankfully!
…
Roy didn't have the strength to hold anything too heavy. Basically, going for anything made out of steel would make him look silly. He didn't want to make a fool out of himself in front of his maid. So, He grabbed the hilt of a wooden sword and pulled it out of the rack like Excalibur.
Indeed it is as you've imagined.
He was using two hands to hold up a wooden sword the size of his short piggy legs!
'This new body of mine is really holding me back in all sorts of ways...'
The moment he truly held it in his two hands with his own strength, a warm feeling seeped into his flesh. It was one he had never felt before. He didn't understand how but some kind of strength was transferring over to him from the sword!
[You've equipped a wooden sword.]
[Strength +2]
His strength stat increased from 3.5 to 5.5. The warm feeling didn't seem to be going away. It was like a permanent buff. A better check at himself told him that it had brought some changes to him.
The best part was... It wasn't just his imagination.
He found that out after slashing the puppet with his sword, causing it to budge a little.
Not only Amelia was surprised but also Arlo. The puppets here might be made out of straws, but they were in the center of a runic formation. It increased their defense to an unbelievably high level, making it hard for trainees to break them or blast them away with their flashy moves. Only a person with strength above the norm would be able to make it budge. That meant Roy, who was known to be sickly, was slightly more stronger than an average man!!!
…
[You've met the condition to Activate "The Resolve of the Weak to Change for the Better" Quest.]
[Quest Info]
This is a Repeatable Hidden Quest. Your task is to train your swordsmanship on the puppet.
[GOALS]
-Slash the Puppet (0/10)
-Stab the Puppet (0/10)
-Land overhead Strikes on the Puppet (0/10)
[TIME LIMIT]
-24 hours
This quest will no longer be available to you after that.
[REWARDS]
-Basic Swordsmanship Shard ×1 Piece
-Minor increase in your Strength
-Minor increase in your Stamina
…
Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!
Roy bombarded the puppet with sword attacks as if he had gone senile. He wasn't actually raging. He was just in a hurry to get the rewards for completing the quest. Let's overlook the increase in his stats he would get from completing the quest. The basic swordsmanship shard would improve his Swordsmanship directly. It was good enough to fan the fire of greed in his heart.
[Your stamina has temporarily decreased to 2 points]
Slash the Puppet (7/10)
-Stab the Puppet (8/10)
-Land overhead Strikes on the Puppet (5/10)
As he continued to abuse the puppet, causing its hair-like straws to fall left and right, some minutes passed.
[Your stamina has temporarily decreased to 1.8 points]
[Please take a rest before you fall flat on the ground]
He felt tired out of his mind. His bones had already started crying out, creaking at every turn. What more could he expect from a body that was getting wasted away laying on a comfortable and soft bed? However, he didn't stop swinging his sword. He would be a fool to rest anytime before these precious 24 hours.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
It sounded indecent like he was slapping a bitch's butt but he was just having his way with the puppet.
Well... That also sounded kinda indecent…
-Slash the Puppet (10/10)
-Stab the Puppet (10/10)
-Land overhead Strikes on the Puppet (10/10)
[You've completed the quest "Resolve of the Weak to Change for the Better".]
[You get STR +0.5, STAMINA +0.4]
Because Roy was already in contact with the warm feeling temporarily strengthening him, he didn't fail to feel something similarly grand appearing inside him out of thin air and ingraining with his flesh and bones, increasing his stamina and power.
Unlike the warm feeling which was like a buff, this one was greedily devoured by him to permanently increase the quality of his body.
If he let go of the sword, his STR would decrease by 2 points. But his recently gained 0.5 STR points wouldn't go anywhere.
[Your strength has increased to 6 points. Because you're exhausted, you can only bring half of your strength!]
Roy hit the puppet again but this time it didn't even budge. He was sweating all over and his breathing was uneven, showing his utterly exhausted he was.
[Your Stamina has temporarily increased to 2.2 points]
Now he could train for a while longer than he initially thought.
But it wouldn't be long before he becomes unable to continue.
[Basic Swordsmanship Shard ×1 Piece Earned]
[You acquired extra rewards for completing a quest for the first time. You get +100 Experience Points, and Stamina Restoration Martial Manual]
Roy's eyebrow raised like a crescent moon.
What the heck?
He had to work hard to get 10 EXP, but now he had gained ten times for half the efforts.
Simply Unbelievable!
The other extra reward was even better.
It was a technique like no other!!!