My reading continues until the time allotted for breakfast expires, at which point I close my book with a sigh. Though reading had initially been a struggle, it has quickly become my favorite part of the day. To learn about this world in a more academic sense simply holds more appeal to me than these endless lessons in swords and sorcery to which I am ceaselessly subjected. Such hardly comes as a surprise, however; even in my previous world I had always preferred reading treatises on swordsmanship to actually working with it.
Following Lector's earlier orders, I fly at full speed to my strength training class. Though I go quickly, it is far more relaxing than the timed speed trials of my training last night; this more relaxed state allows me to take in the joy of flying much more than I previously could.
And take it in, I do. On my short flight to my first class, I enjoy the warm, late summer air caressing my face. I feel the morning sun on my flesh, smell the dew of the earth, hear, beneath the bustle of people, the sounds of birds singing in the handful of trees in this courtyard training facility. With my greatly enhanced vision, even the bugs of the land do not evade my sight. To be able to fly, to have absolute freedom of motion in three dimensions… I cannot help but feel that it contrasts starkly with my current condition. While I could physically escape, moving through space to leave this place, in actuality I am bound here by my very life. Still, best not to wallow in such thoughts.
Unlike my near-crash upon arrival to the dining hall, this time my landing is, if not flawless, at least not dangerous. Unsurprisingly, I am the first to arrive.
The commander, and, in this case, my instructor, looks at me mouth agape. "Since when can you fly?" he asks once he regains control over his jaw muscles.
Playing our long-standing game, I give him a deep bow, saying "That I can fly is hardly of any consequence before your great power; there is no need to look at me so. Though, to answer your question, I learnt the basics but last night. If not for the bettering of my physical and mental conditions through your tutelage, such results would be impossible."
That I may be at all not fully serious never crosses his mind for even an instant; or, if it does, he may simply be a better actor than me; such a conclusion is certainly not fully lacking in possibility. "Ho ho! I see my favorite soldier has not forgotten who made his rise to greatness possible! Truly the demeanor of one who will experience great success!"
After bowing once more, I locate my usual place on the field occupied by rocks. Unlike my magic and swordsmanship classes, which had started with new recruits the day after I arrived, my strength and endurance training classes include both new recruits and veteran soldiers alike. When one thinks over this, it does make sense in principle. With swordsmanship and magic, an instructor ought to start with the basics and work their way up. With strength and endurance training, the difficulty can be adjusted based on skill level and the complexity is minimal. Of course, in practice, that a magic or swordsmanship class will start with the basics is really up to the instructor. Reinhart, for example, never taught any of the basics and let monsters weed out the weak members of his class so that he could avoid doing so indefinitely. Though Reinhart is perhaps the exception.
While the rest of the class arrives, I eye the rock before me. To call this class complicated in nature would be nearly as far from the truth as is possible. This class has, since my first day here, consisted solely of lifting boulders of varying sizes in various ways. One's progress in it can be easily measured based on the size of the rock they are currently working to lift, with the rock being just barely possible to lift for each person. That one's strength may be improved more efficiently by lifting rocks of lighter weight with more efficiency has apparently never crossed the commander's mind.
Considering that this rock was my limit only the day before, prior to my naming, I figure that the difficulty I have while lifting it should be a good indicator of my strength increase. Utilizing every muscle in my body, I grab hold of the boulder and heave it up off the ground. Where previously I was only able to lift it a few inches before dropping it after a handful of seconds, I now have only moderate difficulty in lifting it over my head.
Sure, it is still quite heavy, but the weight is definitely manageable. I quickly feel a questioning gaze directed towards me, and looking for its source I find the muscle brained commander staring at me. I give him a small smile, as an indicator that I see him, before carefully lowering my boulder to the ground.
Hearing someone approach, I look up to see my commander, who looks rather unhappy. "Yes?" I ask, a questioning tone clearly in my voice.
"How have you gained such strength overnight? Or have you been hiding your strength all along, not taking my training seriously?" I note that his usual clueless tone when receiving my compliments is absent.
I sigh internally, thinking [it would appear that his idiocy has been, to at least some extent, feigned. Still, he looks genuinely upset at the idea that I, one of his best students, may have been hiding my true strength all along. It would be best to sort out this misunderstanding now, I suppose].
"No, no, nothing like that. I received a rather large power boost while training last night, that is all."
"But were you not learning to fly last night?"
"Well, to tell the truth, I was given a name by my master last night. I'm sure you have heard of my apprenticeship to commander Lector, yes? This naming imparted on me a great increase in power, power which I am still testing the bounds of."
A look of enlightenment crossing his face, he responds "Ah, I see. I had grown worried for a moment that your time training under me was merely you toying with me. Though it may seem unlikely, I have had soldiers in the past who secretly possessed great strength, but, not desiring to put in the effort to train appropriately, they hid the majority of their strength, only slowly increasing their output to allay suspicion. When I saw each of them demonstrating strength far beyond what they had shown themselves capable, primarily through them not being careful in large scale mock battles, well, it would be an understatement to call me unhappy. However I may carry myself, I greatly value my ability to improve the strength of others, to see them not taking my values seriously… hmph. Well, I am glad that is not the case with you. There is nothing I respect more than a man putting in work to better himself, and I wouldn't want to lose my respect for you. Well, go select a heavier boulder, and keep up the good work."
[Huh. He has a lot more depth to him than I had initially assumed. I like that he shares my respect for hard work, I like it a lot more than Lector and Reinhart's seeming respect of only talent. While his class may be basic, it is true that it works well in this world where one must only push their skill levels into rising to obtain a power bonus. While I am not a big fan of his hazing of new soldiers under him, it does likely serve the purpose of motivating them to work hard. Yes, he is definitely better at large group instruction than Reinhart].
I do as he recommends, obtaining a large boulder that should provide me with some degree of challenge in lifting. After dragging the massive boulder back to my assigned position, I work to lift it. I dig my fingers under it, and, optimally utilizing every applicable muscle, pull it up.
When the class starts, my commander instructs us to lift our boulders until either class ends or our strength skill levels up. I, already covered in sweat from starting early, just continue on. The class progresses slowly and arduously as I lift the boulder again and again, taking only short breaks when injury is imminent.
Thankfully, my efforts are rewarded. By the end of class, my strength skill has leveled up once more, becoming Moderate Strength Lvl. 7. While I much more enjoy training in swordsmanship and magic, and even reading, for that matter, I am forced to admit that this training is of great importance. This is especially true in my swordsmanship development; I could know every fancy trick there is to know in the field of swordsmanship, if I do not strike with appropriate strength and move with adequate speed, my techniques would be nearly worthless. So, though I do not much enjoy them, I put my all into my practice of both strength and endurance training.
Speaking of endurance training, it is my next class for the day. And, like every other day, the commander has us running laps for the entire class period. While the lack of a skill titled 'Endurance' has always come as some surprise to me, what I would imagine to be the effects seem to be behind the 'Strength' skill. With that said, this class is best at improving my body's physical condition, alongside my speed skill. My strength skill can increase in this training, but for all my efforts it has leveled but once here.
Sadly, for all my efforts (essentially consisting of sprinting for several hours straight) my speed skill refuses to even so much as level up once.