Lele woke up early in the morning and went to the kitchen with a loud yawn. Albert was already there checking the news with his laptop.
"Hey it's only 6 AM, how are you already awake?"
"Oh actually I never went to sleep. Thanks to my Gamer Grindset passive, as long as I'm doing something that my brain considers productive I don't get sleepy or fatigued."
"So you are like vampire now?"
"If you want to put it that way."
Lele slowly approached Finn's bedroom.
"WAKE UP!" He screamed as loud as possible
Finn jumped out of bed, screaming in terror. "Who's trying to kill me?!" After a few seconds, he realized what had happened. "You little shit, Wind Bullet!" Despite his best efforts, Lele had taken the impact of Finn's attack without even flinching. Lele's scream was so loud that it woke up Mase, who had been sleeping in a room two doors down.
After they went through their morning routine Albert started talking.
"Mase, you should go to Lara, choose a weapon, and settle the debt. You should take the car, the keys are on my desk in my room. Last night I took my time to examine the next suitable rift to raid. There is one which is pretty close, I think we should go there."
"At that point wouldn't it be better if you come with me to the smithy and then we go to the rift together."
"No, There is something I need to do with Lele while you are there."
"What is it?"
"I want to present him to a boxing gym owned by my uncle. The coach is unrelated, but he is quite famous, he has trained 2 National champions."
"Why would Lele need physical training?"
"It's true that Lele is a physical monster, but he lacks technique. Relying solely on his raw strength may not be sufficient in the future. Although the decision is ultimately up to Lele, I strongly believe that training at my uncle's boxing gym would greatly benefit him."
Lele thought of the dangerous situation he went through and how things could escalate in the future. "Why not? If you say it's the best thing for me, I can give it a try. I have been itching for some movement." He then said with a smile.
'Seriously, never change.' Albert thought.
"Alright then you don't need Finn to come with you." Mase stated.
Before Albert could answer Finn chipped in with an exasperated tone. "Fine, I get it, you are shy, I will come with you. Urgh."
Mase Immediately went on the defensive "No I'm not!"
"Sure, sure."
The groups separated to go on their ways.
[15 minutes Later]
Albert and Lele stood before a colossal boxing gym, greeted by the stern gaze of a grizzled man in his sixties. "Looks like we've got some new blood." he grunted.
"Hello, I'm Albert. I believe my uncle Jeorge spoke with you about me and my friend." Albert said as he introduced himself and Lele to the stern-looking man.
The old man took a good look at Lele.
"Ah, yes, he called me yesterday. So you're the one. I don't sense the same level of aggression and drive to win that every champion possesses, but you're incredibly fit. How old are you, son? 20?"
"Ermm, Sir I'm 15."
The man let out a hearty laugh. "Hahaha, What a funny joke, so what's your real age?"
"15 Sir."
"Really?"
"Yes, he really is 15. However, he's not here to become a pro boxer. He's here to learn the basics of boxing and improve his technique." Albert said.
"Learn the basics? If he's truly 15, I can turn him into a world champion!" The man exclaimed, his eyes brimming with excitement. "By the way, my name is Luca."
"Hmm, I appreciate that you believe in me, but I'm really not interested in becoming a pro athlete, I'm here just to learn how to throw a punch."
"Of course, I'll give you a tour of the gym," Luca replied with a smile. But in his mind, he was already planning to make Lele spar. 'Once he realizes his own strength, he'll be filled with ambition and greed.' he thought to himself.
They followed the coach, but Albert had a bad premonition. 'He's not going to make him spar, is he?' he thought worriedly.
The coach led them around the gym, showcasing the available equipment and the people who were training."Jimmy, what do you think about sparring against this young one?" he asked, gesturing towards Lele.
Jimmy hesitated, "Isn't he a bit too young? Sorry, coach, but I overheard your conversation before."
Albert jumped in, "Wouldn't it be better to see his punching power before making him spar with someone?"
The coach shrugged it off, "Nah, kid, I've seen a lot of young talents, and Lele is clearly gifted. I don't think you need to worry too much."
Albert elbowed Lele and whispered for him to come up with an excuse. "Luca Sir, I'm not very familiar with hitting people. Can I first try the punching bag?"
Luca sighed, "Alright, if you insist. Let me see that form of yours."
Lele stood in front of a 90 Kg red sandbag and asked, "All I have to do is punch?"
"Yeah, to teach you properly, I need to see your natural punching style. Put all your strength into your fist and swing at the bag. Don't worry if it doesn't move much, that bag is meant for heavyweights." Luca instructed.
Lele retracted his right fist, focused his strength, and swung.
The chain holding the punching bag snapped like a twig. The bag slammed against the wall, popping like a balloon and spilling sand all over the floor. Everyone in the room, except for Lele and Albert, was paralyzed in shock.
'That's impossible! That's a 90Kg bag! Even a fourth of that weight would be impossible! And his form was amateurish at best. What kind of power could he unleash with proper technique? That was a close one if he actually sparred vs Jimmy he would have died.' The coach thought, feeling a mix of fear, astonishment, and excitement. Jimmy, on the other hand, felt only one thing: relief. Every inch of his body told him that he just escaped death.
"Follow me," Luca said, leading the two friends to a private backroom. After an awkward silence, he spoke, "So, he's awakened."
Albert and Lele looked alarmed.
"Don't worry, I understand if you have reasons for keeping it a secret, but let me give you some advice. People like him can't hide that kind of power forever. At some point, they always get discovered."
Albert asked, "Can you train him?"
"Not now, and for a number of reasons. I assume you want to train for taking down monsters. I'll need to make a special training plan for him," Luca said, pointing to Lele. "And since you're being secretive, I can only train you for one hour after the gym closes. That way we can keep it a secret."
"Thank you old man." Lele said with a smile.
"Don't call me old man and scram!" Luca said as they left the gym, garnering terrified looks from the boxers.
Albert quickly called Mase to set up a rendezvous point as they were ready to raid the rift.