Ackster sat down with a grunt a while after he passed through the city gates. He regretted it at once.
He had made sure that he was alone, at least for the moment, before sitting down. But as he prioritized that, he failed to take into consideration that if he sat down, he would have to stand up again.
And with how heavy the clothes Tommelier had made him were, Ackster wasn't looking forward to it.
Tommelier had said that he had added some Forger's Iron to the clothes and that it would make them heavier but sturdier and to help mask the fact that he was wearing armor made from a poor choice of materials. However, Tommelier neglected to mention how it would feel like he was wearing the entirety of the rock lizard's weight, not just the weight of its outer layer – the weight of its skin and stone scale armor, but the weight of that and the skeleton and the flesh.
It was exhausting just to move, and it had been doubly so to keep up an appearance when he walked among the other citizens and through the city gate.
But despite the heaviness of the armor and the fact that he could barely walk with it on, Ackster wasn't dissatisfied. It was exactly what he had requested.
Training equipment that exhausted him as soon as he walked more than five steps. If Ackster wore it at all times, regardless of what he was doing, his body would sooner or later get accustomed to carrying such a load. He would adapt and grow stronger with each passing moment.
And then, once he could move with it like he was carrying a sack of feathers, removing it would set Ackster free like a motorcycle with a jet engine strapped to it. Of course, it would only be temporary since he would have to get new training equipment that would fit his increased strength, and he would turn into a snail again.
After resting for a little, Ackster stood up with a series of grunts and near falls. The training equipment would lose its purpose if he rested every twenty strides. He wore it to push his body to its limits and condition it to become stronger. For that, he would have to break down his muscles and body by forcing it to move, despite the toll doing so took. Then, his muscles, and hopefully the rest of his body, would regrow stronger and be ready to endure another series of training.
However, simply moving wouldn't be enough to defeat The Hero and stop the destruction of the world. He would have to train all of his muscles by moving his body in all possible ways that could be necessary or useful in a fight. And the best way to do that would be to engage in battles. The more, the better.
It would also give him an opportunity to test out the gauntlets that weren't really gauntlets but not gloves, either.
In theory, gauntlets wouldn't change how he fought since they were just another layer on his fists. But, in the first place, Ackster didn't really know how to fight with his fists. He knew to keep his thumb on the outside so that he didn't break it and that he should use his entire body weight behind each strike, which should hit at his opponent's weak spots.
The thumb thing was simple. But, to Ackster, using his entire body weight wasn't as easy as it sounded, especially when he didn't know how much he weighed. Ackster had a feeling that Strong Body was already helping him greatly with that part, but he couldn't be sure about the degree of success.
It was another reason to find help or someone to train him since they would be able to see where his movements were godawful and only worked out because of his strength, agility, reflexes, and Strong Body. And where his movements and technical skills were salvageable.
Unfortunately, like with most things, Ackster wasn't really in a position to seek outside help immediately, at least not the kind he wanted and needed to fulfill his mission.
Ackster would need someone who could bring out his true potential and push him to the apex of the world since that is what need he needs to achieve his goal. An ordinary guard or knight that knows how to swing a sword in a straight vertical line won't be enough.
Ackster could go looking for someone to get him started, but it wouldn't be good enough. He would need a good training regiment from the very beginning. Getting one person to teach him a few things before moving on to another person who could teach him other things wouldn't lead to a solid foundation of strength.
Well, it would probably be better than what he was doing now since he was just training his body and getting skills, but at the same time, he would be a blank slate when he found someone or something to help him learn how to fight. He would still have some habits and kinks in his movements, but it would be better than learning a fighting style that opposed what he needed and would hinder his further development.
Ackster decided to stop thinking about it for the moment.
He already had his immediate goals lined up. Finding a teacher would come after he made contact with Karandiel, trained his body, acquired a bunch of skills, and got his hands on the Sea God Manual.
He was beginning to think it would take a while until he arrived at the Sea God's Temple, but the more he trained and the stronger he got, the faster he would be able to move across the continent. He would also need a greater amount of strength to cross the southern countries and when diving into the sea to reach the Temple.
D-rank strength wouldn't be enough. He was in a comparatively peaceful part of the continent and wouldn't die as long as he was careful. But the dangers rose the further away he got from the center of Tenger, which meant his strength had to do so as well.
Maybe spending some time around Ilto and focusing on growing stronger and arming himself wasn't such a bad idea.