"I'll fight." Those words were replaying in my head at this very moment.
"Ah-" I cried as I gasped for air clutching my stomach. "Damn it, why did I say that!" I thought to myself.
For the past week and a half, I have been training for 8 hours every day. I first started with simple workouts like jogging, push-ups, and pull-ups. I then progressed to more rigorous training like running ten miles, weight training, and resistance training. Now is where it really gets tough. Starting today I'll have to spar for one hour every day with my trainer and mentor, Adira Lyons.
***
"By the way, I've been wondering this ever since we first met." I said nonchalantly.
"Hm?" she murmured with one eyebrow lifted.
"Your last name...Lyons. Are you-" I said before being interrupted.
"No." she said firmly.
"Huh?" I replied.
"That's my father, not me. My father is the great hero, Alexander Lyons." she said with a soft smile and a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"Oh...I see." I replied. "So, you must be like...royalty then?" I said jokingly.
"Pft!" the sound of air and spit can be heard escaping Adira's lips.
"Haha! Good one. Royalty? Not at all, the only thing I've inherited from that bastard is my last name and these pitiful eyes." She said, somewhat bothered. "Don't take it the wrong way." She said abruptly. "I love my father; I just hate the hero known as Alexander Lyons." She continued.
"That's enough for today, we've been at it for almost nine hours already. Go get some rest, tomorrow will be much harder." She said with a smirk.
"Ah." a groan escaped my throat. "Harder. Yes, of course, harder. Why wouldn't it be, yes. Harder. Haha!" I spoke like a lunatic.
Running off in the distance I yelled once more "Harder! hahaha!" with tears streaming down my face.
***In what look like a high-tech boardroom sat Gerard Williams. Alongside of him were board members comprised of government officials and major Guild leaders.
"Gerard." spoke an older man, half covered by the shade of the dark room. The man looked to be in his forties, although he was sitting, he had a towering impression, and a cold atmosphere that bore upon everyone in the room. "We've all heard the reports of that man that woke up from the coma." The man spoke sharply.
"Damn you Cynthia..." Gerard said as he glared at Cynthia Standing in the corner of the room. She quickly glanced away.
"This man, Vernon, was it? I want you to set up a meeting between him and I. You didn't think you were just gonna hide a treasure like that inside of the dome from me, did you?" he said as a pressure bore down on everyone in the room.
"Listen, Alex. I wasn't hiding him from anything. I was just giving him time to prepare himself in this world that he isn't accustomed to. Once he's ready, the world will know, and you'll have your shot." Gerard said placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Ugh." Alexander gave a disgusted look. "Whatever, when he's ready I want to be the first to know. You know what'll happen if you betray me." he groaned.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, I'll make sure to contact you."Gerard spoke as if he were speaking to a lifelong friend.
The man speaking back and forth with Gerard as everyone else suffocated under the pressure of the two in the room was in fact, Alexander Lyons. Alexander was a towering six-foot five giant of a man. He had dark green eyes, broad shoulders, destructive muscles, medium length black hair, and a goatee. Alexander Lyons was one of the Guardians that many in this day and age refer to as 'The Great Heroes' alongside Gerard. This was why Gerard could easily put up with the pressure coming from Alexander. If these two were to fight, the entire City of Lyons would crumble. Luckily, they were pretty good friends despite how Alexander acts.
"Anyways, if that's all, this meeting is ajourned." Said Gerard.
"Ah, one last question." a young man, seemingly in his twenties interrupted. He had fair pale skin, light-blue eyes, and dirty blonde hair. His name is Jason Locke, a highly ranked Guardian, and second in command of the Lyon Guild. Alexander of course was the Guild Leader.
"The newbie, what was his name? Vermin? Vermont? Whatever, that kid. Who is training him?" he said with a glint in his eyes.
"His name is Vernon, and he's being trained by Adira." Gerard spoke firmly.
"Ah...great, another monster will be born." Jason said with a huff.
"Well, whatever. When he's ready I wanna fight him. Also, tell Adira to pick up my calls! She keeps ignoring me." he said as he squinted his eyes and turned to leave the room.
"Me too..." Alexander said under his breath, he then got up turned around and left the room.
"Ah. Just one headache after the other. And you!" Gerard said sternly. "Don't think you can escape so easily." He said as he watched Dr. Su crawling on the floor trying to sneak away.
"Ah, shit." she uttered. ***
Creaking sounds of a shower nob being turned off
"Ah, what a long week." I thought to myself.
It has been about a month or so since I've woken up from my coma. Luckily, while I'm unemployed and living under the protection of the F.C.F I get a monthly stipend for living expenses. I don't have to pay rent or anything, but I do have to get my own food, transportation, and sometimes new clothes if I train too hard. Since I don't go anywhere besides the training facility, I cut costs on transportation. I decided to go back to the dome after my shower to get some food and take a look at the shops. On my way there I noticed a man staring at me coming from the main office building of the F.C.F. To say he was staring at me was an understatement. To make things worse he was looking at my body not my eyes. I shuddered at the thought, then quickly looked away and ran to the dome. Fortunately, he didn't follow me there. "Do I have a stalker?" I wondered. Shivers went down my spine. "No, no. I must be mistaken, haha." I said with goosebumps lining my arms. "That aside I wonder who he was with." I questioned myself, remembering a tall, imposing figure besides the man. "Actually, nevermind. Weirdos beget weirdos. I should stay away." I said. Always trust your instincts kids.
***The following morning, wearing my usually training outfit provided by the F.C.F. I entered the training zone inside of the dome. "Something's off. I feel a terrible aura coming from the training facility. You know what, I should take the day off, haha!" I tried to convince myself.
"You!" the roar of a mythical beast resounded.
"I don't know what you did, but you're in for hell today!" Adira scorned.
"Every day here is hell..." I muttered under my breath.
"What did you say?!" she screamed.
"I said every day is mighty swell I do say!" I said with a country bumpkin accent. "Ah, she's definitely gonna kill me" I thought.
"Wh-?" she uttered vein popped on her forehead.
"Alright, that's it. Start running." she ordered.
"How long should I run for?" I asked seriously, while stretching.
"Until I get tired." she replied coldly.
"Ah.." I groaned. "I deserve this." I thought to myself as I began running.
"If I see you take a single break without my permission, I will kill you." She said indifferently.
"Yes, Ma'am!" I squealed. ***A few hours later
"Okay, that's enough, stop running." Adira ordered me.
"Hah! Huff! Hah, hah." A series of huffs and groans escaped my mouth as I laid on the ground.
"Don't get comfortable, we're only halfway done today. Get up before you start to cramp." She ordered.
"Yes, ma'am..." I replied lethargically.
I picked myself up off the ground, grasping onto my knees as I used every ounce of strength I had to keep from collapsing.
"Look here." She gestured with her head towards a table. "These are a few weapons, look through them and pick something that resonates with you." she explained. On the table were a variety of swords, battleaxes, bows, guns, and some miscellaneous objects. I ignored most of what I saw and focused on the axes and swords. Glancing over the battleaxes I realized they didn't really suit my tastes. I couldn't imagine myself going into battle swinging around a giant axe mindlessly. I changed my focus to the swords and two of them caught my eyes. One was a medium length, pointed sword, it looked European. The second sword was a bit shorter and skinnier, resembling a type of Japanese blade. I picked the two up and asked, "Can I try them both?" I asked.
Adira looked amused and said, "Interesting, yeah sure. Try both of them out for a while and see what you like most. The first one you picked up is typically called a gladius, it's usually used along with a shield. Obviously, you don't have to if you don't want to, but you'll have to make up the defense in other ways. The other sword is a chokuto, often regarded as a ninjato. It's apparently what ancient Japanese ninjas used. It's very good for slashing, and it's pretty light weight so you can get away with carrying more weapons with it. "
"Wow, interesting. I'll start with the ninjato then. I always wanted to be a ninja." I said with a chuckle.
"Alright, good enough. Then follow me I'm going to show you something interesting." She said with a smile.
I followed her like a puppy waiting on a treat. Opening a room filled to the brim with different books and tablets, Adira pointed. "This right here is the F.C.F.'s library of recorded arts and skills. The training you'll be doing next is this." She said while pushing a book into my chest.
"What's this?" I looked at the cover 'First Grade Sword technique: Basic' it read.
"It's exactly what it says, it's a basic sword technique that anyone training at the F.C.F. has access to. Open it up, you'll see what I mean." She smirked.
"Oh, alri-" as I opened the book I fell into a trance. A series of words and images entered my mind, it felt like hours were passing by, then I was back inside of the room with Adira.
"Interesting right?" she said with a grin.
"What just happened? and why do I suddenly have all this information on swordsmanship" I asked.
"That's one type of technology that researchers have come up with in the modern era," She explained. "Using mana, mana cores, and different parts of certain monsters' researchers engineered skill books, and martial art books." she continued. "Essentially, when someone has mastered an art or a skill, they can pass on their knowledge using these books." she finished explaining.
"I...I see. Yeah, I get it, skill books. So, like this is a webtoon or?" I asked seriously.
"Haha. Very funny." No, this is just one of the wonders of mana and research. Get used to it there's more to come.
"Hahhh. Alright, I understand. So, what do I need to do?" I asked.
"Well, you read the book so you should know. There are different levels of mastery for the basic swordsmanship book that you learned. So, tell me. What is the first level of mastery and how do you achieve it?" She began to quiz me.
"Hm, the first level is 'Basic Combat'. In order to achieve it...I have to slash vertically fifty-thousand times, and horizontally 50,000 times...oh no..." I trailed off in disbelief.
"So that means...?" I asked.
"I haven't forgotten about this morning. I expect 10,000 slashes by the end of today, and they better be proper slashes. I'll be watching." She roared.
"Ah...y-yes, ma'am" I stuttered.
So, for the rest of the day, alternating between the two swords I slashed and slashed away.
***"Ugh..." I groaned as I slithered out of bed clutching my arms. "She was right...it was hell." I reminisced upon the training from the previous night.
After showering and stretching I got dressed and began to make my way to the front door.
Ring
"Hm?" I thought with a confused expression. I opened the door to find Gerard and Secretary Kim at my door.
"Perfect timing!" Gerard said smiling. "Looks like you're already ready to go, follow us we have something important to do today."he explained while swiftly walking towards the dome.
"Okay...?" I spoke softly.
"Don't worry, it's nothing too serious! We're just gonna test how far your body has come along. You've been training for a couple of weeks now!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, I see! As long as it's not wi-" I said before being interrupted.
"Yo~" Adira said with a smirk.
"Ah...Y-yo..." I spoke with a hint of trauma in my voice.
"Alright let's not wait around too long, to the training zone!" shouted Gerard.
"Enthusiastic as ever Unc~" Adira said nonchalantly.
"You already know Adi~" he winked.
"Unc? Adi?" I thought. "Ah, I get it. It makes sense actually. She's the daughter of the famous hero, and he's the head of the F.C.F. It didn't cross my mind before, but now that I think about it, I bet he's strong. Really strong." I pondered.
"Aheum!" Secretary Kim coughed loudly. Clearly, he did it on purpose. "We don't have a lot of time so let's stop messing around. Remember we have an important meeting in Zone G today Mr. Williams." he spoke with a cold tone.
"Oh, yeah. Let's get on with it everyone. Also, I told you to just call me Gerard, Jin." Gerard said smiling.
Secretary Kim's expression softened slightly, "Hahhh," with the sound of wind escaping his lungs. "Yes, sir." he said as he continued to lead the way.
***
"Okay here we go!" Gerard shouted turning on the lights to a large circular shaped, empty room. "Vernon, this is what we call a mana chamber." Gerard began explaining. "This mana chamber contains highly condensed mana, once we leave this room, you'll be stuck here for the next 8 hours, fighting for your life." he said with a serious expression.
"I see..." I said, I could tell that he was being extra cautious. He was most likely saying this so that I would take extra precautions. "These past couple of weeks Adira's been training you to expel as much mana from your body as possible and to toughen up your physical body. Right now, you should have the minimal amount of mana in your core, and your body is now strong enough to circulate mana.
The only thing left is to fix the cracks in your core." he explained.
"Okay, this is something I have to do so I understand. Can I just ask a question though?" I said softly. "How exactly will this help heal my core?" I asked.
"Good question. Truth is we can't guarantee this will heal your core. Chances are you still won't be able to bear the pressure and you'll die from a mana explosion. The odds are fifty-fifty if I'm being honest with you." he said with a solemn expression. "Either way, if you can get your mana core to stabilize while absorbing all of this condensed mana, you'll live. It's all on you."
"I see... " I looked down with my mind racing. "Then...do you remember what I asked you a few weeks ago. If I die... don't keep looking. That's all I ask." I said staring Gerard in the eyes.
"Not many people, your age or mine, have the conviction I see in your eyes." Gerard spoke.
"Then, I promise. But something tells me I'll have to keep looking." He said with a grin. "Jin and I will be taking our leave here, but Adira will stay just in case. Once the Mana Chamber locks none of us will be able to do anything anyways, but she insisted." He said still smiling.
"Here." Secretary Kim, or should I call him Jin said as he passed what looked like a small pouch with a string and something embroidered onto it. "For good luck." He said, never changing expressions.
"Despite his cold tone and expression, he seems like a decent man." I thought to myself. Everyone already left and now it was just me and Adira.
"Alright, don't be too nervous I'm sure everything will be fine. Matter o' fact I'll be taking a nap while you're in there. You good to go?" She spoke without a care in the world.
"Yeah, I guess so. I'll see you soon..." I said softly.
"Yeah, see ya! Oh also..." She said while trying to suppress a smile. "It'll be at least ten times harder than the training we did." She broke into a fit of laughter as she locked the door behind her.
"WAIT!" I slammed on the door. "Never mind I give up, please let me out!" My muffled screams echoed down the corridor. I soon passed out from the panic and built-up exhaustion.
"Ah...I guess I really am meant to die..." were my final thoughts.