Swish... Swish...
The sound of something cutting through the air echoed through a massive hall.
The moon outside cast a soft glow through the dark glass windows, illuminating the spacious room with an ethereal light.
Within the hall there were countless training equipment, ranging from weight machines to dummy targets, gravity rooms or even racks of swords and weapons of all shapes and sizes.
In the midst of this training facility stood a lone figure. Sweat was dripping down his face as he swung his weapon.
However, there was not a lot of power or any technique behind his strikes.
His form was sloppy, his movements lacking precision and control. It was clear that he had a long way to go in his training.
"Shit!"
I muttered underneath my breath, feeling the soreness in my muscles. Yes, the figure that stood in the training hall was none other than me.
A few days have passed since I came back from the Starlach City and the wounds left by the battle with the Midnight Wolf were now fully healed. In my past life, the injuries would've taken months to recover but because of Mana being present in this world, my healing process had been significantly accelerated.
For the past few days, I had been tirelessly training, trying to improve my swordsmanship skills. I was aware how weak I was compared to the protagonists of the novel and how easily I would die if anybody found out I was a Demon.
Although I had gained Ashen Armor, relying solely on its defense was not a viable strategy.
I might have a lower rank, worse weapon arts and skills, however, there is one thing that I could work to improve right now - my swordsmanship.
Coming from a world where I never even held a weapon before, it was a steep learning curve for me. No matter how many times I swung the blade in the air, I barely felt the improvement in my skills.
Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to give up.
Ring... Ring...
Suddenly, my phone's alarm startled me and I realized that my training session was over for the day.
I picked up a towel and throwing it over my shoulder, I walked toward the exit of the building. The facility I used for training was a public training center where students of the Sword Academy could come to train and was usually full of people.
This was the reason why I preferred to train in the night, when there were no people around and I could focus solely on my own progress.
Tap... Tap...
Stepping out into the cool night air, I took a deep breath, feeling the night breeze gently caressing my skin.
For a second, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the peaceful moment.
Clank... Clank...
Well, that was until I heard the distant sound of metal clashing in the distance.
"..."
Slowly, I turned my head in the direction of the sound and began to make my way toward a building a little bit north, another training area, only accessible for Awakeners that are above E Rank.
Standing outside the building, I couldn't enter inside, however, I could observe what was going inside through the windows.
"It's him..."
Peeking through the glass, I muttered as my eyes locked onto a figure with raven black hair and a massive Scythe in his hands.
I knew the guy, how could I not? This was one of the protagonists of this world - Eldrick Whitethorn, a fearsome character who would gain the nickname 'Reaper' due to his lethal skills with the Scythe.
Swish...
Silently, I observed as he swung his massive Scythe with incredible speed and precision, leaving deep gnashes in the training dummies that were set up in the room. Although they were made out of very tough material and enchanted with Mana to resist attacks below D Rank, Eldrick's weapon still left devastating marks on them.
"He's a protagonist for a reason..."
Muttering to myself, I unknowingly shuddered. I, as the reader, knew the hatred Eldrick harbored for the Demons. For a moment, I imagined myself being on the receiving end of his swift and lethal strikes, which caused me to shudder at the thought.
"I should increase my training intensity."
I threw the last glance at Eldric, who was still engrossed in his training and turned around, walking back to my dorm room.
There were still a few days before the Academy officially started so I still had time to push my Swordsmanship understanding to Level 2.
'I have to become stronger...'
Gritting my teeth, I didn't even notice the nails digging into the skin of my palms. If even one of the strongest protagonists were training this intensely, then it was clear that I needed to push myself even harder in order to stand a chance in this world.