Chapter 10 - Skill Bootcamp II
With the knowledge came training corrections. He stopped dedicating time after work on Physical Improvement Beginner. Bryn found ways to top his learning capability during his farming job. After hours, he devoted his energy to climbing or butchering the rabbits.
Butchering was brutal on level 1. He tried not to waste meat, but that job was tough. The most critical part was still the belly since guts were everywhere. The wrong cut could destroy half of the rabbit's meat for the week.
Sylas helped with the first two. In the second batch of rabbits, Bryn only wasted one of the furry creatures. His skill increased by leaps and bounds if compared with the others. Bryn could only point to his understanding of anatomy. He had memories from his biology class on Earth. Working at the hospital also gave him some basic knowledge of the topic. If there was a bonus for doing things for the first time, would there be a bonus for understanding things? Would the learning speed change if your understanding was higher than your capability?
It didn't take long for Climbing to become boring again. Climbing the same trees was not amusing. There were some tall and impossible ones, still not possible with his skill, or easy ones. Trying to find new entertainment during his training, he decided to copy parkour moves he had seen on the internet.
Using trees, he tried different jumping and climbing techniques. Still, the trees had a limit to their potential. Soon, he decided to try and climb the stables. His new routine had him go up and down as fast as possible from the construction.
From the stairs of the stable, he started to learn how to fall and roll. Those skills were not valuable to him on earth, but they might be in the new world. Training only the four skills got boring after a few weeks.
Finally, after a month of hard work, he heard in his mind the sounds he had been waiting for this whole time.
**ting**
– Skill Level Improved –
Climbing Lvl. 4 (3%)
Increased climbing ability. Any species from the mountain, every 3 skill levels +1 dexterity.
Physical Improvement Beginner Lvl. 3 (1%)
A strong body allows one to improve faster.
Learning bonus to all Physical skills.
Every two skill levels will earn 1 Strength; 1 Dexterity; and 1 Agility;
"Finally !! Appraisal." Bryn thought.
Name
Bryn
Age
8
Lvl
1
Race
Faun
Titles
Blessed by Lugh
Blessed by Flidais
Status
Strength
1 (+2)
Intelligence
1
Dexterity
1 (+4)
Agility
1 (+2)
Vitality
2
Luck
2
Skills
Climbing LVL. 4 (3%)
Farming LVL. 2 (46%)
Physical Improvement Beginner LVL. 3 (1%)
Butchering LVL. 1 (87%)
"I must figure out how the blessings work. Do they increase my base status alone, or does the status I get from passive skills also get the bonus? Still, let's move around and see how it feels."
As expected, since his status was 1 not so long ago. The difference was there, but he was still far from a college athlete, much less an Olympic one. But, the road and signs of improvement were there.
"OK, now it is time to start implementing new training styles on the regime. It is time to try and learn attack skills. How the hell am I supposed to do that, though? I have no idea…" he thought.
After some thought, he started with the most basic of all. He waved a piece of wood up and down like watching a Kendo video workout. To his disappointment, no sword-related skill was unlocked.
During the next week, a few more experiments will be added to the training regime. The parkour style moves increased. Bryn always had an obsession with the art of free-running. Now, there was no place better than this new reality to try and learn it.
The sword training paid no dividends. He then decided to incorporate throwing as a possible candidate. In his mind, having high dexterity and intelligence pointed towards a few characters. They were magical assassins, hunters, insta-cast magicians, and a few rogue builds. In any of those, having a good aim was always interesting.
Two months had passed since the ceremony. Lord Aric shared with the guards he would have to make a longer trip to Lumiur. This time he would leave for a whole month. From the chief's perspective, the Lord was trying to make a play for a higher position in the region.
Rumors were running around the farm about the reasons he would travel so much. Some believed he and Lady Isolde had troubles, others believed he was going for business. Either way, for most servants, the perspective was ok.
One day after her long shift at the mansion, Freya arrived home to find both Bryn and Sylas relaxing at the nearby stream. Conserved about the rumors, she hurried to them.
"Sylas, Bryn… Have you heard the rumors yet? The Lord is going to stay an entire month away from the farm…"
"Yes, we heard it from the guards." Said Sylas as he used the river water to try and remove some of the dry mud from his hooves.
"Do you also believe he is making a move on other nobles? The guards were afraid they would have to earn their keep for the first time…" asked Bryn.
"Absolutely not. From what the maids hear and gossip, Evelina has a good chance of a husband. The Earl's son, no less. But that is not my point!!"
"Evelina comes last on my Wycliffes hit list. Eamon is the only one out of it. Since I don't have anything good to say about her…" Bryn thought as he listened to his mother.
With the fakest smile he could muster, Bryn complemented his mother.
"I wish her a partner as good as her brother Rowan! Such a sweet husband would do her and the family good."
"One of that monster is enough…" said Sylas, choking on the river water after his son's comment.
"Stop it, you two! We will be alone with Isolde and Rowan for an entire month!! We must be extra vigilant and not give them any reason to start their crusade again." Said Freya, looking at her son's exposed back and his lingering scars.
Bryn's eyes narrowed, thinking about what Isolde and Rowan might do, and said, "Mom, you know that woman. There is no way she is going to let go. Plus, we've been in the lord's graces since Dad got his farming level up. Something will come, but we'll deal with it… There is no way to prepare for something we don't know what it is…"
"Now is not the time to complain or to cower in fear, Freya. We must enjoy the good times!" He said, running towards her and throwing her in the river with them.
"Ahhh, it's so cold!! Why did you do that, Sy?!! Fine… I won't bring it up anymore, but please be careful."
Both nodded up and down as they enjoyed the river for some time and went home for dinner.
The following day, still considering his mother's words, Bryn decided to train harder.
His muscles soon started to feel muscle aches. To counteract this, he implemented stretching as his first daily activity. He would wake up, stretch, and use appraisal. Then, have the rest of what they ate at dinner or some bread before going to work with Sylas.
The last week before the lord left for his journey was different. The amount of horses used would be more considerable. That meant Sylas and Bryn had to work separately. Bryn got a more stable time and fewer farming activities. Since farming skills were not part of his long-term plan, he was okay with the decision. The only thing was reaching the daily limit on his skills within the new routine.
Working at the stables, he would now alternate between attending the animals and a parkour route. He incorporated some spins and cat passes when coming down from the roof. Still, his ultimate goal was to learn some flips.
After a few days of going to the stables and performing his initial parkour style, he took the next step. When people were not with him, he would put a small table on the grass outside and try to flip over it. It took him many tries during his runs, but Bryn heard that memorable sound near the sunset as the climbing and parkour route ended with his first side flip.
**ting**
– Skill Level Improved –
Climbing Lvl. 5 (5%)
Increased climbing ability. Any species from the mountain, every 3 skill levels +1 dexterity.
**ting**
– Skill Acquired –
Acrobatics LVL. 1 (12%)
**ting** 2x.
– Combination Skill Detected –
Because of advanced individual knowledge, climbing and acrobatics will combine.
**ting**
– Skill Created –
Climbing Lvl. 5 (5%) And Acrobatics Lvl. 1 (12%) combined to create the new skill Parkour Lvl 1.
Would you like to accept?
Yes No
So much was going on Bryn's mind, but even so, he was instantaneous.
"YES !"
**ting**
– Skill Acquired –
Parkour LVL. 1 (0%)
"Appraisal."
– Skill Description –
Parkour LVL. 1 (0%)
Combined skill generated from individual knowledge of the arts of mobility.
Increased learning capabilities on any mobility skill and +1 dexterity and agility every two skill levels.
"Wow! If I can use the knowledge from Earth to improve or combine skills… The potential is almost limitless. Let's see if it levels up as much as Climbing did." Bryn thought.
When Sylas returned from the fields, Bryn was exhausted on the floor near the stables entrance. Running to his son, worried something might have happened, he realized Bryn was sleeping. Sweat covered his entire body and fur.
Sylas took his son home with him and put him in bed. Looking at his son's efforts, Sylas was looking forward to tomorrow more and more.
Bryn woke up after one of his best nights of sleep. It had been a long time since he had dedicated himself so much.
With his blessings and passive skills, the new Parkour skill was faster to train.
While doing his stretches, he decided to update his status as usual.
"Appraisal".
Name
Bryn
Age
8
Lvl
1
Race
Faun
Titles
Blessed by Lugh
Blessed by Flidais
Status
Strength
1 (+2)
Intelligence
1
Dexterity
1 (+4)
Agility
1 (+4)
Vitality
2
Luck
2
Skills
Farming LVL. 2 (46%)
Physical Improvement Beginner LVL. 3 (1%)
Butchering LVL. 1 (87%)
Parkour LVL. 3 (63%)
"I'm not sure how many statuses I get per level, but overall, I'm more than twice as strong as I was before." He thought.
After saying farewell to Freya, he and his father left for the stables and the fields. Upon arriving at the stables, they saw many guards preparing for the Lord's travels. It didn't take long for Sylas and Bryn to prepare all the horses for them and the Lord's chariot.
The chief arrived as the horses were almost ready. He walked around to confirm everything was ready, greeting everyone. His footsteps came to an abrupt halt as his eyebrows shot up, forming a deep furrow on their forehead. His face, once relaxed, was now etched in astonishment. Rubbing and shaking his head, he tried to wake up from a dream. He couldn't believe what his mind was registering.
"YOU, COME HERE !" The chief said to one of the guards.
Startled by the chief's tone, the young man quickly replied, "YES CHIEF! How may I help you?"
"How do you explain that?". The chief asked, pointing at Bryn.
"I'm not sure what you mean, sir. That is Bryn, but you know him already." Said the guard, confused.
The chief's nostrils flared at the answer. "You imbecile! Use appraisal on the faun." He said.
"Wow, his status is much better than at the church."
"How do you explain that?" The chief asked.
"I'm sorry, sir, but after you stopped asking us for daily reports, we never used appraisal again. It is boring keeping track of everyone."
"Heavens… Though they are guards, they most certainly are not warriors. Who does not use appraisal on everyone around them?" The chief thought.
"Go on with what you were doing." He ordered the guard.
After sending the guard on his way, the chief approached Sylas.
"Sylas, how are you doing?"
"Good morning, Chief. I'm doing well, thank you. Is there anything I can help you with?" The chief asked, pulling Sylas to the side.
"I couldn't help but notice that Bryn was able to learn new skills in the last couple of weeks."
Sylas nodded in affirmation as he answered, "Yes, sir, that kid is addicted to training… Nothing Freya and I say can make him slow down."
"Interesting. Do you know which skills he was able to learn?" The chief asked.
"If they are faun-specific, there is nothing I can do. But if he learned other skills on his own, then we could use what he did and wake up skills for more people around the farm." The chief thought, scheming against Bryn.
"From what he told me, Climbing, Farming, Physical Improvement Beginner and Butchering, Sir. Why is that?" Said Sylas.
As Sylas spoke, the chief swallowed hard, unable to believe it. Holding his jaw from dropping to the floor, he answered.
"Thank you. I'm impressed with his growth, that is all. You are free to keep up with your work." The chief said.
"How in the world did that kid learn physical improvement beginner? It is not hard to learn; from the army experiments, you must train your body to the limit every day for 20 days. There is no way he knew the conditions to unlock the skill. Also, his status indicates his skill to be at level 3 already! It took me six months to reach that! I need more information… Also, he either lied to Sylas or didn't tell him about another skill. There are still two agility points that none of the other skills would provide. What is this kid made of? I must report to the lord immediately." The chief thought as he left Sylas standing there, confused about their interaction.
Leaving the stable, the chief went straight towards the residence. As he arrived, Lord Aric had breakfast with Lady Isolde, Evelina, and Rowan, so he had to wait.