I had remarked the 1.80-meter-tall wooden dummy when the other councilors and I visited the castle for the first time. At first, it just looked like an ordinary Martial Arts movie training dummy, which only old-school martial artists would use in real life. Hence, nobody paid it any mind. But I did because I was the only one to notice the red button below its ear, neatly hidden by the dust that covered it.
Everyone agreed to reserve the entire training ground for me without any suspicions, as I had requested. I mean, there were a few other larger training grounds (without dummies), so having one to myself, protected from the eyes of others, didn't seem odd to them. After we finished touring that training ground, I mentioned wanting to examine something and instructed them to go on ahead of me. Once alone, I proceeded with my inspection. At first, I attempted to move the dummy because it was poorly positioned, but my efforts proved to be in vain. I then pressed the red button, and that's when things changed.
----- 7 hours ago -----
[After Aiden pressed the red button on the dummy]
'System Message': ''You've activated the training dummy for the first time. Here is an explanation of its functions.''
[Training dummy-status deactivated]
''Press the red 'activate button' below its ear to turn it on, then you must select the fighting style and level of proficiency of the dummy you want to duel or train against. The level of proficiency refers to the level of strength of the dummy, so the higher you put it, the more difficult it will be.''
Here are the different fighting styles of the dummy :
[Boxing, Karate, MMA, Kickboxing, Muay Tai, Krav Maga, judo, jiu-jitsu, ancestral martial art, wing-chun, taekwondo, kickboxing, etc.]
''You can select any martial art, and it will only use this one when dueling you, but you can also select more than one, hence making it more challenging and stronger, even at level-1. You can even make it use all martial arts at the same time, but it is not recommended. Because a level-1 dummy using every martial art in its possession would make it as strong as a level-2 dummy using two martial arts.''
''You can also turn off the dueling mode and switch to training mode. In training mode, you can instruct the dummy to perform specific techniques. For instance, if you find it challenging to deal with fast kicks from Taekwondo, you can request the dummy to execute only flexible and rapid kicks from this particular martial art. You can even ask it to incorporate feints to increase the difficulty level.''
''Finally, you can also give a weapon to the training dummy, be it blunt weapons, wooden swords or spears, or even axes and hammers, but also real iron weapons. In those conditions, it is also better to use a similar weapon to duel against the dummy, but if you want to try fighting a level-3 dummy using an iron sword and 5 different martial arts, then you can. But please don't do so right now, because you will die in less than a second.''
'According to your strength level, you aren't even fit to duel against the level-1 dummy since it's basic strength level, with just boxing, is at 40.''
''For now, the dummy cannot be equipped with any armor since none of you humans possesses armor. The dummy's functions will be improved after the first well of Ascension ceremony.''
''You can ask on the help button at the left of the screen if you have any questions and doubts and are in need of assistance. That will be all. You are now free to train with the dummy, but don't use the level 2 dummy for now, use the weakest one.''
''End of system message''
After witnessing that, I knew that I would need a lot of time for myself if I wanted to use this thing without problems. Carelessly turning it on right now would only result in me injuring myself, and that would be a massive mistake.
So I put the matter to rest and joined back my companions that had all been waiting for me; a good thing I only made them wait for a few minutes.
----- 7 hours later -----
[After Aiden pressed on the button again]
I pressed on the button that enabled me to use my voice to pick options, it would be faster that way. And if I were to get tired and feel like I would die or get heavily injured by the dummy, I could just say ''STOP'', and my life would be saved.
''Select level-1 difficulty, fighting style—[boxing]''
''Activate dueling mode''
After activating the combat mode, I saw the dummy moving and transforming into something more human; it blew my mind. He went from just a wooden pole with wooden arms to a litteral robot-like dueling dummy that looked human. I was originally afraid that I would really need to punch and kick Wood; I would have broken my bones and lost the fight in seconds if that was how sturdy and resistant the level-1 dummy was.
Luck was on my side, and I saw the dummy's skin turning into something more like flesh, then I decided to punch it a few times with half of my strength before starting the battle in order to check its hardness. My hands and arms weren't hurt at all. It really felt like I had punched a human body's head and torso made of real flesh.
Hence, with things settled down, I pressed the 'Start button' and began my first fight against the training robot-dummy.
He swung first, a fast left jab. I dodged easily with my former boxing reflexes still being there. I then rolled back because I wanted to have enough space in order to kick it hard in the stomach. He quickly caught up to me and threw a few blows, one to my stomach, which landed. A right hook aimed at my chin, which I barely evaded, and then a left uppercut that I ate in order to counter it with a heavy right hook to the chin.
The robot training dummy seemed more advanced than I expected because it's reaction was very similar to a human. It was disoriented and stopped attacking for an instant, giving me enough to kick it in the stomach. But I was also a human, and that uppercut to my body had made me dizzy. As a consequence, I was too late in retracting my leg, and the dummy swept me.
I fell on my back, and then that bastard jumped on me and started attacking me with a fury of strikes.
''STOP''
'What the heck, this thing is so strong and cunning. It doesn't feel like I'm fighting against a dummy at all. I also know why this shit felt only as strong as me when the fight started; it's based off boxing martial arts, and an experienced boxer wouldn't go all out in the beginning of a fight. He would first analyze his opponents strengths and weaknesses, analyze his attack pattern, and then set his own pace, and then, at the right moment, go for the kill.'
'It seems I was naive, believing I stood a chance. A difference of 13 in battle power was more important than I thought. Those few hits he managed to land on me while I was on the ground really did hurt and felt powerful.''
''Let's first analyze it's characteristics compared to mine before I go and fight it again.''
'The dummy has greater strength, more resistance and experience, better techniques, it's more cunning than me, and can react quickly even after being hit in the chin.'
'On the other hand, I'm faster; I can swing faster than it because my only strong point in boxing has always been my speed. And that's probably the only thing that I'm better at compared to him. It has even more stamina than me, so I don't think I hold any advantage over it aside from attacking and movement speed.'
'So when the fight starts, I should be the first to attack it, go for an upper body blow to the liver, and then feint a left hook to the nose to hit him with an uppercut; then if he tries to counter and attack, I retreat. If he doesn't, then I try to aim for his chin and combine it with a knee kick blow to the stomach. And then I should just try to kill it. I must keep on throwing powerful attacks without care about getting hit in return. If I set my own pace and confuse him, then I win.'
After setting my mind, I went forth with pressing the ''Start button'' again.
The fight continues.
I shove forward at full speed, successfully landing a strong right hook to his liver. But instead of feinting, I hit him in the nose, completely immersed in the battle. I let my instincts guide me. He attacked me with a left-right-left combination: one left jab that I dodged, one right hook that he missed and struck my body too low, and a right hook aimed at my chin that didn't land because I dodged backward. I was afraid, but I couldn't fear for long; I didn't have any right to be afraid with my status. My heart raced, my mind yelled at me to stop, my body stiffened, but my voice yelled back something.
''FUCK YOU!!!!''
I lunged back at the dummy like a madman without a proper boxing form; he hits me with a left-cross, and I counter with a right overhand using all of my weight. The dummy didn't expect that I would be fast enough to prepare for an attack while running at him like a crazed demon. The overhand had effect, and without stopping to analyze his condition, I started a fury of consecutive blows. I tried to kill it.
One left jab.
One right hook.
Left overhand, then a one-two jab combo in the nose
One right cross after a low jab to his stomach.
In the meantime, he sent great combinations of attacks to my head and struck my nose, my temples, and my left eyebrow arch. I was in pain, but I kept going. I headbutted him and threw a direct front kick, fast but lacking in power, but it was enough to make damage. I throw a punch at his nose, which he managed to slip away from, but that was a feint. I throw a weird back-palm hit aimed at his throat, which was far too fast for him to block or dodge.
I took the opportunity before my eyes and landed the most powerful right-hook I've even swung in my life, directly to his chin. With the reflexes of a pro boxer and the stamina of a veteran, he tried to attack me again. But his speed was reduced, and I managed to catch his right arm and unfairly counter with an elbow strike in his throat again. I never intended to catch anything at all when I first fought, but I realized that I can do everything I want in order to win. After all, in a real fight battle, everything is permitted.
Heck, that guy had stronger physical strength than me, and he had better stamina and techniques, as well as slightly better reflexes than me, so of course I'd do anything to win. He was now immobilized, so I took advantage of this opportunity to land a forceful spinning-back kick to his solarplexus. He fell to his knees, and I hurled a vigorous front kick to his now-bowed head.
The guy was knocked out; I had won.
''System Notice'' [You have successfully defeated the level-1 training dummy.]
''I did it!'' I said aloud, overjoyed.
But my excitement promptly quelled over as adrenaline left my body. I thought back at how lucky I had been during this fight, and now it seemed like I didn't really deserve this win. Or rather, I worried that I wouldn't be able to win a second time if I wasn't that lucky again. That's what I thought while a huge wave of pain swept through my whole body.
It really did hurt like crazy, fighting to the death against a Mid-Tier dummy that knew boxing. In fact, since the system said that the weakest dummy had a level of strength of 40, we can even say it is at the very peak of the Mid-Tier, nearing the High-Tier.
Understanding the situation, I decided that I would start training my body every day. I would do at least:
200 push-ups by morning and another 200 by night.
200 sit-ups by morning and another 200 by night.
3x1 minute planks
15 minutes of leg stretching for more flexibility
and then 30 minutes of lifting weights with my arms. At least 8 kilos x 20 repetitions x 5 sets.
and then 5 kilometers of running.
At my current level, this was overkill; all of it was. I knew I was unprepared to do any of this, but there's a method of physical training that requires you to train a lot every day in order to break your bodily tissues and repair them quickly, so you can make quick progress. I think it's called High-Frequency Training, or maybe it's Daily Undulating Periodization. I think both of those training methods are similar. If used to the extrems, what I intended to do would be considered the harshest and most painful way to grow muscles, but it would be the most efficient as well. And I wanted to grow an insane amount of muscles in just one month.
But I would also need corresponding alimentations in order to supplement my training. Good thing one of the guys among the council members has had a professional nutrutionist as a dad. He could surely help me. My mind was set on what to do, so I left the training ground and searched for him so he could inform me of the best things to eat in order to help me grow muscles and gain weight. I was also planning on searching for a way to get weight to do lifting.
After walking for 15 minutes and reaching the entry of the first castle's gate, I found him, Eliotte.
''Hi again, Eliotte,'' I said.
''Hello again, my leader; it's only been less than 35 minutes since you've left us, are you perhaps in need of something?'' He answered.
''Indeed I am, and you are the person I most need right now. You see, I plan on starting a huge workout training on the basis of the HFT and DUP methods in order to have quick muscle growth. So I need a good diet so I can gain weight and muscles fast.''
''Ohhh, you've made the right choice coming to me for this; my knowledge regarding nutrition elements is boundless! I will obviously help you to my heart contents, and I will also help you improve your training method. You see, I also possess knowledge regarding training the body since it is linked with nutrition.''
''Oh, that's really nice to hear! When shall we start?'' I genuinely wondered.
''Right away, my lord.''
''Perfect ! As long as it doesn't bother you, of course, I wouldn't want to annoy you if you have any business to do.'' I voiced my concerns aloud, as if to maintain the good-image I had already forged about me.
''Rather than bothering me, it makes me happy. I have nothing to do, and here you've asked for my help in making you stronger. Of course I'm willingly willing to do so!'' Responded Eliotte with a kind laugh.
''Alright, I'll follow your lead and instructions.''
After that, he brought me to the warehouse in order to bring all the ingredients needed to make all the dishes I would be eating for the next 3 months. On the way, he said he'd be my personal cook as well. Of course he'd be good at cooking since he knows everything about food and ingredients.
He and I picked a selection of ingredients; the whole weighed over 80 kilos; we both carried more than 20 kilos in both arms.
After reaching my personal house, he proceeded to explain the food I'll be eating and at what time I should be eating.
3 months later, I would become a new man.