Rivyn was training for several days by now, and the changes were unstoppable. His muscles listened more promptly, his movements-sharper. He could go without rest for almost two hours, while the sensation of his body strengthening-which he felt sooner or later-gave him a new sense. He sat back to the cold stone wall, catching breath, and once again looked at his stats:
"Status."
[Rivyn - None]
[Level - 0 (Level is only available when you reach F-rank)]
[Strength - 11]
[Agility - 7]
[Defense - 8]
[Mana - 5]
[Unallocated Stats - 0]
Rivyn smiled to himself a little at the fact that strength and agility both went up 2. His body felt more solid, more like it would be able to handle the strain that he was putting on it. Not much, perhaps, but after weeks of being tortured and starved, it was progress-real progress.
His defence and mana hadn't budged, but he wasn't disheartened by that fact. He wasn't really expecting those statistics to improve without specific training or skills.
One after another, the same words which he repeated to his breathlessly silent self, even in this chilled, damp room.
By the time he got up to stretch, he had already realized one thing: slight cracks had begun to appear on the wall from where the chains were bolted in. He had managed to pull at those chains hard enough during all his workouts that the stone around them began to weaken. A small flare of hope lit in his chest as he realized that if he continued this way, those cracks could be his way out.
A wave of satisfaction washed over him, and he smiled. I'm growing more powerful. Again, reality managed to cut in. Imprisoning was uplifting, but even if he was able to break out from the chains, he'd have two goons who had done their job with him.
Rivyn knew they were strong awakens, just like those adventurers and mages he had forged weapons for. Awakeners were people who could transcend human limits and become either a mage or an adventurer. Even though these two guards were only F-rank, when Rivyn reached that level, chances were they would overpower him easily. He also didn't know exactly how strong they were, but from their fluidity and precision, Rivyn knew they were not just normal thugs.
"I can frett over them later," Rivyn growled. "First I need to get these chains off."
Rivyn woke up much sooner than he usually did the next morning. His body was still sore from the previous day of training, but it was a good sore - the kind that told him he was getting better. He toggled his newly bought skill, Internal Clock.
[Time - 7:53 AM]
He sighed. His internal clock was just messed up. He could have sworn it was still well within the middle of the night. All those hours now started to blend into one because of the rigorous training, and by now he didn't know when to rest or push harder. At least I know it's morning, he thought to himself.
He checked his status one last time before he started training.
[Rivyn - None]
[Level - 0 (Level is only available when you reach F-rank)]
[Strength - 11]
[Agility - 7]
[Defense - 8]
[Mana - 5]
[Unallocated Stats - 0]
Nothing had changed: the gain he'd realized a little while back had leveled off. His workout was easier, and he felt he no longer was challenging himself. Rivyn frowned, lost in thought. Now what? he thought. I need to be doing more if I'm to continue to get any stronger.
He turned to the wall to which the chains were fixed. The fissures he had seen the previous day were a trifle deeper today. A wild thought struck him.
"Might as well give it a shot," he whispered.
Taking a deep breath, Rivyn steeled himself and then slugged the wall as hard as he could. Pain exploded through his hand as his fist hit stone, and he yelped loudly as he curled around his bruised knuckles. He growled, fighting back the urge to cry. Stupid.
He turned to the wall to see his punch had spread the cracks. It wasn't much, but it was something. A smile played upon his lips-the pain in his hand forgotten for a moment. I can break it, he thought, I just have to be smart about it.
Rivyn began punching the wall, this time much more measuredly, using his strength without trying to hurt his hand or wrist. Small chunks of rock often hit the ground with each blow, and after several dozen punches, the chains wrapped around his left hand fell free from the wall.
It was handcuffed but could freely move around now. He hastened to the right wall, urged by the racing of his heart, and repeated the same. After one more round of gruesome punches, chains fell off his right hand, too.
The chains were there, but he knew he could move now-really move.
Rivyn straightened for the first time in weeks, his shoulders rolling, stretching out his arms. Finally. Now he could start training heavier, sans the hindrance of chains.
Before he did, though, Rivyn halted. I really ought to do this right. Rivyn called up the System again.
"System, show me body training techniques.
[Ashwald's Body Enhancement - Training manual by Ashwald to develop the body. Cost: 3 System Points.]
3 System Points, he had 4 remaining after the purchase of the skill Internal Clock, so he was well within his budget. Better be bloody worth it.
Knowledge flooded his brain the instant he purchased it, and Rivyn immediately stumbled backward, grasping his head as the memories and knowledge he never learned suddenly became his. The Ashwald's Body Enhancement technique was made with the focus on the beginner, un-awakened individual, and newly awakened F-ranks, looking to strengthen their bodies.
It was perfect, he beamed as the knowledge settled in his mind. For this training, there was division into three stages; each stage more difficult than the last. The first stage was purely for absolute beginners: people with frail bodies. He dismissed that in an instant-way past that, he beamed in confidence.
It opens with the average build wherein one does possess strength but needs further refinement of his body. There are ten training stances in all; each has been specifically designed to push the limit of endurance, flexibility and core strength. Each stance needed to be held for several minutes before proceeding to the next one.
At first glance, the stances didn't look too difficult, and Rivyn assumed he could handle them without too much trouble. I'll start here, he thought, preparing for the first stance.
He was wrong. So wrong.
The first stance was for him to curl the body under his legs and raise his left leg behind his back to touch his right arm, also bent behind his back. Just as he tried to get into the position, his body immediately protested with sharp pains stabbing right through his muscles, and his legs buckled; a few seconds later, he fell to the ground in a heap, gasping for breath. What the. He groaned in frustration. I thought this was for average people!
Rivyn dabbed his beading brow, soaked from the single attempt thus far, his body burning-but he refused to stop. The System wouldn't go out of its way to show him things that didn't have their uses. Rising to his feet again, he made his second try. It takes upwards of over fifteen tries or so before he can hold on in position for more than a minute. My body is shaking-my arms, my legs screaming in protest-but he holds on. Focus. Breathe. Don't give up.
The next few hours were brutal: Rivyn worked through the first stance, collapsing time and time again, only to get back up and try again. His body was slick with sweat, muscles screaming in protest against being used in this completely alien way, but he could already feel it. This was real progress, the kind he hadn't gotten from his regular workouts.
A little later, he plunged afresh into practice with renewed vigor. He knew the first stance had to be right because each successive stance built upon it. This, according to the book, had to be done as an unbroken continuum, which meant one stance relies on the effect brought about by the other for the right effect; thus, when the first one was wrong, the effect achieved was lesser. Rivyn pushed his body past the breaking point until he fell to the ground, lathered in sweat, a small smile crossing his lips. He wasn't there as yet, but his body was adapting-he felt it, getting strong. He would conquer this, too.
He had to. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and felt the refreshing effect from the Sustain skill wash over him. Tomorrow was another day of training, another day closer to freedom.