Vaelor was waking up, looking around to find himself in an extremely elegant room.
"Where am I?"
He tried to get up but felt a sharp pain coursing through his body.
"What happened to me?"
He looked at himself and saw that he was completely bandaged.
"That's right. I was digging until I collapsed. But where am I?"
His body ached considerably, even though he had pain resistance. The only thing he could manage was to sit up on the bed.
He moved his hand in the air, summoning the system to check what he had gained from the ordeal.
____________________
Name: Vaelor
Age: 10 years
Race: Human
Title: Reincarnated - Seeker of the Crown of Destiny
Class: Swordsman
Subclass: Alchemist
_________
Class Skill:
--Quick Slash / 9% Mastery
Subclass Skills:
--Create Minor Potion / 75% Mastery
--Create Minor Poison / 31% Mastery
System Skills:
--Minor Poison Resistance / 73% Mastery
--Parkour / 25% Mastery
--Minor Pain Resistance / 49% Mastery
--Minor Bone Enhancement / 42% Mastery
--Minor Muscle Enhancement / 51% Mastery
--Minor Blood Enhancement / 36% Mastery
--Minor Lung Enhancement / 19% Mastery
--Boost / 0% Mastery
--Intermediate Mental Fortitude / 13% Mastery
____________________
'Pain Resistance, Bone Enhancement, Muscle Enhancement, Blood Enhancement, and Lung Enhancement have all increased. Mental Fortitude evolved from Basic to Intermediate due to everything I went through.'
He clenched his fist tightly.
"I have to become stronger."
He tried to calm himself, but the anger within still lingered. Taking a deep breath, he felt the rage subside until his mind was clear again.
"I suppose that's thanks to Mental Fortitude."
Curious about his new skill, Boost, he assumed it must enhance something.
"Boost."
In an instant, he felt his muscles intensify, but an excruciating pain surged through him. His muscles quickly returned to normal, and he began coughing up blood.
"What the...?"
At that moment, a maid entered the room carrying a silver tray. Seeing Vaelor coughing blood, she dropped the tray in panic.
"Help! A doctor! We need a doctor!"
The maid screamed for help while supporting Vaelor and patting his back.
"Hold on! You'll be alright!"
A commotion ensued as a doctor rushed into the room with a potion in hand.
"Young man! Drink this!"
Vaelor noticed the potion had two shades of red, one lighter and the other darker.
"I don't think that's a good idea..."
The doctor pressed the potion to his lips, forcing him to drink it. A horribly bitter taste overwhelmed him, and he immediately lost consciousness.
After several minutes, Vaelor woke up again, the first thing he saw was Axelius's face mere inches from his own.
"Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah."
"That's great!" Axelius smiled brightly, clearly relieved. "You had us worried when you started bleeding and passed out."
Vaelor stared at him, puzzled by the cheerful demeanor of the stranger.
"Who are you? I feel like I've seen you before."
He tried to recall where he had seen him, but the last thing he remembered was burying Mireth and then a dream.
"Doctor, did he suffer any injuries?"
"From what you explained, it seems exhaustion caused him to forget a few things," the doctor replied. "But don't worry. Thanks to the potion I made, he shouldn't have any lingering injuries."
Hearing this, Vaelor glared at the doctor.
"You made that potion?! How could you give such a thing to someone?!" he shouted angrily.
The doctor took a step back as Axelius burst into laughter.
"It's fine if he's able to yell like that!" Axelius said cheerfully. "Thank you, Doc."
He grabbed Vaelor by his clothes, lifting him into the air.
"Alright, time to eat."
He carried Vaelor on his shoulder, running out of the room.
As they went down the hallway, several servants bowed at the sight of Axelius.
After what felt like mere seconds, they arrived at a massive dining hall with a large silver platter filled with meat.
Axelius set Vaelor down on a chair and sat beside him, watching.
"What is this?"
"I'm Axelius Lionheart."
'It seems we're not on the same page.'
Vaelor was thoroughly confused, as he hadn't asked who he was.
"Axelius Lionheart. That name sounds familiar."
He tried to recall where he had heard it before, certain it rang a bell.
"Lionheart? The Lionheart Knights?"
He remembered what Alonso had told him about the protectors of the kingdom, the Lionheart family.
"Exactly. I'm Axelius Lionheart, Captain of the Lionheart Knights. And you're in Lionheart territory."
Hearing this, Vaelor went to one of the room's windows, gazing at the incredible scenery outside.
A vast green meadow stretched as far as the eye could see, dotted with trees that provided shade and life to the landscape. In the distance, an imposing wall rose high into the sky. He also noticed knights running in heavy armor under the sun. Below, there was a training ground where knights were sparring fervently.
"What do you think?"
"It's enormous," Vaelor remarked as he watched the knights train. "Why am I here?"
"You really don't remember? You said you wanted to become stronger, so I thought I'd help you. And what better place to train than Lionheart?"
"Can I really train here? Won't something stop me?" he asked, doubting the possibility since they were the kingdom's protectors.
"Why would anything stop you? What you should be worried about is whether you can endure it."
Vaelor looked at his hand, thinking about how powerless he had felt against Baal.
"I never want to feel like that again."
"So, do you want to stay and train at Lionheart? Or, if you prefer, we can send you to the church. The choice is yours, but let me ask you this: Do you want to become stronger?"
"I want to become stronger. Much stronger."
Axelius smiled at the young boy's determined gaze.
"Then start eating. If a warrior doesn't eat well, they'll lack strength and stamina. So, you'd better finish all this meat before I return. Consider it your first training."
He headed to the door.
"Vaelor, welcome to Lionheart."
Axelius left the dining hall, leaving Vaelor alone with his first challenge.
"One, two, three... fifteen large steaks. This is more meat than I've eaten in a month." He swallowed nervously, staring at the task before him. "If I can't finish this, I won't be able to become stronger."
He grabbed one of the juicy-looking steaks and took a bite, but as he tried to tear off a piece, he realized it was incredibly dry and tough.
"He wants me to eat all this before he gets back?"
Vaelor stared at the pile of meat as if it were a giant beast ready to crush him.
Meanwhile, Axelius walked down the hallway toward the butler.
"Sir Axelius, do you need anything?"
"Prepare a personal training field."
"Right away."
"And call Simon. I'm sure he'll be interested in this recruit."
'Mr. Simon?' The butler was puzzled but complied. "As you wish."
As the butler left, Axelius thought about how to help Vaelor grow stronger, though he was more concerned about the hatred he had seen in the boy.
'I have to think about a way that he abandons that hatred he has. You could poison if it continues'
He kept walking, trying to think a solution while giving Vaelor time that he could eat everything that could be of the flesh.