The morning sun cast long shadows over the training grounds as Aidan stepped outside, his heart pounding with a mix of excitement and trepidation. Varn stood waiting for him, his arms crossed and a small, knowing smile on his face.
"Ready to begin?" Varn asked, his voice calm yet commanding.
Aidan nodded, his determination evident. "I'm ready."
---
Varn began with the basics, explaining the importance of summoning and unsummoning a beast during battles and other situations. "Kid, tamers must master this skill first. You'll need to be able to call Hope at a moment's notice and send him back to your soul space when needed."
Aidan closed his eyes, focusing on the faint connection he felt with Hope. The bond was like a thread of warmth in his mind, and he tugged on it gently. A moment later, a shimmering light materialized in front of him, and Hope appeared, his sleek black fur glistening under the sunlight. The wolf cub let out a soft yip and wagged its tail, clearly happy to see Aidan.
"Good," Varn said, nodding approvingly. "Now, let's see how well you can work with him."
---
Varn led Aidan and Hope to a small clearing where a few wooden dummies stood. "Training a beast is about more than just commands," Varn explained. "You need to teach Hope how to use his instincts and abilities effectively."
"First instruct your beast to strike at this dummies, You don't have to say it out loud, the connection between you and your bond make it such that you both can share each others thoughts and feelings, so just guid Hope in your mind".
"Okay" saying that Aidan focused on his thoughts and instructed Hope the same.
It seems they both were in sync because hope immediately went ahead and stroked at the dummies body.
"Good, not all people can achieve this in their first try, this just shows that the bond between you two is very deep. Now let's practice that again." said Varn.
Aidan instructed hope to do the same thing, this went on for few more times, when system chimed in
[Your beast Hope has learned a new technique: Fang Strike]
'Fang Strike' thought Aidan and immediately Hope followed up with the attack, it ran straight to the dummy and jumped high while slashing it with his paws across the body of the dummy making some marking on its body.
Hope landed in the ground while panting slightly.
"Very good Kid" clapped Varn and thought 'This kid really is talented, and it seems he got a good beast'
[Hope has levelled up]
'Level up! Nice', he remembered that when he first bonded with hope its level was 1 and now it has increased to 2.
"Alright, you can now rest your beast in your soul space, it will help in recovering much faster" said Varn and Aidan did the same knowing that Hope really needed some rest.
"While your beast recovers, we can now move to our next part of the training, which is also very crucial. I first wanted to teach you some hand to hand combat but I think the academy will teach you much better and since we have very short time I will help you in your weapon training. At the very least I will help you in selecting your weapon so that when you join the academy you can continue your training and won't be wasting time in it."
"So, do you have any preference where you want to start with, My plan was for you to get familiar with each weapon and then choose which suits you the best." asked Varn.
Aidan replied immediately "I want to choose a sword, I think that will be the weapon I will choose".
"Alright then" after saying that Varn opened a sack next to him and pulled out a wooden sword whose length was bit short but perfect for Aidan's size.
He handed him the sword and started training him. "I will first start with basics. I don't have the book with me but I will teach you directly. It's called as Beginner Sword Manual, which contains how to hold your position, how to defend and most importantly how to strike. It contains the basic foundation for all. All the people who are at the pinnacle of power starts from the basic foundation. So always remember kid your foundation has to be very solid"
'Beginner Sword Manual?' thought Aidan. 'Wasn't it what I got as a reward from the system'
The next two days were a blur of intense training. Varn started with the basics, teaching Aidan how to hold the sword, how to balance his weight, and how to execute simple strikes. At first, Aidan stumbled, his movements awkward and uncoordinated. But as the hours passed, something remarkable happened.
Aidan's progress was astonishing. Techniques that should have taken weeks to learn came to him in mere hours. His strikes became faster, more precise, his footwork more fluid. Varn watched in awe as Aidan absorbed each lesson like a sponge, his movements growing more confident and powerful with each passing moment.
"What in the stars…" Varn muttered under his breath as he observed Aidan practicing a complex sequence of strikes. "This kid's a natural."
Of course, Aidan's rapid improvement wasn't entirely natural. The Beginner Sword Manual gifted by the system played a significant role, flooding his mind with knowledge and guiding his movements. But even with the system's help, Aidan's determination and hard work were undeniable.
By the end of the second day,
Varn's gaze lingered on Aidan as the boy practiced a series of strikes against a wooden dummy. His movements, though rough at first, were now precise and fluid. The wooden sword hummed through the air, each swing more confident than the last.
This kid's a monster Varn thought, crossing his arms. If he keeps this up, he might surpass even the academy's top recruits. If he had gotten few more years he would have surpassed all his peers.
Varn called a halt to the training. "That's enough for now," he said, his tone a mix of exhaustion and pride. "You've learned more in two days than most people learn in few months. Keep it up."
Aidan wiped the sweat from his brow, his chest heaving. "Thank you, Varn," he said, his voice filled with gratitude.
Varn clapped him on the shoulder. "You've got a long way to go, kid, but you're off to a damn good start."
--
That evening, as they packed their belongings for the journey to the Velcro family's nearby planet, Aidan felt a sense of anticipation building within him. The training had given him a taste of what he was capable of, but he knew it was only the beginning.
Hope sat by his side, gnawing on a piece of dried meat. The wolf's violet eyes glowed faintly in the dim light, a reminder of the potential they shared.
He checked his status for today's progress.
[Host Attributes Overview:
- Level: 2
- Rank: Black Rank
- Strength: 5 --> 7
- Agility: 7 --> 9
- Intelligence: 8 --> 9
- Vitality: 6 --> 7
- Mana: 20
- Soul Capacity: 10
- Charm: 7]
[Beast Attributes Overview (Hatched):
- Level: 3
- Name: Hope
- Rank: Low Feral Stage
- Species: Wolf Cub
- Potential: Ascended Stage
- Attribute: None (Potential Paths Available)
- Technique: Fang Strike, Wolf Dash
- Loyalty: High (Bond Established)]
Just a bit more and I think Hope will reach level 4.
"We're in this together, Hope," Aidan said, scratching the cub behind the ears.
"We're going to get stronger, no matter what it takes."
Varn entered the room, a small smile on his face. "Get some rest, kid. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
Aidan nodded, his resolve firm. As he lay down that night, he thought of the challenges ahead the academy, and the path to revenge. But for the first time in a long while, he felt a glimmer of hope. With his bond with Hope and the system's guidance, he was ready to face whatever the future held.