The next day went by quickly....
Zilon found himself sitting on his bed, grimacing.
"One week he said.....heck I won't even last past today!!" He yelled in agony.
His muscles, lap, Ribs, and many other parts of him screamed in pain.
"I am not a foreigner to this....but the body, I must be the unluckiest"
On earth, he was 'somewhat' athletic...but the circumstances that lead him to that were quite complicated.
"*Sigh*whatever the case may be...."
Standing up,he raised his hands and began his morning routine.
"Ouch...it hurts so bad"
He ignored the pangs , focusing on the events that made up yesterday.
"The moment I finished the run, I got no rest....."
"He made me do more sets of pushups, and soon after he ordered me to push the bolder....what type of training is that!?" He hugged himself.
The way his body trembled pushing the rock....
"I will not like to repeat that again " He thought , shivering.
"Besides, pretty sure I will need at least 60 more points on strength"
"And then..... That" his hands reached the back of his head.
"About what Lyla said the other day....."
----
"There are people who will be looking for this power, I hope you don't tell anyone....even if you trust them"
------
"Luckily.... That's exactly what I have been doing"
Zilon took his usual bath, changing into a new sets of clothes.
Stepping outside, the usual cold morning air hit his body, only today felt more colder.
"Hmm...."
He began his morning warm up, which despite the pain, Allowed his body to be ready for other tasks that hurt even more if he were stiff.
.
.
.
.
.
Zilon had his back resting on the tree, his cheeks full from rice, something he didn't get to do yesterday.
*Rustle*
*Rustle*
"And here he comes..."
"Hey, ready for another session " Rivor approached with a smile .
"I don't like the look of that" he squinted.
"Uh.... Yeah" Zilon replied hesitant.
He gobbled the remaining food and quickly took huge gulps of water.
Standing up afterwards.
His second day of training.....has begun!.
----------
The day came to an end, as slow as it always was....
"It *huff* couldn't get any *huff* slower"
He laid at the spot like previously desperately gasping for air.
"He wasn't kidding when he said the training gets worse the next day....." Zilon's eyes became hollow as that realization hit him.
If he dodged 3 twig shooters yesterday....
Then today was 5.
"Today's was more sophisticated.....some shot at the same time the other shot when there was an an opening"
Still the pain it transmitted was the same.
That he felt lucky about.
"Or maybe unlucky"
"I'd better be off then" Rivor said .
"Huh really...."
While feeling relieved, he asked....
"I thought there was still time" he raised up gently.
"Well.... apparently a storm is coming" Rivor replied with a hand scratching his scar .
"A storm?...."
"What do you mean "apparently" it isn't accurate or something?"
"Well this types of things aren't always guaranteed"
"True"
"Okay....."
"Hmm, seems like they have a way of broadcasting news" Zilon thought inwardly.
"Still it's said to be a big one, you may wanna use this"
He handed out a folded paper.
"What is that?" Zilon raised a brow.
It looked like a regular white piece of paper....
With some black lines drawn on it.
"Hmm, A spider web?..."
"This doesn't look like much..." He mumbled.
"It's an inscription, meant to conjure a shield, you can place it anywhere around your house"
"So is this gonna summon some kind of spider?"
"Not really, something far more stronger"
"Hmm, I'm confused though, why give me protection, I mean it's just a storm right?"
"Well yes, but sometimes, these storms actually cause damage, especially around here, it's completely normal for some families to buy inscriptions for this use cases"
"Especially the ones growing crops" Rivor shrugged.
"I see"
"Makes sense...."
"Okay off I go then"
Taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped as if remembering something.
"Don't waste it, it could be useful in other situations"
Zilon nods.
"This world.....Sounds complicated"
Shacking his head, he also walked back inside, he could see dark clouds already forming above, it's only a matter of time before it started.
"I think, asking Lyla could provide some answers" He thought while shutting the door.
"What did you want to ask?"
His body visibly shivered,but recognizing the voice, he sighed.
"You shouldn't do that, what if I had a heart attack!" Zilon frowned.
"Don't worry you won't"
"Say what!?"
"Even if you do, I can heal you"
His palm struck his face.
"The safest option is just to expect her"
"You were gonna ask?" She said slowly.
"You know..... Your the first I have seen who has looks that doesn't match her voice"
"..."
*Ahehem*
Reaching out to his pocket
"I wanted to ask about this...." He raised the paper in front of him.
"..."
"It's an inscription"
"That's what Rivor said" Zilon nods as she took the paper.
"A defense type..... It looks incomplete and weak though" Her voice sounded confused.
"Bingo.....I knew she was knowledgeable on that"
"But weak is never a good way to phrase it, who does she think she is?"
"What did you want to know" She said calmly while handing it back .
"That was quick...."
"I was wondering if I could learn how to create one"
A part of him had a strong curiosity, another felt like he will need it at some point.
And he knew how powerful it can be....at least how powerful they are in books he read.
"You're too weak"
"...."
A few moments of silence and Zilon could only stare blankly.
"Its always about strength,huh?"
"Then how strong do I need to be?" His brows furrowed.
"I can teach you, know to be familiar with the concepts but performing it in practice...."
"You will need to be at least level 15"
"I see....." Zilon paused, tapping his chin.
"Makes me wonder how she knows which level I am exactly"
"If that's the case,am I allowed to pick when we start"
She nods.
"In the next two weeks, Rivor had told me today mid training, if I were able to 'survive' for a week, he will be reducing the training hours"
He had already done the math with his water clocks and sun dial.
They started around 6, and usually finished around 9, so less time means finishing maybe around 8 or 7.
Today was an exception because of the Strom.
Lyla sighed and began walking towards her room.
"Go get some rest....."
"A storm is coming"
"I will take that as an okay then " Zilon smiled.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Zilon sat on the floor his back resting on his bed.
His ears twitched at the rumbling outside.
"The downpour hasn't begun yet..." A flashed illuminated his face followed by...
RUMBLE
He could the tremors benith him.
His mind wondered a bit, examining today's events....
What he did right and what was mostly wrong.
"Despite the fact that I should technically be getting better...." He held his chin.
"I am only getting worst at things" he said annoyed.
"57 times..... that's the amount of times I got hit " memories of the stick hitting him on the groin resurfaced.
He shivered still feeling the subtle pangs that spread across his body.
"I don't think I will be seeing to much changes...for now at least " He sighed laying on his hands.
"Wait maybe I can...." He suddenly sat upright remembering the system.
"Of course I almost forgot about that"
With a deep breath he was able to imagine the usual pale blue panel that displayed his information, which appeared almost instantly.
++++
[ Status–
- **Name:Zilon
- ** Level : 1
- **Race: ???
- **Age: 15
- **STR: 16
- **AGI: 18
- **ACU: 27
- **STA: 19
- **MAG: 62
- **MAN: 70
- **SLP(Soul power): N/A
-- **Exp(experience points) ; 15/100
-- ** Cordex : None
-- ** Class : N/A
-- ** Vitality: 100%
[ Skills ----
Chronico eyes(Unclassified Passive-Active Skill): A combination of different eye skills from unknown origins. (Description incomplete.)
- Effect: Creates a thin red ring around the user, reducing an enemy's movement speed and power output to 0.5% of its original strength.
Burst (Unclassified Active Skill): This is a skill with little records about,few can use it and requires understanding to be able to use it in battle,count yourself lucky if you can use such a skill.
- Effects: ???
- Cooldown: ???
- Status: Locked
- Requirements : Reach level 5 and Understand the skill.
Dash(Unclassified Active Skill): This skill allows a person to burst with instant amounts of speed for a short distance.
- Effects: Allows the person to burst out with 2x there Normal speed for 2 seconds,consuming 2 Stamina points for each activation.
- Cooldown: 5 seconds after each activation.
Stealth (Unclassified Active Skill): This Skill allows the user to hide there presence from enemy detection.
- Effects: Allows the person to hide his presence from people for 8 seconds , Can currently only hide from lower level enemies and consumes 5 Stamina points.
- Cooldown: 10 seconds after After activation.
(Locked)
(Locked)
.....]
Zilon took the time to acknowledge the changes in his stats.
"I mean it's not that impressive, except for my mana and accuracy, I could say the rest are kind of average.....Still I wonder when I can begin raising in levels "
His eyes widened slightly.
"I haven't even given it much thought"
"Originally I expected Rivor to take me to the forests and begin teaching me how to kill– I guess I was getting way ahead of myself"
"...."
"Let's keep those at the back for now..."
"The new Vitality is what I lack understanding of....."
"I swear, I feel like this system is broken, look it doesn't even know I am a human " Zilon said sarcastically.
"Whatever"
He stood up and walked towards the window....
He wasn't paying attention but the constant light that shone across his face showed light droplets on the window.
Zilon scrolled down and was met with the least section he was happy about.
++++
Titles––
Fated Challenger: Fate marks you as a test subject of strength.
You are bound to encounter opponents far beyond your level. Survival is not guaranteed — but evolution is.
Edge of Oblivion: You have stood at the edge of death, and looked into the abyss without flinching.
While facing an opponent of overwhelming strength, your instincts sharpen, allowing you to momentarily ignore fear and hesitation. The closer you are to defeat, the sharper you become.
(*–Locked*)
(*–Locked*)
Curses––
Split Mind: Inflicted by the Demon Lord of Ruin.Every 10 seconds in battle, for 2 seconds, your thoughts fracture — reason becomes clouded, instincts contradict, and control slips.
You are your own worst enemy.]
"This has to be a joke " Zilon wailed as he read the last description and what it ended it.
" `You are your worst enemy`, you just amplified it literally"
Zilon sighed, he was already through with this, he wasn't going to allow it to change his mood.
"Although, I haven't fully seen it action though...I mean it did strike me when I was on that shifting minefield"
"But if that's all what it does then I maybe able to withstand..."
But even then he couldn't still shake the uneasy he felt.
"I won't let my guard down, I am a foreigner after all "
Zilon's eyes which has lost some light, shone as the panel vanished.
He found himself staring at his reflection on the window.
Looking past, he noticed a heavy downpour, floods of rain smashed into buildings with great force,but the houses looked unshaken.
Oddly though, despite the amount of water that looked more like a flood, it didn't enter there house, not even the fields were he trained with Rivor.
It only stopped at the gate.....
"hmmm...."
This rattled Zilon but he decided to go take a nap and worry about potential side effects another time.
"if anything happens I am sure Lyla can handle it, I can't really do anything now even if I wanted to" Zilon thought as he dusted his bed with the sheets.
Laying down, he stared at the white ceiling and couldn't help but go over his motivation.
"I think the mere fact of having strength in a world that permits the use of magic is a valid motivator" Zilon eyes closed slowly.
"Is what I would say if it was that simple" The cold lightness he felt as his consciousness slowly fades away.
"If only it were that simple....." Zilon mumbled.
The sound of light breathing could be heard.
-----