It took Felix an hour and a half to finally adapt himself to the Water Swing Drill. Of course, he had taken a minute break frequently to catch his breath.
He couldn't help but drop his butt into the floor, gasping for breath. He placed the hilt of the sword on his shoulder while taking a rest.
The Water Swing Drill took most of his energy. The only reason he stuck into it rather than changing to Balance Training every now and then was because he had yet to master it.
Midway, when he was increasing his speed, he would lose his footing. Although he quickly stabilized himself, the momentum had already broken, causing him to return to the beginning—swinging in wide-arcs slowly.
After an hour and a half, he finally completed a set without losing his balance, but he felt it was not perfect.
The Guide's voice echoed in his mind.
[Since you have finished the set without losing your balance, you should switch to the Balance Training now.]
Felix nodded. "Yeah, that's the plan."
"Water break," a familiar voice echoed in Felix's ear, causing him to be greatly startled.
It was his mother, chuckling after scaring her son. She pushed the water bottle to him and said, "Take it slowly, son. Don't forget that you have an appointment tomorrow. You can't have an awkward body movement because you've strained your body."
Felix accepted the bottle and opened it. He replied, "Yes, Mother. I'll be mindful. Give me another hour and I will return to bed and sleep."
Sarah nodded, watching Felix gulp the entire contents of the 16.9 oz bottle of water.
She was quite surprised. She said, "Be mindful of drinking, too. You might get choked."
Felix chuckled and wiped the water on his lips. He handed the empty bottle to her and replied, "Too late. I've already drunk them."
Sarah rolled her eyes and giggled.
She said, "Don't stay up too late, son. I'll return now and sleep. We are still early tomorrow."
Felix nodded. "Don't worry, Mother. You should go to sleep now."
His mother nodded and turned around, not actually planning to sleep but simply waiting for her son to return to their room to have a peaceful rest.
Felix had a slight idea that his mother would not sleep until he returned, so he did not extend his rest and stood up, beginning the Balance Training.
Compared to the Water Swing Drill, the Balance Training was actually more difficult. If it was not because he exercised lightly three to five times per week during high school, Felix might have struggled a bit more.
It took him almost two hours just to finish one set. He dropped to the floor, gasping for breath.
[Congratulations! You have ascended into Awakener Rank 2!]
The Guide's voice echoed in his mind, strangely pleasant to hear.
Felix smiled ear to ear.
He grabbed his phone on the ground not far from him and was shocked he already spent two hours exercising.
He sighed. He leaned his back on the tree trunk and rested for a while.
His breathing returned to normal and he stood up only to discover he felt sore all over his body. His limbs throbbed with pain, as though they were prickled with thousand needles ceaselessly.
Felix slowly entered the apartment, planning to take a cold shower.
…
The next morning, Felix woke up alone in the room. His parents brought their pets with them to their work.
He checked his phone and discovered it was already 7:30 a.m.
He quickly sat up and gritted his teeth when his body, supposed to be resting from the intense exercise, was shocked by his sudden movements, assaulting Felix with excruciating pain.
However, he endured, bringing his body suffering from fatigue and agony to the cold shower to prepare himself.
After half an hour, Felix was standing in front of the mirror, staring at himself. His jet-black hair was stylishly swept backward to prevent them from hiding his vision. Felix had yet to cut his hair and only swore to do so before if he summoned two star beasts and above.
Now, he changed his mind. Unless he passed the college entrance examination, he would not cut his hair.
At the peak of his puberty, beards slowly grew on his chin and above his lips. They were yet to be noticeable.
Felix glanced at his face and acknowledged they were average. His body was not totally refined. His height was average, too—5'7 feet.
He wore plain white polo, blue jeans, and navy-blue sneakers. He glanced at his watch and decided to call Krisha with his right hand only—his left hand was grasping the hilt of the Flowing Rain Sword.
"I'm about to leave now. Where should we meet?"
Krisha was silent for a while and suddenly yelled, "I've been waiting outside of your apartment for an hour, you idiot!"
Felix was taken aback. He panicked and hastily left the apartment after locking the door. He hid the keys below the carpet and quickly left the gate.
As expected, a blue automatic sedan was parked beside the edge of the gate.
He ran towards it and the door at the back opened by itself.
Felix tilted his head only to see Krisha sitting on the other seat.
Felix chuckled awkwardly and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd pick me up."
Krisha rolled her eyes and replied, "Just enter and sit."
Felix nodded and sat, closing the door politely.
He glanced at the driver and discovered it was Lucia Lee wearing a suit like a butler.
She has been Krisha's maid ever since she was a child. Hence, their relationship couldn't be any closer than others. She always took care of Krisha and acted as her guard, for she was also at the Commander Rank.
She was a retired soldier of the city after being injured against a beast wave, and the wife of the city mayor, her friend, offered a job for her to take care of her daughter when Krisha was still two years old.
After all, the wife of the city mayor was also a combat type of beast tamer, also known as the guild master of the Adventurer's Guild in the Chambers City. Hence, she was also busy during the day—preventing her from taking care of her daughter 24/7.
Felix greeted Lucia. "Good morning, Aunt Lucia."
"Good morning, Felix," said Lucia in a mild tone. "We actually have just arrived and Krisha was about to call you. You beat her into it."
Felix was stunned. He turned towards Krisha who only smiled at him, giggling.