The next day, before dawn, Arlan habitually threw off his warm covers. It was currently that time of year when the weather was just beginning to warm up but was still chilly. Ordinary children wouldn't even dream of throwing off the covers as soon as they opened their eyes; even if they woke up early, they wouldn't want to leave the warmth. But Arlan had already developed the habit of getting up the moment he opened his eyes under Might Guy's 'care.'
"Today's task load is huge!"
Arlan dressed while organizing his thoughts. Well, the reason he had gone straight to bed upon returning yesterday, besides his body being truly exhausted, was another important reason: in such a large church where several people lived, there were actually only two bathtubs, and the bathing area was very crude. Generally, when the girls bathed, the boys would avoid the area, and it was the same when the boys bathed.
Their usual bath time was every Wednesday, so even if Arlan wanted to take a soak with the healing potion, he didn't have the conditions to do so.
Thus, the 'Church Renovation Plan' was put on the agenda.
After all, making everyone's life happier was originally one of Asta's wishes.
But this kid was too single-minded, only thinking about reaching the goal in one step by becoming the Magic Emperor, never considering using his superior physical fitness to help everyone with anything.
Today's goal was simple: first, go to the river near the Village to catch a dozen fish to fill his stomach, then go to the woods to cut timber. He decided to build a bathhouse with separate sections for men and women today!
"Right! No sooner said than done!"
Arlan finished dressing. During the process, Yuno opened his eyes once; his dark pupils were full of surprise, but he then closed them again as if he hadn't seen anything.
"What a little closet-case, he's a bit like Sasuke!"
Arlan curled his lip, took an axe, a flint, and a coil of rope from the storehouse, and left the church, heading straight for the river outside the Village.
"Morning, Asta! Going out to frolic again?"
A villager who had woken up early to cook greeted Arlan upon seeing him.
"Your granny! You think I'm a Husky, 'frolicking'! Watch out, or I'll give you a set of 100 ways to wreck a house!"
Arlan rolled his eyes and, after dropping a line about 'not bothering with such a brat,' turned away haughtily.
"What does that mean?"
The villager was bewildered. Has this kid actually become learned?
"Whew..."
Arlan exhaled a breath of turbid air. The distance from the Village entrance to the stream was about three kilometers, and he had run the entire way doing a handstand. True cultivation meant racing against time!
After all, the world never lacked diligent people. When you're on the same starting line—or even behind others—you must put in 300% diligence and wisdom to surpass them!
Arlan sat by the stream. At this moment, both his arms were very sore and swollen. This kind of training was something Asta had never done before, so it could be considered developing a new field.
*Gulp!*
Arlan opened the healing potion and took a large swig first. His body immediately felt warm; this healing potion was like milk, not only able to heal injuries but also providing a certain nutritional effect. Arlan shook the bottle; there was about a fingernail's worth of healing potion left inside. He filled the bottle with stream water, shook it, and then splashed the mixture of cold stream water and healing potion directly onto his two arms.
"Hiss... that's the stuff!"
Arlan bared his teeth; although it stung a bit, the effect was top-notch. Soon, his aching and swollen arms felt much better.
"This healing potion is good stuff. With it, even without the nourishment of Chakra, I can exercise twice as much as usual!"
Arlan nodded with satisfaction and then began working on tools for catching fish. He first found a diamond-shaped stone by the stream, and after sharpening it, he used the rope he took from the church to tie up the stone, which now looked like a Kunai.
"Perfect!"
After making the fishing tool, Arlan went to the edge of the stream. At this time, many carps that had grown fat over the winter were swimming in the stream. But don't be fooled by their weight; their speed was still as fast as ever. Therefore, the people of Hage Village rarely went fishing in this kind of weather because they might catch a cold from touching the cold water, which wouldn't be worth the gain.
"Go!"
After aiming at a fat carp, Arlan flicked his wrist with his back to the stream. With a 'plop,' the sharp stone pierced through the fat carp Arlan had just targeted.
*Swish!*
Arlan flicked his hand, and as the carp broke through the water, the water trailing from its body reflected a brilliant rainbow under the morning sun.
"Well, my Kunai throwing skills haven't regressed after all."
Arlan squinted his eyes. The fish he was catching now were for himself, so his methods were simple and crude, prioritizing speed. In a short while, he had caught ten large carps.
Carrying the carps, Arlan went to the woods near the river. He picked up a pile of firewood along the way and lit it with the flint. Before long, the aroma of fish wafted through the forest.
"I wonder if I can attract a few wild beasts."
Arlan was thinking about the 1 point he got yesterday from easily killing an old, weak mountain wolf. He had decided to first improve the living conditions in the church, which was also a way to create a comfortable training environment for himself. Otherwise, if he lacked food today and drink tomorrow, how could he train!
So for now, he didn't have time to go deep into the forest to hunt monsters for points.
...