CHAPTER 129: THE WEEK OF STRENGTH

"Are you sure?" Steward asked.

She smiled. "When a man craves vengeance and the blood of his enemies, only a woman can bring him to his senses. Though they are young, they will grow up and understand the value of having themselves there. Though they may have to suffer a little in the process, it will be good for both of them."

Steward frowned. "You want Elliot not to get revenge?" was what he understood.

But she shook her head.

"He must take revenge. But he can’t lose sight of his path. That’s why we need that girl. Find out what you can about her. This week, we’ll have they participate in a mission together." Anna stood up and put her hood back on.

"Remember, Steward." She looked at him once more, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Possibly, we are at the birth of a change of era. The God of the World hasn’t changed for a long time... don’t you want to witness the birth of the next one?" She smiled broadly.

"So, this is something that should go unsaid. Elliot Clark must be the guild’s biggest secret."

Protecting this kind of person will be dangerous for them. One wrong step could destroy the entire kingdom and leave no survivors.

But, they still wanted to care for him and help him grow.

He could lead them to greatness. He could give them the greatest joy this world has to offer.

Or he could lead them to utter destruction. He could turn them into a wasteland left for the tales of history. Of fantasy and fables told in bars.

Elliot was... Hope and despair in the same person.

Anna left the room quickly. That night, she moved around the City, visiting a few places.

She had a lot of work that night, so she couldn’t sleep.

And the next morning, she was on time to arrive at Elliot’s apartment.

Elliot had been thinking about the only ways to augment the Strength. He was longing for it not to be inhuman torture like the one he had been put through this past week.

He still had traces of burns on his body, though they were already healing without a trace.

There seemed to be only two viable ways to increase strength: fighting or heavy lifting.

In a dungeon is a good idea. Everyone in the group is likely improving their strength in dungeons. So... it’s better than last week.

As soon as Anna arrived, she had him get ready and took him to one of the guild’s training camps.

"The first thing I must teach you is martial arts. I have seen you fight, and I have seen that you lack martial arts or sword arts that you can use. Although you have been learning the Sword Art from that girl’s hand, you lack several key things. And among those, decisive moves and deterrent moves are an important part of martial arts."

"So, the first two days will be used for you to master your martial art. And on the first day, you will not use weapons. I will be your opponent, so attack me with everything. Use your martial arts and don’t attack only from the front."

She pulled out a watch and activated a timer. "You start now. A second’s rest is a second lost. So move."

Without even letting him speak, she attacked him head-on to force him to move.

Thus, their first strength training began.

While strength training, he learned footwork, kicks, punches, etc.

During that time, he also learned theory from Anna.

What is strength?

It is the essence that moves the world, but at the same time, it might be the dumbest of all. There are many types of strength. Agility force. Strength of resistance, etc.

Each statistic can be considered a strength, but which one is better?

For many, there is no best one, considering that the System balances them to be equal anyway. But in Elliot, this is different.

Here, each strength becomes meaningful and equally important. That is why his workouts will be the hardest to endure, but the most satisfying in terms of growth.

The essence of physical strength lies in understanding the limits of the body in the face of a collision that may occur between it and a different object.

A blow against another object of equal strength is usually neutralized. That is why you must understand the body’s limits to deliver decisive blows every time.

Trying to outdo your enemy in the power used is the best way to avoid neutralizing a blow.

That’s why she taught Elliot to measure his power correctly, how to use his strength, and how to take advantage of the quirk of strength she had told him about earlier.

The increase in mass as his strength increased. This also occurs during an explosive increase in a battle.

Therefore, mastering it is paramount, so as not to throw punches foolishly, as most Awakened do.

And during that time, in addition to learning martial arts and sword arts that helped him improve considerably, she also tested his strength with an object he trained with at times.

"Not bad for your age. But, you should know that this level of strength at your age is too low in the big cities or the capitals of the continent. There are great geniuses who surpass the Master Rank at 16. So you should know that you are quite behind the real powerhouses."

"But don’t worry. With your talent, you’ll be able to improve quickly."

Those were her words at the end of the first day. On the second day, his training was the same, but with a sword.

Then came the third day.

That day, Elliot was taken to a different place. He thought he would be sent to a dungeon, but he wasn’t.

She took him to the Combat Arena. The place where the tournament he had just won had taken place, but this time, it was in its normal state.

There was no longer a tournament; now they would use the arena to fight many bouts daily.

"This Arena has a Rank System that goes from E Rank to S Rank. Your mission here is to reach Rank C, competing solo. On the first day, you will have to play 10 matches. The second day will be 15 and the third day 20."

"Do you understand?"