CHAPTER 192: TRAINING WITH VON (1)

Four days later...

Within that short span, the Kingdom of Zarion had been turned on its head. Under the excellent planning of Dean Melissa and Mara, the Proclamation Orbs had been distributed to every major town and settlement.

The Gauntlet was kicked off in full effect, a national event the likes of which the kingdom had never seen.

Adrian had introduced himself to his people, and the after-effects were better than he could have ever expected.

They hailed him as a hero! The returning warriors, scattered across the land, had all conversed with their friends and families. They told tales of how the late King Theron had deceived them all, sending them to a pointless war, and how Adrian had single-handedly rescued them, even managing to make the proud Elves spare their lives.

This grassroots storytelling had caused him to garner the entire public’s support almost overnight. The name Adrian echoed through the Kingdom, not as a conqueror, but as a savior.

The effect was compounded when the masses realized he was the mysterious creator behind all the ’AD’ initialed inventions that had been steadily changing their lives on a daily basis.

Their admiration turned to fervent support when they heard the details of The Gauntlet and its breathtaking rewards, which offered a path to greatness for anyone with talent, regardless of their birth.

For the first time in a long time, the people of the kingdom felt collectively happy and united. During his address, broadcast to every corner of the Kingdom, Adrian spoke of plans to abolish the archaic class systems, the invisible walls that segmented the capital and ducal manors from the towns, condemning the latter to a life of relative poverty.

He promised them a united Kingdom with no space for class, where everyone lived in harmony and had equal opportunity.

He told them that The Gauntlet was just the beginning. He promised to establish Academies that would teach practical knowledge... science, economics, engineering, and modern agriculture, and he promised to make this education free for all.

He spoke of how this grand reformation would only be possible through them, the people, and how he would build a new kingdom not just for them, but by them.

The Kingdom of Zarion was experiencing a renaissance. Everyone felt elated, their spirits higher than they had been in generations. And The Gauntlet was the spectacular icing on the cake.

Adrian himself went through the first day of the Gauntlet, attending most of the events in personally, without his suit.

He wanted to see the smiles on everyone’s faces for himself, to feel the hope he had created. He interacted with dozens of people, from aspiring young warriors to clever artisans, and had a genuinely good time.

But on the second day, after confirming the event was running smoothly, he decided it was time to focus on other pressing issues.

[Soul Imprint Successful!]

[Your connection with the Vassal ’Von’ has been established.]

[Vassals: 7/10]

"Are you done?" Master Von asked, though his eyes remained closed as instructed.

Adrian stepped back. "Absolutely. You can open your eyes."

Master Von, like everyone who went through this transformation, was left in momentary surprise by how vivid the world now was to him.

But he didn’t care too much about that. He immediately directed his attention inward, towards himself. He could see it, feel it with a clarity that brought a lump to his throat.

His Dantian, which had been littered with cracks and was constantly leaking mana, was perfectly fixed. The fissures were gone and it was more stable than it has ever been.

Adrian looked at Master Von’s stunned expression and smiled to himself. The Instructor finally had enough of his silent introspection and coughed into his fist.

"Ahem," he began, his tone gruff to hide his overwhelming gratitude. "Thank you... for fulfilling your part of the deal."

Adrian shrugged off the appreciation. "It’s alright."

Master Von seemed to be waiting for that reply, eager to continue with what he really had to say.

"Good. Now that I’m back at my peak, there’s no excuse for us not to start our training."

Adrian sighed. "Master Von, there’s no time for that. It’s not a priority for now."

The grizzled instructor had been insisting on this for days. He wanted them to fight at full strength, to truly witness Adrian’s capabilities and, more importantly, to teach him more advanced martial techniques.

The boy only had Phantom Flow, a movement art. Most of the fights Adrian had won were either supported by his mana gun and power suit, or saw him facing off against a significantly weaker opponent.

Von wanted to forge him into a true warrior. But Adrian could still vividly remember the Instructor’s harsh, borderline torturous training from the academy, and it wasn’t something he was willing to sign up for again if he could help it.

But Master Von wasn’t convinced by Adrian’s excuse. He shot his hand out with blinding speed and grabbed Adrian’s collar roughly from above.

"What do you mean you’re busy?" he growled, his face inches from Adrian’s. "The entire Kingdom is engaged in your festival! Don’t tell me you have anything more worthwhile to do. I’ll drag you myself to the training grounds if you say one more excuse."

His eyes narrowed and his voice dropped to a serious whisper. "Or do you want to get beaten to a pulp by those aliens when they finally show up because you never learned how to properly fight?"

Adrian saw that he had no other excuse that would work. The man was relentless. He eventually let out a defeated sigh and gave a slight nod of acceptance.

Master Von’s stern expression broke into a triumphant grin. "Good," he said, releasing Adrian’s collar. "Let’s go."

"No," Adrian said, stopping him. "We won’t be training at the training center."

"Huh?"

Adrian didn’t respond with words. Instead, he focused his will and activated one of the new Factory features. "Vassal’s Annex."

In the next instant, the world dissolved around them. The gentle breeze and green grass of the park vanished.

Both he and Master Von were no longer there. Instead, they found themselves standing on a solid floor in an endless empty white space.

Adrian turned to a stunned and disoriented Master Von, who was looking around with wide eyes.

"Welcome to my Factory," Adrian said calmly. "This, here, is the Simulation Chamber."