Chapter 42: Return

Ton.

Ton.

Ton.

Hum.

Hum.

Chopping sounds and humming voices kept echoing in Theo's ears as he looked at his master, who was preparing the meal.

Everything was prepared at a speed he had never seen before, and unknowingly, there was already a plate made of leaf in front of him.

The rabbit meat was chopped into the single-bite size and cooked together with vegetables they found in this area.

His stomach was rumbling with the smell alone and his mouth was watering because of its appearance.

"I couldn't prepare more since I didn't plan for it earlier… Wipe your hand first and eat." She made a gentle smile like a grandmother.

Theo nodded and took out a sanitary kit before washing his hand with sanitizer. His master used his as well, but compared to the food in front of her, it was something trivial.

Theo couldn't contain himself anymore and ate the food like a child that didn't know table manners. He ended up eating all his food in less than a minute.

His master only smiled at him the whole time and offered him her own portion but rejected.

Surprisingly, there was another effect that good food brought to him. The earlier fatigue somehow got reduced as he realized. "This… So, that's how it is."

"Do you understand something?" She asked with a smile.

"A good meal can lessen one's mental fatigue. Just like rest and other forms of entertainment."

"That's right. Mental fatigue is unbearable, especially in a perilous situation. There was once a man and a woman stuck inside a cave, but because of the situation, the man ended up r*ping the woman and ate her flesh to survive. I want you to remember this one thing… Humans can become evil, but by no means should they act like a beast."

His expression turned serious as if something touched his heart. He clenched his fists and nodded his head. "I understand, Master."

"Good. Do you enjoy your food?"

"Yes, very much so. That's the best food I've ever eaten."

"Is that so? Thanks." She smiled. "As long as you work hard, I will reward you with good food."

"Train and eat." Theo nodded, knowing what this meant.

"That's right. That's how you create muscle." She nodded. "Besides, I believe your training camp purpose is to add additional status points."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever trained yourself to the limit?"

"Ehm, no?"

"So, you have been relying on your status this whole time. There is a secret which you might have heard from a rumor. Training your body can give you additional strength or any other status. I mean, if there are two people, one has a similar body to yours with 10 Strength points while the other one is a huge bodybuilder who also has 10 Strength points. Do you think you can accept it if they are both level 1?

"No, right? They will gain additional points depending on their body condition, so this body training must want to develop your body to its peak condition first, giving you some additional points to your status without leveling up." She explained while chewing the meat.

"I see. That's indeed something good for a starting point." Theo nodded with a serious expression. "I will do my best there without exposing myself."

"Exposing yourself? Well, whatever." She shrugged before continuing. "I want you to learn another thing since you have finished eating. I will explain the basics of awareness with an analogy. Do you know the term aura?"

"Yes. But isn't that a fantasy term like in the game?"

"As I said, this is just an analogy. Imagine yourself being enveloped by this "aura" and think of this as your awareness. Imagine covering your entire body with a calm aura as if in a thin coat, you will be able to hide your presence. This is what I mean by Internal Awareness. And if you expand that aura to your surroundings, you will be able to sense or even see your surroundings. This is External Awareness.

"Of course, it's a more complicated thing since awareness isn't something you can touch or see." She sighed.

"I understand the analogy, but what should I do?"

"Sit in a comfortable position and focus your entire sense on yourself and your surroundings at the same time."

Theo nodded and moved toward a tree as he planned to lean on it, albeit he got reprimanded by his master.

"Don't lean on something. You will be too conscious of it instead of the two."

"…" Theo's eyebrows twitched as he took two steps forward.

"Ugh, just sit on the lotus pose."

Theo nodded, sat down, and crossed his legs. He placed his hands on his knees before closing his eyes.

"Now, try to sense the ground you sit on, the breeze that brushes your skin, the chirping sound echoing in the arena, and more importantly, what is your position? Has your body swayed one degree to the left? Or have you tilted your back a little bit? You need to feel all these at the same time."

Theo followed her instruction but to no avail. It was just a concept that was harder to grasp than the Control.

Even so, Theo kept trying without saying a single complaint because he wanted to get stronger.

Although he didn't succeed after a few hours of training, he felt his mind was refreshed. His Master then brought him to another place that had a bigger space, so she could teach him Martial Art. It was just some basic movements since his master actually wanted him to polish it himself after experiencing many battles.

After that, there was breathing as well. The training became more effective because he practiced breathing right after he was exhausted physically.

His master turned into a devil and forced him to control his breathing despite him not being able to stop panting.

The practices kept repeating over and over again as Theo ended up reaching Level 46 since he had been killing monsters while practicing his Control without sleep.

And finally, his master brought him to the Art Beats Castle on Sunday night, where he parted with his master since he needed to go to school for the training tomorrow.

"Then, Master. I'm thankful for the past two days. I never thought I could reach Level 46 this soon. Though, you always brought me to dangerous places with high-level monsters."

"Why did you say it like we're not going to meet anymore? Your hell just begins, you know. Besides, you got stronger this fast because I was ruthless in my training." She shrugged.

"Ahaha. I will see you again tomorrow." Theo looked away.

"Yep. Rest your body for today."

Theo then turned around and waved his hand to his master while walking away. On the way, he didn't forget to check his status.

He was just four levels away from becoming an Elite Rank Fighter.

Status: Normal

Level: 46

EXP: 287/968

Blessing: God of Mischief

Skill: Pierce (F), Clone (E), Monkey Fist (F), Magic Bullet (E), 6 Slots Remaining

Attributes: Strength 68, Endurance 32, Agility 41, Vitality 32, Magic Power 66

Free Attribute Points: 0