Chapter 107: Results of Training

2 months later, Carelan Mountain Pass.

Howard fell a little bit behind on his 12,000th lap around a large mountain, but regained his clarity on the final pass.

Training with Carter the last few months had been difficult to say the least. There had not been a single mountain that he could pick up, but that wasn't the point of the training. Howard couldn't help but think that even though Carter seemed insane, his trainings were about reaching your maximum potential.

Every day that he tried to pick up a mountain and failed, he grew a little bit stronger so that one day he might be able to actually pick it up! Sprinting at his maximum speed around the massive mountain, he felt all the Ki in his body seem to carry him forward!

Swoosh!

Howard felt his connection with the world growing and held out his hand before a Ki Projection shot forward and passed through the finish line. He had figured out how to use the grieves of Fire King Embrace, which allowed him to somewhat move his Ki Projections!

Beneath him, he then activated Ki Transformation to cause three serpentine flames of fire to grow out of his body. Pushing himself off the ground, he missiled straight into his Ki Projection before it used one arm to catch him in mid air!

Looking from the distance, Carter clapped and walked over to Howard. He seemed somewhat satisfied with the results. However, as second later he held out his hand and caused the entire world around Howard to seem to condense. Carter activated Ki Suppression and watched Howard immediately collapse onto the floor.

"Hmmmm, not good enough." Carter shook his head, and kicked Howard softly in the chest as he wreathed in pain. Carter had on a set of black armor with two buckets attached to a belt. With his black curly hair traveling down his neck, he seemed like a wise man standing in the desert tundra. However, he seemed unamused at this moment. "Do that every lap for the next 3000 laps!"

"What? 3000 laps! I can barely do that once!" Howard grunted, staring up at Carter. He'd gotten used to using Ki Transformation underneath the pressure of Ki Suppression, but it still wasn't fun to experience. "I-I was going to spend time with Harley today! She wants me to take her somewhere!"

"You-you're forgetting about your training! Do you realize the world is in danger," Carter lifted up his hand and then extended it to pick Howard off the ground. Wiping him off, he smiled and then pointed at the canyon. "But… You are young and you have reached the B rank. How about this? Just go and get me some water, and you can be done for the day."

"Thank you, Founder Carter!" Howard burst forward like a bat out of hell and rushed with a bucket to the well.

Monica and Reece had spent all night with him previously talking about what Harley might like. In the last two months, they'd grown closer, but Harley seemed more distant. She was the type of girl that if she got what she wanted, she stopped wanting it. However, they wanted him to seal the deal and get a third girlfriend!

Activating King Fire Sprint, Howard instantly appeared in front of the well. Unfortunately, the bucket was on fire. He had no choice but to toss it into the well, and jump down in get it.

"Damn it! I'm going to make a mistake today!" Howard jumped up from the well, and then wiped off the burn marks on the wooden bucket. "Ugh, I can't even get water right? What if I mess up again?"

"Howard, you got this," Monica had just finished her training as well, and walked over to him and kissed him on the forehead. "Harley just wanted a single date. You got this!"

"I'm ready," Harley sighed and walked out of the exit.

She had her black hair in a bun with a black leather jacket and beautiful blue jeans. Her body exuded a confidence that was both attractive and alluring. Howard gulped and smiled before gently kissing Monica on the lips.

"Heh, I got this!"

"Yep, you do," Monica kissed him again, "Hehe, I can't wait to hear how it goes! Kiss her for extra points."

"You-you aren't Monica," Harley sighed and stopped in front of Howard. "Now compliment me, Howard. If you're going to be kissing me later, you got to do this properly.

Harley missed a lot of things about the surface, but she mostly missed being able to go on dates. She never imagined that after three years, she'd be dating someone younger than her. However, Howard had grown extremely attractive. She wouldn't mind as long as he did a good job.

However she also didn't want to just let him have a kiss without giving her something in return. She spent months working towards dating him, and now with it finally in sight, she felt nervous. Thus, she gracefully reached forward and held out her hand.

"Now give me my gift,"

"I got you something!" Howard smiled and grabbed her beautiful ivory hand before he pulled her into the distance. "Monica, I promise to kiss her many times, okay! I'll see you later."

"Good Luck!" Monica smiled and watched them run into the distance. "Ha, now that you're distracted, I can train harder than you!"

Howard looked back at Monica skipping and smiling with a strange expression on his face. She really had changed so much that it was frightening. However, looking over and seeing Harley's hand in his, he suddenly felt nervous. Sweat dripped down his head and he wondered if his plan would backfire.

A few kilometers away, he took her to a valley by a small river.

A Ki Storm had happened a few weeks ago, and he spent hours finding the right ingredients to woo the beautiful Harley. He may not have been able to pick up mountains today, but he was able to pick up small buildings.

"Harley, I like you. By the end of this date, I want to kiss you."

"You're as upfront as ever," Harley blushed and looked into Howard's green eyes. "You mind telling me where we are? Or are you secretly planning to elope with me or something?"

"Ha, no!" Howard pointed at a tiny crevice in one of the mountains. "I found a few buildings in a Ki Storm recently! Just come and check it out!"

###

Harley couldn't believe her eyes.

Howard had literally found a computer cafe, a restaurant, and some meat from a butcher shop. Looking in front of her at a plate fully cooked by Howards Ki, she smiled and blushed. He even lit a candle that spread smoke across the small table planted literally in the middle of the desert.

To say he'd gone all out would be an understatement. She felt her chest moving up and down as she stared into his eyes.

'Oh, god. I really like him. This will go bad.' Harley took a bite of the food and then closed her eyes. "This-this is alright Howard. Thanks for the date."

"Why are you always so secretive?" Howard asked after finishing his plate. "Ha, just tell me how you feel! I promise I'll never hurt you."

Swoosh!

A fierce wind slammed against the table before Howard turned and looked into the distance. Two men seemed to be walking towards him in masks. Both of them were in white capes, and made his Ki Sensitivity immediately activate.

Ki Sensitivity was a persons ability to sense Ki, and normally only became available to someone in the A rank. However, Howard wasn't any normal person. Thus, a few months ago, he became fully capable of sensing even Barabin's Ki.

He could sense one person in the B rank and one person at the peak of the A rank. Turning to look at Harley, throwing a drink down her throat, he sighed and crossed his arms.

"And… Just my luck. We have visitors," Harley pushed herself to a stand, and gently smiled at Howard. "Screw it, stand up. I want to give you something too."

"Okay?" Howard got up and walked over to Harley as the two men walked closer and closer to his position. "What is it? What do you want to give me."

"My heart idiot," Harley slowly leaned down, her chest extending forward, before she kissed Howard and gently grabbed the back of his head. His jet black hair and her beautiful strands seemed to mix and a powerful feeling emitted from their bodies.

A flame seemed to surround both of them before Howard kissed her one more time. It felt like a burning sensation traveled across every fiber of his being, almost like they had fused into one person.

"Mmmm, tonight, we're doing that again," Harley leaned back and touched her lips. "That's an A. You pass. You're now my boyfriend. Now, shall we deal with those two men?"

"No need to deal with us," One of the men smiled and held up his hands.

"We have an invitation."

"Yes an invitation," The two men talked almost in unison, but also rose their arms as if to say we're not dangerous. They had extremely tanned skin with amber eyes. Howard had never seen anyone with such striking features, but also felt a sense of fear from them.

"We're here to save the Horned." The two men said simultaneously before pointing into the distant expanse. "The Jarkales are coming to invade. The least we can do is help you stop them."