Chapter 20 - Health

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The next day, Laiex showed up to see the results of Zaos training, and he showed a single nod when Zaos parried his Earth Bullet, and his sword didn't even tremble. Speaking of swords, Laiex gave him a new one since the other had been damaged.

"We can proceed to the next stage," Laiex said. "There is nothing new to do, you just have to repeat what you already learned with this equipment."

Laiex also had brought a wooden shield without Zaos noticing it. Still, that was weird. Why does he need to use a shield now? Shouldn't he learn how to parry attacks that aimed at other parts of his body?

"You seem surprised, I can understand that," Laiex said. "Usually, one would proceed to the next stage of parrying techniques, but that won't be good for you. You are too small and your body won't be able to sustain much damage."

That was only natural. In any case, when he received the shield, Zaos noticed that it was as heavy as his sword. When he equipped it, Zaos finally felt that he was truly following the path to becoming a warrior. In any case, Laiex left as usual, as if he had better things to do than watch his son training.

"My frustration is building up…" Zaos thought. "I need to actually learn some attack moves and find a target to relieve this stress."

After taking a deep breath, Zaos began to train, and fortunately, he obtained some results for his mental health. At that point in time, it became obvious that every time he learns something or masters when it comes to specific skills, Zaos hears that voice and becomes slightly stronger.

Your Swordsmanship has reached level 04             

Health: 08/08

Mana: 28/48

Stamina: 21/48

Strength: 04

Magic: 24

Endurance:24

Resistance: 24

Focus: 01

Sorcery Lv 04, Swordsmanship Lv 04

Lesser Heal

"Now I can train without having to focus all my senses on the task," Zaos concluded. "Still, instead of relaxing, maybe I should try a bit harder."

That didn't seem like a good idea considering that even his father, who apparently didn't like Zaos that much, was protecting him from the hardships of difficult training. Still, Zaos decided to increase his movement speed while training. At the very least, his tiredness will help him cope with his anger.

After that training session, Zaos began to learn his next spell. Just like before, Lyra didn't tell him anything about the spell, and just hoped that Zaos would succeed and learn its name once he succeeded in drawing the last symbol. However, things got a bit more complicated since the number of symbols increased to thirty, and Zaos didn't have any experience while drawing them. So, he failed many times, and his mana was quickly emptied.

"This is way harder than the other," Zaos said.

"Naturally, if it were easier, I would have taught this one first," Lyra said. "As usual, just be patient and work hard."

For a while, Zaos thought that he had some talent when it comes to magic, but in the end, it took him a full year to be able to learn and use it in less than five seconds the spell Heal. That one actually could be used in himself, but it cost thirty points of Zaos's mana. Fortunately, those were some efficient points since Zaos could improve his mother's condition considerably whenever he used them.

When it comes to his sword training, Zaos also didn't improve all that much either. While he got used to his wooden shield, for some reason, his father said that he wasn't ready for the next lesson only after his fourth birthday was when his father decided to teach him something else, that made Zaos sigh in relief since he was already training for two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.

"It is finally time for you to learn how to attack using a sword," Laiex said. "There are many kids who began their training around the age of five, so I will be able to find some sparring partners for you. Still, before that, you should get used to hitting and getting hit with a sword."

That day, Laiex showed up in the garden without his armor that he always wears during the day. So, Zaos immediately noticed that something was amiss, but he never imagined he would finally have a real training session with his father.

"Come and hit me," Laiex said and then lowered his arm in a stance that emulated a defensive stance with a shield. "Put your shield in front of you, but don't cover your whole face. At the same time, raise and move your sword until your hand almost touches your shoulder. After that, attack with all you have."

Zaos couldn't help but smile after hearing that. While he thought several times that his unfaithful father deserved a beating, he never thought he would be the one who would have the pleasure.

In the end, Zaos didn't hesitate and did exactly as he was told. After assuming a defensive stance with his shield, he moved his sword backward, and as fast as he could, he swung his sword toward his father's arm. However, the movement had been clumsier than he had predicted, and as if that wasn't enough when the sword landed. He felt that he had hit a boulder.

Before Zaos could think of anything, his father made a wooden sword appear in his hand, and then he also swung toward Zaos. He opened his eyes widely in surprise since he didn't hear of that, but Zaos raised his shield and then blocked the attack since he didn't break his defensive stance. However, he was brought to his knees. 

"Your legs are too relaxed," Laiex said. "I used the same amount of strength you used, if your legs weren't too relaxed, you would have managed to parry the attack."

Despite everything, Zaos couldn't complain. He also had realized that his father held back considerably. After all, he was massive, and his muscles were as hard as a rock.