Chapter 58: Training the Body.

Chapter 58: Training the Body.

Zeke woke up well before the sun rose, his mind already set on the task of the day - visiting Markus. He knew that the blacksmiths in the crafter's quarters began their day early, and if he wanted to catch Markus before he started his work for the day, he would have to be even earlier. He got out of bed and prepared himself in a hurry, determined to reach the smithy as early as possible.

As Zeke approached the building, he almost collided with a man in a formal-looking black suit who was just leaving through the front door. The man's strict eyes and no-nonsense demeanor reminded him of Maximilian's butler. The stranger paid Zeke no mind as he walked right past him and entered a luxurious carriage that was parked right outside the smithy.

Zeke, not dwelling any further on the encounter, quickened his pace, eager to see his friend. As he entered the shop, he saw Markus and his uncle, Armin, talking in a corner of the room. Armin noticed Zeke approaching and gave him a warm smile and a wave before walking into the smithy, leaving the two friends alone to talk.

Zeke approached Markus with a growing sense of unease, noticing the troubled look on his friend's face. "Is everything okay?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

Markus let out a sigh and looked up at Zeke. "Did you see the man who just left? He was a messenger of the Imperial family," he said, his voice heavy with derision. "He was ordering all smithies in the capital to prioritize the orders of the Imperial family. There's going to be a significant war offensive planned, and they want their soldiers equipped."

Zeke grimaced at the news, knowing all too well the toll war took on a kingdom and its people. He had come here to ask Markus to work on a private project for him, but it seemed that his friend's priorities had just shifted.

He still turned to his friend, a trace of hope remaining in his voice. "Is it possible that you could work on something else for me instead, or are you going to get in trouble for that?" he asked, trying not to sound too desperate.

Markus scoffed at the question. "What trouble? The Imperial family pays like dirt, and the amount of money you left with me last time really helped me in practicing my craft. Whatever you need from me, I'll get it done in no time!" Markus promised as he brought his clenched fist up to his chest in a show of determination, his voice unwavering.

Zeke was touched by Markus's words and wasted no time as he began to describe what he needed his friend to make for him. As he spoke, Markus raised an eyebrow, listening intently to the description. The smith looked over the blueprints Zeke had brought, and by the look on his face, it was clear that he was intrigued by the design. "This is quite an ambitious project, Zeke," Markus said, his voice filled with admiration. "But I promise you, the prototype will be done in the next few days."

Zeke's heart lifted with relief and gratitude. "Thank you, Markus," he said, smiling at his friend. "I knew I could count on you."

As Zeke made to leave the smithy, Markus reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. Zeke turned to face his friend, who seemed hesitant to speak. Zeke could sense the boy's apprehension and in an effort to ease the tension, he playfully punched his friend in the chest and jokingly said, "Who is this little girl in front of me acting all bashful? Spit it out, man!" Markus's face relaxed at Zeke's words, and he began to speak.

"I wanted to ask you for a favor," Markus said, "but I don't rightly know how difficult it will be for you." He paused, looking intently at his friend's face. Zeke simply nodded, indicating that he was listening, waiting for Markus to continue.

Encouraged by Zeke's nonchalant demeanor, Markus continued, "There is a blacksmithing competition happening at the moment." Markus looked at Zeke, hope in his eyes.

Zeke stared at Markus in disbelief. "You're not seriously considering competing in the blacksmithing competition? It's for master blacksmiths, Markus, not apprentices," he said incredulously.

"What's wrong? Is the suit not working?" she asked, her voice tinged with amusement.

Zeke didn't reply for a moment, but then, with slow and strained movements, he brought up his hands to remove the helmet. Viola's grin faltered as she saw the sweat pouring down Zeke's face and the veins bulging on his neck. Even walking around in the armor was taking everything out of him.

Around fifteen minutes later, Zeke was lying on the ground, panting for breath. Even Viola was worried, after witnessing how strenuous the training had looked. She helped him out of the suit and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Zeke didn't answer right away. He seemed to be staring at something in midair that Viola couldn't see. Slowly, a grin started to take shape on his face, and he began to laugh. Viola was a little creeped out by the strange display, but then Zeke, now free from the armor, stood up and hugged her.

"It works! This is so much better than I had expected," he exclaimed.

Viola, flustered, pushed him away and pointed at his chest. Zeke looked down and saw that his shirt had been torn apart while removing the armor. He had not taken a good look at himself in some time. But as he looked down at his own body, he could see the toned chest of a man. He had grown a lot over the past few months, now standing at around 1.75 m. His crimson hair fell almost onto his shoulders, and his once scrawny body had packed on a solid layer of muscles.

He couldn't resist but run his hand over his defined abs and toned chest. He was amazed by how much his body had changed since his advancement to True Mage. At this moment, he heard someone breathing roughly nearby. He looked up to see Viola staring at his body with a red face. She was covering her face with both hands, but it was painfully obvious that she was doing a horrible job of obstructing her sight.

As Viola noticed Zeke looking back at her, she made a high-pitched yelp sound and immediately took to the air, escaping without saying anything.

Zeke couldn't help but laugh at Viola's antics, but when he remembered the hug from moments ago, his own face also turned a little red. Before he could become too distracted, he once again took a look at what his [Analyze] Spell had shown him earlier. He had tasked the spell with checking on the changes happening to his body, and this was the result:

Results of [Analyze]

Strength increased by 0.18.

Agility increased by 0.07.

Constitution increased by 0.15.

Zeke almost couldn't believe how much progress he had made in only around 15 minutes of training. With his regeneration, he would be able to train with the armor at least three times a day. The gains from the training would reduce from repeating the same exercises over a long time, but he was still confident of bringing his Constitution to 25 without a problem.