Pain woke him up.
Aching, Everywhere on his body.
Noel's eyes opened slowly.
The ceiling came into focus.
"…Ah."
My throat felt dry.
I tried to lift my arm up.
It barely moved.
My shoulder felt like it was on fire.
My palms were in agony, it stung horrible like a bee sting times a thousand.
Bandages wrapped in both of my hands.
I stared at them for a few seconds.
I remembered.
The sword, the swings, the feeling, and the numbers.
Then nothing.
"…I think I passed out."
My voice was quiet.
Matter-of-fact.
A chair creaked.
Arthur sat nearby.
"You're awake," Arthur said.
Noel swallowed.
"…Yeah."
My voice sounded better than I had expected it to sound.
My body hurt.
But not as much as it should have.
He noticed that immediately.
That was strange.
He flexed his fingers slightly.
Pain.
But dull.
Not tearing.
Not crippling.
Like something had… helped.
He didn't ask.
Arthur spoke first.
"You collapsed."
Noel exhaled slowly.
"…I figured."
Silence settled.
Noel stared at the ceiling.
"…How long?"
Arthur answered.
"Half a day."
Noel nodded faintly.
That made sense.
My body still felt heavy.
It felt overburden.
Arthur stood.
"There's water beside you."
Noel turned his head slightly.
A small glass sat on the table.
Beside it, An empty vial.
Noel's eyes rested on it for half a second.
I didn't comment on it, I knew it was a potion, keep in mind I've never seen gramps using a potion before.
Gramps said nothing about it either.
Noel looked back at the ceiling.
"…Am I training today?"
Gramps snorted.
"No but you bet your ass you'll be workin the farm, tomorrow we will continue the training young one, patience is key."
Of course.
Noel closed his eyes again.
Just accepting it.
This was normal now.
Work.
Pain.
Sleep.
Repeat.
His fingers twitched slightly inside the bandages.
He understood something now.
The thousand swings didn't make him strong.
They made him someone who could do a thousand swings.
Someone who didn't stop halfway.
Arthur's boots creaked against the floor as he walked to the door.
He stopped before leaving.
"…Don't waste it."
Noel didn't ask what he meant.
He already knew.
The door closed.
Noel stared at nothing.
Then slowly drifted back to sleep.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 months later
Noel Xerlectus
lvl 1
Strength:I041→I092
Endurance:I037→H104
Dexterity:I031→H127
Agility:I024→I053
Magic:I000→I000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I smiled as I looked at my stats.
Six months of grueling effort.
You know… it took me three months just to be able to swing that sword a thousand times without completely collapsing.
At first, I was struggling to even reach three hundred a day.
My arms would give out.
My grip would fail.
Some days I'd just lie there afterward, staring at the ceiling, unable to move.
But slowly… it increased.
Progressive overload for the win.
Now I'm at 1,534.
I'll try to surpass it every week.
Go all out once.
Then take a rest day.
Gramps told me to eat well and sleep well.
Sleep isn't a problem.
Food is… acceptable.
We don't get that much protein.
It's still above eighty grams a day, which should be enough for muscle development.
But most of it is carbs.
We farm potatoes.
That's the bulk of it.
Most of my protein comes from the eggs we cook daily.
Still… it's enough.
Not everything is about stats.
I've thought about it deeply.
It's about the soul.
The body.
And the mind.
Stats just help increase the body.
Like a force multiplier.
At least… that's what I think.
I don't know for sure.
But I believe your body is what you eat.
And what you do with it.
A fat Level 2 won't beat a properly built Level 2.
It's all about foundations.
That's where everything starts.
It's kind of sad, though.
Gramps still doesn't let me fight the monsters in the forest.
He says it's far too dangerous for someone without a blessing.
What does he know.
…Haha.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
couple days later
And honestly…
My progress feels slow as hell.
I stared at the panel again.
Three hundred and seventy-six total points.
One year.
One whole year.
"…That's it?"
Yeah, it's growing.
I can see that.
I can feel it, the strength in my arms, the increased muscles on my body.
But it still feels like a snail's pace.
I know I'm handicapped.
Half excelia.
Steady Ascension.
Yeah.
Steady my ass.
This feels worse than it should be.
My jaw tightened.
Maybe it's because I'm on the surface.
Maybe it's because I'm only training.
Training can only get you so far.
Gramps said it himself once.
Real strength is tested against resistance.
Metal sharpens metal.
And nothing resists harder than something trying to kill you.
I leaned back in the chair, staring at the ceiling.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
Yeah. I get it.
I'm living it.
But Rome wasn't built by farmers swinging at air either.
It was built through war.
Through blood.
Through resistance.
Through survival.
My eyes shifted toward the sword resting against the wall.
I need to fight monsters.
Not later.
Not someday.
Now.
I need to know how capable I really am.
If I'm still that same helpless idiot who ran for his life…
Or if I've actually changed.
My grip slowly tightened.
Those goblins.
Those ugly, green, worthless bastards.
Losing to goblins…
Of all things…
It still pisses me off.
Even now.
Even after a year.
My chest burned.
Not fear.
Not hesitation.
Anger.
Tonight.
I'll sneak into the forest.
Without Gramps knowing.
Just one trip.
Just one fight.
I'll prove it, to him and to myself.
I stood up.
My body felt light and ready.
"…I need to start prepping."
For a real fight.
For the first time since I got here…
I was going hunting.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
one hour later
I have everything I need.
The sword came first.
The same one I've been training with for a year.
Swings.
Thrusts.
Blocking stances.
Repetition burned into my muscles.
I sharpened it carefully.
Checked the grip wrappings.
Made sure it wouldn't slip when my hands got sweaty.
If it slipped even once… that could be it.
Next was the knife.
Simple.
Reliable.
I slid it behind me, tucked into my back pocket, close enough to grab without looking.
A backup.
Just in case.
I grabbed the lantern next.
Magic stone powered.
On.
Off.
Instant.
No flame.
No smoke.
Less chance of attracting unwanted attention.
I wouldn't keep it on unless I had to.
My nose twitched slightly.
Being a Boaz had its advantages.
I could smell things from far away.
Monsters.
Animals.
Rot.
Blood.
It was useful.
Even if it made some nights unbearable.
I grabbed the rope.
Coiled tight.
Hooked to my side.
Climbing.
Escaping.
Surviving.
I didn't have armor.
But I adapted.
Multiple layers.
Thick clothes.
Leather.
Heavy.
But slash resistant.
Better slow than dead.
Water skin.
Full.
I exhaled slowly.
Everything was ready.
My heart wasn't racing.
My hands weren't shaking.
I felt…
Calm.
Focused.
This wasn't training.
This wasn't practice.
This was real.
I stepped toward the door.
Paused.
My grip tightened slightly around the sword.
Those goblins.
That fear.
That helplessness.
Not tonight.
I opened the door quietly.
Cold night air greeted me.
I stepped outside.
And closed it behind me.
Softly.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
"…Tonight," I whispered.
A small smile formed on my face.
"We start the hunt."