Frostfire Legacy

"Alright! That's 500 kilometers! You have five minutes to rest!"

Ardra's cute and playful voice sounded demonic in Aster's ears, as if she had just told him his execution date, making him feel his fatigue even more intensely.

"Gah...! Haaaa... Haaa... Urp!"

With fireballs exploding behind him, he had been forced to run at his top speed to avoid getting killed. He was so exhausted that his legs were trembling, and he was so out of breath he felt like he might hurl.

But, as expected, one hour for the full distance of 500 kilometers was too short. Aster ended up using 1 hour and 55 minutes, which meant he had run at about 250 km/h.

The first half was hell since he hadn't yet gotten used to moving his body with his newly increased stats. However, after being forced to run to his limits and dodge all the deadly attacks exploding behind him, he gradually improved his control over his body. Of course, there were times when he almost got hit, but he used his Ground Shrink skill to increase the distance instantly.

By the second hour, he was already keeping a safe margin from Ardra's fireballs.

"Alright, time's up! Let's go straight to 10,000 pushups! 1,000 reps, 10 sets!"

*SNAP!*

With another snap, Aster found himself lying face-down on the ground, already in the pushup position. "Eh?"

But that wasn't all. Holes with sharp spikes appeared on the ground beneath him, slowly rising to poke his chest, stomach, and thighs, forcing him to try and stand up—but to his surprise, there were also spikes aimed at his back, limiting his movements.

"Kuh! Kill me!" Aster cried, realizing what was going on.

The two sets of spikes moved at regular intervals, forcing Aster to perform perfect pushup motions if he wanted to avoid getting skewered. In short, just like before, he was being forced to exercise!

'If I let go, I'll get injured, but...' Aster thought, deciding that suffering a few wounds might not be too bad. But when he lost focus, his thigh was poked lightly.

"Arshghfk!"

At the same time, intense pain coursed through his entire body. The spikes were cursed items that inflicted excruciating pain on anyone injured by them! He lost control of his body from the pain, causing more injuries, and thus more pain.

"What are you doing...?" Even Ardra looked at him like he was an idiot.

After a while, Aster finally regained control. It wasn't that he suddenly gained better control, but rather that he had gotten used to the intense pain. At first, it felt like his internal organs were being twisted all at once, but now it was just like being punched in the gut.

Still, having to do three pushups per second was a bit too much. Aster only managed thanks to his high DEX stat; without it, his body would've been turned into Swiss cheese by now.
Find your next adventure on empire

At exactly 4.8 hours after they began, Aster's Physical Training was completed. His legs hurt from running, his arms from the pushups, and his core muscles from the curlups. Of course, the "threatening devices" that Ardra used made it painful for him to even move.

Aster just wanted to lie down and rest, staring at the sky with the drifting clouds and the moon that blocked a large part of it.

"That should be enough for a warmup. Let's begin the Swordsmanship training! Pick up your sword~!" Of course, Ardra paid no attention to his fatigue.

She had already adjusted the training based on Aster's abilities, so she was convinced he didn't need much rest.

"Go on, pick up your sword! Give me 10,000 practice swings!"

"Ugh..."

Aster wanted to give up. His body was already battered, and he had only completed one of the three sections of his training—which Ardra had called a "warmup"!

But despite his thoughts, his body moved, drawing his sword and positioning himself with his legs shoulder-width apart. He held his sword before him, raised it above his head, stepped forward with his left foot, and swung the sword down.

*Whoosh!*

The sound of the air being cut was refreshing to Aster's senses, despite it being a simple, repetitive vertical slash.

"Hmm... Your step is too short. Move it more. Then, loosen your grip and swing it like 'Shuwa!' and not 'Whoosh!' Now, try again~!"

Ardra adjusted his posture before asking him to repeat the same action. Her explanation could use a bit more elaboration, but he was too tired to complain. Instead, he trusted his instincts and followed her instructions.

Half a step more forward and slashing without gripping the sword too tightly. As he did, the sound of the air being cut changed drastically, matching what Ardra had described.

*SHING!*

A crisp sound came from his sword!

"Oh! You're quick to pick up! You're talented with the sword, little brother~!" Ardra praised, watching him repeat the motion several more times.

Once she was sure he had mastered the Vertical Slash, she moved on to the next step: a horizontal sweep. "Watch me demonstrate first, then you'll copy it!"

Ardra didn't bother summoning her own weapon, so she simply borrowed Aster's sword. She gripped the hilt firmly, but not too tight, maintaining flexibility in her wrist. Then, she swung the sword once, twisting it along the swing.

*KIIIIIN!*

The casual strike swept in a 180° arc, cutting the air with a ringing sound. It was a flawless execution, letting Aster grasp the movement instantly.

He tried to mimic her, but failed on the first attempt.

"No, not like that! You should step like BAM! Then, let your hips go whoosh and your wrist goes giiiin! Then slash like Tatatan!"

"..."

Unlike the vertical slash, which followed a simpler motion, the horizontal slash was more complex, despite looking simple. And to make matters worse, Ardra's explanations were terrible, leaving Aster to figure it out mostly on his own!

After about a dozen failed attempts, Aster finally got the hang of it.

*SHING!*

The same crisp sound of air being cut, just like with the Vertical Slash, echoed. Still, Aster wasn't satisfied. After seeing Ardra's perfect Horizontal Sweep, he wanted to match the sound of her slash!

Ardra watched him diligently swinging his sword, a smile on her lips. She could tell that, by the end of one month of training, Aster would transform.