CHAPTER 55: FASTER, HARDER, STRONGER!

"Gramps, I think there is something weird with my body!"

It has been one week now since we are living in the old hideout of those bandits. After I had awakened the physical aura, it took me two days to awaken elemental aura. The difference is clear. Physical aura doesn't seem to make a difference whereas if I use the elemental aura of fire, the grass burns a little, for earth, they grow more. Elemental aura seems more powerful than physical. Excafol and the book taught me how to inject energy through Angas into things and: it is really difficult. I blew up more than a hundred wood logs by now, trying to inject Angas. It seems I can't measure the quantity.

"What do you mean kid?" Excafol looks at me, a little bit confused.

"Well, I cut myself but the wound closes like nothing in few seconds."

Earlier, I cut my index finger deep with the dagger while cleaning a rabbit I caught. Yes, I finally caught the damn thing. But when I did, the wound closed right in front of my eyes. It never happened before.

"Hm, well…" Excafol is caressing his beard. I have noticed it is a habit of his when he doesn't want to tell things the way they are.

"Just tell me already."

"Argh! Okay. When you fought with Kalok, your body was too damaged to heal you with our levels. So we had to use a high-class healing script: RESTRUCTURE. It modifies the body and makes it evolve, sort of. Though, I am surprised that it has such effects on you. I have never heard that it could create an accelerated healing function in the body. At best, it should have made you a bit stronger."

Yeah, maybe it did. Although it was not really noticeable, I can now see that I am becoming stronger, faster. That rabbit is proof after all. Or maybe it is just the training. For the bleeding, maybe it is related to what Two said about my body adapting to the World's Roar. I should ask him.

"Ah, gramps…" I started calling Excafol gramps because Old man was too long. The first time I did, he shivered a bit and became red. He is surprisingly happy about the weirdest thing. "Do you know anything about DragonRoad?"

"DragonRoad? Never heard of it. Did you see something in the book?"

"No, well, don't worry about it." So even the knowledgeable Excafol doesn't know that name. And I haven't encountered anything related in the book either.

That night, I went to my subconsciousness to train as usual.

"Two, it seems my body heals faster. Do you perhaps know why?" Two is wearing clothes today, every time I came until now, he was always naked.

"Is it not because of it?"

"The world's Roar?"

"Yes, it did say that after using it for the first time, your body will adapt and evolve to be able to use it more freely."

"Can't I talk with that thing?"

"Not yet. It would be too much for you, the consciousness. Even for me, it is difficult to talk with it."

"Then what? You said yet so there is a way right?"

"Yep, train. The stronger your mind will be, the stronger you and I will be, the easier then to talk with it."

Is that so? Well, I was planning to do just that so that's great. Let's focus. I try to inject Angas as best as I can. Because I can feel things here, it is easier to understand what Excafol teaches me. Feeling the limit like I am filling up a bottle. It took me the whole night but at least I finally did it. After almost a week of training.

The next morning, I am sweating a lot as usual. But at least now, I have a jar with water right beside me. Excafol noticed that I was always sweating a lot during the night and made this jar. He used earth Angas to create clay and then made the jar himself, as well as some bowls. I observed the whole process with the eyes of an eagle, trying to catch any piece of information.

I empty the jar and go to fill it up while doing my morning run. When I come back, Excafol is outside, sitting on the ground, with his legs crossed. Eyes closed. He has been doing that for three days now. Ever since he reached the pages of the translated book with the mind building. He must be training. I take the wood logs and sit a bit far from him just in case. I try to inject energy with the earth's attribute while remembering the sensation from yesterday. But, the log explodes. Argh! You piece of...! Anyways, on to the next one.

***

After about one hour and ten wood logs or so, I finally manage to do it. the log is heavier in my hands. Excafol said that the earth's attribute should make it harder. I didn't know it would also make it heavier. I throw the log to a tree and it made the same sound as if I had thrown a piece of metal. I raise both of my hands in the air like an idiot.

"Yes, take that you shitty training!!"

"Oh. So my training is shitty, brat?" Ah, I forgot he was there.

"No, I just meant that-"

"Let's see if my training is so shitty then." Excafol goes and takes the log I threw. Raising it, he looks at it for a bit, hit it with his fingers, and put it down. "Well, at least you have got the basics down properly. We can start proper training now. take it." Excafol throws something at me. It is the gold bracelet that I have received from Demether. Why does he give to me now? "Put it on your wrist and inject your Angas inside. Do so while thinking you want to bring out everything that is inside."

"Is it so simple?"

"Yes, the system behind it is not, however. But, with time, if you come to understand it, you could even create your own subspace without needing the bracelet."

I do as Excafol told me and the gemstone starts shining. It shines and shines but nothing appears.

"Focus kid."

I am focused gramps! What else does he want me to do?!! I try to focus even more and suddenly I feel like the bracelet's weight diminished. Then suddenly, in front of me, things start to pop out of thin air: a chest plate, a helmet, boots, armguards and finally, a raizen. "Lord Demether gave you valuable items as I thought."

Excafol looks at the gears on the ground with excitement. All of the armor's pieces are made of leather, it seems. Their design is a bit elaborate. Black lines going here and there, creating small hexagonal forms. And on the center of the chest plate, there is a symbol: an eagle.

The raizen is amazingly beautiful. Black handle. A clear blue blade with a space in the middle. Six Gold lines going from the guard to the tip of the blade. Three on each side of the space. And a small knife attached to the back of handle. When I take the raizen and hold the knife, it is moving, I pull on it and a the knife moves, it is attached to a chain. "Wow." This weapon is perfect.

"Okay, put the armor on, we will start something new." After examining the different pieces of the armor, Excafol tells me to put them on. When I do, I feel like a real warrior. Everything is perfect. Did they know my size beforehand? "Your armor and weapon both have a growth script incorporated. They will grow in size with you as time passes. You won't have to look for another armor for a good while. Now, you will run while maintaining your physical aura and applying an elemental aura to your raizen. Do that for one hour."

"That's all?"

"Fufufu. Yes, that all, for now." I haven't seen Excafol smile like that for a while. No, wait, I have never seen him smile like that at all! I am in deep shit I think.

I start running, but in less than two minutes, I can't continue, my physical aura dissipates pretty much as soon as I move, and let's not even talk about injecting elemental Angas to my raizen. My head gets mixed up just thinking about it. when I look behind me, Excafol is laughing while covering his mouth with his hands. Noticing that I am looking at him, he stops for a moment but restarts soon after.

"Ahahaha! You should see your face kid! So hilarious!"

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh all you want."

"Ahahaha! Oh, my poor stomach. Anyways, I will only start counting when you will maintain them as I asked. So, until you do, you will continue running." Excafol sits down and restarts his training. This gramps! You want to provoke me? okay, let's do this then.

***

After about three hours, I can't even walk. My legs just won't move. I am sweating so much my underpants are drenched. Focusing on my physical aura and elemental aura at the same time might have been possible. But running and injecting my elemental aura into my raizen is something else entirely. I can't do it like that. It's like I am eating, drinking, and sneezing all at the same time. There must be a way to do this and I need to find it.