Brick by Brick (3)

"Now, I will test my actual combat strength. Can I defeat an initiate beginner mage with my physical strength alone?"

"Butler, regenerate the doll's injuries and set it to combat mode."

"Done! The doll is ready for combat, when the master signals it to start." Said the butler.

"Perfect," said Aiden as he got into a fighting stance. "Start!"

It charged towards Aiden immediately, its mechanical strides swift. The doll raised a hand and summoned a whirling ball of flames that crackled and roared as it fired off a low-tier 2 fireball spell at him.

As the fireball came his way, Aiden dodged it, not quite evading the blast as he felt searing heat graze his side. Calibrating anew, he readied himself for both physical and magical attacks from the doll. Again, the doll only came at him with physical attacks that were interspersed with casting fireballs at intervals.

Aiden parried the doll's punches and magical attacks from which he had to dodge fireballs at every turn, dancing around the room with his agile form, avoiding flame projectiles while striking back at the doll.

Aiden bridged the gap with a strategic move, launching a solid punch that shook the doll off its focus. Again, a conjuration of another ball of flames appeared. He rolled well and evaded the incoming spell, returning with quick jabs and kicks.

The mix of physical attacks and magical defence really put Aiden on his toes. After an hour of fighting, he was finally able to break the doll and win the fight. 

With heavy breathing, Aiden looked over himself for damage from the fireball spells. "Not bad," he muttered in admiration at the challenge. "Dealing with both physical and magical really puts a load on. I feel like, if I used Limitless eyes I would ended the fight in just a minute or two."

[Stat gained +1 Endurance]

Seeing the system notification, Aiden couldn't help but smile seeing his hard work pay off. 

"It seems like I gained only 1 endurance after an hour of fighting with that doll, it's way harder than levelling up." Said Aiden with a smile on his face.

"Well meat is meat, even if it's as small as a mosquitoes leg."

"There are only 2 hours left until the room time is over. Let's focus on strength and agility now," Aiden said to himself as he got ready for the next phase of his training.

He came towards the control panel and set 1.2 times normal in the gravitational settings. A hum from the room's walls signified a change in the level of gravity; Aiden felt the added weight at once. Every movement was hard to execute under this increased gravitational force.

Aiden started off with push-ups and felt the extra force his body had to fight under with augmented gravity. Each push-up was more difficult than usual, yet he maintained his smooth flow of reps while establishing good form and building his strength.

He grasped the pull-up bar, pulling his weight up with each repetition after warming up through the execution of push-ups. The added force provided by the added gravity made the exercise very intense; however, Aiden pushed on against the discomfort to build strength.

He then did some press-ups, and with the added gravity, there was some resistance added to his core muscles. He counted each repetition, feeling the burn as he engaged his abdominal muscles with every crunch.

Finally, Aiden set up a course for running inside the room, marked by virtual cones that appeared on the floor. He began to run, his legs working much harder through increased gravitational pull. Every step was heavier, but he kept his speed and form in mind as he ran to complete the course.

The toughest training session, it seemed, would work Aiden's body to the limits of human endurance, press down his strength, and increase his agility. Despite all that, he felt a sense of satisfaction as he completed his final lap.

With one final deep breath, Aiden swiped at the sweat on his brow and checked his progress. The additional gravity provided a good and challenging workout. He could feel and see how his body improved.

Looking at the added agility and strength stats, he couldn't help but smile seeing his progress.

[Stat gained +1 Strength]

[Stat gained +1 Agility]

"Status!" whispered Aiden, in a voice that is barely audible.

Name: Aiden

Title : NONE

Level: 3

XP: 50 / 400

HP: 210 / 210

Mana: 400 / 400

Fatigue: 60

Strength: 18

Agility: 20

Intelligence : 40

Endurance: 21

Charisma: 27

Luck: 35

(Available Points : 0)

(Skill Points : 0)

[Skills]

Passive Skills:

- Child of mana Lv. 1

Active Skills:

- Astral Escape Lv. 1

- Limitless Eyes Lv.1

As the training room's timer approached the end of his reserved time, Aiden took a moment to stretch and cool down. He was satisfied with the day's efforts and looked forward to the next session where he could improve his stats.

"There is 10 minutes left before the time remaining ends. I will take a quicker shower before I leave." Said Aiden, as he headed towards the shower room.

After finishing his shower, Aiden dried himself off, got dressed, and left the shower room. As he stepped out, he realized he was quite hungry from the intense training session as his stomach growled. He recalled noticing a small kitchen when he first entered the training facility.

Heading over to the kitchen, he opened the fridge and discovered a selection of prepared meals, ready to be heated. There was chicken and rice with a side salad, mac and cheese, beef, and several other options.

After a moment of consideration, he decided on the mac and cheese with a side of beef. With a satisfied nod, he grabbed the meal and prepared to heat it up.

After heating it up and eating the food, The butler reminded him that his time was over.

"Time for training has ended. Please head out in the next 5 minutes, or there will serious consequences." said the butler.

"I understand, I am going to leave right now" said Aiden, as he finished the last bit of mac and cheese. After finishing , he washed his hands and headed towards the exit door.

"Thank you for your cooperation. It was nice meeting you, Mr Aiden"

As Aiden left the training room, he checked the time on his phone. "There are still two hours left until my meeting with Lila," he mused. "I might as well invite Lena and Mark to go shopping for clothes. It'll be a good way to pass the time, and it's quite necessary."

With that thought in mind, Aiden took out his phone and dialled Lena and Mark. As he waited for them to pick up, he headed toward the entrance of the academy, the afternoon sun casting long shadows across the campus.

"Lena, Mark," he said as they answered. "Want to join me for some shopping? Meet me at the academy entrance."

"Sounds great," Lena replied enthusiastically. "I could use some new clothes for sure."

"Count me in," Mark added. "See you there."

Aiden ended the calls with a smile, feeling a sense of anticipation for the outing. It would be a refreshing break from his rigorous training routine and a chance to catch up with friends before his session with Lila.

Aiden waited around for ten minutes, watching his phone for the latest news and updates, when he saw Lena and Mark walking toward him, and very shortly they joined him at the academy entrance.

"Hey, Aiden!" Lena greeted with a smile. "Ready to hit the shops?"

"Absolutely," replied Aiden, putting away his phone. "It's been years since I've really gone shopping."

Mark nodded. "And with the mall in New Avalon so close, we should have plenty of time around to go exploring before your training session with Lila."

The three set out for New Avalon's city central. After a bit, they arrived at the mall, the sleek, ultramodern building with large glass windows all over.

At the entrance, shoppers flooded both ways. As they entered the mall, they passed by stores that offered magic weapons and skills, which were not only terribly expensive but also required a minimum of tier 2 spell showcase from buyers.

Aiden noted these shops down, "I need some good skills, specially defensive ones. It will be good to have an additional life saving card.".

They would get to that later. For now, they were out clothes shopping. This first store they visited supplied everything from cheap, casual attire in the price range of 1000 to 10,000 nanos to some more specialized training gear.

"These magic training clothes are pretty cool," Mark remarked as he examined a set of shirt and pants. "They can repair themselves and remove sweat."

"Yeah, I heard about those. They are pretty expensive though," Lena agreed. "One set of those costs 100,000 Nanos which is basically 100 Low Mana crystals. Considering that normal clothes only cost 1000 or 10,000 Nanos"

"It is still worth it, let's each get at least 1 set. If you are not going to pay, then it's on me I will pay for it." Said Aiden

After thinking about it, both Lena and Mark agreed to buy one set of enchanted training clothes. They were still saving the mana crystals Aiden had given them, so they felt they could afford to spend a little.

Aiden picked up a few pieces of enchanted training clothes, appreciating their durability and convenience.

He also browsed through the regular clothes, selecting eight sets of sleepwear in black and grey. Additionally, he bought a couple of heavyweight hoodies and some sweatpants for casual wear.

Mark and Lena also purchased a few sets of sleeping clothes and some everyday attire. As they browsed, Lena found a dress she thought was cute.

It was slightly more expensive than the other clothes, costing her 9,499 nanos, but she couldn't resist its charm.

Satisfied with their purchases, they headed to the checkout and paid for their selections. As they left the store with their bags in hand.