Chapter 3: Fake Training

One Week Later.

The training didn't go so well for Del. He totally didn't expect Head Captain Lyner to give him much harsher training than he expected. The man always gave him tenfold the amount of training the regular heroes went through, which meant ten times the amount of suffering. All of this was because of his stats.

Nevertheless, Del brute-forced through the harsh training that Head Captain Lyner gave to him because he didn't want to be left behind. He always tried to do his best to become as strong as the others. However, catching up with those who basically had the same power as a superhuman proved to be not an easy endeavor.

He also tried training with the others, it didn't work out so well. Trying to have a duel with someone who slashed his sword so fast that Del couldn't even react to anything was basically useless. What was the purpose of training if the opponent had no intention but to beat him without even pointing out what was wrong with him other than being so weak.

"Look, I can do this," Eric said as he showed that he could lift two hundred pounds of weight easily.

He managed to lift that much weight with only one finger, showing a feat that was impossible for a normal human to do. It just showed how strong he became in just one week, and how weak Del was in comparison. In the same span of time, there was no significant change in his physical ability other than the bruises he got from the harsh training.

Furthermore, there was one special training that Del didn't like one bit. The training where he became a punching bag for Eric and the others. Head Captain Lyner told him it was to train his Vitality so he would become much more resilient to damage. However, all that he felt throughout the training was pain, pain, and more pain. Accepting it didn't mean that he wanted to do it, it just felt like a meaningless sacrifice that yielded so little result

It just seemed to never stop. The only thing that kept him going and stopping him from going insane was the slight increase in his status. His vitality indeed increased, but not as fast as others even though he did his training ten times harder than theirs. Apparently, it was simply his fate as a below-average hero.

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[Eric Lerand] [Level: 2]

Strength: 200

Agility: 200

Vitality: 200

Aptitude: 200

Perception: 200

Magical Energy: 1600/1600

Health Point: 4000/4000

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Compared to Eric, Del's stats increase was very little. In fact, it was so little that it could be said to be nothing and made Head Captain Lyner think of giving him much more rigorous training than the harsh training he had already received. The man came to that conclusion after seeing the other's rapid growth in stats and comparing them to Del's improvement.

"Damn, Del, why are your stats increasing so slowly?" Lyner asked Del as the latter did his daily push-up.

"Sir, I don't know," Del replied, gasping for air.

Head Captain Lyner stared at the young boy in front of him and couldn't help but feel pity for the latter. "I really need to report this to the adviser and the king. This situation is something that is out of my ability. So, I hope you understand."

Del nodded his head when he heard the man's words. "I understand, Sir. Don't worry. You can report it to the king."

"Thanks, Del, I appreciate it," replied Lyner before he left.

While Lyner continued training the other heroes, Del continued his training, alone. No one was willing to train with him because of his weak strength, unless he wanted to become a punching bag. Therefore, he couldn't help but feel disgusted with their attitude.

They used to help each other one week ago, and now they didn't even want to be in touch with him. They seemed to have been corrupted by the extraordinary power they received.

If in less than a week, they have changed so much. What would happen in a month? Or even two weeks? Del did not doubt that he would be stabbed in the back sooner or later.

While Del was drowning in his own thoughts, Anna was seen approaching him with a glass of water in her hands. "Del, are you okay? Here's some water."

"I'm okay, Anna. And thanks for the water," Del said as he drank the water in one gulp.

Even though her brother already said he was fine, the concerned look on Anna's face still remained. "I am worried about you, Del. You are used as a punching bag by others. I can't stand it. However, Head Captain Lyner told me that it was for training your Vitality." She seemed to hesitate for a moment before opening his mouth again. "Is that true?"

"Yeah, it's true. But don't worry about it though. I'm fine for most of the time, thanks to your healing spell," replied Del with a smile to reassure his sister.

Anna looked Del in the eye and said, "Don't push yourself too hard, alright? I am worried about you."

"If I don't push myself, how can I be as strong as you? C'mon, you know how I am in life, right?" Del asked while shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

"You're such a try-hard, you know that?" commented Anna when she saw how her brother behaved.

"Haha, I know that. Anyway, you should get back to your training. The others are waiting for you." said Del, while pushing her away gently with his hands. Before Anna could walk far, Del called her. "Oh, and Anna.."

"Yeah?" asked Anna as she turned her head around.

"You have such an impressive spell," said Del with a smile.

Anna let out a gentle smile at her brother's words. "I know."

She then ran back to the rest of the heroes while Del continued his lonely training.

Looking at the back of his sister, Del silently vowed to become stronger. However, it also seemed that it wouldn't happen to him anytime soon. Moreover, he felt that some people were starting to look at him like a human seeing a pest. He wanted to stand up against them, but sadly, he couldn't.

***

Days later, the king suddenly asked Del to go to his office. Apparently, he wanted to give him an order. Furthermore, the order was for him and only him. Therefore, Del couldn't even refuse that.

As he walked down the long hallway, Del frantically hoped that the order wasn't an order of his execution. If it was, then he could only helplessly accept it as he had no way of escaping it.

The moment he entered the king's office, the man was seen reading a paper on his table. Since there was no one else in the room, he must have expected Del to come.

Not wanting to upset the king, Del quickly sat down on the chair in front of the king's desk. He was anxious. The king was certainly a person with a very high societal standing. He was someone that expected respect from everyone that he saw.

"Del, I'll have to give you tough news. Are you ready to listen?" The king asked.

Del subconsciously swallowed his saliva, "Sure, I'll listen to it."

"Excellent. Listen carefully as this is what my advisers and I have in mind for your condition. Del, we are going to war and I don't want any compromise on our side. So, like it or not, tomorrow, there will be a vote. The vote will decide whether you will be banished out of the heroes' party or not," the king said calmly, as if he had nothing to do with the matter.

Del shouldn't be surprised by the revelation, but his jaw couldn't help but drop once he heard that from the king himself.

Clenching his shaking hands that were hidden by the table, Del held back his feelings and asked in a quivering voice, "Why?"

"The battle against the demons will be very fierce. So, I don't want your friends to have a dead weight in their team."

"That's all? I've been training hard, giving and doing my best. And is this how you repay me?" Del asked, his face contorted with the overwhelming emotion he was feeling right now.

"You misunderstood something, young man. this is not how I repay you. I do what must be done. be grateful that I don't send assassins to you and tell your friends that you are dead in an accident." replied the king, his voice cold.

Del didn't have anything to say. He was in shock. However, he still had faith in his friends. They might not be what they used to be, but they wouldn't kick their friends out, would they?

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