Chapter 8: The first steps

Erik quickly left Mister Fox's farm. The crystal cross gang often came there to demand money, and he didn't want to get involved, not that Mr. Fox allowed him to.

He ran to the nearby train station, about ten minutes away on foot.

When he got to the station, he was immediately assaulted by the sound of many flying vehicles hovering above. It was deafening.

But Erik was too poor to afford one, and besides, he wasn't of the legal age to drive yet.

After taking some stairs, he reached an elevator, which quickly brought him 50 floors into the sky. When the doors opened, Erik got thrown into the usual scene.

The train station wasn't a simple place. It was massive, and it had multiple shops selling various goods like clothes, food, and electronics. Of course, most of them focused on selling equipment and survival gear.

Erik looked at the window displays, almost salivating. He didn't know if it was because of the fighting gear or the food.

Floating train tracks stretched out from the station in all directions—north, south, east, west, and even towards the sea and mountains. Of course, there wasn't a single train reaching there, especially not the mountains, since they were the wyverns' home.

After a brief wait, Erik saw trains arriving at the station. They came through large openings in the building's walls.

The trains stopped at platforms full of people waiting to board. There were safety barriers to prevent anyone from falling off.

When his train finally got there, he let the passengers get off first before stepping on and finding a seat near the door.

The train was very crowded at this time of day. Many people were heading home from work.

Erik needed to train to make the quests and hopefully fix his brain crystal deformity. The sooner he did, the sooner he could start getting power.

As the train left, Erik gave a quick glimpse at the mountain in the distance. There were conflicting emotions inside of him. From one hand, the mountains were beautiful, and in a sense, promised freedom. Erik didn't know when and if he would be able to, but for sure, he was going to leave New Alexandria and go to Etrium, on the other side of the Eldraith mountain range, where he could start a new life.

If before or after his military service, he didn't know.

<I would avoid it altogether if I could…> Yet it was mandatory, and Erik couldn't leave like he wanted. He didn't have the strength yet, and he doubted he was going to get that before military service ended.

But as much as the mountains offered him a chance to dream, they were also the source of nightmares. Wyverns were the most powerful Thaids known to humanity, at least here on the Mannard continent.

Then his eyes fell on the shimmering barrier around the city. The farm wasn't close to it, but it was still on its premises. Outside the barrier were the Thaids, but luckily, there weren't many. Most, if not all, of them were taken care of by the military, but a few were still worse than none.

Sometimes, they even found ways to sneak their way inside the city; more often than not, it happened from the north, where Erik worked, but sometimes, when a horde attacked the gates, they breached in.

<Luckily, they are not that strong. Well, at least for the others. To me, they are just a death sentence…>

After what seemed like an eternity and a huge amount of daydreaming, the train reached its destination: the eastern district, the residential one.

Several streets lined up together, forming long lines of food shops, stalls, and restaurants. The eastern district was significantly smaller than the northern one, but since that area housed factories, farms, and the like, it was clear it needed more space.

Erik didn't dwell at the shops' windows and headed straight home. Walking, of course, having to go through the mocking looks of the kids who knew him or the cold indifference of the adults letting their kids behave that way.

No one; that was who he was. A nobody is not worth helping. In the people's minds, there was no doubt what fate waited for Erik: starving.

Yet he sounded unconvinced, even to himself. For now, what the biological supercomputer did was just make promises. He had yet to see if the strange AI could really do what it said.

If it really could do as it promised, he could improve his rank, form more neural links, and become stronger. This would allow him to stop the bullying at school and maybe earn a standing in this city. Not that he craved respect within Frant, especially not from its citizens.

After crossing many streets and even a park, Erik finally reached his home. He walked through the entrance hall of his building, went upstairs, and finally entered, closing the door behind him and all his problems outside of his home.

He sighed heavily.

<Let's get to work…>

"System, show me the quest list."

—[Quests List]—

**Daily Quests**

Eating Habits (COMPLETE)

Rewards: 10 Experience, 10 DNA points

Penalty: None

Task: Eat a healthy meal.

Physical Training (ACCEPTED)

Rewards: 10 Experience, 10 DNA points

Penalty: None

Task: Train for at least one hour (Choose any exercise.)

—

Erik looked at the screen before his eyes.

<I've never trained in my life. What should I do?>

Erik tried to recall what he had seen at school, but everything was too complicated for him or too demanding.

<I should look at some good exercise on the internet,> the young man thought. <The last thing I want is to hurt myself now…>

[Connection to Erik's personal computer established.]

Erik's computer screen appeared in front of him. He searched online for workout tips and found helpful videos and books. Using some totally legal methods, he downloaded all the information he needed on his device.

But that was just the beginning. Erik didn't have time to learn everything, but luckily, he had something that would cut the time needed to do so.

Still, he wished only to get the information about the training. A list with multiple items appeared in a window before him.

—

List of available information:

How to build massive biceps: explanation of the optimal workout

Eight Best Shoulder Exercises for Boulder Shoulders

…

Nine Exercises To Build A Big Back

Human Anatomy

Old school leg training

…

—

These were all videos and books Erik had downloaded. He had already watched and read them, but he wanted to make sure he remembered every detail before starting his training.

The system complied.

There was a tremendous surge of energy. It rushed through his body, and the knowledge started taking shape in his mind. He could recall the videos as if he were watching them right at that moment. He could recall the human anatomy book lines as if he were reading them.

After the injection ended, Erik felt dizzy and collapsed onto his sofa. He needed a few minutes to recover.

Once he felt better, he saw a message appear in front of him.

[Injection complete.]

Like that, the young man started his training.

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