章 44: Growth Pains
What was the Shard of Myth?
Some people said it was a powerful weapon while the others were sure that it must be a legacy.
There was even an outlandish theory that the Shard of Myth actually granted the player power to control some aspects of the game!
What was the truth? Nobody knew.
Not even Sangma. The old man merely passed me the hint left behind by his teacher.
"In the ruined Elven City, there is a Tree of Night. When its flowers bloom, the Stars are born. Hidden in its hollow is the Shard of Myth, waiting for the marked one."
The clue was a cryptic one. I had no idea which Elven City the clue mentioned nor did I know what the marked one meant. Haranguing the Bowsmith also did not work. Despite my persistent efforts to glean more info, Sangma did not offer any additional hints.
Surrendering to the old man's stubbornness, I stopped wasting my time and left the tent.
It was already evening, so I decided to call it a day and logged out from the game, still thinking about the obscure hint I received about the biggest secret hidden in the Dreamverse.
The night passed uneventfully and I arrived once again at the VR Complex early in the morning.
"Tomorrow is the last day of your quest with Goku, right?"
Stivi asked as she pushed open the gates of the training grounds in the Barbarian Village. I nodded affirmatively as I followed her inside.
Trainer Basak immediately assigned us today's workout. 10 laps each for Stivi and I while 15 laps for Goku.
"You have 30 minutes to complete the laps. Go!"
Trainer Basak was hard on us as ever. However, his training methods were already showing results.
I could now run alongside Goku and match his speed step for step. Even though it was not his top speed, achieving the same results seemed like a distant dream just a few days ago, when I had first stepped into the training grounds.
When we started the training sessions, I could barely complete the 5km laps within 20 mins. Now I could run double the amount and still have some stamina left.
The most obvious indicator of my growth was that my Game Timer had increased from 6 hours to 7 hours! Even Stivi's Stamina Timer, which was already at 8 hours, showed an improvement of nearly 15 minutes.
This was all thanks to Trainer Basak's training as well as nourishment from the Mytherium Body Solution.
A notification popped up in front of both Stivi and I, causing us to grin.
[Vigor +1]
Unfortunately, that grin did not last long and quickly turned into a wince of pain. Without giving us time to rest, Trainer Basak immediately assigned us our next exercise. 200 burpees.
Stivi and I were bathed in sweat after the long run. I was so tired that I might just faint but seeing Goku immediately start with the exercise ignited that competitive streak in me. Ignoring my body's warnings, I pushed through and started doing burpees.
A push up, then a high jump and repeat. My VR suit, which was supposed to absorb sweat as soon as it was formed, was drenched with sweat as I counted to 50.
My bones were creaking in protest and my chest felt stuffy by the time I completed a hundred burpees. This was my body's way of warning me that it was nearing its limits.
I paused for a second and started to breathe in and breathe out in a strange rhythm, as taught by my father many years ago. The effects were instantaneous and I no longer felt as if I was about to collapse any minute.
This allowed me to persist and complete 200 Burpees within the set time limit. By the end of the exercise, my heart was ready to explode out of my chest.
However, everything was worth it when I saw the latest notification.
[You have pushed your body to the limits. Vigor +1]
This was my 13th extra point received from training since the start of the game. With today's training focused on increasing Vigor, I had already recovered my lost HP and even gained 10 more of HP.
Stivi who had joined later had also benefited a lot, so much that -
"I wish this quest would never end!" Stivi exclaimed as she tucked her sweaty strands of hair back in their place.
"The compulsory quest may end tomorrow but we can still keep on training for as long as we are in this Village." I reminded Stivi with a grin after I had caught my breath. Next it was time for Combat training.
We approached the weapons rack and chose our weapons. Stivi picked up the longsword while I picked up the white cloth wraps.
Stivi looked at me critically as she watched me wrap the white bands around my wrists and forearms and asked, "Are you sure you want to learn Close Combat Skills like Evasion and such? More importantly, are you sure you can succeed?"
"Yes. Since I can't wield my Bow with my current stats, I'd rather try to learn some useful skills instead of just wasting my time watching your practice. Even if I fail… Who knows? It may improve my hand eye coordination."
I finished my preparations and stepped into the dreaded Martial Arts Ring. Trainer Basak designated Goku to be my training partner and my heart skipped a beat. Yet, I did not flinch from the consequences of my request.
Countless players had suffered under Goku's ruthless fist in this ring. Hence, they avoided it like plague but I was bravely stepping into it of my own will. Some may call my actions foolish, bordering on masochism but I merely thought of them as necessary growth pains.
Once I took my stance, Goku cracked his knuckles with excitement. Seeing the shine in his eyes, I was already starting to regret my decision a little.
"Big Brother Samar, my father says that the best way to develop fighting instincts is to get beaten up enough."
Before I could register what he meant, his fist was already flying towards my face. Only this time, my response was much better compared to the past.
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