บท 23: Side Quests

"What kind of morning practice are you going to do, Mike-han? Would you like to do a spar or two with me? I'll teach you some interesting, powerful moves." Isei walked beside Mike out of the mansion.

"If I'm allowed to know, what level are you at now, Isei-san?" Mike didn't intend to do any spars because he needed to thoroughly rework his cultivation foundation. He just wanted to know.

Isei looked left and right then whispered as if he wanted to tell a secret. "Psst, this isn't a secret between us. Even though I look like an ordinary person, I'm already at the True Spirit Realm: Peak Stage. Surprised, right? Surprised, right? How about you, Mike-han?"

"Well, I'm still at Elementary Spirit Realm: Peak Stage. For the time being, I need to rebuild my foundation. So, My aplogies, I need to decline your spar invitation, Isei-san." Mike politely declined for a reason based on his belief.

"Ho, well, you're still that young. No problem, you need to properly build a solid foundation for your cultivation. However, I can still teach you one or two advanced moves. Want to give it a try?" Isei shrugged his shoulders and made another suggestion.

To answer the invitation, Mike did not refuse. The teachings of was highly appreciated, whatever their form.

That movements training lasted for two hours, including morning exercises. Mike lay on the floor of a dojo-like building, gasping for air. He was sweating profusely from the practice guided by Isei.

Unlike what Isei said, Mike was taught some martial arts moves for various situations, not just one or two. Unfortunately, he seemed to be used as an example object rather than a training subject.

"Isei-san, you're so good at martial arts, why did you become a gardener instead of a bodyguard?" Mike glanced up to ask.

"Haha, it's just basic training, Mike-han. You need a lot of practice, but I can see you already have a pretty good foundation. You just need to hone it. As for my profession, well, I'm comfortable with tending the garden for Yuna-sama's sake. " Isei sat beside Mike with a light laugh.

"So, this is the power of a True Spirit Realm expert. Really strong, I learned a lot from you, Isei-san, thank you very much." Mike propelled his body to sit up.

"It's just the martial arts of judo, aikido, and karate. You say that only because you haven't trained with Grandpa Alfred. He is the strongest among us." Isei patted his black belt.

"Is that so? I wanted to ask this earlier, but why did you and the others call Mr. Alfred as Grandpa Alfred? I remember Yuna-san just called him Alfred yesterday." Mike scratched his head in confusion. He finally had a chance to ask that.

"Oh, that's because Grandpa Alfred himself requested it, and we respect it. However, you need to do some spars with him first before asking you to call him Grandpa Alfred. For Yuna-sama, well, she is the highest authority in the clan.

Even though Yuna-sama treats us like family, we need to maintain her image in the outside world. Yuna-sama is a blue-blooded girl, and we are servants from the outside. Do you understand?" Isei explained with additional explanation.

"Mm, I see. So, Yuna-sama is it?" Mike nodded in understanding.

"Well, it's up to you and how Yuna-sama thinks of it. You need to ask Yuna-sama directly, Mike-han. She has a plan for you, maybe a special assignment to help with her problem? Who knows." Isei shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright, I want to meditate in serenity, Isei-san. I need to go." Mike stood up, but Isei grabbed his shoulder.

"You can do that in that room over there. The practice hall is very quiet and the room is perfect for meditation. I'm the one who needs to go and take care of some things. Well then, see you later." Isei stood up and left while waving his hand.

Seeing Isei leave, Mike turned to the room that Isei pointed to just now. It was an empty room, and he didn't know what it was meant for.

Feeling it was a good suggestion, Mike decided to do his meditation there. He went to the empty room.

After closing the sliding door, Mike sat cross-legged and began to rearrange his cultivation foundation. He also thoroughly checked for anything that might have a harmful impact if he tried to break through to the Nascent Spirit Realm.

After an hour of meditation and checking the energy flow in his own body, Mike didn't find any problems. He didn't even need to lay down any foundation because he didn't find any flaws.

'Could it be because of my current body constitution? This Exquisite Supreme Body is also Perfect Body or what, huh? I don't understand something like this even though it was taught in the sect.' Mike heaved a sigh. Then, he checked his system, especially the quests.

'Ah, as I thought, this is terrible to see...' Mike swallowed his saliva to look at the list of his quests.

'The main quest is the hardest for me. Then, I still have about nine hours left for the first side quest. For the second side quest... Which treasure? What is meant by this is this rusty silver metal?' Mike took out a handkerchief from his pocket and looked at the small rusty metal with some thought.

'Is this a Sky Grade Treasure if I manage to treat and polish this little thing? Wait, aren't the rewards of this quest just the result of effort and hard work!? Then why is there a time limit?' Mike wondered in his mind, but no one could enlighten him.

After a few minutes of confusion, Mike decided to think about that later. After all, the quest with the most flawed details was the third side quest.

'I need to protect Yuna-san, but when and where is that? Is it for anytime and anywhere?' Mike loosened his shoulders because of the weakness that came. However, he immediately made up his mind and convinced himself. 'No, I have to take responsibility for that. Yuna-san is my first Miss Fortune. She is a good and hardworking girl, I will protect her. I have to get stronger quickly!'

Mike clenched his fists at his renewed determination. He stood up and decided to find some necessary materials to help him breakthrough into the Nascent Spirit Realm.

When he opened the sliding door, he did not see that a girl was also about to open the sliding door. He just left the room with enthusiasm and passion, also with a sense of urgency. They collided because it was so sudden and inevitable.

"Kyah!"