Chapter 15- Physical Training

'This place is just too massive, what the hell?! Rich people lived in places like this the entire time?!' Malice blinked in shock as he looked around the personal gym Cipher had. This room alone was bigger than any place Malice had ever been to before in his life and yet when put in such a massive suite, it looked like just another room.

Not to mention the ungodly number of machinery and training tools available here. Malice had lived his entire life knowing that Marked Nobles lived a life of luxury and comfort, but never did he expect it was to this degree.

It almost made him want to mock himself for thinking that luxury was eating bread and milk on a daily basis. These people had more money than he had an understanding of life and that was a fact.

"I'm sure your first question will be: Why do I need to train my physical abilities when I can simply use Soul Essence to boost my strength, right?" Cipher asked.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, that is actually true. Why is that?" 

At this point, Malice knew that Soul Essence could be used as a form of energy supply for the body to make it perform things it usually cannot do. He didn't know exactly how that could be done but he knew it existed.

"The simple answer to that is: You're an idiot."

"Huh?" Malice was taken aback by the sudden insult. 'I know that I am stupid but you didn't have to say it out loud for god's sake.'

"I do not mean you necessarily, but those who believe that it is the case. While Soul Essence can be considered a good way to boost your physical power, relying solely on it is a grave mistake many people fall in. Think of your body as a vessel for Soul Essence. Like a bowl or a plate. Now, imagine putting soup in that bowl." As he spoke, Cipher gestured with his hand as if he were pouring something into a non-existent container.

"You keep pouring, and pouring, and pouring while on the other hand, you are also consuming that Soup continuously. Naturally, that creates a balance of regeneration and consumption that keeps this bowl stable. Now, imagine if that bowl was very fragile or made out of paper. If you keep pouring that liquid, slowly but surely, it will seep through it, or perhaps even make the Bowl burst into pieces. That is what we call 'Soul Essence Overload'. When your body isn't strong enough to handle the Soul Essence inside you." He said seriously. "And it is deadly." 

The last sentence sent a chill down Malice's spine. "So… People die if they don't temper their bodies to a certain level?"

"Yes. I have seen it happen with my eyes before, countless times. It wasn't a pleasant sight. Their bodies imploded and their internal organs were turned into a runny paste."

'Oh god…' Just trying to imagine what that would look like made the boy frown.

"That is why, before you can actually start gaining power through absorbing Soul Essence from monsters or humans. You will have to first reach a level of strength where using your Soul Essence won't put your life in danger. That is the perfect foundation you can start with." He said. "Of course, science had advanced long enough for physical training to become extremely efficient, fast, and most importantly, flawless."

After saying that, Cipher walked to one of the LED screens all around them and tapped on it. Malice watched curiously. A second later, the Screen suddenly started moving as it flipped over, showing whatever was behind it, hiding in the wall.

A big panel filled with all kinds of small glass capsules appeared in front of the blonde man. The capsules had all kinds of liquid inside of them, varying in colors. Malice instantly recognized those shapes.

'Serums?' He mused as he squinted his eyes. 

"These are called 'Serums' and they are the new way of training. You will have to use one of these before each training session to maximize the gains." He said as he pulled one capsule and threw it to Malice who quickly caught it.

'More serums?! I'm already having an existential crisis regarding the first serum I have ever consumed and now I have to consume more of these?' He frowned.

The matter with the Soul Essence Serum made him feel a little worried. Granted, he didn't think that Avatar was trying to harm him since well, what was the point of all of that if she was seeking to destroy him? Creating a meticulous story about the Shard Of Hatred choosing him as its inheritor and that he had to get stronger for some reason. It sounded too detailed to be a lie and even if it was, why bother in the first place?

If she wanted to harm him, that was such a roundabout way of doing it. So much so that Malice didn't even feel like he was being stupid for trusting it. 

'Well, in that case, I guess these serums aren't harmful per se.' He thought to himself as he looked at the capsule.

"That one will help your muscles grow faster and more efficiently." He said. "Put it against your arm and tap the button to inject it."

Malice nodded his head and did what Cipher said. 'Ugh, this is going to hurt!!' Remembering the pain he felt from the Soul Essence serum, he felt a little fearful of what he would feel now. But, it didn't scare him enough to not try it.

Immediately, he felt a gush of liquid surge through his arm and quickly spread across his entire body. But, the pain he was expecting didn't come even after a few seconds passed.

'Hmm, no pain? Does that mean it doesn't hurt?' He raised an eyebrow as he looked at his own body. The serum had its effects almost instantly. He felt an unknown source of energy filling his body. His muscles felt a lot stronger than before.

"Now, we are going to start with some simple cardio to get you ready. The effect of that serum lasts a few hours so you better make use of all of it. It's not cheap." Cipher said as he pointed at the treadmill on the other side of the room.

Malice didn't know what that was but he still jumped on top of it. Then, Cipher tapped a few buttons on its integrated screen. Immediately the belt beneath Malice's feet started rolling. The latter instinctively started moving not to fall behind.

'Woah! I need to run!' 

The speed slowly grew faster and Malice had to keep up. In a few seconds, he found himself running at a medium pace.

"For how long do I have to run, Cipher?"

"Hmm, we will start easy since you are still a beginner. Thirty minutes should be sufficient." The latter said as he started looking at the data showing on the treadmill. Apart from its initial role, it also shows Malice's vital signs, speed, and estimated time he can handle.

"Wait, what?! Thirty minutes?! I cannot run for 30 minutes!" Malice yelled as he almost stumbled on the belt.

"You can. With the help of the serum and at your current level, you can definitely do thirty minutes. Don't slack!" Cipher slapped him on the shoulder and walked away.

'You have to be kidding me!' Grumbling under his breath, Malice focused on running again without complaining. He knew that it wasn't going to be easy. Getting stronger required hard work and dedication, something he had to learn now or never.

'Stop complaining, Malice. You have an opportunity so just use it for god's sake!' He clenched his teeth as he started running faster with all his vigor.

Cipher watched as the boy continued training relentlessly.

'Good, it seems he is starting to understand what he has to do to get better.' The blonde man thought to himself. 

***

*Thirty minutes later.*

"Hah… Hah… Hah… Hah…" Malice was sweating profusely. his breath was ragged as he struggled to keep up with the moving belt. He felt his legs hurting from all the running. This was by far the longest he had ever run without stopping.

Before, the longest he could go was a few minutes and even then he would feel incredibly exhausted after that. But, the improvements in his body showed results almost instantly and now he can run way longer and way more consistently.

When the timer hit the 30-minute mark, the belt finally came to a halt as Malice dropped to the ground heaving up and down.

[Your stamina has increased a little.]

At that moment, he saw a notification in front of him. "Hah… My stamina increased… Yeaaah!!" Lifting his hand, he fell to the ground exhausted.

"That is only the beginning. In the next few hours, we are aiming to get your stamina to a different level. Now, drink some water and stand up. We are going to start the real training now."

"... Real training…"

"That was a warmup to get you ready. It's far from over!" Cipher exclaimed with a harsh look on his face.

'This man is the devil! He is the devil!!'