Chapter 4 - Training

the next morning...

I woke up with Kezef and Fria who sleeps both in my side. That's why it felt so heavy. Their arms and legs are in my body. Am I a pillow now?

I push both of them and they fall on the floor.

I walk and grab some clothes. I need to take a bath and cook food for us. Wait? Why am I doing this? It looks like I'm a mother of two kids!

I stormed out of the house and went to the falls.

"What a refreshing feeling whenever I dip myself on the waterfalls." I said to myself.

"I'm thinking of a name for Fria and Kezef. Hmmmm. Scythe and Jingo?"

Sounds great! Suits them well. Jingo fits well to Kezef a person who fights for his town's people and ready to take on a war. Scythe is suited to Fria, a weapon used by a Grim Reaper.

"I need to head back so I can cook breakfast " I said and walked back to the house.

It seems they are both up now.

"Good, you can both take a bath I'll cook food for us. You need energy since today's training will be wild." And give them an evil grin.

They look pale all of a sudden.

"Can you please stop giving us that evil grin of yours? It gives me chills..." Kezef said.

"Have mercy on us. Have mercy on us. Have mercy on us." Fria kept mumbling in the corner.

"Don't worry, after this training I can assure you that you're ready enough to go to the capital." I said while I'm busy cooking our food.

"Okay! Copy" they both said.

I'm planning to bring them to the center of this forest where the monster's lair. This will be a good opportunity for them to enhance their skills.

I trained there before, earning lots of gem stones and materials that I can sell when I visit the capital. Good thing I hid all of them on my secret storage.

"Do you know how much will it be if I sell this gem stone?" I put the stone on the table and look at them.

"How did you get this gem stone?" Fria asks.

"I got it whenever I killed a monster" I said in a confused look.

"You can earn at least 10 Nol Silver for that gem." Kezef said with a disbelief look.

"How much does it value?" I asked.

"Really? You don't know how much 10 Nol Silver?" Fria

"As is I know? I spend my life here in the forest, I don't have any money with me." I spoke

"The value of money here is high. 100 Nol Bronze is equal to 1 Silver, 10 Nol Silver is equal to 1 Nol Gold. You can rent a lodging for only 10 Bronze, buy food for 1 bronze." Fria explained.

"Then we can sell all the gem stones and material we will be getting, that's a good start" I told in a monotone voice.

"Yes, that's a good enough amount of money for the three of us. We can share one room." Fria said.

"Yes, that will help us lessen the cost of living in the Royal Capital." Kezef agreed.

"Are you ready? Let's go!" I said.

[Kezef]

We are walking in the forest for about thirty minutes now. Calliope was ahead of us; she's leading the way. She said that we will be going to the center of this forest. I doubt if we can arrive there within an hour. This forest is too massive. She knows the forest well, no doubt. She's been living here for about a year now. I can't believe that she manages to live here. And to think that intimidating aura whenever she's not in the mood or pissed. I would not dare to be on her nerves. I value my life.

Calliope will help us strengthen our skills and I'm thankful because she's so generous towards us. Fria trust and sees her as a big sister. She mentioned that she will go with us to the Royal Capital. Asking common knowledge about this world. Like places and currency.

I have the guts to protect them, Fria and Calliope. I know they feel the same way. We've spending our time in this forest for quite a while since I'm waiting for my wounds to heal.

"How long will it take before we can get to our destination big sis?"

Fria ask Calliope, even calling her big sis. Wow! Too confident Fria.

"I'm tired can we just sit down for a while?" Fria asked again.

Calliope stopped walking and look back to us. Oh-oh...

"Fria, it's not even an hour when we departed my house and you fill tired now?" Calliope ask Fria.

I looked at her she gulps hahaha!

"Fria does your bag too heavy? I'll carry it for you" I said

"Let her carry the bag Kezef, no time for spoiling a brat." Calliope said

"Hmmpp! You'd better give me food once we get to the place were heading too!" She stomps her feet and walk past us.

"I will even give you a present if you exceed my expectation during this training. So, you better work your ass off. Same with you Kezef." She spoke

Fria, seems to be enlighten and energized upon hearing what Calliope said.

"You better not break your words big sis!"

"Hai hai! I will not." Calliope give an assurance look on her face.

After more than an hour of walking we arrived at our target place for our training. It may seem a little bit odd that there are no monsters seen.

Calliope sit down and ask as to sit down as well. Fria and I walked towards her and sit down as well.

As soon as we have settled down, Calliope close her eye and said...

"Close your eye, relax your body and mind. Breath in slowly and release the air."

I close my eyes as instructed, sit properly and remove all my worries aside, I slowly breath in and release it slowly.

"Repeat breathing in and out until you can feel heat and see a light floating. Concentrate."

I do as what she has told, repeated multiple times and I can feel a burnt sensation on my chest. What is this feeling? It feels hot but at the same time it feels good. I saw a light floating.

"Can you feel the hit and the light? Now try to think of gathering them into one light ball"

The lights are not that easy to gather in one. It will take time I think to gather this all.

"Okay, slowly open your eye." Calliope said.

"What is that? I saw lights and felt burnt." Fria asks.

"Yes, same with me." I spoke.

"That's your mana core. It means you have a potential to strengthen your skill using your mana core. Not all people know about this thing. Your mana represents the extra power you have on body. Having mastered your core together with your skills is a great advantage."

We listen to her and nod. This is a great opportunity to learn more than what we think we could have on school.

"Mana core also represents your aptitude in using magic. For you to utilize your mana core with your skills, you need to coordinate all your health, strength and mind in one. You need to strengthen your Ki as well, people who does not have a high mana aptitude tend to strengthen their Ki, the 6 senses."

"Even though people think that strengthening one skill is enough, you can still strengthen all possible skills you have. Having another skill, you're good is not a bad idea to have. A great card to have when dealing strong enemies in the future."

"You can continue this practice when we get back to the house. The real training will start now."

She said and picked up a stone on the ground, threw it on the bushes and several wild wolves appear.

"Try not to die, okay? I'll be staying up here on the tree." She jumps quickly.

Fria and I position our self to fight. I know Fria can handle herself although the first time we meet Calliope is a little bit tragic.

The wolf started to attacked! Shit. There are too many wild wolves.

I dodge some of them and stab them using a dagger. I quickly run towards them and kill as many as I can.

I look at Fria who cast a spell and attack using a dagger as well. She can manage now. What a relief.

"Focus on your enemy. Trust your comrade that they can fight the enemy." Calliope said.

"Kill that wolf as soon as you can, there are orcs coming this way." She added.

"What?! .... Di you... just say.... Orcs?" Fria said in between her breath.

"Yes, finish that wolf packed as soon as possible. I see 3 Orc Lord and a few orcnite." Calliope said and jump down from the tree.

"I'll lend you a hand on the orc. Or can you manage to kill them all?" She asks us.

"Observe us first, if you think we can't kill it then help us." I said to her.

"Okay, I'll be standing here." She spoke.

"Fria, can you still fight?" I ask

"Yes, I can still manage." Fria said.

As soon as we finish the wild wolf packed, the Army of Orcs arrived. What then? Is this really a monster's lair as if it is a dungeon in the middle of forest?

I enhance my speed and strengthen my physical attacked so I can cut through the Orcs body. Fria, cast a fire spell as well to burn few orcnite.

later when reality hit us, the only monster left was the three Orc Lords. Calliope help us kill one of the Orc lords without moving on her place.

Fria and I attacked the other two orc lord. There are a lot of gems and materials we can used.

"Good work to the both of you! Just get the gems and material then we will head back to the house. I advise that you need a daily body training to gain some muscle and body strength. As well as meditating to enhance your Ki." Calliope said.

I started gathering the wolf and orc lord. We can sell this at the Royal Capital. Fria gather all the gems.

"Fria give me the gem stone." Calliope said.

"Here, let's divide the stone so you it's not that heavy." Fria suggested.

"I'll put that on my bag." She spoke.

"What bag? It will be too heavy for you to carry!" I recon.

"Don't worry, this is a dimensional storage bag." She explains.

Fria give the gem stone to Calliope, and she even grab the Orc Lord and the wolf to put all of it on her bag. Wow!

"Can we have that as well?" I blurted out of nowhere.

"This is a skill that's hard to learn." She spoke.

We keep asking Calliope a lot of question, if we can still have other skills to learn or have even though it's beyond our mana aptitude.

"Just complete this training and I will give you a present. A valuable present that you will treasure." She said and give as a smug look.

Look at that face, you know she's overly confident on what she was saying. Every time I saw that kind of facial expression from her, it makes me shiver.

The following days are just like hell. Every day, a heavy and strict training held. But it's all worth it. This is like a speed knowledge you can get in a school. Learning how you can maximize and strengthen your own skills.

After one week of training...

"This is the last day of your training, tomorrow we will be heading to the Royal Capital as stated on our agreement before and we will be forming a party so we can complete a quest." Calliope said.

"Since this is your last training, I will be giving you a gift." Calliope open her storage bag and grab something. She handed a weapon to Fria. "You can use this weapon; I think it suits you with your abilities." I saw Fria's face; she's astonished on the sight of the weapon Calliope gave to her.

"Are you sure this is mine?" Still in awe, Fria's eye glows and admires the weapon in front of her. "Yes, that's all yours." Calliope answered Fria's question.

"This one is for you Kezef, this is a special sword, you can transfer mana here to strengthen the damage on your enemy same with the scythe that I gave to Fria. This sword looks like a trash but it emits ominous power that not everyone can use easily. I'll let you two familiarizes with the weapon I gave you."

"Thank you! We will treasure this." Fria said. "I'll make sure to use this and keep it well. Thank you!" I spoke.

I can't believe I received such a wonderful weapon if we're not talking about its physical appearance but the value itself.

"Where did you get these weapons?" I asked Calliope. "Ah, I raid a dungeon long ago and acquired several weapon and skills, as well as gem stones. Although it takes several days before I finished all the floors. I killed all the monsters all by myself." She spoke.

"Wow! ...For real?!!!!" We both said in unison. Fria and I were in shocked. What the hell?! She singles handedly complete a dungeon?

"What? Is there any problem with that?" She's confused why we acted all shocked upon hearing what she said. "A-ahh no..." I spoke.

"Just continue your training and I'll be inside the house. Rest if you're tired. do not push yourself too hard. " Then she walked inside the house.