First Training Session

[Welcome back, Samar. Your recommended gaming time is 6 hours. Would you like to set a timer?]

The notification popped up as soon as I entered the VR room. Sure enough the recommendation was here. 

6 hours? The time limit was much higher than I had expected. 

The time one could be online was a testament to the physical fitness of the player. Hence, the recommended timer became an important measure to check a player's endurance. 

Most guilds also used the recommended timer as one of the parameters when recruiting members.

With the 6 hour timer, I could be considered slightly above average. Still, I was far from the Top players who all had a recommended timer of 8 hours at minimum. 

Content with my current time, I chose 'Yes'. Immediately another notification came up. 

[Would you allow the Central System to monitor your physical conditions and adjust the Timer accordingly?] 

As the notification stated, the system recommended time was not absolute. 

The Central System used a combination of parameters such as body's metabolism rate, fat count, Calories burnt and BMI to come up with a recommended time. The system would constantly monitor the Physical conditions of the player and make the changes accordingly. 

The timer would increase with improvement in one's physique or may decrease with deterioration. It also modified it in real time to correct any discrepancies.

Although it seemed like an invasion of privacy, it was a mechanism designed to protect the players.

I was aware of this and agreed to allow the system to monitor my physical conditions and set the timer. 

Moments later I was transported into the Dreamverse. A new bar had been added to my status window, representing Stamina. Currently, it showed 100%. Its introduction stated that it would decrease depending on the intensity of my activities. 

After exploring it for a few minutes, I went to the Training Grounds outside the Village. When I reached the destination, I saw Stivi impatiently waiting for me at the gate. 

She did not dare to go inside because of Goku who was demolishing the target dummies with a giant mace in his hands. 

It seemed like she had already experienced his One Hit KO punch once before. I smiled and pushed open the gates under the anxious eyes of Stivi and went inside. 

As soon as I entered, Goku noticed us. He put the mace on his shoulders and ran towards us, startling Stivi. She immediately grabbed my hand and tried to drag me out of the gate but I stood my ground. 

"What are you doing, Saras? That little monster's hits may not kill us but they are very painful. Let's get out of the gate quickly. As long as we are out of training grounds, he will not pursue us."

Stivi frantically hissed but I paid no heed to her warnings. Before she could escape by herself, Goku had arrived before us. 

"It's over." Stivi muttered and braced herself to experience another punch in the face. However, Goku did not immediately drag them to the Training ring as she had expected. 

He came to a halt in front of us and greeted me with a grin. 

"Big Brother Samar! You are here. Come on, let's start our exercises and then you can teach me the Yoga poses."

Stivi was dumbstruck by this interaction. She could not make head or tail of what was happening before her. 

Shouldn't Goku drag them to the Training Ring for a fight? 

Shouldn't she be nursing a black eye by now?

Then what was this about Yoga she was hearing? 

Most importantly, why the hell was Goku addressing Saras as 'Big Brother'?

Confused and perplexed she quietly observed the two men in front of her, trying her best to avoid drawing their attention. 

Unfortunately for her, I had no intention of leaving her out. 

"Of course we can start immediately, Young Chief Goku. However, as you can see I have brought a guest with me. Can she join us in our exercises?"

It was only then Goku turned his attention towards Stivi. He scanned her from head to toe and excitement shone in his eyes, as if he had found a new punching bag! 

Just as he was ready to drag her to the sandy ring for a martial arts match, I quickly stopped him and said,"She is also very flexible and together we can help you improve much more quickly."

"Oh…" The excitement in his eyes cooled a little and he gave her an okay and led them towards Trainer Basak who was standing by the huge jogging track. 

Seeing that she was safe, Stivi let out a huge sigh of relief. However, it seemed she had done so too soon. 

As soon as we reached Trainer Basak, the old muscular man scrutinized us with critical eyes. Then he clicked his tongue with displeasure and muttered, "Such weak bodies."

His comment was not just about me but also Stivi. She was already near the Top player's standard with a Recommended Timer of 8 Hours! It made me wonder just how high Trainer Basak's standards were. 

Immediately after the comment, he looked at the nearby jogging track. 

"Do 5 laps of the track within 20 minutes. Young Chief, you will do 15 laps."

Stivi and I gasped upon hearing the assignments. A lap around the track was exactly 1 Km. While Stivi and I still had 4 minutes per lap, Goku only had 80 seconds to complete the lap and this was supposed to be our warm up!

The disparity really makes one despair. 

In the next instant, the timer began, without giving us any chance for preparation. Stivi and I sprinted towards the jogging track and started our run.

20 minutes later, I was panting heavily and my Stamina Bar only had 20% Stamina left. Stivi was in a much better condition than me but still she too was breathing heavily. 

On the other hand, Goku was perfectly fine. Except for occasional deep breaths and his red face, there was no sign of exhaustion on his face. If anyone saw him, they wouldn't even think that this guy had run 15 km in 20 minutes.

Just as we arrived before Trainer Basak, a notification chimed.

[Agility +1] 

I saw Stivi check the notification as well and then saw her look at me with wide eyes. Yep, she had also received the Stat boost.

Now she was looking at Trainer Basak with much more enthusiasm than before. 

"Next, you will do Strength training for 30 minutes. Swordswoman, go to the dummy and swing your sword 100 Times. Archer, you will hold the stretched bow string for 10 minutes and shoot 10 Quivers of arrow in the next 20 minutes. Young Chief, you will demolish 200 Targets with your Mace."

This time even Goku paled at the assignment. If there was no time limit, we could easily complete the assignment. However, completing the overbearing tasks in 30 minutes was a difficult endeavor.

Sure enough, the Stat points were not so easy to earn. I exchanged a rueful smile with Stivi and made my way to the Archery Targets.

I picked up the Bow and Quivers and began my arduous Strength Training.