Chapter 147: *Could you try to save me some face*
Kevin then said to him, "I will show you exercises that you will have to do every day without exception. You will see; you will find it difficult at the beginning, but persevere and you will quickly see the difference."
Kevin thought quickly: if all mages could increase their Stats in the same way, and if he took into consideration what Alan and Ashton had told him about potions and meditation, he could assume that it was indeed the case.
Then he had to find the most effective way for Ashton to increase his Agility and Strength Stats quickly. He was already at level 25, so he could gain up to 3 points of Strength, Agility, and Stamina per day if he fought for 3 hours. However, Ashton would never be able to hold up this kind of training; it was way too intensive for him right now.
He said to him after having made his decision, "I will show you the exercises that you will have to do. You will have to do 1 hour of workout and 1 hour of stretching every day. You will also have to continue to run at least 5 km per day. For the moment, it isn’t worth doing more. You will also have to train to fight with someone every day for at least 1 hour, but not more than 2 hours. Let your body slowly get used to this new rhythm, okay?"
Ashton nodded, a bit disappointed. Kevin had clearly just told him that he wouldn’t be his partner to fight, but he immediately pulled himself together and asked him curiously, "Do you have someone in mind to fight with me?"
Kevin smiled but shooked his head before saying, "Not yet; today you are going to practice with Ian, and for the next time, I will ask Axel and Erik to find you a partner so that you will be able to participate in the duo fights tournament."
Ashton looked at him wide-eyed in surprise, and he repeated, still not believing his ears, "A partner to be able to participate in the duo fights tournament... Really... Really, really?"
Kevin laughed heartily and just nodded to confirm that he was serious, and Ashton then exclaimed, "Too awesome!"
Kevin motioned for him to follow him and said, "I’m going to start teaching you the exercises I want you to do. You can start doing them while waiting for Ian to join us. During this time, I will train with Alan, and you can take this opportunity to observe us. We will show you and Ian how to practice together, and if we have time, I will teach you how to wield a weapon. I will choose the one that suits you best based on what I have observed."
When he saw that Ashton wasn’t moving and that he was looking at him oddly, he then said to him, guessing what he was thinking, "Don’t ask too many questions yet. You have seen the people around me, haven’t you? They trust me, so take advantage of the fact that I’m ready to teach you how to fight. Is that okay?"
Ashton nodded quickly and said hastily, "Okay, okay, I won’t ask questions, I promise! I just want to get stronger and learn how to fight."
Ashton didn’t care who he was. The fact that Alan and Axel, who were the Sun Sect’s top two recruits, trusted him was enough for him. Not to mention that Liam, who was one of the most important members of the organization, also seemed to be on good terms with him. And, by the way, Kevin had just told him, ’Don’t ask too many questions yet.’ That probably meant he was waiting to find out whether he could trust him or not.
He hoped he could earn that trust because he sensed that something huge was coming, and he absolutely wanted to be part of what was about to happen.
Kevin smiled again at seeing his determined gaze and said, "Alright, let’s begin then!"
Ashton nodded, and this time he followed him without hesitation. Kevin found a good spot where Ashton could do his exercises while watching them fight.
He started showing him the workout exercises to strengthen his body, then he showed him some stretching exercises too. He told him to always start with the workout, then the stretches, and he reminded him that it shouldn’t interfere with his mage activities.
Ashton told him that he had understood, and Alan, who had been watching them for a while, finally came to greet them. He had waited for Kevin to give his final instructions to Ashton to avoid disturbing them because he didn’t want Ashton to lose his focus while Kevin was explaining his exercises to him.
Kevin, who was done with Ashton for now, motioned for Alan to follow him, and they walked to a table where there were all kinds of weapons. He took 2 wooden swords, which were the perfect ones for training.
Alan looked at him, startled, and asked: "What do you want to do with these wooden swords? Don’t tell me that you also know how to fight with a sword?"
Alan involuntarily shuddered when he saw a creepy smile appear on Kevin’s face as he walked over to an open space to fight, a spot from which Ashton wouldn’t miss a thing. He said, "Not as well as with a shortsword or a dagger, but I think it will be okay."
Alan laughed awkwardly; if Kevin said that, then he was in big trouble. He said to him, coughing to hide his embarrassment, "Could you try to save me some face? There are a lot of people here who know me."
Kevin looked at him straight in the eye and said to him, "Do you want to get stronger or not?"
Alan swore. Kevin had no intention of sparing him. He replied, though, "I’m ready; teach me as much as possible."
Kevin nodded, satisfied, and said, "Okay, let’s work on the moves you learned with Axel yesterday, and I will show you how to disarm an opponent quickly."
Alan simply nodded. Kevin had a look that told him he had better not take it lightly, and as if to confirm his feelings, he said to him, "I already have my daggers on me, and I will also equip my shortswords to increase my stats, so don’t underestimate me and fight as if you were fighting against Axel."
Alan didn’t say anything. He had seen Kevin fight a few times already, and after the pressure point lesson he had given them yesterday, he wouldn’t even think of underestimating him anyway.
Damn, he thought, his technical skills were far superior to anyone here; even his elite family of fighters was no match for him.
