It's a new week!
As always Giliath demands your power stones!
*
S1189. March 2nd.
9:30AM.
"Hah...hah...", I panted. The same violet-haired boy crisscrossed through the river of trees in the same path as yesterday. The forest's layout didn't change. I had already memorized most of it within a few miles around me. I didn't run in a straight line. I did some laps back and forth to account for all ten kilometers. I don't even need Vermillion Eyes active during this to know where I was going. This is a Skill I don't want to rely on. I see it more as a Perk.
If I wanted an initial scope of a piece of land, I'd turn it on and commit it to memory. I have most areas and dungeons memorized in Trails, at least up until Trails Into Reverie. Beyond that, it's a shame I haven't experienced Daybreak before myself. I wonder if the Gamer System will reward me in some way in regard to that. Only time will tell. Unless I encounter something new, or if Vermillion Eyes gives me new abilities, I likely won't be using it much.
For now, I continued my running. I was approaching the end of today's Daily Quest.
[Ding! You have ran 9.1 kilometers...You have ran 9.2 kilometers...You have ran 9.3 kilometers...]
"Hah...", I continued, letting my legs swiftly carry my small body through and through the trees.
On average it takes around ten minutes for me to complete one kilometer. That wasn't the fastest time, but it was still a pretty good pace. Equating it to miles, it'd be around fifteen minutes per mile. This Daily Quest only gave me a limit of completing it within a given day, for three-hundred and sixty-five days total. In total, I spent around one hundred minutes running during my mornings this last month.
I would wake up bright and early at 7AM. From there, some time would be spent waking up and stretching. You definitely cannot skip out on doing stretches if you want to initiate a workout like this. Otherwise, your body will literally scream at you telling you to stop, and cause muscle spasms. And since I'm still a kid with a developing body, that would be Gehenna on me.
See what I did there?
To add some comedic value, the devs of Trails would often add in "Mira", or "Gehenna" during jokes, which replaced the words "Money" or "Hell". An example of this would be "Run for your mira". You know, stuff like that.
All jokes aside, I didn't have much mass to body right now. It's not like that didn't come with its downside. During every run, I would find myself winded by the time I finished the Daily Quest. My lungs are a far cry from being fully grown.
That didn't stop me from doing the Daily Quests, though. With one last burst of energy, I let my feet carry myself even faster. Most of it was just tree after tree after tree. I heard various animals chattering about. The grass was a vibrant green color, and spring was on its way. It does snow here in Trista, but not in very big amounts. The snow already stopped once I began my running in February. It was warm enough to where it wasn't biting cold anymore. The sun's rays felt nice as I did this running.
Once I heard that music sound off inside my mind, I came to a screeching halt. My vision is now still.
[Ding! Gamer Naoto has successfully run 10/10 kilometers. Daily Quest has been completed. You have been awarded 1 Stat Point.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Status Window has been updated.]
"Finally.", I uttered again. Music to my ears. Thirty days ago, it triggered this Daily Quest. Since then, one full month has passed. Well, One month and two days, if you want to be specific. Apart from the calendar's name changing to the Septian Calendar and how many years have passed, everything else mirrored my previous life, to my surprise. The days of the week are the same. There's twenty-four hours in a given day, so on and so on. So that meant February had 28 days. It is March 2nd now.
So I'm already into the second month of my Daily Quest training! Not even eleven months remained to see what Version 2 holds for me. This training may or may not look familiar. It's the same training shown in One-Punch Man.
It seems it was catered toward me, and didn't dive into its full contents right off the bat, and only assigned me the running. I am very curious to see what Version 2 holds!
That also begs a question. What would happen if I decided to skip a day of running? The time limit is 365 days, and if I happen to skip out on a single day, would Version 2 still trigger if I do the rest of it? I would hate to find out. I for one, am no quitter. I will see this through. Today marks 32 days, so that meant only 333 days left. I've already gotten used to running these ten kilometers in the first month alone. And besides, running and leg muscle strength were key points to doing future legwork drills. I'm sure Father already has those set aside for me once I'm ready.
At least, today's Daily Quest was now done. I let my body collapse onto the soft grass beneath me, letting the cool morning breeze waft around my face. Taking in deep breaths, the air felt crisp and nice. Not like the air you'd find in a densely-packed city in my previous life where pollution was bad. I also felt the gentle rays of the sun land on my face, causing me to smile. Just spending a couple minutes alone like this, I was beginning to feel refreshed.
"Still, that stupid Father of mine...", I uttered to myself. I couldn't help but retort at Giliath, but could I really blame the man? I initially resented him for beginning my training at the ripe age of three, but looking back, that's probably the ideal start. By the time you turn five or six in martial arts families, they'd have such a huge gap when put into the lens of geniuses. And I'm not just talking about those eastern fantasy stories that were popular in my previous life. Just in general alone. Giliath showing interest in starting my foundational training this early on means that he truly cares about me.
It's a weird feeling, you know? Giliath decides to become the main villain in the cold steel saga. He could have passed the role onto someone else, but with what is set to be thrown his way in these coming few years, he opted not to. I currently have no plans to derail this moment, when he offers himself to the Great One. That is too much a plot point to ignore or change.
Sadly, my enjoyment came to a quick close. I could only enjoy this relaxation for a few minutes at most. I heard a strong voice trail off not too far away.
But it was something I wasn't expecting. The closer Giliath approached me, I saw him flying from tree to tree. Not running. Literally flying. Just like how you would see a certain ninja wearing an orange-jumpsuit. And once he began getting closer and closer, it almost sounded like Giliath was...singing? And in an all-more familiar tone too...
Why in the actual fuck is Giliath singing a military wake-up bugle out of nowhere!?
I never would have expected to see Giliath of all people do this. But then again, he is a soldier, and an extremely high-ranked one at that. I could actually picture Giliath as a drill sergeant in my previous life...
That thought was suddenly interrupted as Giliath swooped downward, and his singing grew even louder.
"Ta-da ta-da ta-da ta-da Ta-da ta-da taaaa, Ta-da ta-da ta-da ta-da Ta-da ta-da taa~", Giliath sung, landing right in front of me. Even jumping through trees seemed an easy task for this man. Seriously, just how capable are Giliath's foundations? He must be rocking some serious muscle underneath that uniform of his.
"Rise and shine, soldier!", Giliath exclaimed, looking right at me. A strong breeze accompanied his arrival. Giliath apparently joined up with me, and on top of running, he included tree jumping in his exercise. And even with that, I barely saw him crack a sweat. He still had his stern look in his eyes. Here I was seated on my ass, while Giliath acted like this was just a stroll to him. "That wasn't back talking I heard just now, was it?", Giliath continued to say, letting his gigantic shadow cover me.
A cold chill ran down my spine the moment his gaze landed on me. As if they acted on their own, my feet did a swinging motion. I planted myself back on my feet, and stood upright, and decided to play along.
"No sir!", I replied. Giliath isn't actually going to make me into a soldier...will he?
I don't doubt his ability to do such a thing. I personally don't have interest in joining the army, so I'm not sure what expectations Giliath has of me. That won't stop me from doing this training. I want to strengthen myself for the path I may eventually tread on.
"Good. Good. The running today was satisfactory. You still get tired after completing the set, which is completely natural. You would take all morning to run one set, but now, you only need half the morning to do so. This progress is quite good, I must say.", Giliath said, giving me rare praise. "How do you feel? Overall I mean.", Giliath decided to ask.
"Pretty good, if I'm speaking honestly. I'm feeling more energetic by the day. I'm guessing this is due to me building my stamina.", I answered. I wasn't lying. I know I'm presently tired, but overall, I'm feeling pretty good. Running sure does wonders, doesn't it? And this is just the beginning!
"Excellent. Today's lesson hasn't ended yet.", Giliath responded, making me pause. "Do you remember what I told you when we started this training a month ago?"
"I do. 'Good soldiers follow orders.' Right?", I replied, causing Giliath to smile.
"Hahaha!", Giliath replied, letting out a big laugh. "Quite so. You've remembered. Good.", Giliath said, smiling back at me. "Follow through with my training, and you'll handle yourself well in the future.", Giliath continued to say.
"I understand, Father.", I replied, nodding my head. "I don't think I'll become a soldier like you are, but you're doing this so I can stand on my own two feet with what is to come, right?"
"You are right, my boy. Your path ahead will no doubt be stormy. I'd argue even more stormy than mine. That's why I'm laying your foundations now, just like how a soldier would in the Imperial Army. So while you're under my guidance, you will follow my orders. Understood?", Giliath questioned. His gaze turned serious again.
I knew Father is looking out for me, even if he is doing such a roundabout way in doing so. I'm definitely expecting an explosive rise in my stats during these couple of years, if I continue under his guidance. I had no reason to refuse. Low key, Giliath is by far one of the best teachers you could ask for. Before all Gehenna broke loose, anyways.
Heh, see what I did there again?
All jokes aside, I stared back at Father, and responded to him.
"Yes."
"Good.", Giliath replied. "And by the way, if a soldier talks back to their superior in the Imperial Army, they will get severely reprimanded. I want you to keep that in mind.", Giliath said, warning me. I nodded my head a second time.
"Anyways, I mentioned that your training is not done yet today. I figured it is time to show you an Art or two. I'm also looking for a teacher that specializes in the Rapier. Before long, we will begin your Rapier training. It is unfortunate to say, but I'm not an expert.", Giliath continued. My eyes lit up seeing this.