Before long he got into the rhythm of things, and it became second nature. The training reminded Hector of his academy days. Tons of running and conditioning, to the point that some even quit before graduating. Memories of throwing up after a tough training routine surfaced. Those were some hard days but looking back, he had actually enjoyed it. Maybe that is why having Rowan train him had not felt like an obstacle but more like a fun challenge he was destined to overcome.

  Rowan was not a slouch when it came to being a trainer. The laid-back drunkard really knew how to work someone to the bone. His mornings typically started out with some conditioning, running, punching surprisingly normal stuff, just at a different level compared to training he had done on Earth.

  Rowan showed Hector how to properly meditate, allowing him to center himself better, increasing his regeneration skills. That would prove useful in the future to speed up recovery if he ever needed it. It also helped with his mana control, once he reached a deep enough state Rowan would have him activate one of his skills and circulate the energy throughout his body. He lorded his intent over the energy as Rowan belted out commands.

  “Overheal!”

  “Heal!”

  “Stop the flow!”

  Each command was an attempt to assist in controlling how he inserted his intent into the mana. A simple method, one would think someone at the peak of anything would have complicated training regimes to reach the top, but Rowan did not have that, or at least he hadn’t shown it yet. While his methods were simple, he couldn’t deny the effectiveness. His control strengthened, and the constant skill use caused multiple skills to level up during the process.

  [Emergency Heal is not Level 50]

  [Pain Suppression is now level 37]

  [Hand of Triage is now Level 53

  [Vital Conduction is now Level 25]

  [Life Mantle is now Level 17]

  [Adaptive Conditioning is now Level 57]

  [Adaptive Conditioning has Activated: Stat Increase Achieved]

  [+5 to Vitality]

  [+3 to Strength]

  [+1 to Endurance]

  “Stop!” Rowan shouted

  “We aren’t done yet but let's take a little drink break I am getting thirsty.”

  Training had been chaotic, but one thing always remained the same; drink breaks. Rowan couldn’t help himself, but who could blame, he made some damn good drinks.

  “Whatever this is, I need a lifetime supply of the stuff, I can’t get enough of it.”

  Rowan smiled, “That there is one of my favorites, I have dubbed it “Galactic Impact”, a proper name for a beverage that leaves quite the impact on one's taste buds.”

  “What's in it?”

  “That is something you don’t need to worry about, I make drinks we drink them, no further explanation needed. Guy needs to keep his trade secrets close to heart ya know.”

  For a split second he became very concerned about what he was drinking, but the feeling faded quickly as he took the next sip.

  “So, what is the plan for the rest of the day, I know you said earlier that it was about time I get back to the tutorial.”

  “Yes, tutorials are once in a lifetime event and you can earn unique rewards, training is important yes but can’t have my best bud missing out on some sweet, sweet loot.”

  Hector smiled, “All good things must come to an end, eh?”

  “Indeed.”

  “Two days, in two more days you will be heading back to the tutorial and hopefully kicking those Order bastard's asses.”

  “Oh, definitely the plan, I can’t stand those guys.” Hector scowled.

  “No way in hell am I going to let them off the hook after that cowardly ambush and super boring speech, they really should pick one or the other.”

  “Ha indeed, alright breaks over, time for some live combat drills to get you warmed up for the tutorial.”

  “Oh? Who do plan to have me fight? It is just me and you here, I mean I am good but not sure I would say I am Paragon level yet, give me few days though.”

  A cheeky grin spread across Rowans face. “Try a millennia, then you might be a good warm up partner.”

  Rowan pointed his staff in the air and waved it in what seemed like a choreographed motion. The staff's tip lit up as motes erupted out and sunk into the ground. Moments later cracks appeared on the earth as 5 metallic creatures crawled out.

  If you could imagine a tree growing limbs and then for no reason it just turned into a robot, that was what he was looking at. There was a metallic glare coming off the creatures as they slowly grew out of the ground. It was like watching a plant growth video at hyper speed. The creatures were at least a foot taller than him. Looking at them, he frowned.

  “You know Overheal doesn’t work on my foe unless they have flesh and blood, says so in the skills I showed you.”

  “Oh, I know, mighty nasty weak point you got there to. Constructs are commonplace among the multiverse; you are going to need to find a way to counter that weakness, but we are getting off topic. Believe it or not these beauties you see before me have flesh and blood so you should have no problem fighting.”

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Hector raised an eyebrow in question. “Ya, that doesn’t make any sense, would love to hear how that is supposed to work.”

  “Ah, but we only have 2 days, and that explanation will take at least 3, so we will have to save that for next time.” Rowan said with a cheeky grin.

  “Alright going to set some rules for this fight, you are only allowed to use what skills I tell you to in each fight. May be 1 or even 2, but you need to learn at least a base mastery of skills in live combat. The drills up till now have been safe, adding a little danger always increases levels faster, or you die.”

  “Sounds good so what did you have in mind for the first round?”

  “Emergency Heal, your bread and butter. Sanctified Frame is allowed as well, and that will be true for all the fights. Remember though it is an E ranked skill, the body skill may not have much strain on you due to its nature, but don’t underestimate it.”

  ‘Got it.” He said with a curt nod.

  Hector stepped up to the group of trees and readied himself.

  “Are we doing a countdown or should I...”

  WHACK

  A branch twice the size of Hectors leg slammed into his face, knocking him back.

  “Go!” Rowan chuckled.

  He grimaced from the pain but recovered quickly, the tree man rushing for a follow up attack. Hector activated Emergency Heal, the energy flow through his body without much resistance now. Sanctified Frame had been a blessing; he was now able to circulate and control the healing energy better when using it. His intent played a large role in this; intent drove the healing energy to respond in different ways. Killing strike, injuries, precision focus on weak points and the ability to just heal and not hurt had all become easier. He was by far no master of this yet, but the skill had helped immensely.

  He loaded his fists with Emergency Heal and launched forward meeting the tree head on. The creation blocked the first punch and swung down with a branch towards his head. Using one arm, he blocked the strike, creating an opening that left it wide open for a counterattack.

  His fist slammed into the center of the tree with great force. He saw Emergency Heal enter the wood and explode out the back, leaving a fist sized hole, but it did not slow. Blow after blow was exchanged; Rowan’s creation was no slouch. It lacked speed, but it made up for it with endurance. It tanked just about everything he threw at it.

  With another powerful swipe it knocked him back several feet. With the swing of a second branch, metallic leaves shot forward, piercing him in multiple spots. It was superficial damage, but it hurt like hell. Emergency Heal regenerated all his wounds, and so far, no Overheal. He jumped into the fray again with a flurry of punches. For every 5 punches it seemed like one went through, each one creating holes within the tree. The bastard was tough, but it was slowing down. Its attacks were not varied, so he quickly began to recognize its fighting patterns.

  Finally, one punch rang true, Overheal cracked through the bark before it split in half, falling to the ground. A forgotten feeling of power rushed through him as his eyes grew wide.

  [Hector is now Level 39]

  “These things give experience?’ Hector said excited

  “Well, ya they may be something I created but that doesn’t mean they can’t help you grow.”

  “Maybe you should just create tons of them so I can power level myself!”

  Rowan laughed, “Tempting...but no, what you need is control, your skills are chaotic, powering up to fast would get someone as reckless as you killed.”

  “Fair point.”

  “Now, onto the next don’t dally.”

  This continued for the rest of the day. Rowan had him practice using his skill one at a time, adding different variations. When the trees ran out, Rowan simply grew more. He saw noticeable improvement in all his skills which brought a smile to his face. Halfway through the exercise Rowan started to have him use Vital Focus throughout the fight. That had really been one of his underutilized skills. Being able to see weak points in the enemy was underrated to the point it felt like it was illegal. Rowan’s creations fell quickly after he began to grasp its use. It provided a good layout of weak points, but as the fights progressed and healing strikes flooded the systems, the skill seemed to map out the weak points in more detail allowing better precision in his strikes. Focusing Overheal on those weak points did insane amounts of damage. Once he figured it out, his battles went quicker.

  The final portion of the day Rowan had him training with his E rank skills. Rowan was not kidding when he said these would strain him. Sanctified Frame did not cause any issues yet, that one felt like it was catered to him, like the system had provided it out of necessity, Heal Blast was another matter though. At first it wasn’t an issue. Launching Heal Blast Projectiles and seeing them tear through the bark of the construct was fun. High agility allowed him to outmaneuver the slow foes and projectiles tore it apart from a distance. When he tried charging the skill though, that's when stuff started to go awry.

  Charging the skill allowed him to send powerful blast of energy at his opponents, the Overheal in them was aggressive and damaged the trees fast. He discovered he could hold the move, producing a beam of light affect, less damage, but still effective. It provided him with a much needed ranged option, something he was sorely lacking before. The only problem was his body did not seem to like it. Pain shot through him, traveling from his hand where the spell launched and moving toward his center. He gritted his teeth, overuse wasn’t welcome, but the sensation occurred every time he used the charged-up variation. The power was greater than all his other skills, but he would have to be careful, or he may end up losing a fight due to backlash.

  Rowan had been observing the entire time, not talking, just creating more trees, and sometimes shouting out what skills he was limited to.

  Finally, he spoke, “Stop! That should do it; I think you have a much better idea of how your skills work. You will need to be careful with Heal Blast though; you don’t need to be a Paragon to see that one was causing you some pain.”

  Scratching the back of his head, he replied. “Ya, I was really excited for a ranged skill, but I will need to be careful with it, at least before reaching E rank, the pain is no joke.”

  “That’s because it is core damage, nasty stuff if not monitored.”

  “Core Damage?”

  “Yes, and as I have told you your core relates to your soul, so it is not hard to imagine why you would want to avoid damaging it.”

  “Noted.”

  Core damage sounded like something he would prefer to avoid. The training though did yield merits, none of his E rank skills leveled up, but almost all his F rank ones had that he had used during training.

  [Hector is now Level 40]

  [Vital Focus is now level 37]

  [Hands of Triage is now Level 59]

  [Vital Conduction is now level 30]

  [Combat Assessment is now level 40]

  [Emergency heal is now level 52]

  “Phenomenal, I think one of these days you need to find a martial art teacher or get a weapon but right now what you are doing is effective for your rank. Keep up the good work Hector and you will go far.”

  Rowans dimension or realm, whatever it was considered, was very similar to the outside world. It even came equipped with a day and night cycle, although there were no sun or stars. Currently, it was dusk across the realm. He saw Rowan pull out an extra mug motioning for him to come over.

  “Alright, tomorrow you head back but there are several things I would like to discuss with you before leaving. Naturally, this requires some celebratory brews.”

  Hector took a sip, smiling, as they walked back to the cabin, laughing and joking as they went.

  Entering the cabin, they both sat down at the table where they had spent many hours together drinking, playing games and just overall enjoying each other's company. They both sat down as their mugs sloshed and got comfortable.

  “So, two things I want to go over with you before you make your exit.”

  “Okay?”

  “First, once you leave all communication between us will be severed, I don’t think that is what you need or want, so I have some ideas around that I would like to discuss with you. Second, let’s talk about the best strategy for you to not only conquer those order maniacs, but to get the highest value you can from the remaining time in the tutorial.”

  Hector smiled, “I am all ears.”