ID Chapter 29: Training

The next day.

Trrring! The doorbell broke Ethan’s slumber. He rubbed his eyes and crawled for the phone. Through half-closed eyes, he peered at the time.

Sunday, 6:05 AM.

“Who the fuck is it… I am still here?”

His droopy eyes snapped open, all his sleep went flying through the window.

Another holiday!

His happiness went unnoticed, as Celia and Mio still slept like logs. Their blankets hung from the edge of the bed. He draped a blanket over Celia showing a dangerous amount of skin.

Trrring!

“Stop spamming, bastard!”

He bolted for the door. A peek through the peephole forced his eyes wide. Regina hummed and twirled, her silver hair dancing with her. The bright smile on her face wasn’t something he expected from her.

Her clone?

He turned the knob and pushed the door.

“Ethan, how are you?”

“I… am good.”

Regina picked a long pole wrapped in black clothes.

“That’s—?”

“Yep. My friend had this lying in her shop, so she sent me this. Forging might have taken a lot more time.”

Her eager voice made him smile. Coming to him at six in the morning to show this, she was either a spear enthusiast or a passionate martial artist. Both were fine since her energy will be poured into training him.

“Aren’t you cold in that?”

Her pristine sleeveless dress and the straw hat was a summer outfit.

“No…” she smiled and shuddered visibly as if she just remembered the cold howling wind.

Ethan yanked her inside and locked the door. The heaters set up in the hallway kept the air warm, thanks to the heiress. The woman fitted one in every corner of the house.

Regina pulled her hand and crawled back, pressing her back against the wall. “W-What do you want?”

She misunderstood his intent for something perverted. He raised his hand. “I didn’t mean anything ill.”

Regina tugged at her hat. “Let’s go to the room.”

“You go ahead. I will drink some water.”

She scuttled to the stairs. Ethan yawned and headed to the kitchen. He gulped a milk bottle. Yet, his stomach still grumbled as if the half-liter vanished somewhere.

He poured more milk down his throat. Two more bottles calmed the roaring belly.

My hunger increased after leveling up.

Would he swallow a planet at level 300?

He chuckled and strode to his mother’s room. Regina’s blank expression caught his eye. Absolute calmness reflected in her eyes. Holding the black spear changed the air around her as if she was entirely a different person.

“You are here.”

“Yeah.”

“Shall we start now?”

“Yeah.”

Regina extended the spear. He clutched the cold, metallic shaft but Regina held on with gleaming eyes. It was the most serious face she showed to him.

“Before we start, let me warn you. It’s going to be tough and brutal. You can’t half-ass this if you want to learn. There are many schools out there if you want to play around.”

Mustering up his determination, he gave a firm nod. “I don’t play around with things like these.”

“Good.”

Regina spun the spear and thrust the spear between his legs. His eyes barely discerned her movement. If she wanted to do something to him, he would be a corpse by now. The warm room became chilly all of a sudden.

“My mother used to do this all the time. I pissed my pants and cried on my first day. But that witch continued to beat each lesson in my bones,” she reminisced, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She shook her head and stepped back. “Pay attention this time.”

Ethan concentrated on her move. Gripping the middle of the shaft, she took a light step forward and pushed the spear.

“I lost some of my edge…” she whispered and tossed the spear at him.

“Your turn. Swing it however you like. Get a feeling of its weight. This is the first step in wielding the spear as if it’s a part of your body.”

Regina took a deep breath and perched on the bed.

Ethan sized up the spear. About two heads above him, even though he was an inch away from six feet. Thin golden marks spiraled along the shaft and the silver spearhead made it look no worse than any antique.

It’s expensive.

He squeezed the shaft and relaxed his core. A step forward, and he thrust the spear diagonally. Despite his best effort, his movement had an awkwardness that was nowhere to be found in Regina’s thrust.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Regina clapped with a soft smile. “Not bad honestly.”

He scratched the back of his neck, not expecting praise.

“Now repeat this five hundred times.”

“Huh?”

Did I hear it wrong?

“Five hundred stabs without rest. Start now.”

Regina’s grin left him speechless. He sighed and assumed his stance. Another stab.

“One.”

His strict mentor Regina counted each thrust loudly.

Fifty stabs later, sweat gathered on his forehead.

A hundred stabs numbed his hands a bit. Two hundred made his limbs ache. Three hundred stabs left him gasping. Every thrust after four hundred made him stagger.

Four fifty stabs in and drops of sweat ran down his brows, blurring his vision. He held onto the spear somewhere between five and six pounds, nothing like the axe he swung.

Yet.

A fire swirled in his heart, swallowing any thought of letting the spear down. He gritted his teeth and drove the spear through the air.

“Hah.”

“Four fifty-one. You can do it!”

The silver-haired mentor was having fun in his misery.

Each thrust brought him closer to losing consciousness.

How the fuck can I still go on?

“Onii-sama, don’t give up!”

“My Ethan won’t give up.”

He peered at the women cheering him on. Weren’t they the reason he still had the power to move? The only reason he looked forward to tomorrow and smiled. His only motivation to live after his mother went up and vanished on him.

Better to suffer now than cry later on my deathbed in Avalon.

Your desires increase.

Affection (II) is upgraded to Affection (III).

About time.

His lips slowly curved up. He clutched the spear and did another stab. A warm feeling fueled his body.

The power of love huh.

He chuckled out loud.

“Mio, is Ethan awakening to masochism?”

“Shut the fuck up!”

Ignoring the bickering girls, he pushed himself and finished the training.

“Five hundred sharp.” Regina walked up to him and patted his back. “You passed my test. I really look forward to teaching you… you two, help him. I’m gonna go or Tina will rush here.”

Ethan let go of the spear and collapsed on the ground with a smile.  The sweat glued his clothes to his skin.

Five hundred, five fucking hundred was just a passing test.

Real training will just mess him up. He closed his eyes and recalled the feeling when he stood before Phoenix. The helplessness he felt, the regrets he had.

I don't ever wanna feel like that.

Two soft hands slipped under his head and lifted him. He felt soft, bare skin below him.

Is this…

Mio gazed down at him with a smile.

“Onii-sama, please rest.”

It was his turn to get his stroked by Mio. Her touch healed him to an extent.

“Don’t ignore me!”

The moment could never be complete without Celia. Ethan rolled to his side and fell asleep on Mio’s lap.