Parallel Vol. 4 [LEGACY EDITION]

Chapter 56.2: Dragon Knight

Undisclosed Location

10:20 p.m. 19th Banem 1092.

*cough* *cough*

Hektor wheezed and coughed as he crumbled to the ground, bloodied right arm, desperately clutching onto a bone spear. The young warrior felt like he'd just been steamrolled by a herd of rhinos, unable to move a single muscle.

"Your basics are lacking, but with time we can fix that."

Hektor trembled and groaned as he looked up at the stone-faced sword spirit. The young man eye's shook with equal parts fear and anticipation. Throughout the fight, the sword spirit had kept its strength similar to his, but Hektor lost terribly nonetheless. However, despite his loss, the warrior could feel himself getting 'faster'. It wasn't so much speed, as it was his judgment. He was slowly getting better at judging incoming attacks and responding in the appropriate manner.

"Rest time's over," Razz the sword spirit announced, causing Hektor to wince. Razz waved its hand, and a vial flew out of the mountain of corpses. It tossed the bottle to Hektor, and then ordered, "Heal up."

Hektor wanted to cry, but no tears would come out. This Razz was a real slave driver! Even the instructors in the army known for their unreasonable strictness were no match for this embodiment of evil training! Groaning, Hektor took the vial that hand landed on his chest, and poured its contents into his mouth.

Hektor's face scrunched up as he swallowed the disgusting potion, but his expression soon softened to bliss as the healing potion worked its magic. The warrior's injuries quickly healed at a visible rate, and his lifeforce was replenished, becoming even more vibrant than before.

Hektor stared at the empty vial, and then at the mountain of corpses. Just where did these people come from? In Destia, potions these potent were very rare, and difficult to come across, but it seemed every corpse here had at least ten or more of these on them. They must have brought them expecting a tough battle. Unfortunately, they perished before even getting a chance to use them.

Not that Hektor was complaining. The corpses' loss was his gain. He now had a near endless supply of potions, which allowed him to continue his training with the sword spirit. Of course, him needing the potions, also meant that he continuously had to fall into near-death level of injuries.

Hektor bemoaned his bad luck, but still rose to his feet with a vibrant look in his eyes. Even if it hurt like hell, as long as he got stronger, he would go on till the end. The young warrior gripped his bone spear, gaze brimming with battle intent as he said, "I'm ready."

Razz looked at the young warrior with interest. It seemed this child's will was stronger than most. "Put down the spear. I am done testing the limits of your basics. We will continue training after this."

Hektor looked at Razz with a doubtful gaze, but complied with the order. He set the spear on the ground and then asked, "What are we doing?"

Razz asked as he stabbed its sword into the earth, "What is the difference between a Summoned and Resident's methods of gaining strength?"

Hektor's brow rose, not understanding the point of the question, but looking into Razz's cold, red eyes, Hektor did not dare question him for fear of joining the corpses. Luckily, as part of the Hopeful Maggots, he had come to understand a lot about how Summoned gained their strength. The young man sucked in his breath and then looked up at the sword spirit. "Summoned grow stronger by killing monsters and completing quests. They gain something they call Experience Points which helps them cross levels. With each level, their strength increases."

"There are a few details missing, but that is indeed the general idea," Razz commented, and then said, "What about Residents. How do we gain strength?"

"Through Breathing and Meditation techniques," Hektor answered. "Our strength increases through each level breakthrough. Sometimes we hit a bottleneck, and need to engage in battle to push through to the next level. Oh, and stronger breathing techniques increase our strength gain in each level breakthrough."