Reginald leads me to a grand outdoor training field with a plethora of instruments, all shapes and sizes, held up by polished stands. The air is fresh, the grass is cleanly cut and a lengthy track circles around the training field.

He then directs me to a changing room, where I sense I will finally get to change out of these stiff clothes. Reginald gestures to a rack of training suits, neatly folded on top of each other.

“These suits-” He tries to explain their functions, but I’m not eager to listen to another lecture, so I quickly step inside before he can begin. I know just how proud he is of everything here, and thus I know that his explanation would never end.

Inside, I peel off the stiff clothes he had made me wear at first and slip into this much more comfortable, and flexible attire. I feel much more comfortable in this, and I’m glad I don’t have to train in this navy blue shirt.

When I exit, Reginald is standing near the entrance of the training field, and signals that I am free to do as I please.

With a nod, I walk toward the center of the track, and I summon my aegis in front me. I can’t even remember the last time I went a full day without summoning my shield. My fingers brush against its surface almost, and I let myself feel its presence, solid and unwavering.

Then, my fingers curl into a fist.

BANG

The impact sends a tingle coursing up my arm, but I welcome the sensation.

‘Crescendo’

I coil back my other arm, send pureflow to my tricep and deltoid, and then amplify the wave with crescendo, increasing my power.

BANG

When my fist hits the shield, another loud bang resonates, and a small fissure appears on its surface.

‘Crescendo.’

I repeat the exact same series of actions, right arm this time, then my left, then my right, until my shield completely shatters.

BANG

When it finally breaks, I summon it with a thought, and do it all over again.

I thought of this method during the event. It might seem simple at first glance, crude even, but it is extremely efficient. At DaiKar, we are taught that flow is similar to stamina, and that our souls are like hearts. The more we push them to their limits, the more they grow. With this exercise, I exhaust my flow not only by enhancing my muscles, but also by breaking my shield. Like this, I can lead myself to flow exhaustion rapidly, exponentially increasing my growth.

BANG

Of course, that’s not all there is to it. While I exhaust myself, I also practice my control over crescendo. My goal is to slowly increase the number of muscles I can amplify, until I can target all two hundred and six muscles of my body at once. When that happens, I will have reached a ‘true crescendo’, much different from the crude and clumsy version I had been using before.

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BANG

The shield shatters once more. I summon it, wiping sweat from my brow. My arms are heavy, my knuckles bleeding, but I push on.

‘What does that make it, four, five? I’ve lost count.’

As I rain down blows on my shield, I attempt, but fail multiple times to target the muscles of my chest as well. It seems three is still too much for me.

BANG

The shield breaks.

‘Already? I only have enough for one more…’

I breathe, summon a new one, and strike.

BANG

My last shield breaks, and I fall to the ground exhausted. “How long did that take?” I ask Reginald, panting.

Flustered, he lifts his watch. “One hour, Lord!”

“How long until lunch?” I ask.

“Three hours, Lord. Shall I-”

I rise, jumping onto my feet. It takes around an hour for my flow reserves to fill up to half. While I cannot use it, I’ll perform standard physical training. I head to the track and sprint, for an entire hour.

Once I feel I have enough flow, I return to my initial training, shattering my shield until I am exhausted. Without even feeling the time passing, I make this routine last until lunch. I lose myself in the rhythm of the drill.

The only reason I stop, is in fact because of Reginald who approaches me with a towel and informs me that we should get going if we do not want to miss lunch time.

I’d like to keep going, but training on an empty stomach could end up being counter-productive instead. In any case, I’ll be coming back right after lunch.

With a sigh, I grab the towel from Reginald’s arm, and wipe my face with it. When I’m finished, he instructs me to follow after him, but before we can leave, another person enters the otherwise empty training area.

I squint my eyes to get a good look at him. What I see is a man with glasses and a strange mustache emerging from the entrance, a tray of food in hand.

I raise an eyebrow as I look at him, recognizing his figure. “Why are you here?” I ask.

The man takes a few more steps toward me, and adjusts his glasses with his free hand. “I’ve received instructions. You are not to eat until you earn your meal.”

I’m taken aback by his words. “...What?”

Tobias is unfazed by my surprise. Deliberately, he raises his free hand, the tip of his fingers pointed toward me. “It’s as I’ve said. I hold your meal in my palm. If you wish to eat, then come and take it from me.” A smirk tugs at the corner of his lips. “Ah, of course, I’ll only use one hand, and limit my power to match yours. You’re free to make use of all your resources, however.”

I narrow my eyes and click my tongue. “Aren’t you underestimating me? Even Maestro Lauren uses both hands…”

He adjusts his glasses. “If you think so, then all you need to do is take the food from me.”

I raise my fists, not feeling the need to grab an instrument. He’s certainly extremely powerful, but if he thinks I won’t be able to accomplish this task despite all of his handicaps, he’s seriously taking me for a joke.

“Here I come.” I say, as I send pureflow to the muscles of my legs.

----------------------------------------

I scoff, my eyes fixed to a moving cloud in the now golden sky.

‘I couldn’t even touch him…’

A shadow is cast over me. It’s Tobias, standing above my body, and preventing the light of the fading sun from entering my eyes. He wears an indifferent expression on his face, and the tray of food I was supposed to get from him is still resting atop his palm.

My entire body is in pain, and I groan as I sit up. Staring at him, I manage to push a few words through my gritted teeth. “We’re…not done yet!”

“No, we’ll stop here for today.” Tobias says, adjusting his glasses.

I frown, dissatisfied. “Who sai-”

Without even batting an eye, Tobias lifts his foot and kicks my chest, sending me tumbling away. I gasp for air as I roll on the grass, pained groans in between breaths.

The tray doesn’t even wobble.

As I clutch my chest, Tobias lowers his foot and turns away. “I’ll return everyday at lunch time.” He says, before exiting the training field.

The door closes behind him as he leaves, and it’s only me and Reginald once again. He rushes to my side, his face pale.

Still laying on the ground, I turn to him. “What time is it?” I ask.

“It is a quarter past eight, Lord…” He answers, his voice less lively than usual.

Groaning, I stand up, using the ground as support. “...I see...I’ll return to my room then.”

Reginald stands before me. “Y-you can still eat dinner! That does not end until ten!”

I wave my hand dismissively. “That’s alright. I need to earn my dinner too.”

I walk back to my room with a limp, Reginald helping me stand. When we arrive, he opens the door for me, and helps me settle into the bed.

“Are you certain you do not want me to bring you an item from tonight’s menu?” He asks, worried.

“Certain. I’ll just go to bed.” I say, sinking into the mattress.

‘I don’t need to eat as much as ordinary people in the first place, so I won’t eat until I defeat that Tobias guy.’

Reginald tries to argue some more, but I dismiss him, and he reluctantly leaves me by myself. Once I’m certain he has left, I sit up, and a faint glow emanates from my left hand.

‘Now time to figure out just what this thing can do.’