The clothes are a little tighter than expected. Ash was certain he grabbed a baggier fit. Janne must have swapped them out for a size smaller when he wasn't paying attention.
Dammit Janne, I got them baggy on purpose.
It was Ash's intent to hide his physique and keep a low profile. Now his bulging arms, and chest are there for everyone to see. The other kids, they look like normal kids. This is bad. People are bound to question why a random forest dweller like him is so ripped. Those kind alley-folk even went so far as to warn them about standing out too much. Agh, if only Janne could help herself. He can't blame her for it, Ash wants to show off his gains too. This body took years to build after all.
It's not like he went through all this effort to just to do a few poses and get some compliments. Regardless, compliments feel nice and sect master always encouraged finding simple joy in things like reaping the rewards of your own hard work. Janne is great and all, but she's his mom so her compliments don't hit the same. Ash wants to see what another woman would think about this body he's been cultivating for so long.
In his old life he had no time for such things, and even when he did, the Khal sect was just a horrible place for love to flourish. Nobody had any desire to dress nice since their clothes would often melt off by the end of the day. If by some miracle their clothing survives the day, their reward would be threads impossible to clean. The stench of trash would survive even the most rigorous laundry attempts. Even the highborns gave up wearing expensive clothes. The very poor opt to just work naked, often covering themselves with whatever they find laying around the landfills. It simply wasn't economical to spend so much money on new clothes and armor every day, especially when their body can handle the strain of sorting garbage.
The real culprit though was the stench; a rancid, trashy odor which completely mutilates any and all romantic moods. Even the most beautiful woman, working naked, is no more appealing than a sea sponge amidst all that filth and disease. If only Ash could have lived long enough to reach a management position, then he could actually buy nice clothes without worrying about their breaking. He could go to the city for purposes beyond trash collection, and actually talk and mingle with people.
Unfortunately Ash never did develop any social skills in his old life. It shouldn't be too difficult to build some in an academy like this, while smelling this good. Bet there are lots of beautiful teachers around to flirt with.
Oh right, I'm still a kid.
A long line of children and parents stretch from the academy gate, all the way down the street to where Ash and Janne look on in disbelief. This place seems like a pretty big deal.
The academy has two massive black iron doors for gates, imposing, yet deep within the gardens there is a serene energy. A stream flows through rows of majestic trees, as martial artists practice their punches and kicks beneath the ample shade.
The main building beyond the garden is not that tall, two or three floors at most, and it's made entirely of stone and wood. Ash pouts.
It took them two hours to get an eyeful of this disappointment? Why are there so many people lining up to get into a lame building like this?
Long blonde hairs smack Ash in the face. Lavender, not bad. Normally he'd be annoyed but the lady it's attached to is both beautiful and pleasant smelling. Her green eyes sparkle as they eye his impeccable form. Ash smiles, she's gonna compliment him, he can feel it! The woman nudges at her daughter. Who looks at him, and turns away. After a couple more nudges and whispers, the daughter turns to him, and back. They nudge and argue in whispers, before the daughter turns back to him again. Her face red as she covers it with her light blue mushroom cap. Very cute.
"You smell nice," she said. Finally a simple joy. Ash smiles, compliments are nice.
"Thanks." Ash said. People in this town really like the coconut scent, it's a sign that there is a market for it. Once he gets a few connections, and some resources, it wouldn't hurt to mass produce these bottles for some extra spending power.
"Maybe one day you can smell like me too," Ash said with a smile, to the confusion of everyone listening. The little girl scratches her head and awkwardly thanks him, before turning away, whispering with her mom again.
"Did you just tell her she can smell like you?," Janne whispers.
Shit, maybe that wasn't the best choice of words. The lady whispering in the girl's ear looks back at Ash, with a deeply wrinkled frown, lasting only for a moment before fading into an innocent smile.
She's pissed, Janne and Ash both think as the beautiful woman walks to the lady in charge of the line.
The students around mostly practice alone, or spar with friends. Others just hang around with their buds. Swords clang against swords, and fists pat against cushions and flesh. They make for an interesting beat over the gentle gurgle of the stream and the rustling of leaves. The smell of sweat and exertion thick in the air. Ash smiles. This environment is teeming with opportunity.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Now if only this lady and her daughter would stop taking so much time at the line. Her mother keeps looking back too, so hot. Just hurry up and finish your conversation with that line monitor already. Everyone else either left after a couple minutes or went straight in. This lady has easily taken five times longer, for what? Why does she keep looking back?
Janne smiles, but her eyes are angry too, and her tapping foot is shaking the ground. Ash is about to start tapping his foot too. Mother-son cross their arms.
Just what the hell is taking so long?
The lady running the line goes up and down her list, even showing it, to the disappointment of the woman ahead of them.
Screw it, it's not as effective as weight training, but in a time like this doing something is better than doing nothing. This time, shoulders. Ash hops on his fists, a perfect handstand, and pushes up and down, scratching and greying his knuckles in the process, though a faint silver light keeps them from bleeding.
"At minimum there'd be a reference, like with your daughter, I've gone up and down this list, they got no connections... they just showed up." The lady running the line said before going back to her list to check again. Most of the time taken up was her repeatedly checking that list. Sect master always said assume the best. A mistake like misidentifying a noble could quite literally come at the cost of her life. It wouldn't hurt to double, triple, quadruple... decuple check. Another decuple on top of that won't hurt. Everyone makes mistakes, even at the things they're best at. The running the line lady refuses to ever make such a mistake under any circumstance. Such is her commitment to running that line.
"I see, thank you dear," The beautiful woman said.
Quiet.
Huh, is it finally time to move up? Ash thought, walking with his fists in between reps.
"How dare this filthy commoner speak to my daughter this way," an old crone cries out. Her voice shrill and displeasing, like a dying bird that wants the whole forest to hear her final call, except that bird is not dying at all. A false alarm taken too far. There is a displeasing arrogance behind it, an entitlement. Hopefully the underdog of this situation escapes that lady's wrath. Ash continues repping out hand stand pushups.
Of all times for a disturbance. This is just what he and Janne need, another time waster. Two hours they have been in this line. Mostly because random people would keep cutting to the front. Nobles, of course. One poor dude tried to stop a noble from cutting, and a massive muscular black suited man with sunglasses straight up knocked the poor dude out.
At times like these, Ash wishes he was a noble too. Punching a random guy out is just mean and excessive, but the line skipping, what a time saving luxury! Ash could have done four kiddy work outs in the two hours he has spent here. A chest pump, back pump, arm pump, and shoulder pump. Then when the registration is over he can finish with core and legs, finishing with a 3km run. A clean three hour workout, the strain is kept light. The objective is breaking muscles in rather than tearing them apart.
"Deceiver! You hide your nature with that scent, you're just some country bumpkin." The crone yells.
Ash truly strength trains two times a week, strength training too much too young can clog meridians. Another test of patience. Though his limits are currently set in stone, the body can still be trained in different ways. Ash raises his fist, hopping on the other. Knuckle and skin conditioning, one of the most basic prerequisites for the toxi-grip. It's good for his body to learn young that it needs thick skin and tough bones. The constant strain will teach his body that it needs thick skin and tough bones, but such needs can't be met so simply. Without the right tools, the body can't build what it needs. This is why the Khal Sect developed the secret seventeen recipes and poisons. Afterall, better ingredients, better body.
"pe...per...hng...," a voice in pain, "pervert! filthy pervert... trash. I'll never want to smell like you, you trashy country bumpkin," she cries.
Khal sect secret seventeen recipes and poisons, recipe three, bone apple tea. Bone meal with strictly calculated metal and calcium ratios is infused into an apple, and released into tea, which is drunk alongside the bone apple. The secret balance of alkalines and metals are a treasure many have tried to get their hands on for centuries. Countless have died attempting to recreate this secret recipe. Their mistake, not understanding the deadly nature of the ingredients used. Ash can't wait to drink more. Right now he's getting used to the ingredients, but once his body awakens... hehe. By his calculations, he'll have metal bones by eighteen. It's going to be awesome.
"He wants her to what?" he and the people around the academy think. He continues his handstand push ups as students gather around the girl.
It's a shame the optimum time for a bone apple tea has already passed. How much more of his cultivation time does this stupid process need to eat up!
Silver flickers flow from his fists as they slam gravel once again.
"Is he using qi?" a kid in the back mumbles.
"What a sick perverted child, he must be punished" a teacher said, covering her mouth. Uh-oh, the teacher is encouraging violence. This is starting to feel like a lynch. Ash hops back on his legs. He feels bad for whichever kid is stuck in this mess.
"Show him who's boss, Lou Sar!"
"We don't tolerate freaks, you trashy country bumpkin," Lou Sar said, digging a fist into Ash's gut. His black eyes peering deep into Ash's widening grey eyes.
Oh.
Lou Sar digs his fist in deeper, only it was Ash's guts which were digging into Lou Sar's fist.
Oh.
Lou Sar reels back, grabbing his red pulsing hand with rage in his eyes.
No way this is all happening over a thoughtless comment... no wonder I got killed in my old world.
"Watch out Brother Bou, he's tough!"
Brother Bou closes in with a kick to Ash's ribs. Bou reels back, grabbing his sprained ankle.
At least they're not aiming for my face.
"Janne, aren't you going to,"
Janne is gone. Her outline is flashing where it should be, beside him, he can practically see her there with a thumbs up and a smile.
"I'm hungry, bye!"
Ash wipes the tears. Enough with the what if scenarios. Deep breath. Between the thunderhoof hide under his clothes, and the resilient body under that, his defense could put a grown man in steel armor to shame. A plain punch or kick from a mere child is no different than a breeze.
"What's your name" Janne said, putting her warm arm around the teacher's cold, brittle shoulder. The other students freeze as parent-teacher go for a quiet stroll.