In the end, Zaos didn't make much progress even after two training sessions. He didn't manage to keep holding his wooden sword even a single time, and if Lyra hadn't healed his right hand, he would have a big purple bruise in it.
"I feel like I ate a lot of dust today," Zaos said. "Mom, do you know a way to increase my arm's strength at a decent speed?"
"Are you asking if there is a spell that can help you with that?" Lyra asked.
"No, I don't want to cheat," Zaos said. "That would be cheating, right?"
"Yes… in any case, there isn't much you can do right now," Lyra said. "It is already incredible enough that you can practice Swordsmanship every day. Muscle training might help you, but since you are too young, that will probably cause more problems than help you."
In the end, it looked like Zaos will have to follow the hard path. While that was a bit troublesome, it wasn't so bad since he finally had the chance to have some action in his life. While Earth Bullet wasn't a deadly spell, it certainly was powerful enough to make a grown-up man moan in pain if they are hit in a bad spot.
Regardless, Zaos finally made some progress after a week. Then, for the first time, his wooden sword got hit, and he didn't drop it. Maybe it was a coincidence, but he also heard that voice again.
Your Swordsmanship has reached level 03.
Health: 08/08
Mana: 28/48
Stamina: 21/38
Strength: 04
Magic: 24
Endurance:19
Resistance: 24
Focus: 01
Sorcery Lv 04, Swordsmanship Lv 03
Lesser Heal
"Oh, you finally did it," Merking said. "Took you long enough, though."
It looked like Merkin was trying to motivate Zaos a bit more, but that was completely unnecessary since he had been losing to an old man for the past week. He was already motivated enough, to the point where he wanted to make him cry by praying for all of his stone bullets during an entire training session.
"If you don't mind, I would like to increase the frequency of your attacks," Zaos said.
"Getting overconfident, aren't we?" Merking asked. "Unfortunately, that is not possible. I am already using all my mana to keep you occupied for an entire hour. While Earth Bullet consumes little mama, I am an old man, so I can only use it for so long. Besides, there is no point in attacking when you are waiting for the attacks."
It looked like one's health, mana, and stamina increase when they grow up, but also decrease while they grow old. In any case, Zaos learned something useful. Still, then another question appeared in his mind, from which moment one begins to lose health, mana, and stamina?
From that point onward, Zaos managed to parry several Earth Bullets. Still, then when he managed to stop five in a row, Merkin decided to increase another march.
"Are you getting bored of this young Zaos?" Merkin asked. "Do you want to test your skills on the next level of his training?"
"Merkin…" Lyra said in a cold tone.
"Don't worry, my lady, I assure you that this won't be dangerous in any way," Merkin said. "It might be painful, but not dangerous."
"Sure, why not?" Zaos said.
"Ah, that attitude…" Merkin said. "Your father also got carried away many times after succeeding a few times. But, regardless, do you want me to explain what I am going to do, or do you want to be surprised?"
"... Just tell me if I need to do something different," Zaos said.
"No, you can do the same as usual," Merkin said. "Let's start then."
Zaos began to run from one side to the other while keeping his stance, and then Merking gave the order to stop. As usual, the Earth Bullet came with a speed that Zaos barely could follow, but in the end, the impact had been heavier than before. Zaos dropped his sword, and his right hand began to throb.
"What was that…" Zaos thought while he was massaging his right hand. "The power spiked for some reason."
"Was that too much for you?" Merkin asked. "I can fire Earth Bullets like before if this is too much for you."
Zaos had a hard time keeping his cool, but in the end, he stayed silent. No matter what happens, he couldn't fall for such an obvious taunt. In any case, despite the fact that Zaos this time was ready for the second attack, he still failed at parrying it. Finally, however, he noticed that the dust that spread around had increased in size.
"You increased the size of the Earth Bullet," Zaos said.
"Ah, you noticed much faster than I predicted. Congratulations," Merkin said. "Still, knowing that won't help you in any way."
It was annoying to admit that, but Zaos could only agree. Still, since that training was helping him more than anything, he quickly recovered and assumed his stance. Maybe he won't be able to parry an attack that is twice as powerful, but he gladly welcomed the challenge.
"Let's stop for today," Lyra said.
"What? But things were just about to…" Merkin protested.
"Let's stop for today," Lyra repeated after she approached Merkin and looked very closely with her cold eyes.
"... Yes, my lady," Merkin said with a pale face.
As usual, Lyra approached and then began to clean the sweat from Zaos's face. Despite the fact that his bruised hands were obviously hurting him, Zaos still smiled while his mother was helping.
"You are having fun, Zaos?" Lyra asked.
"I guess?" Zaos replied while frowning.
"Surpassing one's limits every day is really something amazing, but while you can enjoy such moments, you shouldn't get carried away, all right?" Lyra said. "Before trying to become strong, you should ask yourself why you want to be strong and for what purpose you are going to use that strength. Think about this every day, while you train."