————

[Aldred]

Health Points: 70/70

Level: 30

Titles: Tough Boy

Power:

-Fire Manipulation (Click to show the list of skills)

Attributes:

-Strength: 11

-Vitality: 14

-Intelligence: 46

-Dexterity: 6

Stat points: 12

Skill points: 12

—————_-.

After training for a few days, his vitality, dexterity, and strength increased by two points. It wasn’t that much, but he’d take it.

Aldred put away his status panel and looked at the blue sky. His comrades were currently training as usual along with Bartrem and Mary. Joseph and Jeffery focused on their technique. They had found out that technique was much more important than strength. In some way, that was actually true, because a technique was essentially a way to use the strength of the body. If they couldn’t properly use their strength, then they’d be defeated in every battle.

The other soldiers knew this and they did what they never expected they would do; asking Aldred for advice. Aldred was just a boy with magic power, so he wasn’t the warrior type, yet Joseph and Jeffery improved so much. When they were asked how they improved, they said it was because of Aldred.

Pongo also asked him. “Pongo pongo pongo.”

The boy ignored the penguin which made him really mad.

“Aldred, can you tell me what’s wrong with my posture?” a soldier said.

“Sure. Show me your moves.”

The soldier stepped forward and swung. Aldred’s godly eyes scanned for possible improvement and even detected some blind spots and how the enemy could counter it.

“You aren’t using enough leverage. When you swing, put one of your feet in the direction you are about to swing, and make sure you use the waist as well. And I saw it earlier that while you were attacking, your left waist is wide open for retaliation, so make sure your enemy couldn’t hit that before you swing.”

The soldier listened to his explanation and followed his instruction. “Put one foot in the direction of the swing. Use the waist.”

SLASH!

Aldred nodded. “That’s better, but you need to do it faster now.”

The soldier did and the wind was sliced by his sword. “Wow. I don’t know I have this power in me.”

“Everyone has a great power inside them. We just have to know how to bring it out.”

Mary looked at the boy with a smile. She flicked his forehead. “You talk like an old man.”

The other soldiers asked for Aldred’s help. The boy was happy to help. After all, all of them were his comrades. They’d been fighting together a bunch of times now. It was unknown how many times they saved his butt during battle.

Joseph and Jeffery wanted to ask Aldred for advice as well. They asked whether they could do more to improve their technique. Aldred analyzed their movement and told them how to improve it even more. He even made an exercise plan so they could improve their balance. Aldred did not know this before, but apparently, balance training was very important. The armor and sword were quite heavy, and it was hard to fight with proper balance with all the weights bearing on them. One way to solve it was through strength training, but relying on strength wasn’t good enough. It had to be complemented by balance. If their balance improved, they could use more strength to put the enemy down.

Bartrem looked at the boy, astonished at how he could point out so many precise mistakes. Even though Bartrem was a knight he couldn’t tell the other soldiers what they did wrong because everybody was different. Body stature, height, and weight affected the performance of a soldier. Bartrem learned through practice and experience, no one really taught him anything because he was an orphan. Same with his men. All of them were the son of peasants, shoemakers, or slaves. Unlike other soldiers, they did not have Knight as a father. So they couldn’t really ask anyone for pointers.

After practicing their technique for a few hours, the morning sun started to rise. The fresh air became warm.

“It’s noon, now,” Bartrem said. “Time for a jog.”

With armor clanging against the sword hanging on their waist, the soldiers jogged to the north. Mary’s breast jiggled as she ran beside Aldred. She wore a blue bra today. Wonderful.

As they passed the road, Juhel walked with a basket and a spear in hand. Aldred smiled and waved at him. Juhel smiled and waved back.

“Got any fish today?” Aldred asked while he jogged.

“Yeah. I got a lot!” Juhel said.

“Nice! We will come to the river later! Let’s fish together again!”

“Sure! I will be waiting!”

Aldred turned forward with a smile.

A group of females was training in the field. A woman with a petite body in her twenties noticed Aldred and waved. Her long blue hair swayed as she smiled at him.

“Aldred!”

“Hi, Mareona!” He waved, still jogging.

Mareona giggled. “Let’s have a date again, okay?!”

“Sure! We will go spearfishing later!”

“Count me in! I’ll bring the girls with me.”

His comrades shook in excitement.

“Hey, Aldred,” a soldier asked. “Introduce us to the girls, would you?”

“Eh, why?”

“What do you mean why? Look. All of them are beautiful. We are men too, you know.”

“No. All of them are mine.”

The soldiers looked at him weirdly.

“I am joking of course.”

They arrived at the north gate and passed by the farmland.

“Hey, Bernard! Is your stomach fine?” Aldred asked.

Bernard was planting seeds before he heard his voice and said with a bright smile. “I am fine! Thank you for the other day! My son said he met you!”

“Yeah! He’s really good at spearfishing!”

Bernard laughed. “He said you learn very quick!”

“Well, I am known as the smarted kid in the army.”

Both of them laughed because both of them know he was the only kid in the army.

That was funny and sad at the same time.

An old lady stopped by the road in front of them. He brought a basket filled with some sort of potatoes. “Young, Aldred. Thank you for fixing my back the other day. Here take this basket and share it with your friends.”

Aldred took the basket politely and bowed his head. “Thank you, lady Tamaca. Have anyone said that you look beautiful and young today?”

The old lady blushed and flicked his hand. “You’re such a flirt for a young boy. I am sure a lot of women like you.”

“Well, I am the most handsome kid in the army.”

He talked some more with the old lady, and asked how her back was and how her sick husband was doing.

“Oh, he’s in great condition ever since I told him to drink filtered water. I’d love to talk with you more, but I don’t want to take your time. Go. Go and train.”

Aldred smiled. “Thanks again, Tamaca.”

The other farmer also looked at him and waved.

“Hey, Aldred. Thank you for the help that day!”

“Young Aldred! Thank you! My hand feels much better now!”

“Young boy! I have a lonely daughter at home, why don’t you come and visit?”

“I have a sister you can play around with!”

“I have a wife you can finger.”

“Bro… not cool.”

“Right… That was supposed to be a joke.”

Aldred laughed it off and kept jogging. He was so happy that these farmers could go on their day with a bright smile on their faces. He was glad that he could help them. Looking at his hands, Aldred realized that his power was better used for helping people.

Bernard, Tamaca, Mareona, Bartrem, Joseph, Jeffery, and everyone else was just like him; unwanted and oppressed. He wanted to blame it all on the so-called society, but society was run by people, so it was the people in charge that he should blame.

When they return to the barrack for strength training, Bartrem noticed something. “Aldred, you’re already at Silver Rank?”

The other soldiers looked at him as well. Aldred nodded. Their gaze lit up.

“Congratulation, Aldred.”

All of them congratulated him. Joseph and Jeffery came and said their thanks again.

“Without you, both of us will still be a burden,” Joseph said. “Thank you for that, Aldred.”

“Don’t mention it. I am happy to help you all.”

They all smiled and were grateful that Aldred was here. At first, they pitied him because he was a young boy that was forced to go to war. War wasn’t a walk in the park. They had been here for a few years, and they were still afraid every time they went to a battle. But now, they admired and respected him.