Chapter 18: Training[2]
It's been a few weeks since Noctis started to train under his aunt Ericka; each day the so-called light exercises increased, pushing him to his limits both physically and mentally.
During his breaks, he would study magical theory with Lira's help. It took him a while, but he was about to learn the theory part of magic on a basic level; he hadn't yet cast a magic circle.
Ericka didn't allow him to do so, reasoning that his focus should be on his physique. Not the reason he needed, but he complied.
Noctis looked at the highly appealing monster meat in front of him, but he knew it was only a facade. He cautiously took a piece, almost choking on the taste as he sipped water. 'I still can't get accustomed to this; she wasn't kidding. The meat might look alluring, but the taste is like biting on a vinegar-soaked rubber.
This combination was unthinkable to him; even worse, he was now attempting it, and it was awful. The meat he was eating for his diet provided the best benefits at the expense of its unpleasant taste.
He struggled as he swallowed a piece. Glancing at the remaining meat, he gulped out of nervousness.
"Lira, say, does all monster meat taste like this, or is it just a specific kind?" Lira gave him a quick overview of the various sorts of monster meat that are edible.
"Only a few types taste as unpleasant as these; the remaining ones taste just like normal meat or better than them."
Moving on, this continued on despite his pleas as he begged his aunt for better food; all he got was a straight refusal to his face.
The one thing he realized was that he was growing a lot faster than he had expected. He had considered it, but experiencing it firsthand was quite different.
Initially, the focus was on improving his core strength and stamina. The intensity increased to gain muscles on his body along with improving endurance.