Chapter 63: The Moment Before Departure
For the remaining three weeks, Klaus decided to use this opportunity to train not only himself but also Briar. As a succubus, she possessed the ability to influence and control the minds of others, making her a valuable ally. According to the description of her Mysticism Ability, her mind control worked well on anyone, humans and monsters included.
Simply put, in situations where his great physical strength would be ineffective, Briar could use her ability to ward off enemies or even tame one using her blood. However, he noticed that the succubus had one major flaw.
Her physical stats were trash! It wasn’t even possible to sugarcoat it. Her physical stats were utter trash!!
Not only did she tire out easily, but she also couldn’t even complete a simple short-distance sprint properly, let’s not even talk about her pitiful arm strength. It wasn’t looking good at all!
Physical fitness was a standard requirement in the academy, regardless of one’s classification. This was due to the geography of the Shadow Realm. The land was mostly barren, riddled with towering mountain ranges and treacherous terrain, making physical endurance a necessity for survival. At any moment, one might need to retreat to higher ground to escape a high-ranking abomination or flee from an overwhelming horde of creatures.
In such a scenario, how would she be able to escape when she couldn’t even complete a twenty-meter sprint? Yes, that’s right. She couldn’t complete something that even a child could do daily! This was a serious problem!
Though Klaus wasn’t sure whether her condition was a result of his influence or if she was naturally this weak, he knew for certain that she couldn’t leave the succubus like this!
Thus, their daily training began. The academy had a track field available for Aspirants to use for exercise. Given the current circumstances, he couldn’t afford to let Briar be noticed, even in disguise. However, it was a different story at night, when the place was empty.
On one particular day, under the soft, Illuminate glow of the academy’s street-lights, Klaus led the disguised Briar to the empty track field. The night air was chill, and the vast space felt eerily silent, save for the occasional rustling of wind against the surrounding trees.
The young awakened crossed his arms and wore the expression of a gym instructor. Then, he glanced at Briar, who was wearing his tracksuit.
"Alright. We’ll start with the basics. Run from here" — he pointed to a starting line — "to that marker over there and back."