Chương 28: Chapter 24- Shedding Skin

His vitality surged with resolve. There was no need to have such thoughts when he could enjoy the efforts of his training. The price had been paid and that bastard stray was dead, dead, and dead. Even if he met another one, he wouldn't be helpless. As long as he followed the path Marcei laid, he'd become strong enough to power through it all. He refused to be weak… not again.... … |DxD|- Chapter 24- Shedding Skin …... Time Chamber, One Month Later….

Deep in the recesses of the chamber, the weather was dreadfully cold. The winds howled like wolves, pressing icy needles into his skin and hammering him with gusts of freezing air. He was still as a mountain, his body a furnace that resisted the injustice inflicted upon it. Igor sat cross-legged on the ground. His spear rested across his shoulders and his hands limply hung over it like clothes on a line. He looked as if he was in a pillory, constrained to bear the turmoil of this unyielding cold.

How false that was. A curtain of steam wafted off of Igor like a warm bath on a winter morning. Each breath he took billowed plumes of smoke. His body burned as vitality circulated through him. Where most would huddle for warmth, his undersides were laid bare to the world. In the midst of a cold that grated against the skin, he remained more peaceful than a sleeping babe. This was his rest after hours of training. There was no magical book or alarm clock next to him.

His sense of time was strong enough for him to know he had done six hours of intense training. Vitality was a powerful energy. In one month, he'd gained a great deal of proficiency over it, especially after reading Marcei's diary. Vitality was like a limb. It was a direct extension of the body, not an addition. With vitality, it was like controlling a muscle he never knew he had. A simple flex and his endurance, speed, and power would see a great increase.

With it, Igor was able to complete all the exercises in the magic book to perfection in less than a week, including the ten-thousand spear thrusts that had troubled him for so long.

"This should be enough for today." He swung the spear off his neck and held it in his left hand. Today confirmed one thing that was creeping up on him. He'd reached the limit of the power he could draw from his body. Whether he would have to wait a month to train like this again, he didn't know. But for now, his current self has peaked in terms of strength and raw power. Stolen story; please report. It was far easier to call upon his energy now than prior.

His heart rate could rise and fall in the time it took to draw a breath. He knew— felt, he was stronger. His reserves had grown from how vigorously he trained his body. It was exhilarating to feel his reserves grow deeper and deeper every waking moment… until today that is.

'Vitality draws on the strength of the body and soul. A powerful lifeforce and a strong mind influence the power of vital energy. In turn, vital energy will feed back into the body, enriching it further in a self-sustaining endless loop. It is no wonder none of our warriors are weak.' Marcei's diary was written in his youth. Funnily enough, his youthful days would be considered the elderly stages of many. It was still hard for Igor to process that Marcei wrote his diary over four centuries ago.

Nonetheless, today's discovery wasn't a setback. Vitality would feed into his body, strengthening his muscles and organs. Given some weeks, he'd be able to train even harder and squeeze out every fibre of potential in his body. Igor stood up. His new spear was taller and heavier than the one he left back at Shuri's home. He barely reached up to half its height. He still held hope he'd grow super tall like his father. Maybe he'd even have a beard, though that would make him too old. Igor rubbed his naked chin.

His new-found favourite activity was running. It was freeing in a way, another proof that he grew. Nothing pleased him more than knowing he could run as fast as most animals. Maybe he was now faster than the cheetah he saw on television. Though he doubted it. But he was confident he had it beaten in acceleration. He tossed his spear aside and it clanged on the cold cement. Vital energy flooded his body, erasing what little icicles stubbornly clung to his hair.

It came to life around him in a soft whine like a deflating tire. His body bristled and muscles bulged, stretching the skin with rows of veins and sinewy mass. The ground below him groaned under the force of his leg. Very tiny fragments of ash-white rock splintered outwards. He stood on the balls of his feet and leaned over, his arms ready to aid in his balance.

"Can I break my record today?" He smiled. Far away, he could make out the hourglass through the frosty air. He tilted his head, stretching his neck and shoulder muscles. He had scarcely moved when the ground couldn't endure anymore. It caved like mud under the force of his feet. His muscles twitched, and hairline fractures cracked to life around him. PA! The air snapped to fill the vacuum he left behind. Igor had exploded away, leaving behind only little motes of dwindling yellow. He was a blur.

His legs and arms were the blades of a fan. The air warped around him like a shimmering road on a hot summer day. He moved with power, each stride no different from gatling-hammer strikes. He was here, there, and gone—leaving only a golden wake behind him. Each stride exposed contracting muscles, his body a mess of veins. He was running hot, both from exertion and exhilaration. Just months ago, he did not have this power. His old self was hopeless in every way.

The cabin was still a few minutes away, a distance that would previously take him an hour—not that he would come this far in the first place. His old self would never survive here. Without vitality, he was no different from livestock that would be… [Hmph!] His vitality surged with resolve. There was no need to have such thoughts when he could enjoy the efforts of his training. The price had been paid and that bastard stray was dead, dead, and dead. Even if he met another one, he wouldn't be helpless.

As long as he followed the path Marcei laid, he'd become strong enough to power through it all. He refused to be weak… not again.

END