Only I Am A Reader

'Finally, something to read after so long!'

Looking back at his first 'True Reading' experience, Leo couldn't help spotting more and more contrast with his current one. Back then, he was so overjoyed about how his craving for books had calmed down that he didn't touch one until two weeks later. Now, however, he rejoiced at receiving one even though a week had barely passed.

The contrast was simply too ironic. Somehow, Leo's first shot at relaxation had been under the countdown to his 'death'. Meanwhile, the excitement he missed back on Earth started with being held 'captive' underground, forced to do nothing but training.

'Pretty detailed…'

Even as his mind wandered back and forth, the pages didn't stop flipping. As someone who had already read about Spearmanship, he could tell that the book was a great introduction to the topic.

As the basic experience he gained from both reading integrated, Leo finally picked up the wooden spear that he brought back with him. He would usually be sleeping after the daily battle, but now was the time for initiation!

Without the opportunity to vent out the extra energy he gained from his meal today, Spearmanship training acted as a perfect method of physical exertion!

[ Reading Attribute, 'Skill Reading', has been activated! ]

Delivering textbook example-strikes one after the other, it didn't take long before the sound emerged in his mind. Two subjects weren't enough to judge, but this consolidated Leo's guess that weapon skills could trigger his first attribute at a faster rate!

Learning from his recent 'Skill Reading' Opportunity, Leo didn't even pause as his moves continued to move unceasingly. The wooden spear was like a raging dragon that was barely under his control, trying to jump at its nonexistent enemy.

"Haa… haaa…"

Thud!

It was only an hour later that Leo's spear finally stopped 'breathing', clashing with the stone ground as Leo collapsed on his back… The spear was really a tough weapon to use!

Perhaps Arthur or Leo's main body would have had it in them to go on for a longer session. However, even the flowing vitality granted by the extravagant meal couldn't make up for his current body's lacking endurance, proving how essential the current phase of training was for him.

________________

Personal Skills:

'Advanced Swordsmanship' - Chapter 3 - page 0/10

'Intermediate Smithing' - Chapter 2 - page 0/10

'Intermediate Close Quarter Combat' - Chapter 2 - page 2/10

'Basic Horsemanship' - Chapter 1 - page 9/10

'Spearmanship' - Prologue - page 8/10

________________

'Not bad.'

Having barely held back the urge to check his Personal Book in order not to be distracted, Leo immediately called it out the moment he fell to the ground. Just as to be expected from a training manual created by the Heavenly Strength Society, he was only two pages away from directly 'finishing' the prologue!

As much as his heart was excited for more, Leo's fatigue directly took him away into a long sleep, preparing him for the start of another day…

`~~~`~~~`~~~`

Knock. Knock.

Early in the morning, Leo knocked on his stone door as soon as he woke up, waiting for an answer as he held a set of clothing in his arms, it was time to bathe after all the sweating that he did yesterday!

Shhhhhhik!

During the last week, a few rules of convenience had been added to the schedule. In a 'training camp' like this, the first of them was naturally related to their personal hygiene. The children were allowed to go out at any time to wash up before the first task started.

The possibility of something like a shower existing anywhere in murim was pretty small, let alone in a place like the Heavenly Furnace. However, there was actually a waterfall that flowed towards the end of the 'tunnel of rooms'.

On his way there, Leo couldn't help noticing the vacated caves along his way. The novel didn't go into detail about the status of the extras who couldn't withstand the first filtering, but he had now confirmed that they had been moved somewhere else.

Woooshhh~

The area under the waterfall was big enough for a few dozen children to wash up. In addition, some kind of curtain was hung down from above the source to make a separate space for the girls. With the help of his biological clock, however, Leo made sure to come out to shower before anyone had even woken up. It might be normal for children in this era to bathe together, but his mental age didn't allow Leo to accept that fact.

'Oh?'

Leaving his used clothes in the basket in front of the entrance, Leo seemed to recognize the face of the boy who picked it up. It was… the kid who freaked out after coming out of the dark cave!

'I guess this is being soft-hearted?'

Throughout the last week, Leo couldn't help noticing the little details that no one had the mind to. Whether it was the kid whose arm was dislocated or the one beaten to a pulp, both seemed to be slowly getting better. It was as if they were being compensated for being used as sacrifices.

Shhhhhhik!

At the time Leo was just about to go back into his cave, the guard suddenly opened Yeon's door as per her intention, causing the pair to accidentally stare into each other's eyes after so long. Yeon tried to hide it, but a smile emerged on her face, commemorating this coincidence. Leo couldn't help smiling either, especially when he saw the wooden blade lying between her arms.

Just like in the original novel, Yeon's eastern blade wasn't just a weapon, it also acted as a quiet friend that helped her endure their separation. While It was sketchy to read about it back then, Leo couldn't help getting mixed feelings now that he was part of it. Baekho wasn't the only one who had problems, Yeon's emotional state was just as abnormal as his mental state.

For the sake of both their growth and survival, however, Leo could only restrain the urge to take Yeon into his embrace to comfort her… As long as they endured this tribulation, their reunion was nothing but inevitable!