Dawn had not yet fully broken. Grayish-white light seeped through the cracks in the wooden window.
Wharton opened his eyes and lay still for a while, listening. The whole house was quiet, with only the occasional birdcall in the distance. He gently lifted the blanket, stepped barefoot onto the floor, and walked silently to the door, pressing his ear against it.
No one was there.
He returned to the middle of the room, took a deep breath, and got down on the floor.
A two-and-a-half-year-old doing push-ups was a comical sight. His arms were thin, his belly round, and his whole body shook as he pushed himself up the first time. He counted, "One..."
His arms ached until they went numb, but he didn't stop.
"...Two."
On the third, his arms gave out, and his face nearly hit the floor. He rested for a few seconds, then gritted his teeth and pushed himself up once more.
[Basic physical fitness: upper-body strength (first systematic exercise)] [Proficiency: 0.05%] [Effect: slight muscle fiber activation; stability extremely poor] [Tip: daily practice can improve neuromuscular coordination]
The panel popped up. The number was pitifully small, but Wharton stared at the words "daily practice" and felt a little more reassured.
After five, he lay panting on the floor, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He rested for a minute, rolled over and sat up, then began trying squats.
These were even harder. He couldn't keep his balance, and on the third one, he landed on his backside with a dull thump.
Wharton froze at once and held his breath, listening for movement outside.
No footsteps.
He got up and continued.
By the time he finished ten sets of basic exercises, it had grown a little brighter outside. He was drenched in sweat, and his arms and legs felt like lead, but several new entries were flashing on the panel:
[Basic physical fitness: upper-body strength] [Proficiency: 0.18%] [Basic physical fitness: lower-body strength] [Proficiency: 0.12%] [Physical coordination] [Proficiency: 0.07%]
The numbers were rising slowly, but they were moving.
Wharton wiped off his sweat with the cloth he had left by the bed the night before, changed back into his pajamas, and stuffed the cloth under the mattress. Then he lay back down, closed his eyes, and pretended to be asleep.
About half an hour later, Hiri's footsteps sounded outside the door.
"Young Master Wharton, it's time to get up." Hiri pushed the door open and came in. Seeing Wharton rubbing his eyes as if he had "just woken up," he smiled. "How are you feeling today?"
"Good." Wharton sat up and stretched-the movement pulled at his sore muscles, but he kept himself from grimacing.
Linley was already at breakfast, quickly finishing a bowl of oatmeal and two slices of bread. Hogg was there too, a ledger open before him and a slight frown on his face.
"Father, I'm finished." Linley put down his spoon.
Hogg looked up. "Don't be late for your lessons this morning. Before training this afternoon, memorize the history passage you were taught yesterday."
"Yes." Linley nodded. As he got up, he patted Wharton on the head. "Eat up."
With his mouth full of bread, Wharton gave a muffled "Mm."
After Hogg left as well, only Wharton and Hiri remained in the dining room. Hiri gathered the dishes and asked casually, "What would you like to do today, Young Master Wharton? Read again?"
"Play," Wharton said.
Hiri was a little surprised. "Play? All right. What would you like to play?"
"In the courtyard." Wharton slid down from his chair. "Run around."
Hiri smiled. "All right, I'll come with you. But you need another coat. It's still a little chilly in the morning."
Wharton actually wanted to survey the area. The back courtyard of Baruch Mansion was large, and people rarely went near the cluster of old buildings. There were a few half-collapsed walls and piles of rubble there, perfect for hiding and practicing without being noticed.
Hiri brought out a small chair and sat under the eaves in the sun while Wharton "played" in the courtyard. At first, he really did run a few laps and chase butterflies for a while like an ordinary child. Then he gradually moved closer to the abandoned area.
"Young Master Wharton, don't go over there. There are lots of rocks, and you might fall," Hiri warned.
"Just a look," Wharton said, already slipping behind a broken wall.
It was even more suitable than he had expected. Ruined walls screened it on three sides, and a thick layer of dead leaves covered the ground, soft underfoot. From where Hiri sat, he couldn't see what Wharton was doing unless he deliberately came over.
Wharton began going over the exercises from that morning.
This time, he did six push-ups and twelve squats. He also tried high knees, but he was soon out of breath.
[Basic physical fitness: cardiopulmonary function (first stimulus)] [Proficiency: 0.03%]
The panel faithfully recorded every bit of progress.
After practicing for about twenty minutes, he heard Hiri's voice drawing closer. "Young Master Wharton? Where have you hidden yourself?"
Wharton stopped at once, picked up a dead branch from the ground, and pretended to be poking at the dirt.
Hiri's head appeared around the broken wall. "Oh, how did you get in here? Aren't you getting dirty?"
"Looking for bugs." Wharton held up the branch, which did indeed have a little dirt on it.
Hiri shook his head helplessly. "Come out. It's time to wash your hands. We still have a few characters to learn this morning. Weren't you quite interested yesterday?"
Wharton obediently followed him back.
The reading lesson used the same book, "Illustrated Guide to the Magical Beasts of the Continent." Hiri taught him the characters for "raptor" and "Earth Dragon." Wharton repeated them after him while secretly tracing the strokes on the tabletop with his finger.
[Literacy (reinforced through tracing)] [Proficiency: 0.31%]
It rose faster than his physical fitness. After all, this didn't require waiting for his body to develop; it was purely a matter of his mind and memory.
When Linley came back for lunch, he looked excited.
"Father, Uncle Hillman said I've improved at the Energy Gathering Stance again," Linley said between mouthfuls. "He said if I practice for another six months, I might reach the standard for a ten-year-old."
Hogg nodded. "Don't get conceited. Members of the Dragonblood Warrior Clan start out ahead of ordinary people. You must live up to that bloodline."
"Yes," Linley replied, though his eyes were still shining.
Wharton listened quietly, committing the words "Energy Gathering Stance" to memory. It sounded like some kind of basic training method.
After lunch, Hogg went for his usual nap, while Linley pulled Wharton into the sitting room. "I'm going to train this afternoon. Do you want to come watch?"
Wharton nodded immediately.
He wanted to watch. Not just out of curiosity, but because he needed to observe what this world's training system was like, what movements it involved, and what their key points were. The panel could help him learn, but first he had to know what to learn.
The training ground was at the eastern end of town, a stretch of hard-packed earth with wooden stakes set around it. By the time they arrived, dozens of children were already there, divided into three groups by age. Hillman stood at the front in a sleeveless shirt, the muscles on his exposed arms clearly defined.
"Linley, join the middle group," Hillman said.
Linley jogged over and took his place among the children around ten years old, standing with his back perfectly straight.
Hiri held Wharton under a large tree at the edge of the training ground. From there, he could see the whole area.
"We'll start with the Energy Gathering Stance today," Hillman called in a booming voice. "As usual, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, hands at your waist. Focus your attention and breathe naturally."
The children all assumed the stance in unison.
Wharton watched Linley without blinking. He saw how far his brother bent his knees, where he held his loosely clenched hands, and the slow rise and fall of his chest. There were many details, and he tried to remember them all.
[Learning through observation: basic combat skill · Energy Gathering Stance (first analysis)] [Proficiency: 0.08%] [Effect: preliminary understanding of the stance's key points; lacks physical awareness] [Tip: actual imitation is required to establish neural memory]
The panel popped up again. Wharton's thoughts stirred-so observation counted as learning too, and the panel analyzed it automatically?
He kept watching.
Some of the younger children soon began to wobble, but Linley stood firmly. Ten minutes passed, and quite a few children collapsed to the ground. Fine beads of sweat appeared on Linley's forehead, but his stance didn't change.
Hillman walked among the groups, occasionally correcting a child's movements. When he reached Linley, he paused and nodded. "Hold it."
A few minutes later, Linley began to tremble too. Wharton saw him press his lips tight, his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white, but he still held on.
When Linley finally went down, he braced himself with his hands and sat down slowly rather than falling outright.
Hillman walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Not bad."
Linley was panting, but he had a smile on his face.
Next came weight training. The children took turns lifting stone weights of different sizes, doing squats and overhead presses. The weight Linley was given was a size smaller than those of his peers, but he worked especially hard, trying to perform every movement as correctly as possible.
As Wharton watched, he broke the movements down in his mind: keep the back straight during squats, keep the core stable during presses, coordinate breathing with exertion...
[Learning through observation: basic strength training (breaking down movements)] [Proficiency: 0.15%]
The information was accumulating.
Training lasted over an hour. By the end, every child was drenched in sweat, but they were all in high spirits. When Linley ran over, he was soaked through, but his eyes were bright.
"Are you tired?" Wharton asked.
"Tired, but it feels great." Linley wiped his face with his sleeve. "Uncle Hillman said that if we tire ourselves out a little more now, we'll have a better chance of staying alive on the battlefield later."
Wharton looked at him without speaking.
On the way back, Linley was still caught up in the excitement of training, demonstrating several exertion movements as he walked. Hiri carried Wharton, whose mind was replaying everything he had just seen.
At dinner, Hogg asked about training. Linley said a few words-not much, but his tone carried satisfaction. After listening, Hogg looked at Wharton. "You went to watch today?"
"I did." Wharton nodded.
"What did you understand?"
Wharton thought for a moment, then said, "Big Brother is amazing."
Hogg seemed to smile, very briefly. "Do you want to be like that someday?"
"Yes."
"Then hurry up and grow." With that, Hogg lowered his head and continued eating.
That night, Wharton lay in bed without going to sleep right away. In the dark, he slowly assumed the Energy Gathering Stance-legs apart, knees slightly bent, hands at his waist.
He had yet to build muscle memory, and the stance felt awkward. But he held it, silently counting his breaths.
One, two, three...
By the twenty-seventh breath, his legs began to shake. He gritted his teeth and held on until thirty-five, then slowly relaxed.
[Basic combat skill: Energy Gathering Stance (first imitation)] [Proficiency: 0.06%] [Effect: considerable errors in stance; breathing rhythm disrupted] [Tip: details must be corrected and practice maintained over the long term]