"What happened kid? Can't hit me anymore?"

Alex was was training with Zira. She was dominating him in combat this time around.

Alice was on the sidelines, observing their actions. If a normal bystander were to see what was happening, they wouldn't be able to figure out why Alex was being suppressed to such an extent. Alice had figured it out in an instant.

He had no body awareness. From what she could tell, Alex used his body and twisted and turned it to use it to apply his desired movement. At the same time, he was completely ignoring what his body was going through to execute those methods. it wouldn't be long before he suffered a permanent injury, which could be a big blow to his future.

Right now, he was trying to protect himself using his instincts and awkward movements. Zira was able to overshadow him in terms of well-practiced attacks, which created a glaring hole in his defense.

"Enough!"

Zira stopped her punches. She still felt bitter about what had happened before, but right now his training was more important.

Alice appeared in front of them and said, "Your instincts, flexibility, attack prowess are all good. What you lack is technique."

Alex was panting, but still nodded when he heard that. He himself knew that his previous skills won't work on a child's body, therefore instead of trying to use an incompatible method and put himself in danger, he'd rather use basic movement to be efficient.

"Watch carefully."

She attacked Zira out of nowhere with a kick, and Zira countered her move by using her hands, defending herself while deflecting the move away from her.

"That is basically the difference between you and a trained assassin. You can surprise your opponent, but you can't handle surprises. If anyone attacks you out of nowhere, you can only defend and ensure that you can continue defending. It is really hard for you to put yourself out of such a situation because you won't be able to find an opening with just brute force."

He agreed with her assumptions. He had to balance his moves by accumulating experience through training.

-----------------------------------------------

Alex followed Alice and went inside the library. She took out a book from a shelf..

"Remember, this is a guide. At most, it can show you how to do things, but if you can't learn it by yourself, give up. There are many easier techniques out there, but most of them require you to be at least 10 years old. This book can overcome that barrier, while also allowing you to gain much better insight into your actions. But at the same time, only a few can comprehend it. Still, trust me, if you can do so, no one will easily look down on you."

Alex took the book and bowed towards her. At this point, she was just a subordinate, so he didn't dare to trust her completely. But her help was appreciated.

He read the name of the book.

"Methods of movement."

After taking the book, he took his leave and went straight to his room.

"Chapter 1. Lower body control."

Basic series, part 1.

The true meaning of strength lies in your lower body. If you want to be fast and elegant you need to know that recklessness will never give you a satisfying result. So first, strengthen your base with proper training, using the exercise given below.

The manual had an image of a person doing bunny hops. But there was a twist, and it was that the person had to regulate the position and speed of his legs, such that there is no difference between the speed and timing of his landings, his foot placement was supposed to be completely symmetrical.

"Warning, do not jump for more than one hour every day. Aim for body improvement, not muscle degeneration."

He was a bit curious, so he tried to do what was written in the book.

An hour later, he was shocked.

Every time he wanted to calm himself down, and focus on his movement, he would fail to do so. He was feeling angry because his surroundings affected his senses. Every time he jumped, he found himself messing up the symmetry of his body. He couldn't do such a simple exercise, probably because of his lack of control over his body.

One hour passed. Next to no improvement. His concentration was on point, but he still needed a lot of practice.