The smell of sweat permeated the air as Reivyn stepped into the gym for the first time. He hadn't known what to expect, but he felt at home in the cozy little space. It wasn't fancy like some of the interiors he had peeked at on their trek to this location, but everyone was taking their training seriously. That was something Reivyn could appreciate. Refix stepped up next to him and peered at the different training contraptions in use. Everyone was moving about in concert, and it seemed like a well-oiled machine. Refix's curiosity flitted from one training location to the next before he returned his gaze to his son. Renry had a smug smile on his face, and Herrick, standing next to him, was like a kid in a candy shop with his eyes wide. "What's your first impression?" Refix whispered to Reivyn. It wasn't loud enough to carry throughout the entire room, even with enhanced Perception, but it was loud enough that Renry could hear it standing next to them. "My very first impression is one of hardworking people focusing on their tasks," Reivyn said with a nod. "And then your second?" "There's no stress." "Exactly," Refix exclaimed. "Everyone is glowing with health. They're all fat and happy. Nobody is wheezing or doubled over for air. Nobody is dragging their body like they've been put through the wringer." "This is just the morning warm-up," Renry defended. "Exactly my point," Refix countered. "They should be pushing themselves until they're tired at each station. They're so focused on their 'warm-up' that they're treating it like the training itself. I think these people have grown complacent." Complacent. The deadly word. The bane of Reivyn's existence. He couldn't help but frown as he continued to watch the training. Renry opened his mouth to continue to defend, but a large, burly man naked from the waist up to expose his scar-covered torso rushed over to the group standing near the entrance. "I see frowns and doubt on faces," the man boomed out. Everyone training paused in their actions to look over at the commotion before other staff members shouted at them to continue. "Are you displeased with my training methods?" "Displeased is a harsh word," Refix responded, unperturbed by the confrontation. "Maybe disappointed?" The burly man stared at Refix for a moment before throwing his head back and barking out a short laugh. "Hah! You have a sharp eye," the man exclaimed. "Most people wouldn't notice in the first place, too dazzled by the unfamiliar environment, and the rest would shrink back from my intimidating stance. You looking for work, buddy? You seem like someone who could add some motivation to the place." "You can't afford me," Refix replied with a deadpan expression. "Hahaha! I guess not," the man wiped a tear away from his eye. He was truly filled with mirth at the interaction. "You guessed right. These people aren't here to push themselves. But!" The man held up his index finger for emphasis. "These people aren't Striker material, and they know it. They're not here to become Strikers. They're here just to get some experience before they work on becoming a Strategist, Tactician, or other team members. "The ones who have the drive to become a Striker are in the back." "And you think not experiencing the same harsh training is going to give them the proper experience necessary to understand what it means to be a Striker?" Reivyn questioned. "They have!" The man replied jovially. "That's why they know they're not Striker material. I don't let anyone join the gym without spending at least a week in the back with the true Strikers. Those that aren't cut out for that kind of lifestyle come out here to continue their training. They help me lure in the unsuspecting novices." The man had a sadistic twinkle in his eye. "Hah! Now we're talking!" Refix gave his own laugh, clapping the burly man on the shoulder. The man staggered under the casual slap, and a look of surprise flitted across his face. Renry glanced back and forth between his old friend and Refix. He stole a glance at Kefira and Serilla, and Serilla smirked at him. He was beginning to understand what she meant when she mentioned how they trained together. "So, Renry 'ole pal, is this your grandson you mentioned?" The burly man shifted his attention to Herrick. "That's right," Renry replied. "This is Herrick. Herrick, this is Trainer Duston. He'll be in charge of your training from now on." Duston vigorously shook Herrick's hand, but he didn't crush his hand with his Strength. He didn't need to intimidate new recruits in such a manner. "I'll be sure to take good care of your grandson, Renry," Duston said seriously. "I know you will," Renry said. "This here is Reivyn. We met at the amphitheater yesterday, and he's shown some interest. He's told me some interesting things, and I think you might enjoy having a student such as him in your establishment. He's not interested in going Pro, though. "This other gentleman is his father, Refix. We just met this morning." "I see," Duston said, looking both Reivyn and Refix up and down with a critical eye. "And what about the two young ladies behind you?" "We're just spectators," Kefira said. "And we're not going to get in the way. We're only accompanying Reivyn here today." "If it's only for the day, I suppose I can let you in the back when your boy starts his training." Duston summoned Reivyn and Herrick to follow him over to the wall where words had been painted. He pointed at the words. "Read our philosophy before we begin." Reivyn looked up at the words. "Suffering brings Character. Character brings Determination. Determination brings Hope. Hope brings Laughter. Laughter brings the Trainer. The Trainer brings Suffering." The words tugged at Reivyn's memories. They had a familiar tint to them. It was the first time his Dreams of the Past had had a resonance in a long time. "This is our training philosophy," Duston intoned. "We make everyone taste suffering, and through that, they build their foundation. We don't just breed Strikers here. We build men. Complacency is a killer. I see that you understand," Duston said to Reivyn upon seeing him nod his head. "Thus, once one achieves the point that they're no longer suffering, we must reintroduce it to build further upon the base. "There will never be an end to training once you step through these doors. Even those who give up on being Strikers and turn toward being team members have to suffer in their own way." "Excellent!" Refix approved. "You ready, Herrick?" Reivyn asked, clapping the other teenager on the shoulder. "Remember, pain is weakness leaving the body." "'Pain is weakness leaving the body,'" Duston repeated. "I like that." Reivyn stepped through the doors to the back with Herrick in tow. They opened their eyes to a completely different scene than the facade out front. Kefira sat at the table and watched in amusement. The introduction of Reivyn and Refix into the mix had been like an explosion. They hadn't done anything overt, but just their sheer intensity had sparked the competitiveness in the others' training. The tempo had already been really high when they had first entered the depths of the gym, but now people were literally scraping the barrel. Kefira looked over and saw one of the Striker trainees have to be pulled out of the barrel of water. His body had collapsed on him as he dunked his head into the water, steam boiling out from his high body heat from the training. "I think this might have been a mistake," Serilla whispered. She knew just how powerful Refix's Perception was. She didn't want him to overhear what she had to say. "How so?" Kefira asked. She had an inkling of an idea as to what Serilla was getting at. "Look at him!" Serilla gestured toward where Reivyn and Refix were doing their training. Refix was perched on the back of Reivyn's shoulders. He had come up with a rope from somewhere, and he had looped it around to tap against Reivyn's side. That wasn't the end of it, either. Reivyn also had another one of those sleds strapped to his body. They weren't using anything fancy like Gravity-infused weights this time. Instead, there was just a huge pile of them on the back of the sled. "Giddyup!" Refix yelled, slapping his son in the side with his rope. Refix kicked his heels into Reivyn's sides to encourage him further. Duston stood at the end of the room with his arms crossed. Sweat dripped down from his brow that had nothing to do with the heat of the room. The rest of the trainees had upped their intensity to match Reivyn's, but most of them had already fallen out. They simply couldn't keep up, but Duston didn't show any expression of discontent. He simply launched them into sparring matches at a quicker pace. "I think father likes an audience," Kefira said with a giggle. "You know he can't hear you over here," Serilla said, rolling her eyes. "You don't have to keep calling him 'father.'" "I know," Kefira answered. "It started off as a bit of a joke, but I like it. It makes me feel like our relationship has gone a step further. I'm doing it for me." Renry sat with them, bouncing his leg with nervous energy. He had already seen his grandson collapse more than once. Herrick hadn't built up the same amount of tenacity as the others; it was his first true day, after all. He had been thrown into a sparring session immediately, and once he had recovered enough after the short bout, he had once more been tossed into the maelstrom. This level of hardship hadn't been what Renry had expected, and he was worried that his grandson would be put off by the whole thing. He hadn't quit yet, though, and that gave him some hope. "What manner of demons have you introduced to my gym?" Duston said as he walked up to the sitting trio. "And you said that Reivyn is going to be a part-timer? I guess that's a good thing because he might kill all of my clients otherwise." "You're loving this," Renry retorted. "I can see the glee on your face." "I can't deny that," Duston said with a sheepish expression. "Here I was saying that complacency was a killer, and it seems like I had fallen prey to it myself. I hadn't even noticed that I had fallen into a comfortable rhythm, so thank you for that." "Well, Reivyn and his father have led interesting lives, to say the least," Kefira answered Duston's question. "Reivyn has been fighting in some form or another since before he was even 10. He got conscripted to a small County's army because of a loophole in the requirements before he had unlocked his Tier 1 Class, and he's been like this his whole life. "His father was an Imperial Guard for a fallen empire. I'm sure he's seen a lot of bad things in his life, and that drives him to push his children as hard as he does." "He's got more kids?" Duston had a hopeful look on his face. "His daughters are crafters," Kefira shot that idea down right away. She couldn't imagine Kailey and Riley thriving in this kind of environment. "They might be able to make things for your gym, but they're not going to join it any time soon." "Eh, two demons are good enough, I suppose," Duston said with a chuckle. "Serilla!" Refix's voice boomed out to those seated at the table. "We skipped morning training for this. Prepare yourself!" The rope that Refix had been using to whip his son came sailing out of the blue and snagged Serilla in its loop. She was yanked up from her seat and dragged through the air toward Refix. "NOOOooooooo...." Serilla screamed as she was brought before Refix. Kefira's face went pale as she watched Refix instruct her to get started on physical training. She made herself as small as she could in her seat to avoid Refix's gaze, but it was no use. "Kefira! Do you want to fly, or are you going to come over here yourself?" Kefira sighed as she glanced at Duston and Renry. They simply gave her commiserating smiles at her plight. She stood up and made her way over to Refix, who had dismounted from his son. Reivyn hadn't completely reached the point where he normally would when he was training, so even after his father dismounted from his back, he continued to drag the sled around. Refix took some time to get Kefira and Serilla going on their exercise, and then he was standing in front of Reivyn. Reivyn didn't have time to think about what was going on when his Danger Sense pinged. He twisted his body and hardened his muscles to dodge and block some strikes that Refix suddenly threw at him. "You always have to be prepared," Refix commented. With that quick barrage of fists, Refix disappeared once more to run back to Kefira and Serilla. Reivyn continued exercising his body to deplete his Stamina. It took more and more to burn through his Stamina as his body got used to the hard work once more, but it was inevitable that he would get exhausted. He finally reached a point he deemed appropriate, and he disentangled the harness from his chest. He jogged over to the sparring ring, not giving his body even a short rest of walking. He mounted the open ring with an instructor waiting inside, and he assumed a fighting stance. His Mental Fortitude and Iron Will Skills had been steadily climbing, he could tell. They hadn't ranked up yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time. He kept his focus and made sure his body was perfectly stable as he faced off against the instructor. They launched into a furious bout, the instructor not much worse in Skill Level than Reivyn. He had the advantage of not being exhausted, but this was the point of the training. Reivyn used all of his Perception and Divine Sense to focus on his opponent, and he gave just as good as he got. The instructor didn't pull his punches, and Reivyn could tell that he would have some bruises later if he didn't use Mana Healing, even with his Regeneration Skill. The instructor didn't just fight him with his Pugilist Skill, either. He launched the Skills that Reivyn had spied the professionals using in the ring the day before. A flurry of blows materialized out of nowhere, and it took everything Reivyn had to avoid and block all of the strikes. He paid careful attention to the man's body as he released the Skill, trying to pinpoint how it worked. The Skill was quite different as compared to his Elemental Weapon Skill he had intuited. I must have gotten very lucky with that Skill, Reivyn idly thought. It was basically tailor-made for someone like me to pick up. Even figuring out how to manually activate Charge was magnitudes easier than trying to figure this Skill out. Ever since Reivyn had seen Kayzor activate his Spear Skill during their sparring session, he had been interested in trying to replicate it and add it to his Class Skills. Seeing something similar from the Strikers the day before had increased his fervor in wanting to acquire the Skill. Being the target of the Skill was a lot different than being a spectator of it. He used his Divine Sense to gauge the instructor's body and Stamina usage. He would have to experiment himself if he was going to figure it all out, but he could get a baseline for how it should be done as long as he kept his senses open. The instructor didn't just use the fist barrage Skill, either. He also used the shield Skill Reivyn had seen previously. It was fundamentally different than his own Mana Shield. There wasn't a speck of Mana in it, and yet it worked very similarly. Reivyn imagined it wouldn't do anything against a Mana attack or Spell, but it worked very well against a mundane attack. He felt like his fists were striking a slick ball of ice as they were redirected to the side. The sparring session lasted quite a bit longer than several of the other trainees', and even the instructor was beginning to slow down by the time Reivyn called it quits. The instructor ran over to the side where a Healer was waiting, and he switched places with another staff member. He would need to take a break before he was ready to instruct more trainees after his sparring match with Reivyn. Reivyn didn't want to lose the feeling he had gotten from his Divine Sense when it came to the fist barrage Skill, so he immediately made his way over to a punching bag. He focused his mind and body and attempted to recreate the Skill. He mentally grabbed hold of his Stamina and directed it like he had the Charge Skill all those years ago when he had been desperate. He directed the Stamina to fill his arms, and he launched punch after punch at the punching bag. He adjusted how he used his Stamina after each attack, and he was beginning to get a feel for how it should work. Something was missing, though, and after several more fruitless tries, he realized that the Stamina shouldn't just be directed into his arms. His entire body was needed to activate the Skill and pulled even more Stamina out of his reserves to bolster his stance and posture. He was starting to get the feel for the Skill, but his body finally failed him before he was able to succeed. He hadn't been paying attention to his Stamina usage as it hadn't been a real issue for a long time. He glanced at his Stamina and saw that it was getting dangerously low. If he continued, his body would collapse, and he would have to spend hours to recover instead of minutes. With a sigh, he dropped his arms and walked over to one of the water barrels. There was a steady stream of trainees dunking their heads into the water, and staff members made sure to change the water out with clean water after every usage. There were plenty of barrels available for everyone that nobody had to wait, though, and Reivyn immediately dunked his entire upper body into the water of one. Steam rose from the barrel, and he yanked his head out of the water after just a moment. Water went sailing through the air, and his body was already starting to dry from the residual body heat radiating off of it. "Class Skills aren't something most people can pick up right away," Refix's voice reached his ears. He looked over to see his father was also using one of the water barrels. At some point, Refix had stopped acting as a motivator and had picked up his own exercise. Reivyn had been too engrossed in his own training that he hadn't noticed, but he glanced up to see another instructor had taken a place with the Healer to recover from a sparring session. "Don't get discouraged because you didn't pick it up right away," Refix continued. "It'll be more Stamina intensive to figure it out than when you actually use it, so you're bound to end in failure a couple more times as long as you're doing it while already tired from all the exercise." "Yeah, I'm not discouraged," Reivyn said. "If I hadn't already figured out how to manually use my Stamina to activate a Skill, I might have a lot more trouble figuring this out, but I think it's only a matter of time. Time and repetition." "That's my boy," Refix said, clapping Reivyn on the shoulder with a smile. "To be fair, I've never seen anyone else pick up a Class Skill for another Class so easily. I can already tell that you've made a lot of progress on it." "I've had a lot of time to think about it," Reivyn answered. "I saw Kayzor use a similar Skill with his spear months ago. I've been thinking about it since then. Having someone use it on me again with their fists while I was paying attention really helped, too." "Well, now that we've gotten the first bit of training out of the way, let's head over to the instructor that's teaching the proper way to use the moves you lack," Refix said. "That's one of the main things you wanted to work on, am I right?" "Yeah, I've noticed that I've gotten a bit of tunnel vision from using my sword all the time," Reivyn said as they made their way over to a different part of the training room. "I hadn't really thought about it too much because my Skill was still improving, but it's slowed down a bit. I think if I shore up the foundations of the other weapons with specific maneuvers, I should be able to Level up the Skill at a quicker rate once more." "I don't know to be proud or depressed at that statement," Refix said. "It took me ten years longer to get to where you are, and you're talking about increasing your speed even more. Don't let anyone else know about it, or they might just quit life from the depression." "I've never been one to compare myself to others too much," Reivyn said. "I know that my Skill Levels are much higher than my contemporaries, but I've never really paid attention to just how much higher. I usually fight against people an entire Tier ahead of me, after all." "Well, to put things in perspective, Serilla just reached Tier 4, right?" Refix asked. Reivyn nodded his head. "And she had just gotten past the Expert Mastery level for Swords before reaching Tier 4. She's considered to be extremely talented." Refix gave him a serious look. "Most people don't reach Level 50 in their primary Skills until close to mid-Tier 4. You're ten Levels away from Tier 3 and already well past Master level. "It's unheard of." "I wonder what would happen if I reach Transcendence before reaching Tier 3?" Reivyn idly mused. Refix pinched his nose with a sigh. "Only my son would say something like that seriously," he said. "Most people would be talking about a myth or legend in that context. I'm sure it'll do wonders for your available Tier 3 Classes, but that's something to think about later. Come on, let's go learn those Pugilist moves." Reivyn returned his focus to the present. Refix wasn't just leading him over to drop him off, he was going to participate as well. He had a different Skill than Reivyn, but it was quite similar. It would do him a lot of good to focus on a combat style he wasn't used to, as well.