UNLIMITED SPEED

Noah spent a bit over a week with Elder Sarah and the only thing they had done during that period was train him in flexibility.

The woman had been thorough, so much so that Noah learned over 50 different types of stretches, and they weren’t only based on his legs but his entire body, including his neck. How she had managed to get such stretching techniques even for fragile body parts like the neck left him baffled, but also grateful.

He learned to use his body in ways he never thought were possible. Not to get things wrong, the whole process had been grueling. So grueling that Noah compared her methods to the torture he experienced with Vincent in the dungeon, and saw that his methods paled in comparison to what he experienced with Elder Sarah.

Nevertheless, her unorthodox method was effective. Too effective. 𝘰𝑣𝘭.𝗇𝓔t

Although Noah saw that she enjoyed his suffering, he eventually learned to understand that all she did had been necessary. Not one excruciating exercise had been just to see him broken and in great pain, but to gear him for the next one she would subject him to.

That realization had made it hard for his anger to rise at her. Her azure-colored eyes sparkling with a mysterious red light many at times were sadistic, but deep within Noah could sense her growing respect and her deep knowledge of that subject.

An even greater realization of her good motives had come when she had given him a potion apparently meant to calm the mind and help the soul core. After all the mentally exhausting exercises she had made him execute, he very well deserved it.

At some point during those days, Noah realized that her methods were killing three birds with one stone. With her ridiculously brutal method of getting him flexible and agile, she not only got his body flexible but also trained his mind to understand pain and the best ways to reduce its intensity, which lead to stronger willpower.

Noah felt something within him grow each time he was subjected to great pain, and his body and mind worked together to deal with the pain. Thanks to his innate ability to learn and adapt to things and situations quickly, Noah found his fear of pain reduced exponentially. His mind adapted too quickly and so did his body.

A few snapped fingers barely registered, and even whole limbs bent into unnatural positions only throbbed slightly. Torn muscle ligaments and tendons were the only things that sent real pain to his mind and even at that, they could only make him flinch a bit, after which the pain was sent to the back of his mind.

To tell how incredulous and brutal the training had been and how much his body had grown used to pain, the system awarded him a title.

[Pain resistor: Your body had become almost completely numb to the mundane-ness of pain and has evolved past the normal bounds. This title grants you the hidden stat: Pain resistance]

At some point down the line, he wondered what was different between the suffering that helped his body and the one he experienced when injuries piled up in battles. The only difference that could be found was the fact that his healing capabilities weren’t at their peak and his pain sensitivity had also increased. After all, he never stopped using the pills given to him by his master. He soon understood why she termed him the only one capable of bearing the weight of the training to learn her martial art.

Lady Sarah had refused to tell him anything about the Roiling thunder technique saying that he needed to get his body and mind prepared for it first, or else his potential would be wasted.

This leads us to the current moment, where Elder Sarah and Noah stood directly facing each other but stood around five feet from each other.

Noah sported a purple robe shimmering with the light of many inscriptions. His other attires had long since gotten useless, and she had given that to him only three days prior. Surprisingly it had not suffered that much damage during those days, only a few blood stains. But they were not visible unless being searched for.

“So what are we to do today?… Ma’am,” Noah’s voice rang out, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in his voice. He watched her flinch at his words and shoot a glare at him, one that he casually shrugged. For some reason, the decades, to maybe century-old woman hated being called with honorifics. And Noah relished watching her suffer internally.

A few silent curses exited Sarah’s mouth at that moment, had it not been for her promise to not hurt him unnecessarily, she could already think of twenty-five different ways to wish he never conceived the thought of that word. Alas, Sarah held her self-image in really high regard, and wouldn’t go back on her words since the man before her clearly deserved the somewhat nice treatment.

She would call him god-sent, if such title wouldn’t be embarrassing for her. But how could she not feel that way. He was extraordinary in many aspects of being a student. He not only absorbed information monstrously, but had a body that could withstand her methods and adapt just as fast as his mind adapted.

She felt certain that she was nursing the strongest monster in the entire guild, and almost pitied her colleagues that held their students in high regard. Aiden would crush them with the feats he had achieved.

All in all, the future was bright for this still mysterious student of hers, and she could finally do as her teacher had done. Pass down the Roiling thunder technique.

“Well since you’ve exhausted me of my stretching exercises without dying, I guess I have no choice than to move on to the martial art itself.” She started, clearing her throat and generating an aura of seriousness, one that got even Noah into a serious mood.

“I’ll begin with the forms available within the Roiling thunder technique, after which we’ll begin the preparations that would enable you learn all thirteen of them,” she paused for a few seconds checking to see if her audience had his attention on her, and saw that he did, creepily so.

“There are ten forms of the Roiling thunder technique, and three secret arts. After teaching you all of them, you will have nothing to learn from me, and my job will be done.”