Chapter 12 - 12. Training.

Right after he stepped out of Marcus's store, Ray spent the rest of the morning training.

He went to the edge of the forest, which was far enough from the village that no one would be able to see him but it was also close enough for him to be able to come back quickly if something were to ever go wrong.

Well, it's not like anything bad was about to happen, but still, Ray had to be careful because he still wasn't sure if everything that had happened so far, would continue to proceed just as they did in his first life.

Well, with that out of the way, Ray continued his training.

At first, he practiced <> by trying it out a couple of times.

After doing so, his stomach lurched and he became dizzy once again.

He bent over and placed his hands on his knees before breathing heavily.

It took him thirty seconds for the nausea to fade and once it did, Ray tried activating the skill again, before training again, and again.

By the tenth attempt, the dizziness had become less intense and by the twentieth attempts, he was able to be standing upright right after he had used the skill.

It wasn't much, but Ray was pleased to see that he was making progress.

In his first life, Ray had barely used the skill <>, because the cool down and side effects had made it seem entirely useless, but with five years of experience under his belt, Ray knew better.

He definitely knew the benefits that came with having this skill and he knew the best ways he could use the skill which would in turn be of great importance to him.

<> wasn't just about teleporting short distances or long distances in battle.

It was about positioning, dodging attacks, getting behind enemies and creating clear openings during combat.

If used correctly, the skill could be devastating and that's exactly what Ray was aiming for.

Its the reason why he was training so hard right now.

Meanwhile, time passed and Ray wiped the sweat from his forehead before moving on to his second skill, <>.

Ray closed his eyes and focused his attention on his surroundings as he activated the skill.

<> was like a second sight to him. All he had to do was close his eyes to feel the forest around him.

In a way he could sense anything that move around him, be it on land or on trees, or anywhere else, and it allowed him to see the birds in the trees which were about thirty meters to his left.

It also allowed him to see the rabbits in the underbrush and the snakes coiled under a rock, doing something unholy.

At first, his limit was only at about 10 meters, but with several hours of severe training, Ray had pushed beyond his limits, allowing him to sense the movement of animals at fifty, seventy and eighty meters away from him.

He tried to do more but his head became fuzzy.

However, fifty meters was still the ideal distance for now, because any animal between fifty to eighty meters become vague images he couldn't really sense perfectly, and that's why fifty meters became his effective range right now.

He could only hope that his body adapts fast before he encounters his first target.

Leaving that aside for now, Ray decided to return back home because the sun was setting and he needed to make some final preparations before departing in the morning.

But when Ray returned home, he noticed Mira waiting outside.

She was sitting on the porch steps with a worried look on her face.

She heard the sound of footsteps approaching the house and she lifted her head up to see Ray approaching.

"Ray! Where have you been? I woke up this morning and I noticed you were gone. Your mom said you're leaving the house tomorrow too, is this true?" Mira asked as she stood up to approach him.

"Yeah I am, but it's only for a few days."

"Why?"

"To clear a dungeon."

*A dungeon? But Ray, you just awakened your abilities yesterday. You're not strong enough to....."

"I am."

"But you're still level 3."

"I know what I'm doing, Mira" Ray said as he passed through and stepped toward the entrance door but Mira grabbed his hand, causing him to halt.

"It's too dangerous."

"I know."

"Then let me come with you."

"Sorry princess, but you can't."

"Why not? I can fight! I'm strong! I want to help you too." Mira clenched her fists cutely as she tried to show Ray just how strong and powerful she was.

Ray noticed this and he tried his best to suppress the urge to laugh out loud.

Mira's face and fists were so cute right now that he wanted to laugh while clutching his stomach but he could also sense how serious and worried she was about him and he understood why.

Since the two of them were practically lovers right now, it made sense for her to be worried about him.

Acknowledging this, Ray stepped closer to Mira, then he cupped her cheeks lovingly. "I'm sorry Mira, but I have to do this alone."

"I'm still coming with you."

"Maybe next time, okay? I promise." Ray assured her before planting a kiss on her forehead. "I also promise to come back as soon as possible, and then we can spend more time together."

"Kissing me isn't going to change my mind. I still want to come with you." Mira pouted cutely as she crossed her arms in petty annoyance.

Ray smiled but didn't say anything further.

The two exchanged glances before Mira finally yielded with a nod of understanding.

Actually, Ray had given her a couple of kisses and that convinced her to stay.

But she would definitely be having a serious conversation with him the moment he returns back from his journey.

*****

That evening, Ray packed up the stuffs he would need for his journey and Emma came to see him in his room.

She sat on his bed and was swinging her legs, while Ray organized his supplies.

The moment she noticed he was almost done, she asked. "Are you going to the dungeon to fight dragons?"

"No, my little chipmunk. I'm going to be fighting against goblins. Well, I hope its goblins I encounter in that dungeon."