Chapter 19 - Strength : Trouble (1/2)
A gentle breeze blew by, rustling the tree's leaves and allowing a few glimpses of first sunlight to poke through its canopy, knocking on the rounded windows of the cozy hut, signalling the arrival of the next day.
Tonight, was the best for Aiden so far. A warm and comfortable bed, and not leaves and the solid ground to turn his head for the day. The first thought that crossed Aiden's mind was to check up on the remaining time for the system, before he would be granted the skill.
[Analysis complete, processing information, creating skill. Remaining time: 1 hours 47 minutes 50 seconds]
'Not much more...' smiled Aiden happily to himself. Turning to his left, he checked on the room's other resident, the happily snoring little girl, Lily, on her bed on the other side of the room, still sleeping. She was hugging a stuffed bear toy, and low murmurs could be occasionally be heard:
”Hehehe…. Brother…”
Shaking his head while smiling on his new 'sisters' shenanigans, he leisurely stood up from his bed, and stretched his arms and legs.
'This was the best sleep so far. I'm so refreshed!'
Making his way towards the room next door which served as a primitive bathroom, he was thinking about today's plan. He should definitely make time to test out his new body and see his limits. His strength is much higher than he expected. Lifting the barrel full of water was child's play yesterday, and before that, when he was trying to learn the usage of his limbs, He destroyed a section of the floor.
'Come to think of it, I should help the old lady, fix the floor I ruined. Well that can wait until I can talk with them.'
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At the far side of the corridor, Granny noticed Aiden entering the bathroom, probably to freshen up and getting ready for the day, she sighed to herself.
'This kid is full of mysteries... He has abnormal strength, high intelligence, and - from what I've seen so far - an analytic mind. I bet he tried to analyze and learn everything he saw yesterday. Today since we have nothing important while waiting for the cooling to finish, we should go and test out his strength. Lifting that heavy barrel without using any magic…'
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Minutes passed, and soon all 3 of them were sitting around the fully packed dining table. Similarly to yesterday, various dishes were placed on it. Fresh vegetables, fruits, baked pastries, and some cooked meat as well. 3 glasses filled with the same white liquid that the 2 called 'Milk' yesterday, was also placed in front of them.
They picked their portions, just like yesterday, Granny filled her plate with a mixture of fruits and vegetables, Lily got a bit of everything while Aiden filled his side with only meat.
After a brief greeting, and Lily's usually cheerful attitude, they enjoyed their morning ritual in relative silence. Only the sound of food crushing and munching could be heard.
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After breakfast, they all gathered outside, at the back yard. When they finished eating, she told them to come, as they should spend some time testing out the limits of Aiden's strength, which they all agreed.
Pointing to a large rock in front of them, Granny explained.
”Okay Aiden, that stone in front of us, is about 3 times the weight of the barrel you lifted yesterday. Once you are ready, try picking it up, okay?'
Aiden nodded then went ahead and placed his hands on the stone slab. Compared to the barrel yesterday, he did feel the rock, but it still did not provide much challenge. Lifting it in the air above his head, he turned around and looked at Granny for the next set of instructions.
Both Granny and Lily were stunned seeing the sight of the fragile boy, lifting a huge slab of stone from the ground easily. Shaking her head to get out of the stupor that sight placed her in, he smiled at Aiden.
”You are really, really strong. Stronger than I expected. So much so, that it might be difficult to find your limits... Hmm... ” Thinking a bit, an idea struck her head. ”Let's try throwing it!” Then pointing her right hand towards the distance, away from the hut, she said ”Throw it away from the hut, towards that direction. We shouldn't disturb anything in that area.”
Looking at the direction she was pointing at, Aiden closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He really wanted to test his limits, so gathering some of his energy, and empowering his muscles in his arms, he threw the stone with all of his might.
The rock's sudden increase in speed created a loud boom as it immediately crossed the speed of sound from his previous inertia.The rock rocketed to the sky, like if some rocket was launched instead, and slowly blinked out of the horizon, with no sign of it decreasing its altitude.
The sonic boom that was created, pushed the little girl to fall on her bum, while Granny could still hold her ground. They were both stunned once again, not expecting such a show of might.