Chapter 15: Noticeably Stronger

Speed is a tremendously dangerous double edge weapon. I am constantly made aware of this fact, not because of my conquest of enemies, but because of the multiple injuries on my body I sustained; getting use to my bodies new movement capabilities.

It is not the speed of my movements, that give me the most trouble of adapting to my new abilities. It is the momentum built up by moving at tremendous speed that gives me the most trouble.

After all as my speed increases, the speed of my reflexes and eyesight increase, my thought process speeds up dramatically, and my maneuverability when moving in a straight line also receives a minimal upgrade. It is my body and naturally I maintain a certain amount control over it, even at break necks speed.

Yet, my many challenges arose whenever I attempted to turn or stop. I constantly find myself underestimating the point in which to begin stopping, and whenever I try to come to an immediate halt, stopping my progress forward without slowing down first, I end up being thrown forward by my own momentum, and rolling several times on the ground.

Quick turns and changes in direction, also create the effect of being flung forward by momentum, or tripping over my legs and debris on the floor.

Because of these several problems I have crashed into obstacles and scraped many areas of my body against the hard cave floor and walls.

Within thirty minutes. I had already scraped most of the surface area of skin present on my four limbs, and if it wasn't for my [Deadman's Constitution] I'd be bleeding all over the place right now.

After thirty more minutes of continuously running about, I began to be able to maintain my balance while sliding forward from the momentum. and except for the slight pain in the soles of my feet while I glided forward, I had a sense of exhilarating wildness as the wind breezed by my face.

After almost an hour of running, I had discovered a way to come to a sudden halt, by jumping into the air and landing into a specific spot. It was an awkward way of maneuvering, but it is the only way I could come up with, as it seemed that my lower body muscles weren't developed enough to fully control a sudden change in speed.

Thinking of the development of my muscles, I stared towards the new bird carcass I had brought along from the dungeon entrance, measuring it with my eyes I found it insufficient to my purpose. For my training I have decide to clear out the first room of birds.

It was time to test the full extent of my new capabilities in Battle.

....

Several meters from the dungeons entrance, I gripped a rib bone in my hand, while steadying my posture into a running stance. I imagined myself to be an arrow attached to a completely taunt bowstring. I stomped my foot on the ground and activated [distorted step]

Thap

I took my first heavy step, then disappeared into a world of utter silence.

Placing one foot in front of the other, I rapidly accelerated into the room, passing the first empty nest. I lunged myself into the air arching my body into a crescent shape passed the rim of a nest. As I dove down into the nest atop a feathery body.

I brought the rib bone down with all my bodies force, and stab towards the avian heart.

..

...

I slashed down two times for good measure, then without confirming my kill. I leapt from the nest with a backward arch onto the ground again.

wiked manuervarabilty i thought, complemeting myself for the almost intictial occurence.

I ran down the stairwell into the Church like room, and dove into another nest located in one of the secluded corners of the room.

I stepped on a cracked egg and looked around to find the nest empty, so I immediately jumped out of the nest, and approached another one 3 meter away.

Without slowing down I dove head first into the nest, to meet the upturned gaze of a two headed bird. I brought my hand down with the rib bone and stabbed into one of the heads, chipping the bone after it had plunged halfway into the creatures face.

Caaaaaawww

The second bird head let a shrill cry out into the atmosphere of the room. I retracted the broken jagged edge of the rib bone from the second bird heads face, and stabbed it into the respective chest of the bird.

I left the rib inside the chest, as the bird slumped to one side of the nest, I stepped on the corpse, while at the same time gripping an edge of the nest and climbing from the space.

leaping, I landed roughly on the floor, and rolled forward once deactivating my skill.

I returned to my feet instantly and using my entire speed to it upmost limit; I ran across the room, passed one of the statues, sprinting over towards the last nest, and dove toward a bird; which currently was taking flight above it.

Thap that tap tap tap

Crunch cruch crush

Flap flap flap

Tap tap

The sounds of my previous movement, my current movements, and the birds flapping wings intermingled; creating a tense atmosphere.

Slapping my front foot on the ground I dove through the air, towards the rising avian.

Shhhhrrrriiieeek

Boom!

Our bodies impacted in the air, then crashed into the side of the nest, tipping the mass of twigs and leaves over, and sending several remnants scattering into the surrounding.

Intertwining the avian two neck between my arms. I brought them underneath my armpit and squeezed with all my might.

I struggled through the same resistance as usual, as the bird attempted to escaped my grasps; lifting us both four inches into the air.

For several second it wrestled adamantly to escape my grip, but now my strength had climbed to a new level. Though it still didn't measure up to my speed, it was an impossible dream for this bird to escaped me. I waited till it movements completely ceased and not even a muscle of the creatures twitch, before dropping it to the ground.

just birds afterall, these creatures were strong in the air, but had very light and brittle bones, and body weight only a little superior to my own. if i wasnt so unlucky as to meet the first one while fifty feet high in a tree. maybe i would have atleast be able to fend it off.

I turned from the body and scanned the entire room that was now completely still, there was no movement, everything was silent and all life except for my own had ceased to exist.

With a satisfied smirk I thought "not bad."

.......

I dragged the three bodies back into the cave corridor, while gasping for air. With all the killing earlier coupled with the dragging of three large bodies I felt utterly exhausted. With effort and time, I eventually reached my training base by the first birds nest.

I staked the bodies of the new birds below the old one, and began ripping the feathers off of them.

I bit into the flesh of one of the birds, and came away with a large chunk of meat; chewing on the meat, and feeling it rejuvenate my body I dropped to the ground and began to train again.

I had already witnessed the growth of my stats, and with my efficient healing ability, I was in the mood to torture my body, seeking strength through pain. If anybody could see results as swiftly as I, then they would, no matter how lazy the person, workout.

I transitioned from push ups, to lunges, to sit up, and various drills taken from sports in my previous world. When I was still alive I even watched some military drills, but most of them couldn't be incorporated into my workout because I was trapped in this cave with no equipment.

Working hard till the blood vessels in my eyes broke from strain and tears streamed down my face. I continued with the sweat dripping down to the floor in liters. My body was constantly soaked like someone taking a stroll through the rain.

I pushed against the ground and lunged into the air, with a furious look on my face, and constant groans of effort. I stared at the wall as if gazing at my worst enemy, submerging my mind into a savage state of concentration.

In between my times of savageness, I would take breaks, moments of peaceful almost meditative silence, in which I stretched my body to consolidate my gains. I observed my gains in muscle definition, and limited my gains of movement impeding musculature.

Two hours went by and I bit my fangs into a bird, to stabilize my growing malnourishment. I ate half of the bird then resumed my ever increasing repetition of exercises.

I constantly had to increase my workload to keep up with my advancing tolerance to the strain, and after I reach set of one hundred, I had to increase my workout in increments of hundreds, squats were increased in increments of fifty, and lunges in increments of twenty.

The decrepit wrinkles on my face and body began to tighten around my increasing muscle mass, and I had to stop working out some parts of my body like the neck, when the muscle around the area started becoming to thick and inflexible. Two hours became six and six became eight.

I started to run low on food to nourish my abused body. With only half a bird carcass remaining, I stopped and look at my own body.

Truthfully, my body had not increased much in size, I was still slim and small, but through my hard work I had gained some domineering characteristics. The muscles of my biceps, triceps, deltoid, and chest were several times more defined against my pure white skin, and when I flexed; the muscle of my lower body looked to be chiseled from rock. All traces of fat had disappeared into the pool of sweat below me, revealing a six pack of abs, without my needing to flex.

With my calf muscles bulging like they were about to explode, I sprinted forward and was able to change direction rapidly at almost 50 percent of my top speed.

In eight hours I had gotten results it would take an average man 6 months to show, I was very noticeably stronger.

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sorry for the long wait, got a new job and had to get use to my new responsibilities. growing up sucks! the following chapters are gonna get heated, so look forward to that.