Franz woke up refreshed that evening much to a glad maid who went to tell his family he was awake.
After being checked on by the physician and a priest who both said he had recovered properly, his family asked him how it went for understanding his skills.
"It was weird. I felt instructions come into my head, about how to block, move, make a stance, how to follow up. And it felt natural, like I was still in control, yet I knew I was learning these things for the first time."
Matilda nods and sighs as she opens up a letter from her mother, "Yeah and it souonds like your grandma knows what is happening and where you got those gifts from, she will be here in a week to help explain and train you in them. While helping me and your sister make her axe project. This way you can have it for your first official weapon."
Franz looked to Rinne who grinned with a thumbs up, "Yeah bro! Better have it help out family than some random knight who I don't know! This will be an amazing axe! It will have so many functions for you to use and abuse in the field!"
Franz smiles as his younger sister Marta hugs him and says, "I'll work harder in my apothecary lessons! I'll make a potion to help you last longer and heal faster so you don't collapse from training again big brother!"
He pats her head and looks to his family, "Mother, Rinne, Marta, Father, thank you all. I'll make sure to do my best to live up to your expectations and hopes."
He eats a light meal as his family discusses how to best proceed with his training going forward as they leave him for the night to rest and prepare for tomorrows redone training methods.
He thinks it over and pulls up his stats.
Franz Bronzewing
Rank: Junior Knight (Exp 16/100)
Str: 20
Agi: 21
End: 23
Mag: 7
Spirit: 11
Stat points: 2
Skills:
Innate: Axe Mastery (Rank F) -> (Rank E)
Enchanting (Rank F) -> (Rank E)
Magic resistance (Rank F) -> (Rank E)
Enhancing (Rank F) -> (Rank E)
Growth boost (Rank E)
Gained:
Sword mastery (Rank D)
Dagger mastery (Rank D)
Armor mastery (Rank E)
Blacksmithing (Rank D)
Franz was shocked. No way did he just gain 2 points in every stat and 5 exp to his next class evolution from just one day of training. Most people would be lucky to gain 1 point to all attributes from a harsh training regime on the level of the royal knights.
Franz grins to himself as he looks at Growth Boost. It's doing its job so well at a low rank already. It even helped get my other skills to the next rank. Though it will be much harder in the future. I'm guessing this skill affects not only stats, but rank growth. It certainly shows. For now, I just need to keep it up and keep on training. Everything has a use and I will make sure to keep on growing. No way am I letting an early growth spurt slow my progress down and making me complacent. No way! I will become a master knight with my axe mastery! I will become one! I must! That way I can help end the war as soon as possible to prevent so much loss of life!
Franz gets up and brings out the hachet his mother made for him and adds it to his knight curiass. The stand now looks a bit more filled out as he adds some pieces of his leather armor to the arm and leg joints. Making the beginning of a half plate armor design. With a grin Franz goes back to bed and saves his stat points. No need to use them up when he can still earn plenty in the coming weeks before the tournament.
The next day after a hearty breakfast Franz was at the training field again, only this time he was doing things for building up his stats. He focused on running ten laps around the estate (2km per lap), then lifting the 50 pound logs and walking with them over his shoulders for 50ft feet while touching his knees to his chest every step. And to finish it off, 100 swings with a weighted axe vertically, horizontally, diagonnaly, and using it to deflect 100 stabs like he did in his spar yesterday.
After all of that it was time to channel his spirit and magic energy to better control it. The magic was helped by the mage Yuna who works for the family trained him in enchant spells, and the priest Rhys who healed him yesterday trained him in spirit manipulation for his enhancement spells.
All the training came to a head where after a rest he sparred with Kieran again, and then his father gave him some pointers in a low impact spar to hone technique versus just use them.
The week passed like that for Franz. Enjoying what time he could with his sisters in the forge, at meals, and in the study for their lessons. And soon the week ended with quite the nice growth fro Franz.
He looked at his stats the next day after the week had passed and as he changed he saw the growth in his body alongside the growth in his stats.
While he was fairly athletic before he had a hard time gaining muscle, it was attributed to his dwarf blood that made it twice as hard to show efforts when he was naturally stronger than most normal full grown men. But his growth boost had helped him a lot. Now his flat and toned stomach was beginning to bud with signs of a six pack popping up, his arms were no longer lean they were beginning to look ripped with larger muscles showing up, and his legs were gaining the substantial muscle to look like thin stone columns.
He flexed in the mirror and was glad to see his efforts were getting him a well toned and ripped body. He then looked at his stats again and knew he had the growth boost to thank. Especially since it even worked on his gained skills growth. It helped him out much more than he even thought to admit.
Franz Bronzewing
Rank: Junior Knight (Exp 51/100)
Str: 34
Agi: 35
End: 37
Mag: 21
Spirit: 25
Stat points: 16
Skills:
Innate: Axe Mastery (Rank E) -> (Rank D)
Enchanting (Rank E) -> (Rank D)
Magic resistance (Rank E) -> (Rank D)
Enhancing (Rank E) -> (Rank D)
Growth boost (Rank E)
Gained:
Sword mastery (Rank D) -> (Rank C)
Dagger mastery (Rank D) -> (Rank C)
Armor mastery (Rank E) -> (Rank D)
Blacksmithing (Rank D) -> (Rank C)
He was glad all his time being spent on other activities really helped him out in the long run. He would continue to hone them and hopefully reach A rank in them before his 19th or heck even 18th birthday. After all for gained skills the longest growth periods were from C to B and B to A. Many people took years to get to B rank. Others took a decade to reach A rank.
Franz was so happy for his growth boost helping him. Especially in the exp department. He was getting closer to evolving his class from the training. He just needed maybe a week and a half more and he would become a full fledged knight class. Most people in the knight program were lucky to become one at age 20. Others who had less innate skills were lucky to become one at all before age 30. And once knight class is reached, one can go onto evolved knights to further master their abilities. It was what unlocked Rank S and above skill ranks.
He was going to reach a high class and gain the SS rank in his skills. He had to. In order to protect everyone and everything he held dear.
He went out to prepare for the training again by heading to the dining hall for breakfast when he barely dodged a flung smithing hammer. it shot past his head into the door next to him and he took a fighting stance with a dagger he kept in his boot, he stood ready to defend himself when he heard a wheezing laugh as his grandmother dwarf as at the table.
His father was shaking his head and his mother was cheering for his successful dodge. Marta was panicking at the throw, while Rinne grinned at the antics.
Franz simply sighed, sheathed his dagger, grabbed the hammer, and went over to his grandmother, kissed her on the head while handing her back her favorite hammer and sat down while saying, "Morning Grandma! Guess you heard about my skills?"
His grandmother, chuckled a bit and put on a joyful but serious face, "That's right young'un and we have a lot to talk about form my side of the family. But for now. Eat! Drink! And be ready for a doozy of a story!"
Franz shakes his head with a smile on his face, grandma Olga would never change.