Chapter 8 — The Training Center
"Uncle, I need to go to the Aethergrove Training Center. My parents are there and asked me to come."
Ren lied without hesitation.
He wasn't going to waste his time explaining his entire situation to some random taxi driver.
"Oh, is that so? Come, come. I'll take you there."
The driver's attitude immediately became more enthusiastic.
Training centers weren't places ordinary people visited casually. They were expensive, and people who could afford to send their children there were usually wealthy or had some sort of complicated background.
The driver knew better than to pry.
It was safer to be polite and mind his own business.
He pressed a button on the dashboard.
The passenger door opened automatically.
Ren stepped inside and took a seat. A moment later, the door closed on its own.
The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
"What's your name, son?"
"Ren."
"So, you're going there to train?"
"Yeah."
The driver nodded before curiosity got the better of him.
"Are your parents mages?"
Ren immediately put on a suspicious, childish expression.
"Huh? Why are you asking me so many questions? Are you trying to kidnap me?"
The driver's face paled.
"No, no! Of course not!"
Cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
"I was just curious! That's all."
He quickly turned his attention back to the road.
He really shouldn't have asked.
When you didn't know a person's background, it was better not to ask unnecessary questions. Especially when that person was a young child being sent to an expensive training center.
The rest of the ride was quiet.
'Finally, some peace.'
Ren leaned back and began scrolling through his magic phone.
His decision to visit a training center wasn't impulsive.
He genuinely needed to train.
In this world, a person couldn't simply begin practicing magic immediately after awakening.
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Before someone could properly train in magic techniques, their body had to be strong enough to withstand the strain.
That was why it was best to start strengthening the body from a young age.
If someone waited until they awakened at sixteen before beginning physical training, they would have to spend years building their body before they could properly practice magic techniques.
That was an enormous waste of time.
At minimum, a person needed around five times the strength of an ordinary human to begin practicing magic techniques.
So this was something Ren couldn't afford to neglect.
There was another important benefit to having a strong and healthy body.
A well-nourished body could improve one's life level. When the time came to awaken at sixteen, that stronger foundation could help a person awaken a higher-tier talent than they otherwise would have.
In other words, physical training could affect not only how quickly he could begin practicing magic after awakening, but potentially the quality of his starting talent as well.
'Definitely worth the investment.'
Soon, the taxi arrived.
Ren paid the fare with his magic phone and stepped out.
A large gate stood before him.
Tall walls surrounded the entire facility, and beyond them were rows of trees stretching into the distance.
From the outside, the training center looked almost like a national park.
Ren walked through the entrance and approached a reception counter.
A female receptionist was seated behind it.
When she noticed the young boy approaching alone, she immediately stood up.
"How may I help you, little sir?"
"I'd like a membership."
"Of course."
The receptionist smiled professionally.
"Would you like a monthly or yearly membership? The monthly membership is 5,000 Astra, while the yearly membership is 45,000 Astra."
She looked at Ren.
"Which one would you like, little sir?"
Ren thought for a moment.
"I'll take the yearly membership."
He paid using his magic phone.
The transaction was completed almost instantly, and a new application icon appeared on his phone.
His membership was connected to the application.
The next time he came here, he could simply scan his phone at the gate to enter.
Ren walked over to the entrance and held his phone against the scanner.
A beep sounded.
The gates opened.
He stepped inside.
Ren opened the new application and brought up its map.
The Aethergrove Training Center was enormous.
There were trees everywhere, along with several lakes and paths running through the grounds.
It looked more like a massive park than a traditional gym.
The only thing missing was wildlife.
Ren followed the map toward the beginner training area.
Before he even reached it, he could already hear shouting.
"Come on! You can do it!"
"One more rep!"
"Keep pushing!"
"Don't stop!"
"Push! Push!"
"AGHHHH!"
Weights clattered in the distance.
People grunted and shouted as they pushed their bodies to the limit.
It sounded exactly like a gym.
And when Ren finally reached the beginner training area, it looked the part too.
People were everywhere.
Some were doing push-ups.
Others were performing pull-ups and squats.
Trainers moved between them, correcting their forms and shouting encouragement.
"Keep your back straight!"
"That's it! One more!"
"Don't give up!"
"Again!"
"Come on! You've got this!"
The atmosphere was energetic.
Ren looked around for a moment.
A male trainer soon noticed him.
"You look new here, kid."
Ren turned toward him.
"Yeah. I just joined today."
"Did you come alone?"
"Yes."
The trainer looked slightly surprised.
Then his expression brightened.
"Oh, you're training alone? That's good. I'm one of the trainers here. Come on, I'll guide you."
Ren followed him.
"First things first, we'll start with a warm-up."
The trainer demonstrated several simple movements.
"Do this, then this. Rotate your shoulders. Loosen your legs."
Ren followed along.
Although he had been an athlete in his previous life, he wasn't going to let that experience go to his head and assume he already knew everything.
There was always something to learn, especially in a world where the human body could eventually be pushed far beyond ordinary limits.
The warm-up wasn't difficult.
Once they finished, the trainer moved on to basic exercises.
"Let's start with push-ups."
Ren got down and began.
"Good. Keep going."
After that came pull-ups.
Then squats.
The trainer continued guiding him through various basic exercises.
Ren followed every instruction.
He wasn't here to fool around.
After the exercises, the trainer handed him two small bottles.
"Here. Drink these."
Ren looked at them.
The trainer pointed to the green one.
"This green one is a physical recovery potion."
Then he pointed to the brown one.
"And this brown one is a stamina recovery potion."
Ren already knew about them.
He had looked them up on the magic net.
These potions were essentially cheaper, diluted versions of healing potions.
Each one cost around 50 Astra.
A standard healing potion cost around 3,000 Astra.
However, standard healing potions weren't designed for ordinary training. They were mainly used for treating injuries and were effective on normal humans, while they weren't suitable or effective for mages.
Mages needed higher-grade healing potions, which were considerably more expensive.
The difference in price was enormous.
But for Ren, the world of mages was still far away.
For ordinary training, these cheap recovery potions were much more cost-effective than using standard healing potions.
Of course, rich people might not care about the difference.
For someone like Ren, however, wasting 3,000 Astra every time his body suffered minor training damage would be ridiculous.
The cheaper recovery potions were more than enough for this stage.
They helped the body recover its stamina and repair the damage caused to muscles, tendons, and other tissues during training.
Ren drank both potions.
He then sat down and rested for a while.
The fatigue gradually disappeared.
After some time, the trainer called out to him.
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Then let's continue."
Ren stood up.
He returned to training.
The sounds of exertion continued echoing throughout the beginner training area.
"One more!"
"Push!"
"Don't stop!"
"Come on!"
"Three more!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"Good!"
Somewhere nearby, weights slammed onto the floor.
"AGHHHH!"
"Keep going!"
"You're almost there!"
The noise never stopped.
Ren continued exercising under the trainer's guidance, steadily strengthening his body.
For him, this wasn't simply a workout.
It was the foundation of his future path as a mage.