Training

Nathan told Sillia that just using her skill until she reached her limits would help train her endurance. But she insisted on training the old-fashioned way as well. So, after the restaurant closed for the evening, Sillia informed Anita that she wanted to take this opportunity of having food, money, and a place to sleep to work on her health.

If she had better stamina, she could contribute more to the restaurant without needing as many breaks.

Anita didn't care even if Sillia took her time to recover after living on the streets. As long as she ate a lot and kept working as hard as she did during the day, she would sooner or later get used to the workload. If anything, Anita worried that Sillia was pushing herself too hard.

If she hadn't awakened her skill and undergone a subtle evolution, it wouldn't have been wise to start training when she was already working like an ox during the day. But since she had, it would be fine.

Besides, Nathan watched over Sillia. Since there was no way Anita would let Sillia roam around outside late in the evening, she had Nathan accompany her to the gym.

Nathan would have gone anyway, but now he didn't need to cook up a reason. He didn't mind telling his mom the truth, but Sillia wanted to strengthen her skill before doing anything.

Nathan ignored the teasing look in his mom's eyes as he accompanied Sillia without objection and stepped outside with Sillia.

"Is this the strongest you can make it?"

Sillia shook her head.

"No. But if I make the barrier any stronger, I can't keep it up for more than an hour."

"I guess that's good enough."

Nathan didn't want to leave his parents home alone. But it should be fine for an hour.

Back inside, Terrence was having trouble understanding the situation.

If it was so easy for Nathan to go to the gym, why had he insisted on using his father as a weight? He had noticed Nathan's reluctance to leave, especially after the last time. But he had no trouble doing so now when it was to accompany Sillia.

'Is that it?'

Terrence frowned. Did Nathan put Sillia above his own father?

Terrence was disappointed and slumped his shoulders as he returned to the bedroom.

Anita shook her head as she looked at her foolish husband. She wondered if he would realize on his own that Nathan did it to bond or if she should tell him. After all, if Nathan's story was true, which she assumed it was, he hadn't seen his parents in decades.

Even if it was by using his father as a weight, it was only natural Nathan wanted to spend time with them. He also spent the days and every break chatting with Anita as she cooked.

Anita glanced at the door again. It was good that he was making friends his own age.

Anita tilted his head. They weren't quite the same age, though. She shrugged. She doubted Nathan had matured or grown up a lot in his old timeline.

'It should be fine.'

With that thought, Anita left to join Terrence in the bedroom. Nathan hadn't seemed emotionally interested in Sillia. He just had something brewing.

The gym Nathan chose wasn't anything special. It was the closest. That was why he had picked it. But it was small and not very popular, which was nice. So, late at night, when people preferred staying in their homes in safety, the gym was completely barren.

Avalio City might be safe on the surface, but there were villains everywhere. There was no need to take unnecessary risks and wander the straits or hit the gym this late.

"Three more!"

Nathan wouldn't have had any qualms about it, even if the gym was packed. He didn't care about others.

But it made it easier for Sillia to concentrate on her workout when she didn't have to worry about others looking at her and the noisy Nathan.

She obediently squatted three more times.

"Come on! Two more!"

It wasn't the first time Nathan didn't follow the rules of counting, so Sillia did two more, even if she felt like collapsing.

"One more!"

…

"One more!"

Nathan didn't let Sillia stop. But somehow, she managed to keep going. Nathan told her to and believed in her, so she squeezed out strength she didn't even know she had.

Eventually, Nathan let her rest. She had already hit her limit.

Thanks to Peerless Perception, Nathan could analyze Sillia's condition. He could tell when she had strength left, when she needed to change her form, if she was using the right muscles, and when she needed to rest before she injured herself.

Nathan was reluctant to take pride in it, but his skill was very useful when it came to aiding others. Whether it was during training or using skills, he could see through it all and point out flaws, thanks to his bountiful experience of finding and targeting his opponent's weaknesses.

Before his regression, Nathan never would have thought he would be using his skill and expertise for the sake of others. 

'It's incredible how a miracle like regression can alter the future.'

Nathan mused as Sillia rested and drank water. When she recovered enough, it was right back to lifting weights until she was on the brink of tasting blood in her mouth.

Nathan smiled as he saw Sillia's desire for strength gradually get squashed. 

She had been excited ever since last night. After all, even when living on the streets, she had heard about awakeners becoming heroes or using their skills for great things to earn a lot of money and rise to the top of the world seemingly overnight.

However, it wouldn't be good if Sillia's motivation disappeared entirely.

If she had been someone Nathan was planning to torment, he would have continued until she broke. But since she was supposed to protect his parents, she needed strength. It was just that she needed to be in control of her desire for growth, not the other way around.

So, when the light in Sillia's eyes started to dim, Nathan called it for the night and carried her home. She fell asleep on his back before they even left the gym.