Chapter 19 -19-Underground Training Area

Chapter 19: Chapter19-Underground Training Area I came downstairs and saw Allen waiting for me at the entrance of the office. As I approached, he greeted me with his usual question, "Young master, how was your work?" I sighed to myself. This guy, seriously... He acts like a robot. Even in the past, when the old Michael would come back after just three hours of work, Allen would ask him the same question every single day when he picked him up. "It was exhausting," I replied, trying to hide my irritation. "I see," Allen responded. Seriously? Is that all he has to say to me? Can't he continue a conversation? I guess not, but it's fine. I'm not that talkative anyway. Allen took me to the car, opened the door, and I got in without much thought. After closing the door, he got in on the driver's side and started the car. He wasn't actually driving; he was just sitting in the seat while the car drove itself. Like I said before, all vehicles here are automatic. After the car started moving, I leaned back and thought about what to do next. I didn't have any specific tasks, so what should I do now? I couldn't just sit in my room and read books; that was too boring and annoying, especially since I never liked reading as a backbencher. After thinking a bit more, I decided to spend my time training with my dagger and improving my fighting skills. But for that, I need a training ground just for myself. "Allen, is there a training or practice ground where only I can practice, just me and no one else?" I asked. Allen turned around and examined my face and body language with a blank expression. I couldn't read his expression; he was still a mystery to me. I knew why he was looking at me that way. The old Michael used to skip training sessions when he was young, even in his early twenties. He didn't enjoy training or practicing, which is why his fighting skills were poor. You might wonder how he got an Iron rank. Well, he used to hunt and kill other hunters. Instead of getting monster essences, he collected human essences, which boosted his rank without him realizing it. After a quick look at me, Allen nodded and said, "Sure, Young Master, we've got some training spots." "Great, then let's go to one," I replied. "Okay, as you say," Allen answered politely. After our conversation, I closed my eyes and drifted into a dreamy state of thoughts. After what seemed like thirty minutes of traveling, we finally reached our destination, which was actually my home. I was really shocked when Allen informed me there was a secret training area below our mansion. As we walked down the hallway of the mansion, Allen guided me to the final room. I paused and inquired, "So, is this the training room you talked about before?" "No, Young Master," Allen replied calmly. He opened the door, revealing... An elevator? What on earth? I was taken aback, expecting a training room but finding an elevator instead. Who designed an elevator like this? Lost in thought, I watched as Allen stepped into the elevator and gestured for me to follow suit. Without hesitation, I stepped inside. The elevator slowly descended into the depths of our mansion. Finally, with a soft ding, it came to a halt, and the doors slid open to reveal an endlessly spacious room. High ceilings towered above, with walls lined with various training equipment. There were targets for practicing aim, dummies for honing combat skills, and even two small arenas for sparring. Everything I could possibly need to improve my fighting abilities was right here at my fingertips. 'Wow, what a huge place.' I exclaimed silently. This training ground has everything a hunter could ever want. Allen stepped out from the elevator and turned to me, spreading his arms wide. "Here we are, Young Master," he said, gesturing around. "This whole place is your private training room." Excitedly, I stepped forward, eager to explore my new training ground. As I entered, I made a rush for the equipment section. Examining the area closely, I discovered that the weapons were divided according to their ranks. My eyes lit up as I saw the highest-ranking equipment available. When I discovered the highest rank of equipment available, I was so excited that I felt like jumping and laughing hysterically in my head. There were ten Ace-ranked weapons, twenty Platinum-ranked weapons, and so on. But my gaze was fixed on a particular Ace-ranked weapon: the Venom Fang Dagger. Its zig-zag patterned body called out to me, and I couldn't tear my eyes away. Lost in fascination, I reached out to touch the daggers when Allen's voice stopped me in my tracks. "Young master, please stop," he said calmly, causing me to turn and face him. "Those higher-ranking weapons are only suitable for when you reach that particular rank. Otherwise, they're just another piece of garbage." I glanced back at the dagger, feeling a pang of disappointment. Seriously, did he just call them garbage? No way, right? I sighed... But, if I really think about it, he might be right. I don't think I can handle an Ace-Rank weapon at my current level. But, still... I want that... It's look so amazing. "But is there no other way?" I asked, my gaze lingering on the Ace-ranked weapon. Allen shook his head. "No, Young master. You have to elevate your combat abilities and develop your own style and technique to reach that level." With a resigned sigh, I accepted his advice. "Okay, as you say." Turning away from the Ace-ranked weapons, I made my way towards the section displaying Iron-ranked equipment. However, Allen's voice stopped me once again. "Sorry to interrupt, master," he began, his tone apologetic. "But your combat abilities don't match those of Iron-ranked hunters. Even though you hold the same rank, you've mostly skipped training, which has left your body's combat condition lacking." I frowned, realizing the truth in his words. "So, what rank of weapon do you suggest I use then?" I inquired, eager to find a suitable option. "A bronze rank," Allen replied without hesitation. "I believe that would be more suitable for you at this stage." With a nod, I acknowledged his suggestion. "Alright then, let's go with bronze-rank weapons." Adjusting my focus, I moved towards the section displaying bronze-rank equipments. After searching through the bronze-rank weapon area, I found ten daggers, but none of them sparked any excitement in me. They seemed like just ordinary weapons. While examining them, I remembered that I also had a bronze-rank weapon given by the system. I decided to check it out. However, there was a problem: Allen was behind me, watching my every move carefully. To get that weapon out, I needed to distract him so I could take the dagger from my inventory. But what should I do? But what could I say to him? Suddenly, my eyes stopped at the dummies. An idea struck me. 'Oh, yes, I can use that.' Without turning around, I told Allen, "Allen, go set up those dummies and assign them with their ranks." "Sure thing, Master," Allen responded, and he went off to do what I asked. Once he was gone, I swiftly opened my inventory and pulled out the dagger. It looked ordinary in design, but it appeared much sharper than the ones I had seen before. I wondered why. Was it because this dagger was crafted by the system, while the others were made by humans? I couldn't figure it out, but that explanation made the most sense to me. I turned around and walked towards the dummies area. As I got closer, I saw Allen standing there in his usual butler's posture. When I approached, I asked, "All set?" He nodded silently. Looking ahead, I saw about fifty robot dummies, but only one was on. Confused, I looked back at him, ready to ask, but Allen spoke first. "I know what you're thinking, Young Master, but at your current level, you can't handle two of them." For some reason, I felt like he was completely sure I couldn't manage two. It annoyed me a bit, but I let it go since he knows more about combat than I do. "Okay, I understand," I said. Allen stepped back, making some distance between us. I gripped both of my daggers and prepared myself for the upcoming battle. The dummies looked like giant robots powered by monster cores. I knew this from Michael's memories; even though he skipped most training sessions, he went a few times and learned some things. There was a switch on the robot's forehead that glowed green, showing it was active, while the others had red switches, meaning they were off. Each robot had a small glass panel with a mechanism to set its rank. For now, I assumed the active one was set to Iron rank. Allen's voice called out, "Start!" The robots were voice-controlled, another detail from Michael's past.