The Master of Cards Chapter 21: Banished

Alex walked around the entire day. He spent walking around his own house, his childhood places like the playground as well as other places he used to visit as a kid.

He walked around to Luke's house. His childhood friend who ended up in madness due to power. He knocked on the door of the house and it was opened by his mom.

"Alex! I heard you moved out from the neighborhood." She said.

"I did. I thought I'd pay you all a visit, after what happened." Alex said.

Luke's mom invited him in. Alex greeted and talked to the mother and father of Luke who were both at home. Their lives had been terribly changed because of Luke's complicity in the crime.

Later Alex returned to the dojo. Old Ren saw him and was shocked. "Kid, what happened? Did you cry?"

Alex didn't reply. After some time he spoke. "Old man, house me until the college examinations. As for payment for the training and food and your guidance, consider it a loan. I will pay it to you later. Don't take any money from the Lune family."

"Kid did you hit your head? What crap are you spouting?" Old Ren asked.

"My father called me to tell me about the glorious history of the Lune family and why I was made an outcast. He also made me understand that I was banished from the family for my own good. Since that is the case, I do not need their charity. If you do not wish to train me any further, that is also fine. I'll pay you back once I start earning." Alex said coldly.

"Kid, you... were you really banished?" Old Ren asked, his eyes had a tinge of red.

"Yes. I was born with poor talent." Alex replied.

"Kid...don't worry. You can always stay here. I don't care if you are a Lune or not, you are my student. Stop talking about stupid things like payment." Old Ren said firmly.

Alex took in a deep breath. He shook his head and went to the gravity chamber to practice. The old man shook his head.

The next couple of months passed by, Alex spent all his time forging his seed with the source energy, while practicing in the gravitation chamber to improve his body. He also spent a lot of time learning to fight with Old Ren.

Old Ren was surprised by Alex's aggressiveness in combat as well as his dedication in working hard. The school incident had left a huge impact on the students and Alex took the opportunity to simple take several months off in the name of recuperation.

Alex's seed had become extremely firm and hard like a sharp gemstone along. Alex had been constantly focused on increasing the seed's density to the limit.

Eventually he realized that his seed's density was once again limited by the physical bottleneck. This time, Alec once again went to Old Ren.

"Old man, I need another method to improve or break the physical bottle neck." Alex said.

"You know that it is a painful process, why do you want to go through it." Old Ren asked.

"You know why. I want to do the best I can, improve the foundations to the limits. I may not be talented, but I will do the best that hard work can allow." Alex replied

Old Ren sighed. "Most of the methods to increase the body's strength and vitality limit are not suitable for those who haven't formed cards. You will be taking a risk."

"I am ready." Alex replied.

Old Ren thought for a while. "I am not the most suitable person to lead you on this path. I will call on a friend's help."

Ren then called a person and explained his situation.

"Damn, you got yourself a disciple? Why did you not tell this old man?" A voice grumbled on the other side of the call. "Where is the kid?"

"At the dojo." Ren replied.

An hour later an extremely old person with a walking stick and an extreme hunchback slowly walked into the Dojo.

"Son, I did not expect you to maintain the dojo so well. Was my impression of you wrong?" The ancient man asked.

Ren coughed. "The Dojo was repaired by my student. Father, you have a way to help him?"

Old man snorted. "Just take me to him."

Ren lead him to a room where Alex was absorbing the source energy, using his body to compress the energy even further, but he seemed to be at the limit. He opened his eyes to see a hunchback old man putting all his weight on the stick.

"Good kid. You can work hard." The old man smiled through his decrepit face. "I am your teacher's father. My name is Alok."

Alex bowed his head. "I pay respects to the grand teacher." He said respectfully.

"Good, my son said you want to improve your physical body? Have you formed the seed?" Alok asked.

"I have indeed formed a seed and reached a bottleneck in compressing its density further." Alex said.

Alok tapped his stick on the ground as he walked.

"Painful but more gains, or painless but fewer gains, which will you choose."

"More gains. I can bear pain. I want to build the best foundation that is possible." Alex said.

Alok nodded. "Good, then the first thing you need to do is to face a beating."

Alex raised his eye, but nodded. Alok continued. "I will instruct you in an exercise, which has ten forms. The forms are extremely easy to practice, once you display them, I will hit you once in each position."

Alex agreed and received a scroll from the old man and quietly analyzed the ten forms. They were extremely simple moves, amd Alex had no qualms performing all ten moves once.

Alok nodded. "Now perform the first move. No matter how much it hurts, you must hold the position until the pain disappears."

Alex took the first position and suddenly felt the stick striking his calf muscle. Initially there was no pain, but gradually a pain emerged from that point, threatening to completely engulf Alex. The pain reached an unbearable limit and Alex felt like coughing blood, but he swallowed it down. The pain burned his entire body.

Chapter end