As snow began to thicken on the city streets, running beca an entirely different experience for Leon. Determined to maintain the routine he had started and kept up consistently for the past three months, he donned warr, more covered clothing.
Running in this colder season was far more challenging. He found himself running out of breath more quickly, especially as the biting air pierced through his lungs.
Discipline was no easy feat-it required hard work and perseverance. It felt like he had nothing else to do in his life except train and manage his ga activities. Running, martial arts training, attending university, fulfilling social needs with his sister, and friends, and keeping up his in-ga schedule. Damn, his ti was completely occupied.
Whenever he felt the urge to slack off, he reminded himself of the imnse privilege he currently had, forcing himself to push through. He wanted to quit countless tis. Why was he pushing so hard with this physical training? He had so many other responsibilities- cutting back to running just two or three tis a week would be easier.
But then, he realized one crucial thing: the hardest challenge in the world was consistency and discipline.
Panting heavily, Leon stopped in front of a park bench where two girls sat-Lily and Freya.
"Leon... please give up, co on, just give up," Freya teased, laughing softly.
Lily, also seated there, handed him a bottle of water. "Had enough?"
Leon sat down between them, still gasping for air. His sweat seed to freeze instantly in the cold.
"Not quite," he panted, managing a grin. "But I needed a break."
They sat there in the park as children not far from them began to play, and families enjoyed the chilly yet sunny afternoon with their little ones. The three of them, however, relished the calmness of the serene day.
"You're not going to drop dead from exhaustion with all your crazy activities, are you, Leon?" Freya teased, nudging his shoulder and laughing softly.
Leon turned to his left and shook his head. "Please take to a good hospital if I ever collapse from overexertion, okay?" he responded with a smile.
"He is surely the irony of being a sloth Champion, right?" Lily remarked, laughing along.
They then delved into more random topics while Lily and Freya exchanged jokes, with Leon caught in the middle of their banter.
Unlike the other two, whose light-hearted chatter filled the air, Leon's mind wandered as he sat relatively still. He couldn't help but think about everything he needed to accomplish, his thoughts swirling with the tasks ahead. He worked to keep his ntal to-do list organized.
What's missing? he wondered, striving to ensure he wouldn't overlook any important responsibilities.
First, he considered his real-life responsibilities. Leon admitted that he hadn't been able to keep up with all his campus activities as well as he would have liked. This was perhaps his biggest sacrifice. Still, he managed to attend at least half of his classes, just enough to not fall too far behind and to pass exams without failing.
But he received significant help from Laura in this matter. She often made detailed notes and sent them to him, ensuring he didn't miss out on anything important. Her contributions were substantial and greatly appreciated.
He needed to repay her in so way. What could he do for her?
Next was his training schedule. He was disciplined about his running, taking just one rest day
a week. He also spent ti at the gym, even if only for an hour, lifting weights sufficiently and then capping it off with a swim.
Then ca his martial arts training, including his Kenjutsu and practice with other types of weapons. Despite the heavy and exhausting nature of his regin, he managed to fit everything into his schedule.
His body often felt on the verge of breaking down from the intensity.
But as his belief affird, when he struggled with sothing, it wasn't because he couldn't do it—it was just that he needed more ti to adapt. And he proved himself right. Through perseverance and consistency, he gradually beca accustod to the rigors of his demanding schedule.
His in-ga agenda was just as demanding. Monitoring the city-building efforts in Slumdon Town kept him busy, though he was fortunate to have help from Livelywood, Charlyn, and Freya. Thanks to their efforts, many things were already neatly organized, and his role was primarily to oversee and ensure everything ran smoothly.
The next big expedition he had planned was the journey to the Wildwood to hunt the Eternal Fla Fae Beast. Although this had to be slightly postponed, it was still very much within the overall plan.
His crafting projects were almost complete. Soon, he would have a new Greatsword, a new Battle Pickaxe, and a new Ranger suit. He aid to have these ready before his expedition with Marlene to Hell.
What else? Everything else seed to be on the right track, right? He might not have completed everything precisely on ti, but he was making good progress.
"Lily, listen," Freya said excitedly. "Do you know what I saw today at Leon's campus?"
"Yes, what is it? Tell , Freya," Lily responded with curiosity.
"Guess," Freya teased. "Sothing really sweet and, oh... very youthful."
"Uhm... wait, does it have sothing to do with the letter L?"
"Wait, how did you guess so easily?"
"So, really? It's Laura? What's going on? Tell ."
"Leon was walking with his ex, like, I don't know. What do you think, Lily? Do you think there might still be sothing between them?"
"Hmm, it's possible. But we'd need to see more to be sure. Relationships can be complicated,
you know?"
Leon quickly silenced Freya by holding her chin with his left hand.
"Can you please... shut... up."
"Leon, you know, that's rude to a girl," Lily chid in.
"Yes, he's so rude because he thinks he's getting close to a lot of girls."
Freya then jumped up and stood in front of Leon, who looked at her, puzzled.
She kicked a pebble on the ground, hitting his foot. "Just because you're becoming more popular doesn't an you can treat any way you like, you know."
"You kicked a pebble at ."
"So what? Are you going to retaliate?"
"I can run fast," he replied.
"So, do you think you can catch while you're out of breath and exhausted? Catch if you
can," Freya taunted.
"You asked for it," Leon said, preparing to give chase.
Leon quickly stood up as Freya took off running. He chased after her, but Freya weaved between the trees, laughing as she tried to evade him. They both seed to be genuinely enjoying the playful chase, laughter ringing out between them-sothing rarely seen from
Leon.
Lily remained seated on the park bench, observing them in silence. She tilted her head, feeling
a familiar sense of déjà vu. It reminded her of a ti when she felt her brother gave more attention to soone else. She would watch her only brother play and joke happily with
soone. A girl.
Is it true? Did that really happen? It felt like it had been ages ago, right?
For so reason, Freya reminded Lily of soone from their past. The laughter, the
interaction, the feeling-it all ca rushing back to her.
Fre...da? Lily thought to herself.
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