After resting for a few moments on the ground, Kane stood up, feeling the new energy inside his body. It was something alien to him. Even with all the technological advancements back in his previous world, something like this had only existed in books.
Power—pure power, with the human body alone. No drugs, no technological armor. Only with internal energy, which, if trained, could reach an absurdly high level. "Still, I'll have to descend the mountain to reach the city and eventually find a superior training method."
Kane wasn't going to be stuck with just this one training method, especially since he already knew how limited it was in terms of development. Maybe that's why the village chief had taught it to him so easily.
Brushing off the sand from his clothes, he stepped outside, noticing the light posts illuminating the night. Curiously, instead of regular light bulbs, there were yellow stones, like crystals.
As soon as he stepped out, he saw one of the guards waiting beside the door. "Young Kane, the chief asked me to bring you to the hall when you were ready." With that, the guard waited for Kane's confirmation and then began walking.
"The chief mentioned we're having dinner now. What do you usually eat around here?" Kane asked, curious and hoping it wouldn't be anything too strange. He had no idea what kind of food this world had.
"The usual." The guard responded simply as he turned down a path toward a well-lit, large house—not as large as the training center, but still sizable. Several voices could be heard coming from inside.
"Chief, I've brought him," the guard announced as a crowd of people turned to look at the entrance, making Kane feel uncomfortable with all the stares, but he remained calm. "Ohoho, so you've recovered enough to join us, young Kane."
The old man spoke as he stood up from his chair. It was a large rectangular table, with around 40 people seated around it. They all looked robust, wearing leather clothing with bits of wood attached to their garments like armor.
"This young man is the one I mentioned earlier. His name is Kane, and I've judged him worthy of staying in the village until he's strong enough to descend the mountain on his own. I hope you'll all get along with our guest!"
There were a few murmurs around the room, but most people seemed positive. Of course, there were a few who didn't look too pleased with the news, but Kane didn't care much. He spoke up.
"Thank you for accepting me temporarily in your village. Without that, I probably would've died somewhere in the forest, not knowing what had happened to me." Speaking with a sincere tone, he then glanced at the village chief.
"Ohoho, excellent! Come, sit with us and eat!" It was only then that Kane remembered why they had come here, and he looked at the table, now noticing the numerous dishes laid out.
There was what appeared to be a roasted pig, accompanied by vegetables and an apple in its mouth. Nearby, a large roasted bird—though calling it a chicken didn't seem quite right. The table was filled with similar dishes, along with jugs of wine and water, all in abundance.
Kane swallowed hard as he walked to an empty chair and sat down. "Now that we're all here, let's begin the feast!" As soon as the words were spoken, everyone eagerly attacked the food, eating voraciously. Kane was lost for a moment but soon joined in.
'Check the nutritional levels of the food I'm consuming,' he mentally commanded the AI, which began analyzing the food Kane was eating. He was eating quite a lot too, as he was famished after everything that had happened.
'And my day started with a bomb exploding on me. Who would've thought I'd be dining in another world with strange people!' He laughed internally while continuing to eat. However, he soon noticed something.
Kane had eaten more than he normally would, but as he looked around, the people there were still eating—and eating far more than a human should be able to. And it wasn't just that. Kane had reached his limit and stopped eating, waiting for the dinner to end.
[ Analysis complete. ]
[ All consumed foods are significantly richer and more nutritious than previously consumed foods. ]
This made Kane ponder. If people in this world trained a lot with energy, they would need good food to meet the physical demands of a body with supernatural abilities. Kane doubted there were any steroids in this world for that.
So, the fact that the food was rich and nutritious made sense for the development of this world, having evolved over who knows how many millennia of human progress on this planet.
There were still countless things Kane hadn't learned, and he felt like he had skipped some steps regarding the information he should have gathered by now. However, this village didn't seem to have books for him to study.
After some time, people began to disperse from the dinner table, returning to their tasks or heading to bed, as it was now completely dark outside. Left at the table were only the village chief and Freud, who looked at Kane with a curious smile.
"So it's true, chief? He learned the energy training in just a few hours?" Freud asked, glancing at Kane with little concern. "Yes, I was impressed. His speed of understanding is remarkable."
The old man spoke once more as he stood up, walking toward one of the windows to observe the night. "That's why I want you to train him, Freud. You're one of the best we have in the village, and Kane learns quickly. What do you think, young Kane?"
Kane, who hadn't spoken yet, nodded. "That would be great, chief. I've grasped the basics of the training, but I still need to improve. One day of training won't be enough to accomplish much. If I have someone like Guard Freud guiding me, I think I'll progress much faster."
Of course, Kane didn't particularly like Freud, and the guard was openly against him as well. But what could be better than having someone like that train him? The guard would undoubtedly be tough on Kane during training. Maybe he would want to see Kane give up, or perhaps just take out his stress during sparring. Either way, it was good—an intense training situation was exactly what Kane wanted.
"The boy has guts. I'll whip him into shape soon enough, chief. Who knows? He might even help us during the next invasion," Freud said with a loud laugh, referencing the occasional attacks by the little monsters that tried to invade the village from time to time.
"We'll train every day, morning and night, boy. And when I'm not training you, I want you to help out around the village. There's plenty for those who don't fight actively to do."