The moment the sun rose, Leonard headed for the library. He had only slept for two hours; he at least now knew more information on the Saber class as well as Qi, and what he should do to rise in strength.
He soon reached a familiar building. The Feather who had previously done a test on him was still there guarding the place. Leonard flashed the books at his face; the Feather didn't raise a fuss and let Leonard enter.
Once Leonard entered, he spotted the receptionist lady. She saw Leonard as well, but she feigned a look of indifference. Leonard didn't mind her attitude; he walked up to the counter and placed the books down.
"I've returned the books on time," Leonard said.
The Feather close to him spared him a glance, then looked at the books. Despite the numerous events that had happened to him, the books were still in good condition. The lady took the books and examined them; once she noticed that nothing was off, she gave him a nod.
Once he was given the nod, Leonard made his way to the exit. From start to finish, the lady had not talked to him; either she was just an introvert or she didn't like talking to the uneducated. Either way, it didn't bother Leonard as long as it didn't interfere with his training.
Leaving the library, he headed for the park. During his walk, some people looked at him; the story of his cruelty had spread far and wide. Most of them had a reevaluation of him; he had become a crazed person following the footsteps of a crazed killer.
Once he arrived at the park's entrance, which was run down, he made his way further in. During his walk, he saw all types of people: some lovers, and some relationships consisting of a younger girl and an older man. There was also a number of crimes taking place in broad daylight; it was quite a chaotic place, to say the least. If one looked around, they would notice that no royalty was here.
Leonard soon reached the end of the park. Further in front was an unkempt area filled with tall green trees, grass, and flowers. There were animals such as dogs and cats living there, but it also had humans who were doing unspeakable deeds. This area was sometimes called a mini-park due to its lavish greenery and how large it was; it wasn't as large as a forest, but it wasn't small either.
It also had a local name: the Forest of Crimes. The park was known as a dangerous place due to the lack of Feathers there, but this mini-forest was even worse. If one wanted to commit crimes such as murder, torture, and sex crimes, this was the place. People's screams would fade into the air; blood would stay, but who would care? The mini-forest was a place most avoided; it reminded them of the world they lived in, filled with crimes and not a single good soul in sight. People here lived a truly pitiful life.
Leonard walked further into the mini-forest. He would occasionally see people, see blood, or hear screams for help, but he didn't bother checking on what was happening. Minding your own business was the safest way to live. The people in the mini-forest gave him looks, but most of them seemed to recognize him. None wanted to try something with him; they knew better than to try something with the son of a crazed killer who was slowly seeping into madness.
"PLEASE STOP!!"
Leonard soon heard a loud shout come from a distance away. The voice sounded pained and weak, but soon silence followed. The voice faded as if it had never existed. Leonard looked for a spot not occupied, isolated from the rest of the people. After looking for about thirty minutes, he soon found such a place. It was covered with leaves and vines; tall trees were all around. It was quiet—the kind of quietness that filled people with a sense of fear.
He stood in the area.
"Huff..." He let out a breath of air.
He could see large insects moving around. He would have preferred using a better place for what he was about to do, but this was his only option. He stepped on some fallen branches and cleared some vines; this took roughly twenty minutes to finish. Even when he was done, it was still in a bad state, but it was at least usable.
Once he was done, he first steadied his breathing. Once his breathing was normal, he went into a fighting stance. His right leg was in front while his left was slightly behind; his right hand was raised while his left hand was behind his back. He didn't have a saber with him, but he imagined that he was holding one, or that his finger was a saber due to how he felt whenever he used his power.
Once his stance was ready, he moved a few steps forward and then slashed his hands in multiple directions. His movements were stiff; his legs and arms didn't move the way he wanted them to. They were slower than he expected them to be. His legs were worse, since they moved extremely slowly—not at all the way he imagined it.
He soon changed his stance. This time, he held the imaginary saber with both hands and was slightly squatting. Once he charged forward, he moved with some explosive speed, but that was it; his arms still felt stiff and his later movements were extremely awkward. He changed and changed his stances, trying to see what suited him. Unlike royalty, Leonard had never trained in swordsmanship. He was using basic knowledge fused with other martial arts he had seen before, with glimpses of swordsmanship he had once seen. Books on swordsmanship were hard to find; even wooden swords were hard to find. As such, he had to settle for what he had.
After doing this for about an hour, he stopped.
'I need physical conditioning.'
After training for an hour, he realized why his body was too stiff. Leonard wasn't a slender person; he occasionally worked out, but he had never focused on the areas which were needed when swinging a sword.