Chapter 32: Efficient Nutrition

After lunch was combat training, the physically taxing counterpart to the mental workout that the morning's skill training had been. Karl was certain that if they kept this up for much longer, he would be completely exhausted and just operating on autopilot within a few weeks, but Sergeant Rita didn't seem too concerned. "Isn't it a bit much to have high-intensity classes all day long? It's only four in the afternoon, and I'm so sore that I can barely move," he complained once the training was done for the day. "Fortunately, you have the garden on your balcony to help refresh you until your body adapts. Give it a few weeks, and this will be completely natural to you," Rita insisted. "Is that even how it works?" The Sergeant sighed at his whining and helped Karl to his feet. "That is precisely how it works. The harder you push yourself during the first few weeks, the faster you will adapt to the training schedule. Short-term suffering for long-term gains." Karl sighed. He couldn't actually prove her wrong, but he had a sneaking suspicion that as he got stronger, the training would get harder, so he would never actually adapt to the training level. "Alright, I'll go meditate and get some dinner then. It seems to help with the mental space where Hawk stays," Karl reluctantly agreed. The Sergeant didn't argue with him any further; she just took out her notepad to write down her observations about his practice and the remark about meditation helping. Karl knew that it would likely make it into his routine now that she knew, but it was for the best, as he was going to need it to keep the Windspeed Hawk happy in his living space. Compared to that, the extra effects of growth were just a bonus, as Hawk was very vocal in his mind when he needed or wanted something, so letting it get bored would be a disaster for his mental health. The cafeteria food seemed to be a bit different today. He had ordered the pasta special with a side salad, but the meal tasted a bit different than he remembered, and the energy content was definitely higher. Only a few bites in, Karl felt like someone had electrocuted him, and energy was pouring into his body. He finished the meal and was going to go for a jog to burn off some energy, but it seemed like it would be more worthwhile to meditate and try to integrate some of this energy into the taming space. Hawk was the main source of his power and advancement, so the more he could do to help the beast grow, the better off he would be by the time he graduated. But Karl was beginning to understand why some classes never managed to advance or even unlock their skills. If he hadn't picked up that egg and found compatibility, would he have ever guessed that petting monsters was the answer? Probably not. You would have to be an idiot to try, and the Academy certainly wouldn't have given him the opportunity to touch a living monster just on the off chance that it worked, and he didn't get killed. Once he settled down in the hammock, his preferred meditation spot, and began to focus the extra energy in his body toward the upgrades for Hawk, he found that the excess was transferred very quickly. In only an hour, he found himself hungry again. He could meditate as usual, but the tree was growing quickly in that mental space, and there were some blades of grass around it now. If he just kept loading up on energy, he could probably do much better now than he had before. What had changed wasn't clear, but he could ask the kitchen staff if the menu had changed. It might just be meat from a different monster that was more compatible with him. If that was all it took, he could request it all the time. The kitchen worker looked at him a bit strangely when he returned so soon after a heavy meal, and Karl gave her an apologetic shrug. "It seems that with the breakthrough in my abilities over the weekend, I've got some catching up to do. Even an hour of practice leaves me starving, so I hope you don't mind if I stock up on food to go," Karl explained as he began to load plates. "Just tell me what you need, and I will bring it up in the service elevator," the older woman informed him with a smile. "Did you change the recipe of the pasta special? It seemed different than I remember," he replied. "Nope, same ingredient batch as last week. We didn't get anything in for that dish. Did you want to try a selection and see what works for you? I know that some of the classes get a taste for new things as they train. The Berserkers in particular like extra spicy foods, and the more powerful they get, the spicier they want it." "That sounds like a great idea. If you can give me a bit of each of the specials to start, I will pick the ones that seem best," Karl agreed. She began to load a plate with a little bit of everything, and Karl took it back to an empty table, where he began to work through them one at a time. The effect was the same as the pasta; his body was just absorbing much more energy from the food than it had been before, and the excess was building up for him to channel into Hawk's surroundings. Karl smiled at the cafeteria lady as he returned his empty plate. "I think that the pasta and the meatloaf are the two best specials of the day, but whatever changed in my body, they're all better for my training efficiency." "How much do you need for the evening?" she asked, lining up plates on her counter. "Two each should be enough for the night. I'll come early in the morning so that I can have a heavy breakfast as well."