Chapter 19: Volume II. Chapter XIX. – The First Week

We met up with the Master before the mansion’s entrance. From that point on, we were meeting a few more challenges, each one harder than the previous. First was a basic workout session - squads, sit-ups, and push-ups, but it also involved a sparring session with Master Abe; We couldn’t touch him. Not to mention, we still couldn’t use our gifts.

Our next exercise… Well, maybe ‘task’ would be a better word. He has ordered us to swim across a spring-cold lake. This lake was vast. I’m an excellent swimmer, but the first half of the swim tired me out so much I nearly drowned on my way back. I was lucky Hidiku was close to help me out.

Next up was a session of meditation beneath a waterfall - a classic. We considered it as a break from the other exercises. Right now it doesn’t seem like it, as the water pressure is large enough to tire me out even further. Though, I feel like it will be our saving point in the upcoming days.

And last but not least - mountain climbing. We crawled up the highest mountain we could find. All the way to the top. A lot of its parts were very steep; a single wrong step and I could have fallen to my doom.

That concluded our first day of training. By the time we got home, the sun has fallen beyond the horizon, and the moon rose in its stead. And us? Beat, our strength became nonexistent. It took a lot of effort just to clean myself up and get to bed.

The next day, the sound of a horn woke us up early in the morning; the Master has gone all out. Why does he even have that thing?

Our exercises remained the same, just that Master gave us weights to wear all day. And that’s how what used to be training became torture. Tree logs not heavy enough? No worries, just carry these weights on your feet and ruin your day. But It wasn’t just our feet. We had them on our arms, depending on the exercise. Except for the sparring session, that was the only part where we could drop those things.

Dragging those logs got so much harder, which prolonged the task… all of them. The basic routine became a hardcore session instead. Swimming across the lake seemed more like suicide, considering the fact I already nearly drowned just the day before. We had to use a wooden log as support for the time being.

Climbing the mountain wasn’t any safer either. With the weights on our legs, falling from a height that would normally cause you bruises could now easily break your ankles.

Thankfully, there was no difficulty increase in our meditation session, truly serving as a break from the rest of the exercises - our salvation. By the time we got home, it was midnight. That’s like four hours later than the day before. I’ve never slept as hard as that night.

Day three - nothing changed, and yet everything got harder. Our weights remained the same, but our muscles were already crumbling after the first two days. I’ve never felt so sore in my life. It has really hit me from the get-go. Despite using a support plank for our swimming exercise, I was planning on giving up, but Hidiku encouraged me from up front. I quote, ‘Get your ass moving, you weakling. If you give up here, you will only prove to us you are worthless after all. If that’s the case, then go drown alone!’.

Ouch… I assume the idea was to piss me off and use the anger as a drive. It worked. Not to mention, he was out of breath himself. I was worried he would give out and drown before he would finish talking. At first, I only thought Master Abe was trying to kill us, but at that point, I was certain.

Thank god for the meditation break. It was the only reason we could climb the mountain. Even then, Hidiku had to make an effort just to kick my butt to get me climbing. He didn’t hold back either. I think we got home even later that day.

That night I couldn’t sleep well. I kept waking up covered in a cold sweat. I think I was having nightmares regarding our hometown, but by the time I woke up, I couldn’t remember anything, and I think it was for the best. My sleep schedule was falling apart. On the flip side, Hidiku had no complaints, quite the opposite. He was almost boasting about his good night’s sleep. The situation was dire. A night’s sleep was the only proper way for my body to recover, but that was slowly being removed from the options list.

Despite all that, that day, I felt lighter. It was like my body was adjusting to all the stress, or maybe healing. Though, the change felt rather sudden. I imagined it would take at least a week before I see any changes in adaptability. One thing is for sure; I did a lot better compared to the day prior. I was slowly outperforming Hidiku, as he didn’t feel any better.

By the time our training was over for the day, my body didn’t feel any worse than after day one. Now that I look back at it, I didn’t find it strange at all. My partner took longer to finish, but I couldn’t wait to go to bed and so I left him behind. I was in such a hurry I tripped on a tree root and my cut my shoulder on a sharp branch. It stung a lot. I can vividly remember the amount of swearing I did as I waged war against the tree in question. It was a pretty severe cut, deep enough to leave a nasty scar behind.

Day five - my condition has further improved; I was leaving Hidiku in the dust. Oh, how the tables have turned. The Master couldn’t believe my obvious rapid improvements during our sparring session, so he paused the training for a drug test… At first I thought he was joking, but that changed when he ordered me to undress. I’ve made sure to give him an ear-full of a lecture about sexual harassment. Where would I even get drugs? We are literally in the middle of nowhere!

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During my evening bath, I noticed the wound on my shoulder got smaller. For a wound reaching across my whole shoulder to be downsized to just half its original size in just a day… I was finally realizing what was going on. I didn’t want to believe it, but it was my fresh demon side doing its part. I tried to stop thinking about it, put back on my bandages and went to bed.

The last two days weren’t much different. My partner was getting back into pace and Master finally started believing in our determination. The wound was gone by the end of the sixth day, but the biggest changes were to our whole bodies. Sure, we had some muscle base before this. But we have well-defined our muscles through a week of pure strength and endurance training. I always wanted a visible six-pack!

I, Hidiku, and Master Abe now stand at the top of our hopefully last climbed mountain, as we observe the setting sun covering the skies in a mixture of red and gold. We finished sooner than the very first day.

“Well done. You have passed the first week. The worst part is over. I’m proud of you both.”

Our Master announces as he stands between us and pats our heads. I giggle to myself and Hidiku exhales with a cheerful tone; We couldn’t be happier. I mean, these past seven days were mostly hell. I drop to my knees after the realization of our success strikes me directly.

“It’s…. Over?”

I feel filthy. I want to take a bath already and celebrate by sleeping three days straight. Though that plan gets trashed as I register his chuckling voice.

“We have not finished just yet, kid. As I just said, the first week is over. I will give you one day to rest.”

Oh, come on! My celebration plan! Let out a deep sigh to express my obvious disappointment.

“So what are we doing next, Master?”

Asks Hidiku. He doesn’t seem to be too worried even though he’s in a worse shape than myself.

“That’s a good question. How about we start with the basics of using your gift?”

“Our gifts? But we already know how to use those. Can’t we do something more entertaining?”

I object; I think I already have the basics down for my gift. Though, I’m still glad to train using my power.

“Alright then, Yuuna. I’m expecting you to show me a perfect example once we resume.”

Oh man, I have a bad feeling about this. Why did I open my mouth? The sound he makes as a smug expression forms on his face doesn’t make me feel any more confident. I wonder what he has in store for us.

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