Euris stepped into the training hall.
The doors shut behind him with a heavy thud that echoed across the room.
The space was massive. High ceilings, reinforced walls, and scattered equipment designed for people far stronger than him. Even the air felt different in here, thick with effort and discipline.
He spotted Konner almost immediately.
Already sweating.
Already training.
"…Did he even eat?" Euris muttered under his breath. "Or does this guy just run on pure strength and discipline?"
Konner stood near the center of the room, his massive warhammer resting on the ground beside him. The stone beneath it was cracked from repeated impacts.
He looked up as Euris approached.
"Oh. You showed up."
Euris raised a hand casually.
"Yeah. Figured I shouldn't ignore a guy who could fold me in half."
Konner walked toward him, completely unfazed by the comment.
"Are you warmed up?"
Euris blinked.
"…Warmed up?"
He scratched the back of his head.
"Uh… no. Not really."
Konner nodded once.
"Good."
Euris frowned slightly.
"…Good?"
"I was going to make you warm up my way anyway."
Euris felt a small chill run down his spine.
"…And that means what exactly?"
He regretted asking that question almost immediately.
Two hours later, Euris was certain he had made the worst mistake of his life.
"Why… does this even exist…" he groaned, his voice muffled as he struggled to hold an impossible stretch.
Konner's "warm-up" was anything but simple.
It was torture.
Every muscle in his body had been pushed, twisted, and stretched in ways he didn't think were physically possible. Positions that felt like they belonged in ancient punishment methods rather than training routines.
His legs trembled constantly.
His arms burned.
Even his back felt like it was being pulled apart.
"Hold it," Konner said calmly from nearby.
"I am holding it!" Euris snapped, barely able to breathe. "I just think my spine is trying to escape my body!"
Konner did not react.
Time dragged.
Minute by minute, second by second, the strain built up until Euris felt like his entire body had melted into useless jelly.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Konner spoke again.
"You can stop."
Euris collapsed to the floor instantly.
"…I'm dead…" he muttered, staring at the ceiling. "This is what death feels like…"
His muscles twitched uncontrollably.
Even breathing felt like effort.
Then he heard it.
"Now for the second part."
Euris slowly turned his head.
"…You're joking."
Konner shook his head.
"You will jog around the gym. Five laps."
Euris sat up slightly.
"…Five laps?"
Konner said nothing.
That silence was confirmation.
Euris' mind immediately connected the dots.
The academy's training grounds.
The massive size.
The fact that each lap was roughly a mile.
"…You want me to run five miles… after that?"
"Correct."
Euris stared at him.
"…You're insane."
"Start running."
Euris sighed, dragging himself to his feet.
"…I knew this would be bad… but not this bad…"
Still, he started jogging.
At first, it wasn't terrible.
Painful, yes, but manageable.
Then his legs started to feel heavy.
Then his breathing became uneven.
Then it felt like something was actively trying to drag him to the ground.
"…This… can't just be a warm-up…"
He pushed forward anyway.
One step.
Then another.
Halfway through the first lap, his vision blurred slightly.
"…How does he do this every day…"
Then something appeared.
A familiar blue screen.
System Window
Physical Activity Requirement Met+50 XP Awarded
Continue Activity for Bonus Reward
Euris blinked.
"…Wait…"
His exhaustion didn't disappear.
But something else took its place.
Motivation.
He checked his progress.
Level 2 — 100 / 150 XP
"…I'm close…"
His grip tightened.
"…I just need a little more…"
He straightened slightly.
Then picked up his pace.
"I'm not stopping now."
Step after step, lap after lap, he kept going.
His body screamed at him to quit.
His lungs burned.
His legs felt like they were going to give out at any second.
But he kept moving.
Because now, there was a goal.
Because now, it meant something.
Finally, after what felt like forever, he crossed the last stretch.
And collapsed.
Flat on his back.
"…I… hate… everything…" he gasped.
After a few minutes, he forced himself to sit up.
Then slowly staggered over to the water dispenser.
He grabbed a cup and drank.
Then another.
Then another.
"…Oh my god…" he muttered. "That was awful…"
Water dripped down his chin as he leaned against the wall.
After about fifteen minutes, he managed to stand properly again.
He walked back to Konner.
"I did it."
Konner looked at him.
"Good."
Euris let out a breath of relief.
"That was a test," Konner continued. "To see if you would stop."
Euris blinked.
"…That's it?"
"You passed."
Relief spread through his body.
His shoulders loosened slightly.
"…Thank god…"
But Konner wasn't finished.
"Do not misunderstand," he said. "This will not be easy."
Euris' relief vanished instantly.
Konner handed him a piece of paper.
"This is your base training. You will complete it every day for the rest of the week. If you can maintain this, we will move on to more advanced training."
Euris took the paper.
Looked at it.
And sighed.
"…Of course…"
Written clearly:
100 Pull-Ups100 Sit-Ups100 Push-UpsDaily Run
"…This guy is trying to kill me…"
Still, Euris nodded.
"…Alright."
He walked over to the pull-up bars first.
His legs were too shot to start with anything else.
He grabbed the bar.
Pulled himself up.
"…One…"
It was slow.
Painful.
"…Two…"
His arms shook.
"…Three…"
Each rep felt heavier than the last.
But he kept going.
Eventually, after what felt like hours, he dropped back to the ground.
"…Okay…"
Next.
Sit-ups.
Then push-ups.
But something started to bother him.
"…Where's the system?"
No notification.
No reward.
"…Come on…"
he muttered. "I'm doing the work…"
He kept going anyway.
Push-ups.
One after another.
His arms trembled.
His chest burned.
"145…"
"146…"
"147…"
"148…"
"149…"
"150…"
He dropped to the ground.
"…You've gotta be kidding me…"
"I've been doing this forever and nothing—"
A notification appeared.
System Window
Secondary Requirement MetBonus XP Awarded
Euris froze.
"…Finally…"
Level 2 — 150 / 150 XP
XP Cap Multiplier Reached
Level Up → Level 3
+1 Stat Point Awarded
Euris sat up quickly.
"…Yes…"
He opened his status.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Tier: 0 — HumanLevel: 3
STR: 6SPD: 5INT: 10ENG: 5 / 5HUM: 100
Allocate Stat Point?
Euris didn't hesitate.
"Strength."
The numbers shifted.
STR: 7
A grin spread across his face.
"…That's more like it…"
He stood up slowly, still exhausted but satisfied.
"…If I keep this up…"
His thoughts drifted to the tournament.
"…Maybe I won't get destroyed…"
He walked back over to Konner.
"Thanks," Euris said. "For the training."
Konner nodded slightly.
"Be here tomorrow."
"Yeah," Euris replied. "I will."
With that, he turned and left.
The walk back to the dorm felt longer than usual.
His body was drained.
Every step reminded him of the workout.
But there was something else now.
Progress.
He entered the room quietly.
Then crouched down beside the outlet.
"…Alright…"
He pressed his hand against it.
The effect was immediate.
Energy surged through his body.
Warm.
Steady.
The soreness faded.
The pain dulled.
"…That feels way too good…"
He exhaled slowly as the system recharged him.
After a few minutes, he pulled away.
"…Okay…"
He climbed into bed.
His body sank into the mattress.
And within seconds—
He was asleep.