As Kael and Althea made their way to the Training Hall, Althea reported.
“Lord Kael’s physical conditioning will be the first step. You’ll undergo daily exercises to build strength, speed, agility, and stamina. This will include lifting weights, running, and more. Your trainer will be General Deren Ironclad. He is already waiting for you.”
She pointed toward the doors of the Training Hall, signaling Kael to enter. Kael nodded and stepped inside.
The moment he entered, his eyes were drawn to a towering figure. With a broad, muscular frame that spoke of years of rigorous training, the 190 cm tall man looked like a mountain of raw power.
His skin was weathered and tanned, and his steel-gray hair was cropped short. There was a menacing scar on his left cheek, a clear testament to his time on the frontlines.
His piercing blue eyes locked onto Kael, carrying an intensity that could unnerve even the most exceptional warriors.
Kael, who was 6 feet tall, was used to being taller than most people around him, but in the presence of this giant, he felt small—almost like a scrawny, malnourished child.
“You are the Hero?”
Deren’s voice was low, commanding, and unwavering.
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Kael stuttered, a little intimidated by the man’s presence.
Deren narrowed his eyes at that answer, then he noticed something else.
“You didn’t sleep last night.”
“I…” Kael started, but his mind went blank. He had no clue how this man found out. In the end, he couldn’t come up with an excuse fast enough, and—
“I’ll excuse you today, since it’s your first day. But from now on, keep this in mind: I value discipline above everything else. It doesn’t matter if you’re the Hero or not—when you train under me, you will follow my rules.
I want you here by 5 in the morning and back to your bed by 9.
Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
Kael nodded, his voice steady despite being overwhelmed by the general. It was as if the General’s presence was making his body act on its own.
Deren studied him for a moment, then the General shook his head.
“Your body’s a mess. You’re thin, you don’t have enough muscle, and your balance is off.
There’s a lot to work on.
But for now, we’ll start with the most important thing first:
Endurance.”
Without waiting for a response, he pointed to the far end of the hall.
“Ten rounds of this hall.
Now.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kael nodded, his eyes then fell on the Training Hall, and he couldn’t help but marvel at its sheer size. The hall was vast, with a high ceiling that reached at least twenty feet above.
Massive stone pillars supported the ceiling. The stone floor beneath Kael’s feet was smooth but had a few cracks and craters all over the place. Kael wondered why that was the case but didn’t think too much about it.
The entire hall was divided into different sections, each designed for specific types of training.
To the left, there were large wooden dummies, some of them had cuts from arrows or blades. Next to them was a set of iron targets embedded into the walls, some dented, others scorched.
A few weapon racks were scattered around, holding a variety of blades, staffs, and spears.
The center of the hall was marked by a series of training mats, some were rolled up along the walls.
It was like those functional fitness gyms back in his world. There were heavy ropes for climbing, rings for swinging, and thick wooden beams for balance training. There were even some weights lying around for weight training.
Usually, this Training Hall was never empty, as most soldiers spent their time here, pushing themselves to the limit to better themselves. Right now, however, the hall was emptied out so that Kael could train in peace.
“What are you wasting time for?
Start running!”
General Deren’s voice thundered through Kael’s ears, jolting him awake.
“Y-Yes, sir.”
He nodded as he started jogging.
And that was his first mistake.
“If I wanted a turtle, I’d have gone to a Beast Store!
MOVE IT!”
Deren shouted, his voice so overwhelming that Kael’s body acted on its own, and he sped up.
“Y-YES!!”
His body was stiff and uncoordinated. After all, he had stayed up all night, not to mention he was bad at sports from the beginning.
To Deren, however, all of that didn’t matter.
“Is that the best you can do!?
Run before I start running after you!”
He shouted.
“YES!!”
Closing his eyes, Kael sped up even further.
His breathing began to quicken, but before he could settle into the rhythm,
Whoosh
BOOM
Something whistled through the air behind him. A sudden surge of heat and force made Kael stumble forward. Involuntarily, he turned around and saw the stone floor a few feet behind him had shattered.
‘What in the hell…?’
At the center of the destruction, was a massive spear. Its steel tip had pierced deep into the ground, steam rising from the raw impact.
“RUN AS IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!
BECAUSE IT NOW DOES!!!”
Kael then heard a loud scream that almost tore his eardrum.
He raised his head and saw General Deren standing at the starting line. In his hand was another spear. Without a word, Deren raised it above his shoulder. The cold gleam of the weapon haunted Kael.
‘T-This old man’s crazy!!’
He widened his eyes in disbelief.
He wondered why the floor here was so damaged, didn’t he?
Well, now he had the answer!
It was this crazy old man!!
Kael, however, wasn’t given time to think through much as he saw the crazy man throw the second spear. This time, the spear was aimed at him.
“!!!”
Kael’s body moved, running at a speed he didn’t even know was possible.
His legs pumped with every ounce of strength he could muster. His breath came in frantic gasps, and his heart pounded like a war drum.
He didn’t care about form, rhythm, or balance—he only cared about one thing: getting as far away from that spear as possible.
Whoosh
BOOM
Another whoosh cut through the air, followed by an explosive sound as a second spear struck the ground just a few feet to his right.
The impact sent small shards of stone flying all over the place, some even grazing Kael’s arms and legs.
“Fuckk!!”
Kael cursed and pushed himself harder, his body screaming in protest, but in a life-and-death situation, it didn’t matter.
“That’s right!”
Deren nodded.
“Keep running like this. Remember, ten rounds, and if you slow down even once, be ready for the spear.”
‘T-Ten rounds!?’
Kael had completely forgotten about it.
He looked ahead. Not even half the track was completed, and he was already out of breath. How was he supposed to do this ten more times at his current speed!?
This simply wasn’t possible!
Who said it?
The science says so!
There were too many factors that limited humans from sprinting at their highest speed for more than a few seconds: energy systems, muscle fibers, oxygen supply, lactic acid build-up, and many more!
What Deren was demanding wasn’t physically possible!
Whoosh
BOOM
“WHY DO I SEE YOU SLOWING DOWN ALREADY!?
MOVE IT!”
Of course, the crazy old man didn’t care about it at all.