Two hours later, Theo dropped to the ground, panted continuously, and looked at the sky. "I'm tired."
"…" He had finished four laps in this course, so he thought this was enough.
Crack.
Dried leaves were crushed when Major Sam appeared next to him. "How are you feeling?"
Theo tried to get up since it was rude talking to him like this, but Major Sam patted his shoulder, telling him it was fine.
"I don't think I can do another lap." Theo shook his head in disappointment.
"I see." Major Sam smiled and looked at his document before asking. "How about one more lap?"
"Eh, but…"
"Just one more lap. I will be waiting for you here… Right at this position. In other words, until you finish this lap, I won't move from this place. Can you do one more lap for me?"
"…" Theo furrowed his eyebrows, not knowing why this Major Sam did something like this for him. He thought for a moment, took a few deep breaths according to the rhythm that his master taught him, and calmed his heart.
After that, he rose from the ground with a serious expression. "I understand. One more lap. But I feel like this is going to take a while and there is no guarantee that I will reach this place."
Major Sam didn't say anything and waved his hand.
Theo let out a sigh as he started running again, thinking that he would get into trouble if he disobeyed this command.
He knew that almost every single first-year student had given up, while it was only a portion of the second-year that did the same. It just showed their endurance and high level, so Theo thought no more and tried his best to finish the last lap.
Although his pace dropped, he should be able to finish one lap within an hour. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as he imagined. When he descended the gentle slope, it put a huge burden on his knees, making him unable to sprint in the grassland.
He was soon forced to walk through the muddy swamp. Still, the worst thing that he needed to face was the steep and dangerous slope, especially in his current condition.
In the end, he managed to pass all this, albeit he could barely walk at this point, wondering if the Major really waited for him. Surprisingly, he saw his figure right in the Dense Forest where he stood earlier.
He felt relieved, but at the same time, that adrenaline he had earlier disappeared. His feet went limp as he fell on his knees.
"Kh." Theo gritted his teeth and used his hand to grab the tree next to him to help him walk. It might be turtle-pace, but the Major only smiled at him as if encouraging him to reach his position.
It took him five minutes just to cover fifty feet.
Theo's face was pale, but his eyes were still alive. His back was drenched, but his breathing gradually calmed down.
"I have finished…"
"Well done." Major Sam smiled. "I want to congratulate you for being the top first year in my group and successfully challenge your limit."
"Limit?"
"Yes. What was your thought earlier? I'm done. Too tired to go another lap? But when I asked you to do another lap, you could complete it. That's why you need to know this. Your brain has set a limit upon yourself and you…have never questioned it. However, whether you have reached the limit or not, it's not something that can be answered until you fall unconscious.
"Besides, I can see that your mental endurance is quite good and your breathing has rhythm. I guess you already have a mentor, so I won't bother you that much. I just want to say this… Keep breaking your limit like this. This is important for you, a first-year student, because you need to compete with second and third-grade students."
"I see." Theo nodded and asked. "Why did you help me like this?"
"As I said, you are the top among your peers. Although you seem to be hiding it, it will be known sooner or later. Since you have worked hard to run for the longest and the farthest than anyone in your generation, I should give you a gift, right? This lecture is my gift."
"In that case… Is it possible to—"
"Don't worry. I won't mention your name during the lessons."
"T-thank you." Theo dropped to the ground as he didn't have any more energy to even stand up.
"Anyway, you can rest here for the time being before returning to the middle area. You have another two hours to spend before the physical training, so you can do whatever you want." He then took out a piece of green paper with "55" on it. "Take this with you. This is your identification number as well as the number of your bed."
"Thank you very much." Theo nodded and received the paper. After that, Major Sam disappeared like his master. However, he knew that Major Sam only moved faster than his eyes could follow, not teleported.
Without any other people around him, he leaned on the tree and looked at the blue sky. "My limit, huh."
Since there was nothing to do other than rest, he closed his eyes and began practicing the Breathing Rhythm that his master taught him.
Luckily, he was in the furthest area, so no one would ever bother him.
Even though he needed to run more than the others, the calmness and undisturbed atmosphere were worth it.
…
One hour had passed. Eighty percent of the students had dropped out, and the ones who kept going were only third-grade students. Yet, they also soon stopped and got permission to rest.
Meanwhile, Theo gradually opened his eyes, finding a piece of paper, folded into four, in front of him.
"Eh?" Theo widened his eyes as he didn't expect to find a note. After all, this meant that someone had stopped by and put down the note before leaving without him realizing his/her presence. "Alea Eilric?"
Although he was full of doubt, he reached for the paper, opened it up and read the message.
"After training, head to the Dense Forest and keep going straight. Whatever happens to you, you need to keep going until you meet me, Your Master."
"Ah, it's Master. No wonder someone can put it here." Theo's heart calmed down as he hid the note in his pocket. "Anyway, there is only an hour left, so I think I should return to the middle area. If I have more time, I will practice Awareness until the next session."