No, it wasn't that kind of "finishing together." Hey, stop having dirty thoughts in your mind! I didn't mean it like that! Ugh! Okay, maybe it's my fault for thinking of such a terrible chapter title, but honestly, don't start looking for innuendos in every little thing!
Anyway, after that little ambush, we continued to run. The group had slowed down because it was necessary for us to conserve our physical strength. For many of us, if we maintained our original pace, they would not be able to complete the training. Even Craig was perspiring profusely and looking a little pale a couple of hours after noon. He made no more mention of going into the forest and hunting monsters, much to the unspoken relief of everyone else, including me.
The training was harder than I thought. Honestly, if it weren't for Dad's training, I would never have made it this far. I would have collapsed by the track from sheer exhaustion a long time ago. Fortunately, it wasn't just Dad, but Jing Tian Academy also maintained a strict physical training regimen for its students. What, did you think the teachers were slacking off on their jobs? They were aware that physical fitness and strong bodies were required to cast spells successfully and to become an excellent mage. Having powerful mana reserves and a proficient understanding of magic alone wasn't sufficient. We needed to be strong both mentally and physically.
The problem was that Feng Hai's physical training was on a whole different level. The guy was throwing us high school students into training meant for commandos and marines. Even ordinary infantry soldiers were subjected to such insane Spartan training. At least not from what I remembered from my past life, anyway.
Then again, comparing this world to my previous world was like comparing apples to oranges. We all called ourselves humans, but the people of this world was clearly built differently from those living almost a millennia ago.
"Are you guys all right? Can you keep going?"
At the front, Alicia asked the rest of the group. She was just as exhausted as Craig, her limbs trembling and perspiration pouring down her pretty but pale face. She looked as if she was on the verge of collapse.
"Yeah!"
"I'm good!"
"Don't push yourself, Alicia!" I called from behind. She gave me a grateful smile.
"Don't worry. I can keep going."
I wondered about that, but didn't argue. If Alicia thought she could maintain her pace, then I wasn't going to argue with her. I just had to make sure I keep an eye on her, just in case she collapsed in the middle.
Unlike Holy Saints, who – true to their individualistic nature – had all ran in front, Black Roses supported each other. Even though Feng Hai had given strict orders that we were not allowed to help each other carry the fifty-kilogram load, he never said anything about banning us from moving together.
"Careful! I see an obstacle!"
Beside Alicia, Pearl shouted out a warning while panting. She was heaving just as much, if not more than Alicia. I was worried that the girls were pushing themselves too much. It wasn't as if I underestimated them. I knew how tough and competent they were, but they really seemed to be overexerting themselves.
The goal of the training was to complete it, not to fall apart in the middle.
"Let me."
Even though I was just as tired as everyone else, I increased my pace slightly and forced my way to the front. As Pearl noted, there was a huge rock in front of us that blocked our path. We could go around it by going through the forest, but as ever, the monsters were still lurking somewhere behind those trees. Given our current condition, none of us had the energy to fight monsters.
So I did the only thing I could think of.
Pausing in front of the boulder, I kicked it. The entire thing crumbled to powder, allowing me to step over it and continue on. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure the others were still following closely.
Pearl gaped at me. "You didn't use any magic, did you?"
"No," I assured her, and then shrugged. "My Dad has been training me in martial arts since I was young."
"Martial arts allow you to do that?" Theodore asked skeptically as he glanced at the powdered rock he stepped over.
"Yeah," Dong Fang Yue Chu replied in my stead as he followed the president of Thunder Hammer Society past the broken debris. "You should have seen what Richard's dad can do without using any magic."
"Dad is probably not human," I half-joked. I was being partially serious because Dad really did pull off some superhuman feats at time, even for a mage. Which was why I highly respected and looked up to him, and was chasing after his shadow. Wiping the perspiration off my brow, I sighed in satisfaction. "Phew."
This training camp would really help me become stronger and allow me to catch up with Dad.
*
As expected, Harrison Reed was the first to reach the training camp. He smiled somewhat modestly as he passed through the gates. Feng Hai nodded in approval when he saw him, and then glanced at the track.
"You're alone?"
"Yes. I somehow managed to run ahead of the others. Sorry, I got too carried away."
Harrison tried not to sound smug as he replied. He was first, as he thought he would. This meant that he had proven his physical capabilities and displayed to everyone that he was number one. That he was the strongest, and thus the most qualified to lead the team of Jing Tian representatives as its captain.
Feng Hai merely gave him a glance, and nodded.
"You can go get a shower, and eat. That's all the training for today."
"Thank you, Instructor Feng." Harrison raised an eyebrow. He thought that Feng Hai would be more impressed with his performance, but his reaction was a little too lukewarm. He had received some acknowledgement, though, so that was probably good enough.
Lily and Cody were next, after an hour. And three hours after them, at around six and just before dark, Alicia and Pearl brought the majority of the group through the gates. By the time we drew close to the camp, I had dropped back toward the rear, having cleared quite a few of the obstacles. Obviously I wasn't the only one. Craig, Theodore and Dong Fang Yue Chu stepped forward to help me. The girls also played a part in overcoming obstacles. It wasn't just rocks. Sometimes it was a bridge that was falling apart, and it required someone's expertise. Obviously I wasn't the type to bridge a crumbling bridge. And Craig could jump further than me, so when we reached the edge of a cliff, he jumped over, grabbed a rope and tossed it over for us to tie it, and then we moved along the rope to cross the chasm.
Stuff like that.
Working together, we were somehow able to have the whole group make it back to the training camp before it got dark.
It wasn't just obstacles. There were a few members who were on the verge of giving up, but we had motivated and encouraged each other. United in spirit, we managed to persevere until the very end, while singing or shouting or even conversing with each other on the most mundane things, to take our minds off the physical exhaustion and pain.
"Excellent."
Feng Hai beamed when he caught sight of our whole group limping the last few dozen meters toward the camp. He clapped as we cleared the final distance and nodded enthusiastically, approval and praise shining on his face.
"All of you finished together! Great job working together and encouraging each other! That's the kind of team spirit I would like to see in the representatives!"
"Thank you, sir," Alicia managed as she heaved wearily.
"All of you, go get a shower, and then grab some chow from the cafeteria. My treat today." Feng Hai grinned. "Again, well done. That's all the training for today, so you can rest after dinner. Do whatever you want. The lounge is open."
"Thank you, sir!"
The lounge was filled with sofas, a pool table, a television, game consoles and various other leisure devices. We rarely earned the privilege to enter the lounge, having been told that the place was off-limits yesterday. As such, we were elated when we heard it was open for use. Though…judging from how exhausted and broken we all were, I doubted any of us were in any condition to use it.
Feng Hai probably knew that, which was why he opened it for our use. Personally, I planned to go to bed immediately after dinner.
Unfortunately for Adam and Terence, they were the most miserable of the bunch. They only reached the camp at nine in the evening, after the sun had set. Their faces still bore bruises from the rocks I accidentally kicked back at them. While rolling about, injured, they ended up drawing the attention from monsters elsewhere in the forest, and were attacked. They used their magic without reserves, but inadvertently escaped to the track while still using spells when they ended up getting overwhelmed by the sheer number of Ruby Spiders. In the end, while they were able to survive, they were disqualified from today's training and lost all their points.
Sucks to be them.
*
Over the next two weeks, we underwent nothing but physical training. I had expected Feng Hai to teach us combat techniques or magic spells, but…nothing.
And Dong Fang Yue Chu's fears proved to be unfounded. Even though we originally thought we would be training in Sen Lin Forest, we never actually went inside the forest. We merely skirted the edges of Sen Lin Forest, but none of us actually went inside it. All we did was run, do pushups, sit-ups and other physical exercises.
I swear, we were all going to become Saitama at this rate.
In the end, we didn't, and the training camp ended. A few students were eliminated, which was only natural. Given there were about thirty students in the training camp, and there could only be ten representatives, including reserves, about twenty students would have to face bitter disappointment. A few from the Super Power Society, a few from other societies, and even one from Holy Saints were eliminated by the end of the two weeks.
"As for the rest of you, you get a break. Rest well, and we'll continue the training camp in a week!" Feng Hai was grinning ominously. "This is just the beginning. All the physical training so far is just to give you a taste of hell, but you haven't gone through true hell yet! The real training begins in a week's time! The group training in Sen Lin Forest will be the real thing!"
Everyone glanced at each other uneasily, but no one objected. By now we were familiar with Feng Hai's temper. He had a short fuse, but he was fair and reasonable. He would never force us into anything that was impossible for us to do. He knew our limits, and while he encouraged us to break them, he didn't just dump unreasonable objectives that would destroy us. He was also aware of the need to maintain morale and avoided crushing our confidence completely. After all, self-belief was important to improving oneself.
So none of us complained. We all nodded.
"Yes, sir!"
"Thank you, sir!"
"Oh, don't thank me yet." Feng Hai's grin spread across his handsome but scarred face. "You'll be cursing me during the group training."