Fuyu regarded Ryoshi with a critical eye. "I need to test your physicality."
"I'm stronger than I look, you know," Ryoshi asserted confidently.
"Prove it," Fuyu challenged.
Without hesitation, Ryoshi threw a punch at Fuyu, aiming to demonstrate his strength. However, Fuyu effortlessly caught the fist with a casual ease that left Ryoshi feeling inadequate.
"You lack both speed and strength," Fuyu assessed bluntly. "So I have no choice but to train you in that before I teach you any kind of magic."
"Okay, what are you gonna make me do?" Ryoshi inquired, bracing himself for the impending challenge. "Fight you without my hands? Walk around with a huge boulder on my back? Not eat anything for a month? Wear weights everywhere?"
Fuyu considered his options before offering a solution. "The last one is kind of right, but I'm using weights to avoid causing excessive strain while still providing significant physical improvement. So, I'll do you one better: Ice magic—ten million ton Ice Jacket."
Before Ryoshi could react, he found himself forcibly sinking into the ground, struggling against the overwhelming weight.
"NRG!" he exclaimed, attempting to summon his inner strength.
"There! This spell can increase the weight of any object without putting undue strain on your body," Fuyu explained.
Ryoshi's frustration was palpable. "Okay, that one... How about the whole 'gain practically nothing' part though?!"
"The magical power from the weights gives you a permanent physical boost that does way more than your average weights," Fuyu clarified.
"Okay, okay. Can you help me up now?" Ryoshi requested, eager to be freed from his icy prison.
"No, you get up yourself," Fuyu replied, walking away without a second glance.
"What?!" Ryoshi protested, feeling abandoned.
Hours passed, and Ryoshi remained on the ground, his determination waning with each passing moment. But eventually, he summoned the strength to stand, fueled by sheer determination.
"Great! You're not completely on the ground now," Fuyu remarked upon seeing Ryoshi's progress.
"Screw you," Ryoshi muttered under his breath, his frustration barely contained.
"That's the spirit!" Fuyu encouraged, striding away once more.
As the day wore on, Ryoshi continued his struggle, pushing himself to the limit. Yet despite his exhaustion, he persevered, driven by a stubborn refusal to admit defeat.
Finally, as evening approached, Fuyu returned with food for Ryoshi, who had managed to stand on his own.
"Wow, you're on your legs now!" Fuyu praised. "I brought you some food, but I think you can't physically move your arm."
"I can move my arms," Ryoshi retorted, slowly reaching for the plate.
"Wow, good job! Now that you're standing up, you can walk around a bit and get used to having weights on," Fuyu suggested before walking away once more.
Determined to prove himself, Ryoshi continued to push his limits, despite the physical and mental strain. And as the hours passed, Fuyu watched from a distance, impressed by Ryoshi's resilience and strength.
"Incredible," Fuyu murmured to himself as he observed Ryoshi's progress. "It would take more than a few hours for a normal human to casually walk around with 10 million tons on their back. Is he really who I think he is? Nah, he's just a random kid I found."
Yet, despite his initial doubts, Fuyu couldn't deny the raw potential he saw in Ryoshi.
Meanwhile, Ryoshi, unaware of Fuyu's assessment, continued to train tirelessly, driven by a burning desire to prove himself worthy of the challenges ahead.
As night fell and exhaustion threatened to overcome him, Ryoshi remained steadfast in his resolve, ready to face whatever trials lay ahead. And with Fuyu's guidance, he knew that he would emerge stronger, both physically and mentally, than ever before.
"He left me out here for too long. I completed his stupid weight challenge," Ryoshi grumbled to himself.
Suddenly, Fuyu appeared in front of Ryoshi, holding a sword.
"Did you just teleport?" Ryoshi asked, surprised.
"No, moving at 5% of my max speed is invisible to the naked eye," Fuyu explained casually.
"That's cool, but hey, check this out!" Ryoshi exclaimed before executing a back-flip. "And that was my first time doing a back-flip!"
"Haha, impressive," Fuyu chuckled. "Now, punch me."
Ryoshi hesitated for a moment before throwing another punch at Fuyu, who effortlessly caught it.
"Just as I expected, the ice jacket is utter garbage for you now," Fuyu remarked. "But we move on in training! Ice magic: Melt."
The frozen waterfall and lake unfroze at Fuyu's command.
"Oops," Fuyu muttered before quickly freezing them again with a tiny beam of ice.
Ryoshi felt a surge of energy coursing through him. "I feel... lighter and stronger."
"Okay, punch me now," Fuyu instructed.
Ryoshi obeyed, throwing a punch at Fuyu with renewed confidence. This time, when Fuyu caught his fist, they both felt a powerful shockwave.
"Okay, nice! We're getting somewhere," Fuyu acknowledged.
"Yeah, you said it!" Ryoshi agreed eagerly. "But what's that sword for?"
"It's for the next part of our training," Fuyu replied cryptically.