"I just don't understand how you could get so dirty playing in the forest," my father said as we sat at dinner the next day. I sat silently, eating the tasteless porridge that was mother's go-to dish on weekdays. "You barely have any clothes, so getting the ones you do have so dirty is wasteful. Be more perceptive."
"Sorry father," I replied, taking a final spoonful of the porridge. "I'll be off to the Academy now," I bowed, kissing my mother on the cheek as I left. The Academy.
'What a load of horseshit,' I thought, making my way there. Who wouldn't remember their way to Hell on Earth? I had too many bad memories of the Academy to look forward to it at all. An establishment made with the pretence of strengthening the next generation that actually couldn't care less about the lower-class children that attended there.
It wasn't my first day at the Academy or my first year there. I was halfway through my second year, living as a bottom of the barrel class clown. There was nothing that could have forced me to take the Academy seriously, not even thirty concubines or ninety million followers.
The Academy was nothing but a cesspit of the local royalty picking on the less fortunate to lift themselves up, and this seemed to be supported by the teachers and ignored by the Headmaster. In my eyes he was no better than a lifeless zombie following the scent of money.
"Yuron! I see you haven't learned your lesson after Friday's class?" A familiar voice piped up, followed by sniggers from his gang of goons. "Why don't you just go back to your father and plough on the farm like a good little boy?"
Denn. A prick. No other explanation was needed or could describe him as well as that single word.
'You old bastard. Now look what you've done. I can't stop using crude language ever since I remembered you,' I thought, cursing my mentor. I hadn't seen his avatar since the first day no matter how many times I called on him, but it didn't matter too much to me.
"Or do you want another dose of my family's renowned Koi Stream Style?" Denn teased, getting in my face. He already looked like a koi fish, so why not name your sword style after them? "I hear we've got sparring practice today again. Your father must have no trust in you to not even teach you how to use a sword properly."
"And your father clearly feeds his livestock well," I teased in return, poking his belly. "Or have you not exercised in three years? Either way, you're unsightly," I said, finally feeling a sense of calmness after venting some of my anger. So what if he was a ten year old boy?
I walked away from the dumbstruck kid and headed to our class. Class Five-Two, the lowest class in the Academy. The only way to advance in the Academy was through skill or your family increasing their patronage to the Headmaster.
"Let's get started! One hundred push ups!" The teacher ordered, ignoring the fact we were all ten years old. I guess age shouldn't mean anything when you were on the path to being the strongest. "And after that, we'll have one hundred sit ups, ten laps around the Academy and sparring matches to end the day!"
"W-What?!" A kid called out, obviously taken aback by the regime. It wasn't the usual regime of second years, but it wasn't one that I was going to revolt against. It gave me all the more reason to increase my physical prowess. "That's insane! How do you expect us to do that? My father will surely hear about this!"
"Those who are from families that have provided sufficient backing to the Academy are exempt from today's training," the teacher nodded with a cheeky grin. He wasn't even above a True Novice yet he deemed it appropriate to act so high and mighty? "Those of you from families who have provided only the essential fees should begin this instant, like Yuron there has!"
'Using me as an example?' I thought as I completed my twentieth push up. My arms ached, but that was the essence of this training. To push your body to the edge of the cliff and then off of it. I soldiered on, watching as those around me dropped like flies after only fifteen or so.
"One hundred push ups done, sir," I said, standing up and clapping my hands together gently to get the dust from the floors off of them. "Should I begin my one hundred sot ups now, or wait for my classmates?" I asked, knowing the answer off by heart.
"Eh? Do them right now, you worm," the teacher snarled, sitting lazily in the corner as he picked some leftover breakfast from between his teeth. I followed his orders and got into the necessary position. Denn and the other rich shitheads were lined up against the wall, trading stories of banquets and whatnot, but I could see them glancing at me every so often from the corner of my eye.
Ten. Twenty. Shit. Thirty. Fuck. Fuck. Forty. Forcing kids to do this was almost definitely an abuse of power. Even Lian had been nicer to her pupils… maybe. She was definitely befitting of the title of The Golden Lion. Far too quick tempered for anyone to take notice of her delicate heart. Eighty.
"Psst, Yuron," a classmate whispered beside me. "Why are you actually doing them? The teacher isn't even watching. We're all going to say we've done all of them and then stand next to the outhouse instead of running. This is unfair."
"You broke my concentration for something so pointless?" I replied, continuing with my sit ups. Only fifteen to go. "Don't interrupt me again." I was enjoying reminiscing when this slacker decided to interrupt me. What a nuisance. Lian had always been free-spirited, but her loyalty was unbreaking. That much was clear. I think it was in the battle against the Cloud Splitting Sect that she had saved me from an ambush by their Elders. She lost two fingers in that battle, but never begrudged me for it. One hundred.
"One hundred sit-ups done, sir," I said, alongside every last one of my classmates. If they were going to convince the teacher, they should've at least put some thought into it. Do it a few minutes between each other, at least. Have some strategy.
"Alright, go for yo-" the teacher was interrupted by Denn tapping his shoulder and whispering something in his ear. After Denn had retreated from his side, the teacher nodded and stood up. "Yuron! I didn't see you do all one hundred sit ups! As punishment, you have to complete the ten laps with a bag of rocks on your back!"
"Alright," I said, accepting the challenge. The teacher was shocked by the reply, seeing as I was usually a disrespectful student, but a challenge should never be turned down. Besides, I had turned over a new leaf.
I strapped the basket over my shoulders and waited for the teacher to fill it as much as he deemed necessary. Although I was expecting it, a bag full of rocks was rather heavy in this young body. I began my first lap, gritting my teeth already at the added weight. Maybe I should just stand by the outhouse after all.
I managed to block out the clinking of the rocks after around half a lap, and got into my own little world once more. Although it was rather boring, I enjoyed pondering when I had time to space out. It was normal for everything- meditation, training, even sleeping.
'I now have two cores. They're practically empty right now, but one of them is even sturdier than my core in my pst life, whilst the other is about on par. I haven't touched a sword in a few days, and my body has changed substantially, so I would rather get my hands on one sooner than later to begin adjusting,' I thought, my line of thought leading me down all sorts of paths.
'Is the New Dawn Sect the best name I can come up with?'
'Is the White Sky God Style missing anything? It's already got Fifty-Two Techniques, but an extra one or two couldn't hurt.'
'I wonder if the Martial Coalition will invite my Sect again. Should I accept it to avoid war?'
"What a joke," I heaved, finishing my tenth lap as I spotted my classmates giggling between themselves by the outhouse. "I'm never aligning myself with those shitheads. I'd rather die… again."
"Yuron!" Denn called from inside the classroom. It was less of a classroom and more of an all-purpose hall that we used for every type of learning. "Have you finished? We've got to partner up for sparring now. Will you be my partner again today, I wonder?"
Picking on a boy who can barely stand? A boy who just did training that even the teacher wouldn't have done? What a nonsensical proposition. Of course i'm going to accept it.
"Sure. I'll show you that your style is nothing but a fancy way of dancing," I said, dropping the basket of rocks onto the ground.