Anon sat on the room's floor, intensely focused on controlling his mana. He concentrated on preventing his mana from instinctively covering his body every time his mind perceived danger.
Crack
Suddenly, a cracking sound echoed from his leg. It was the sound of his bones snapping like twigs. His body wasn't accustomed to this gravitational force.
The pressure from the gravitational force relentlessly crushed Anon's bones and internal organs.
"FUCKKK....H-Hey, that's the 15th bone. Use the locket on me. I feel like one of my kidneys is about to burst," Anon cried out, looking at Ion.
"No, this time, I'll use it on the 20th. Your internal organs can endure this force; just focus on your concentration. For your information, I didn't have one of these troll lockets when I trained here," Ion explained, smiling at Anon.
"How did you even survive, then?" Anon inquired.
"My master would occasionally give me some low-grade healing potion to drink. One of the reasons my bones are so strong is because of this room," Ion replied.
"Why aren't you giving me that locket? It won't interfere with this process, will it?" Anon asked.
"It will. If I gave it to you, it would heal your bones before they could break properly. Thus, you'd feel little to no pain. However, you need to experience this pain to strengthen your body for the technique," Ion clarified.
Ten minutes later...
Crack
"FUCKKKK...20. Oi, old man!" Anon yelled.
"Hmm...here you go," Ion said, tossing the locket to Anon.
Anon caught the locket, but in doing so, one of the bones in his hand broke.
Crack
"Damn it..." Anon muttered as he reached for the locket with a broken hand.
As soon as he grasped the locket, his body began to heal. After three seconds, he was restored to his original state, yet he felt even stronger and sturdier than before.
'I'm definitely getting stronger, and I can feel it,' Anon thought as he gazed at the troll locket.
"Here you go, old man," Anon said, tossing the locket back to Ion.
"No, you keep it," Ion insisted, throwing it back to Anon.
"What? Why?" Anon asked in confusion.
"Set it aside and use it whenever you see fit," Ion replied.
"Why are you doing this now?" Anon questioned, puzzled.
"I do as I please, but remember one thing: the more you temper iron, the sharper it becomes," Ion explained.
Anon quickly grasped Ion's message. "I understand," he replied, placing the locket aside and attempting to stand.
'What a beast. When my master brought me here, I couldn't even sit up straight for the first three days, and he's already trying to stand,' Ion thought, smiling as he glanced at Anon, who was struggling to rise, but he ultimately succeeded.
An hour later...
Anon was now standing, though the immense pressure still weighed heavily on his bones. While his bones were no longer breaking, he could still feel the force.
He began walking slowly, then exclaimed, "Hey, look, I can walk now," while sporting a smile.
"You're still progressing rather slowly... I was running by this time," Ion remarked as he observed Anon.
'Running, my foot. I began walking on the seventh day. His drive to become stronger is simply unparalleled. Even he can't outdo himself when it comes to the will for power,' Ion thought, smiling as he glanced at Anon.
Three hours later...
"Oi, look at me, old man. I'm running like a racehorse," Anon proudly declared, dashing from one end of the room to the other without difficulty. He had stopped using the troll locket an hour ago and was now solely relying on his own control.
'His bones have already adapted to this room. What a remarkable monster?' Ion thought as he stood and walked over to Anon.
"Stop," he commanded.
Anon immediately halted his running and turned to Ion, still grinning.
"Yes...?" Anon responded.
"How long does it take you to cover the distance from the entrance to that wall at the far end of the room?" Ion inquired.
"Um... about 60 seconds, I suppose," Anon answered.
"Good... make it 30," Ion ordered.
"What? That's impossible!" Anon exclaimed in shock.
Ion didn't respond verbally. Instead, he walked toward the room's entrance.
"Watch me and say it again," Ion urged as he slightly lowered his body and sprinted like a rocket.
In just three seconds, he traversed the entire distance without employing any mana.
"How on earth are you doing that?" Anon inquired, bewildered.
"You'll be able to do the same; just keep trying. Now, start," Ion encouraged before returning to his previous position and resuming his book.
Anon commenced running again. Every time he completed a lap, he strove to run even faster than before.
A smile formed on Ion's face as he observed Anon's progress.
Cough-Cough-Cough
Suddenly, Ion began coughing, and as he did, he felt a liquid emerging from his mouth.
He used his hand to collect some of the liquid and examined it. A smile played on his lips as he examined the dark, viscous fluid.
"Karma finally caught up, huh?" Ion mused.
5 hours later...
"Old man *Huff-Huff* I did it *Huff-Huff* I can cover that distance in 15 seconds now *Huff-Huff* but... I am too tired." Anon said as he immediately sat down on the ground due to exhaustion.
"Well, seems like it's time for me to reward you." Ion said as he started walking towards the equipments that were lying at the back end of the room.
"Oh, reward... I like that." Anon said as a smile played on his lips.
Suddenly he saw Ion coming back with a very big cauldron in his hands.
*Thud*
He puts the cauldron down and smiles at Anon.
"Huh...? My reward is a cauldron ?" Anon asked with a confused expression.
"No, you idiot. Go and bring me those wood sticks." Ion said as he pointed towards some wood sticks that were lying near the dumbbells.
Anon immediately went near the dumbbells, grabbed the wood sticks and came back to Ion with them.
"Here." He said as he dropped the sticks down.
"Now rub them together and start a fire." Ion ordered.
"What ?" Anon asked with a shocked expression.
Shhh-Shhhh-Shhh
"What are you doing? Do it faster, kid. I don't have much time," Ion grumbled, glancing lazily at Anon as he rubbed the wooden sticks together.
"If you think it's so easy, then do it yourself," Anon retorted, his face contorted with irritation.
"I did it when I was learning the technique back then. Now it's your turn," Ion replied calmly.
"Well, what are we making in this cauldron?" Anon asked, increasing the speed of his stick-rubbing.
"Something that will help boost your stamina," Ion answered.
"Are you making a protein potion or something?" Anon inquired.
"Hmm... something like that, but my master called it 'Elixir,'" Ion responded.
Puff
Suddenly, smoke began to rise from the wood, and a small fire ignited.
"Hey, the fire..." Anon started to say.
"Good, throw it under the cauldron," Ion instructed.
"Alright," Anon responded, tossing the flaming stick under the cauldron. He watched as the fire spread to the other sticks.
"Now, kid, I want you to remember every ingredient I put into this cauldron, okay?" Ion said, looking at Anon.
"Okay," Anon agreed.
"Good. The first ingredient is green grass poison," Ion said, adding the leaves of the poisonous plant into the cauldron.
"What?!" Anon exclaimed, his voice rising in shock.
"Why are you shouting?" Ion asked, puzzled by Anon's reaction.
"That's the most poisonous plant around here... are you trying to kill me?" Anon asked, still in disbelief.
"Just remember the ingredients, kid. The next thing I'm adding is a mixture of one-horned rabbit's horn," Ion continued, ignoring Anon's concerns.
'Forget this... I'm not drinking that stuff,' Anon thought, eyeing the cauldron warily.
In a matter of seconds, Ion had thrown over twelve different ingredients into the cauldron, filling it to the brim.
"...and lastly, you'll add this," Ion said, taking out a large bottle of stored wine.
"You're adding wine to an elixir?" Anon questioned, his face displaying confusion.
"This wine isn't ordinary. It's made from pure red grapes harvested at precisely the right time of the season and the sweet leaves of mint grass grown in the southern valley's soil. After mixing these two ingredients, we bury them in vermi soil to ferment over time. The longer it ferments, the greater its value and taste," Ion explained, opening the bottle and savoring the aroma.
"How many years has this wine been stored?" Anon inquired eagerly, as he too was a fan of aged wines in his previous life.
"Over 400 years. Ah, what a refreshing scent," Ion replied, pouring the entire bottle into the cauldron.
"No... you could've let me at least taste a sip," Anon said, disappointed.
"This wine can't be handled by a human, kid. Now we wait until it's ready to drink. You can rest for now," Ion advised, returning to his chair.
"Hey, I can easily recover my stamina if you just let me use my mana," Anon suggested, looking at Ion.
"Human, that's precisely what I'm trying to teach you. The world outside has become a slave to mana. Everywhere you look, everyone is using mana, from the most significant tasks to the smallest. God gave us mana to use, but now we are being used by mana. We are supposed to use mana for our purposes, but today, everyone is being controlled by it. That's why I brought you here. I want to teach you how to gain control of your mana, control your body yourself, and not let mana control your body. Understand?" Ion explained.
"I think I understand what you're saying, old man," Anon nodded.
"Do you remember that attack you used back at the academy?" Ion asked.
"What? Thunder Javelin?" Anon responded.
"Yes, once you master my technique to its peak, you'll be able to perform that same attack with 3,000 times more intensity," Ion declared, smiling at Anon's astonished expression.
"Th-Three... wait, did you just say three thousand times?" Anon questioned incredulously.
"Yes, but only when you truly master the technique. There's a significant difference between learning and mastering," Ion added, still wearing a smile.
"Let's get back to work, old man. I need to learn this technique," Anon said, rising with enthusiasm.
"Indeed. However, for now, you should rest because your next training will require even more stamina, and you can only obtain that from the elixir," Ion advised, returning to his book.
"Alright," Anon agreed, lying down on the ground and falling asleep.
'The will to become stronger is the force that can make a person into anything they desire... that's what my master told me in his final moments. Today, I truly understand what he meant,' Ion thought, observing Anon sleeping soundly on the ground.
One hour later...
"Kid, wake up. The Elixir is ready," Ion announced, waking Anon.
"Hmm...? Yes, get your clothes off..." Anon mumbled with his eyes half-closed.
"What? Hey, wake up! Don't talk in your sleep like that," Ion said, giving Anon a kick.
"Huh...? What happened? Why are you kicking me? Did someone invade us?" Anon asked, coming to his senses.
"What are you saying? I can't understand you. Just wake up and drink this," Ion urged, handing him a bowl filled with a purplish liquid that emitted a repugnant odor.
"What the fuck is this?" Anon asked, confused and repulsed by the smell of the elixir.
*Sniff-Sniff*
"Ahh... the same smell after so many years." Ion said as he smelled the Elixir and drank it without any stops.
Anon observed him and only one thought came to his mind.
'If he can do it, then i can too.' He thought as he immediately started drinking the Elixir.
Anon drank all the Elixir at once.
"Tastes like shit..." he said as he puts the empty bowl down and takes out a big chunk of fired meat out of his inventory and starts eating it.
As the inventory stops the time for everything that's placed inside it, the piece of meat was as good and warm as it was on the day of it's making.
*Nom-Nom*
Anon chugged down the meat and suddenly a notification popped up in front of him.
[You stamina has been restored to 100%]
Suddenly a fresh Breeze of power surged into his body and he felt refreshed again.
"Well, how do you feel ?" Ion asked with a smile.
"Alive." Anon replied.
"Good, let's get to the next excercise then." Ion said as he stood up.
Anon puts the half eaten meat back into his inventory and stands up "Yep, let's do this."
"So, what's the next exercise?" Anon inquired.
"Pick it up," Ion replied, gesturing toward a small dumbbell.
"This small one?" Anon questioned.
"Yes, that one," Ion affirmed.
"Alright," Anon agreed as he easily lifted the dumbbell, weighing around 10 kgs.
"Good. Now, pick up another one of the same weight and start this exercise," Ion instructed, demonstrating bicep curls.
"Just this?" Anon asked, appearing puzzled.
"Yes, just that," Ion replied.
"Okay, but how many?" Anon inquired.
"Um... 100,000 without breaks," Ion replied.
Thud
Thud
Suddenly, both dumbbells slipped from Anon's grasp, and a shocked expression crossed his face.
"What happened?" Ion asked, looking perplexed.
"H-Hundred thousand?" Anon stammered.
"Yes, is that a problem?" Ion questioned.
"That's too many—" Anon began to protest.
"Now, 200,000," Ion ordered.
"What?"
"300,000."
"Okay, I'm doing it," Anon responded as he retrieved the dumbbells and resumed the bicep curls.
"Good," Ion said, returning to his chair.
'300,000 bicep curls? The devil himself will come for me before I finish them,' Anon thought, as he continued his exercise routine.
Ten hours later...
"299,957... 299,958... 299,959..." Anon was drenched in sweat from head to toe. His biceps had turned red, and veins popped out prominently.
Anon had surpassed human strength at this point, and he showed no signs of stopping. The more pain he endured, the more his motivation grew. He seemed to take pleasure in pushing his body to the limits, displaying a psychopathic smile.
Ion observed Anon with a shocked expression from his chair. 'What's wrong with this boy? I mentioned 300,000 as a joke, thinking he couldn't even complete 100,000. But he's a motherfucking beast. He finished the task in just 10 hours,' Ion thought.
Thud
Thud
"Fuckkkk... Yes!" Anon shouted as he dropped the dumbbells.
"Oi, old man, what's next?" Anon asked, turning toward Ion.
"Pick up the next pair and do 100,000," Ion ordered.
"Alright," Anon agreed, grabbing the next pair and starting the bicep curls immediately. These weighed about 50 kgs each.
Three hours later...
"Hmm... did I fall asleep?" Ion mumbled as he woke up, seeing Anon still exercising. However, something was different about him, his aura is changed.
Drip-Drip
Ion suddenly noticed blood dripping from Anon's body.
"What the—" He stood up from his chair, rushing toward Anon.
"What are you do...ing?" Ion was shocked to see that Anon's biceps had torn apart, and blood was flowing from them.
Anon held the final pair of dumbbells, the heaviest ones at 250 kgs each. "Oh, you're awake... good. 578,099..." Anon mumbled, then resumed his training.
"Kid, your hands are bleeding. Why didn't you stop?" Ion asked, pulling out Anon's troll locket.
"Keep it away from my body. I don't want to be healed right now," Anon replied, still curling the weights.
"You'll lose too much blood like this."
"Let it be... I like it this way. I want to see where my limits stand," Anon said with a menacing smile.
"You're crazy..." Ion muttered, stepping back and watching Anon train like a man possessed.
Two hours later...
Thud
Thud
He finally dropped the dumbbells and looked at Ion with a smile. "10,000,00."
"Now, use this," Ion said, handing him the troll locket.
As soon as Anon took the locket, his body fully healed back to its original state.
"Fuuu~... I feel tired," Anon said as he grabbed an empty bowl from the ground, filled it from the cauldron of Elixir, and chugged it down.
[Your stamina has been restored to 100%.]
"So, what's next?" Anon asked Ion with a smile.
"Do you realize how much weight you were lifting just now?" Ion asked.
"Well, it says 250 kg on it," Anon replied confidently.
"Do you know that the gravitational force in this place is five times stronger than on the surface?" Ion questioned.
"You mean..."
"Yes, for the last five hours, you've been lifting over 1,000 kgs with each hand," Ion revealed with a smile.
"Well, I feel better about it now," Anon said with a grin.
"Let's begin the next exercise..." Ion said, leading Anon to another piece of equipment.
It was a platinum bench covered with an expensive leather.
"You need to add weights to this bar and press it against your chest while lying on the bench—" Ion started explaining but he was interrupted mid-way.
"I know the drill..." Anon interrupted, adding 500 kg weight plates on both sides, made of titanium.
"That's too much..." Ion tried to protest, but Anon's confidence was unwavering. He knew he could easily lift these weights.
"Don't worry. Just tell me how many," Anon said as he lay down and grabbed the bar.
"Well, 100,000 should do the job..."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Anon said as he looked at Ion with an angry expression.
"Okay, since you did so many before how about 50,000-"
"I'm doing 500,000," Anon declared, commencing his bench press.
"W-Well... it's on you. Just don't die," Ion said, looking shocked.
'This kid is the perfect candidate for mastering my technique. I've never been more certain about any other decision in my life,' Ion thought, watching Anon exercise.
Five days passed, and Anon trained relentlessly...
He tied dumbbells to his feet and ran around the room, did pull-ups with over 2,000 kg of weight attached to his body, and even bound empty bars with 250 kg plates to his legs and jumped around like a frog.
He did squats with over 5000kgs of weight bound on his back.
Ion was astonished by Anon's explosive growth.
Zzzzzzzz
"Hmmm... did I fall asleep again?" Ion muttered, waking up and scanning the room for Anon.
Finally spotting him, he was performing pull-ups with various weights strapped to his body, dumbbells, plates and even empty rods.
"This incredible monster... well, I guess it's time," Ion said as a smile played on his lips, he stood up and walked towards Anon.
"Kid, come down," Ion commanded.
Anon immediately dropped from the pull-up bar, his landing caused the room to tremble due to all the weight he carried.
Thump
The entire room shook.
"Yes?" Anon asked as he stepped out of the weights, revealing his impressive, well-defined physique. He had eight-pack abs and lean muscles throughout his body.
'Wow... I am impressed. I am such a good teacher.' Ion thought as he looked at Anon's body with a smile.
"What ? Why are you laughing ?" Anon asked.
"It's time to teach you the technique, I guess. Since you have already done everything possible in this room." Ion said, looking at Anon with a smile.
Anon and Ion were standing in front of a colossal rock placed at the end of the room. The rock was perfectly round, devoid of visible edges, truly a spherical monolith. Anon had noticed it during previous training sessions, yet its purpose remained a mystery.
"So, what are we staring at this rock for? Is it going to move or something?" Anon inquired of Ion.
"No, you have to break this rock," Ion replied.
"Hmmm... well, breaking it won't be that big of a deal, but weren't you going to teach me your technique?" Anon asked, confusion in his expression.
"You have to do it with only one finger," Ion explained.
"Huh...?" Anon's brows furrowed in bewilderment.
"Yes, you have to break this rock with just one finger," Ion reiterated.
"You're kidding, right? This rock is five times bigger and heavier than me. How do you expect me to break it with just one finger?" Anon asked, clearly shocked and perplexed.
"Okay, look at me," Ion said, stepping back from the stone and positioning himself in front of Anon. He assumed a defensive martial arts stance, bending his back and pointing one finger directly at Anon.
"What are you doing?" Anon questioned, his face filled with confusion.
"Come and punch my finger with everything you've got," Ion ordered.
"Look, old man, not to be rude, but I'm not the same guy I was five days ago. I could easily break your finger with just a flick. Are you sure you want me to do this?" Anon asked, bewildered.
"Just do it. I don't have time, kid," Ion urged.
"Okay, here goes," Anon agreed. He pulled his punch back, concentrated all his strength, and delivered a full-force blow to Ion's finger.
The moment Anon's punch connected with Ion's finger, it came to an abrupt stop.
Crack
A cracking sound echoed through the room.
"Huh...?" Anon was amazed by what happened next.
Crack
Crack
Crack
In the next instant, every bone in Anon's body began to crack loudly, even his skull.
Crack
All of Anon's bones snapped simultaneously and broke into small pieces.
"Ahhhhhhh.... FUCKKKKKKKK..." Anon screamed in agony as an intense, searing pain washed over him. It felt as if thousands of needles were piercing his bones simultaneously.
He collapsed to the ground because his leg bones were also shattered.
"Calm down, kid. Don't shout... Feel the energy that I just injected into your body, feel it," Ion implored, grabbing Anon's collapsing form.
"FUCK YOU, OLD MAN... I CAN'T FEEL SHIT OTHER THAN THIS FUCKING IMMENSE PAIN," Anon shouted, looking at Ion.
"No, feel it. You have to overcome your pain and feel it. If you didn't feel it, everything up to this point will be in vain... Feel it, human. Please, feel it," Ion insisted, slapping Anon's face repeatedly to keep him from succumbing to the agony.
"I-I can't..." Anon whispered as he closed his eyes, his body seemingly lifeless.
"No, no... this can't be right. You were supposed to be the one. Fuckkkk...." Ion lamented, continuing to slap Anon in an attempt to rouse him.
"Hmm...? Where am I?" Anon slowly opened his eyes, finding himself lying in a thin layer of water within a dark, spacious room.
Anon stood up, scanning his surroundings and realizing that he was alone.
"Hello...? Anyone here?" Anon called out, receiving no response.
"HELLO... IS ANYONE HERE?" He shouted even louder.
Schhhh
Suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared in the distance. Anon instinctively tried to summon his sickles, but nothing happened.
'I can't use my skills or inventory here, but why not?' Anon pondered as he cautiously approached the source of light.
He noticed the light fading away.
"W-Who's there?" Anon asked as he hastened his pace.
He walked and walked, but the light seemed to continually elude him.
"What the hell?" Anon muttered, now running toward the light.
After a while, he finally reached it.
As Anon examined the source of the radiant light, he saw a human-shaped figure enveloped in brilliant white light.
"What are you?" Anon asked, perplexed, as he beheld the luminous figure.
"Chew...? Chew Chew?" The figure emitted strange noises while gazing at Anon.
It promptly vanished and reappeared behind him.
"Whoa..." Anon jumped back in surprise and observed the figure with curiosity.
'What is this place, and why is this glowing human figure acting as if I'm some sort of caged animal in a zoo?' Anon wondered.
Suddenly, Anon felt a comforting warmth emanating from the light, making him feel safe.
"Cheww..." The human-shaped light extended a hand toward Anon.
"What? Do you want a high-five?" Anon asked as he raised his hand, tentatively touching the glowing hand.
Shhhhh
Upon contact, Anon experienced a warm sensation flooding his being.
It felt as if a very powerful energy is being filled into his body. Anon felt stronger.
"What is this feeling?" Anon wondered as he sensed the light being absorbed into his own body.
Things started clicking into his mind and he questioned himself. 'How did I get here in the first place ?'
Suddenly, he started remembering things, his journey with Ion to learn the secret technique, the grueling exercises, and the muscular transformation within just five days. But the last thing he remembered was Ion's shouting about some energy.
"You are the energy that Ion has been telling me to feel..." Anon murmured, noticing that his body had absorbed the light.
'Was I inside my own mind all this time?' Anon wondered as he gradually faded away.
Slap
Slap
"Human, wake up. Please, you have to wake up," Ion was still slapping Anon, clinging to hope that he would awaken.
"HaaaH..." Anon abruptly opened his eyes, coming back to consciousness.
"Y-You're awake...?" Ion said, looking at Anon in utter astonishment and shock.
"How do you feel?" Ion asked, touching Anon's hand and examining his bones.
"You bastard... you broke my bones," Anon stated, his tone filled with anger.
"They're repaired now. Your bones have healed. It means you felt it, right?" Ion inquired, a smile on his face.
"I did," Anon confirmed.