'I was a top-tier theoretical exerciser in that life.'
All her learning was aimed at strengthening the body!
Kalia, answering questions at the verification, showed even deeper understanding than Hans, the presenter. To assume Kalia was not the primary author would mean questioning Hans' authorship to the same extent.
The hypothesis that someone else wrote the paper, taught it to Kalia, and published it under Hans' name was overly complicated and mere speculation.
Logic dictates that the simplest explanation under the same conditions is often the correct one. Thus, the academy acknowledged that Kalia had conceived and provided the core ideas of the paper.
"You've worked so hard, my daughter."
"It was tough."
Of course, being capable didn't mean it was easy. Facing a barrage of questions from dozens of people at such a young age was no small feat.
Every word she spoke required intense concentration and focus. Just standing in front of an audience drained her physically every minute and second. The additional mental exertion depleted her energy even faster.
"There, there. Now you can rest. The hard part is over. If anyone dares to raise an objection again, they'll have to answer to me!"
Despite the exhaustion, Kalia felt a sense of accomplishment. One big task was complete! There shouldn't be any major events for a while.
While Eysir was speaking passionately, Kalia sipped her tea. Thinking of her fatigue, the tea was different from her usual blend, featuring a citrusy, tangy flavor.
After one sip, warmth spread through her body. It was definitely loaded with caffeine and sugar – this world's version of an energy drink.
"Are you okay? Have another cup. Eat some cookies too."
"Yes, Father."
Though she agreed verbally, Kalia signaled to her maid to bring her usual tea. High caffeine and sugar content could be risky for her young body.
"Really, those at the Imperial Academy failed to recognize our daughter's genius. They've become dull."
Her father, blinded by his affection, was grumbling. Kalia humored Eysir's complaints while nibbling on a cookie.
Usually, she restrained herself from high-carbohydrate foods, but not today. She didn't even want to move a finger.
She felt utterly drained. When energy was this low, sugars and carbohydrates were the best for replenishment.
After hurriedly eating a cookie, Kalia asked her maid for almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts. Rich in fats, these nuts were high in calories and helpful for long-term energy usage.
Being in her growing years and not aiming for weight loss, Kalia wasn't concerned about such calorie intake.
Despite eating and resting, her drained energy hardly returned. Since it was more a depletion of vitality and mental strength than physical, mere eating was insufficient for recovery.
Kalia could have taken a day off from exercising, but she chose not to. After finishing her conversation with Eysir, she immediately picked up the jump rope she had brought from home.
While the barbell was too large and heavy to bring, jump ropes and step ladders were not. They could easily fit in a bag and be carried anywhere.
Lasra followed her with a stopwatch. Kalia jumped rope in the garden for five sets, three minutes each, sweating profusely.
'This reminds me of when I first joined the gym. They always started with jump rope as soon as you entered.'
Warming up, endurance building, rhythm training, weight transfer practice. The benefits of jump rope were immense. For any fighter, regardless of discipline, it was a fundamental exercise.
Especially in striking sports like boxing or Muay Thai, jump rope was indispensable for mastering essential footwork.
Beyond physical conditioning, Kalia intended to revisit martial arts training in the future. She particularly aimed to return to boxing and wrestling, her foundational disciplines in her past life.
The timing for starting was still undecided. She wanted to incorporate martial arts from this world, but hadn't found instruction due to her young age.
'How much stronger can I become by adding magic to a body trained for sports since childhood?'
Kalia pondered the limits of human strength and resilience. What were the boundaries of human potential?
This curiosity had followed her to this world. Even transformed from Park Hana to Kalia, her aspirations remained the same.
Driven by this curiosity, Kalia deemed concerns about comics, prophecies, and character interactions secondary, even in her reincarnation.
After a sufficient break, Kalia unfolded a step ladder for her next exercise. The first task was to move quickly in a straight line.
She stepped with her front foot into a square, followed by the back foot. Then moved the front foot to the next square, and the back foot followed.
Do it quickly! From one end of the ladder to the other in less than five seconds!
Upon reaching the end, turn around and lead with the opposite foot. Then repeat. The exercise appeared simple but had a specific rhythm.
Initially, she moved straight forward. Then, she added lateral steps outside the squares, alternating left and right before returning to the center line. Forward, left, center, forward, right, center, forward. And quickly repeat.
"Now, Lasra, your turn. Just follow the pattern I did."
Kalia taught Lasra each step. Lasra attempted to mimic her but often mixed up her steps.
"Lady Kalia, what kind of game is this?"
'To an outsider, this must seem like a game.'
"It's sort of a ladder stepping game, inspired by hopscotch. Instead of throwing stones, it's about fast movement."
"It's like a combination of hopscotch and tag," Lasra remarked with a realization.
"Does it seem so? But just running fast isn't fun, so I wanted to mix in different movements."
"So stepping outside the squares is part of that?"
"Yes."
"But it's really hard!"
"It has to be challenging to be a game."
"That's true. Tyir would like it."
Kalia smiled broadly, her cheeks rising. She knew that while Tyir might resist exercising, he would eagerly participate in a game.
Lasra's reaction was a case in point. She was reluctant during regular exercise but enthusiastic about games.
Many people willingly engaged in repetitive, simple actions when labeled as a game. In fact, the simpler and more physical the activity, the longer people tended to enjoy it without deep thought.