The Spiritual Body Manifestation training was hell itself.
[Eleven! Twelve!]
"Kheuugh!"
Twitch.
20 push-ups and he tore his muscles.
[Twenty five! Twenty-six!]
"Keuk…!"
Twitch! Drip!
His tendon ruptured at count 30.
[Thirty eight! Thirty nine…!]
Quadruped!
He broke his arm at 40.
"Ouch…!"
[Ha! You are weak! Is this all you got? Show your guts!]
Ammut had no intention of looking after the circumstances.
Rather, he laughed loudly at Suho's weakened body.
Extreme Sparta.
So far, there have been numerous disciples who have failed to withstand his training and have fallen out.
However, this pyramid is a Spiritual Body Manifestation training center specially prepared for Ammut by the great spellcaster Kandiaru.
[Training will continue even if a bone is broken!]
As soon as Ammut finished speaking, white bandages flew from all sides and wrapped around Suho's limbs.
Swook!
As his broken bones were forcibly put together, great pain ensued.
[Alright! Can we continue training now? Sixty more left!]
It seemed that the bandages were the same as the bandages wrapped around the mummies in there.
The magical bandage, which wrapped the dead and decaying corpses, surprisingly allows broken limbs to move.
However, the pain remained because the wounds were not properly treated.
Rather, it was forcibly moving the broken arm, so more excruciating pain followed.
"Kheuugh!"
Seeing Suho pouring blood and sweat all over his body and clenching his teeth, Ammut laughed viciously.
[Why? Do you regret it now? It's already too late. A strong power comes with a lot of pain! The path given to you is one of two. Enjoy the pain or die in the pain.]
Suho had one more path.
'This is how it goes, right?'
Suho forced his lips to curl up and opened the shop window.
Ring.
[You purchased 'Item: Low-level Healing Potion'.]
Swish.
Suho snatched the healing potion with his telekinesis and poured it into his mouth.
Gulp.
The healing potion seeped into the rags wrapped around his body.
His broken bones reattached, and his ruptured muscles and veins began to regenerate.
[Huh?]
Ammut's eyes widened.
Suho made eye contact with him with a confident look.
"So, how many more do I have left now?"
[…]
Ammut suddenly recalled the number of disciples he had driven to death in order to create another guy like Tarnak.
In the end, they all cried out in pain and died.
This guy was something different.
Maybe it's different this time around?
Ammut showed his teeth and laughed grimly.
[Kehehehe! You have a fun skill! With that, I can increase the intensity with peace of mind!]
"No, wait."
That's not it!
Dun!
"Kheuuugh!"
A heavy feeling of pressure weighed on Suho.
[You have a long way to go! Let's continue training!]
After that, Suho had to repeat several times drinking potion whenever his arm broke before finally finishing the push-up.
Then, the hellish sit-ups awaited him.
[One! Twol! Two! Two! Nah! You don't have a straight posture!]
Oh, God.
'Was sit-ups such a dangerous exercise?'
At first, his abdomen hurt as if it was going to explode, but eventually his spine broke.
"Kheugh!"
'It really hurts.'
It hurtes beyond words.
Swook!
Then, a bandage flew and wrapped Suho's body.
Again, he was forced to move, so it hurt even more.
Suho opened the shop window, enduring the pain of fainting with superhuman mental strength.
Swish.
[You purchased 'Item: Low-level Healing Potion'.]
He forcibly attached his broken spine with the healing potion and started exercising again.
[Haha! Good, good!]
Ammut seemed to like Suho very much, who could continue to train no matter how broken (?) he was.
It was only after his back was broken twice more that the 100th count was over. Before Suho knew it, his whole body was wrapped in bandages.
'Ah.'
A sudden realization came.
"Wait. Could it be that all the mummies here are like this?!"
[Haha! You got it right! All the mummies in this pyramid are your ugly seniors who died first!]
"I mean…"
This gym is too much, really.
[If you don't want to become like them, don't die and hold out until the end! Eventually, the light will surely be waiting for you! Squat this time! One! Two!]
This time, the squat from hell tore Suho's thigh muscles mercilessly.
Twitch!
When more pressure was added, both his legs were eventually broken at the same time.
Another bandage flew and wrapped around Suho's leg.
"Shop…"
Swish.
[You purchased 'Item: Low-level Healing Potion'…]
Suho was exercising with a healing potion in his mouth like an IV.
Eventually…
Ring!
[The level of 'Skill: Endurance' increased!]
[Physical defense +40% → +60%]
"…"
'Does this make sense?'
Just doing some bare-body exercises made him stronger.
He didn't specifically become stronger just because his skill level increased, however, his pain was alleviated.
Considering that this hellish training was a daily quest, it would be a huge gain in the long run.
He should definitely be happy, but why was he in tears?
[Great! Running this time! Run at full speed!]
"…"
Running 10 km was not easy, of course. Even standing under a huge gravitational field was a struggle.
The moment Suho's leg relaxed even just a little bit while running, his ankle got sprained.
A tremendous pressure pressed down on his ankle, tearing the ligaments.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
The sound of the ligaments being torn one by one was terrifying.
As expected, a bandage flew and wrapped around his ankle.
'These bandages are no joke!'
Suho really became like a mummy.
His eyes flashed.
'If I'm going to run anyway, wouldn't it be better to run faster?'
'So this hellish workout would be over soon!'
"Grey, blessing!"
[The spiritual body of 'Pet: Gray' is strengthened in the body of the pontifex.]
Swoosh!
Suho's hair turned silver, and wild energy flew through his body.
[Use 'Skill: Grassland Wind'.]
[Movement speed temporarily increases by 30%.]
[Attack speed temporarily increases by 30%.]
As Suho sped up, Ammut let out a satisfied laugh.
[Good! This student has a lot of talent! Alright! Run with all your means and methods!]
"Nonsense. What kind of training is that? It's torture."
Esil, who was watching all this from afar, could not keep her mouth shut.
Beru's reaction was different.
[Kuhm. I missed this.]
Beru was locked in his memories with a vague expression on his face.
[Looking back, the Shadow Monarch once trained like that. Although, the difficulty level was a little different.]
"Mr. Sung Jinwoo did that kind of training too? I see…!"
Esil tried to remembered the old days.
The days when she once followed Sung Jinwoo as a guide.
Apparently at that time, Sung Jinwoo did light exercise from time to time.
"… Hmm?"
For a moment, Esil's expression hardened.
It was really light back then.
Was it just a push-up, or was it just a sit-up?
"…?"
[…]
Esil and Beru's gazes intertwined in the air.
Without a second thought, they silently nodded their heads.
'Mr. Sung Jinwoo had it easy.'
'His Majesty…'
For the sake of Suho's mental health, this should be kept a secret for the rest of his life.
Nod.
A silent contract was concluded between the two.
* * *
Ring!
[You have completed 'Daily Quest: Rigid Body Training'.]
100 Push-ups: Completed (100/100)
100 Sit-ups: Completed (100/100)
100 Squats: Completed (100/100)
Run 10km: Completed (10/10)
※However, you must carry Ammut on your back.
"I-It's over…!"
Suho, whose whole body was wrapped in bandages, fell on the floor.
Watching the scene blankly, Ammut murmured softly.
[Oh, it really worked?]
"What did you say, punk?"
[No, hehe. I mean it's supposed to work, but except for the Iron Body Monarch, there was no one who succeeded. It's true!]
"…"
Ammut was secretly avoiding Suho's stinging eyes.
Ring!
A message arrived just in time, and Suho took his eyes off Ammut.
[The completion reward has arrived.]
[Do you want to check the reward?]
( Y / N )
[The following rewards are prepared.]
Reward 1. State Recovery
Reward 2. Ability Points +3
Reward 3. 1 Random Box
It was a daily quest, so the reward was the same as when he caught 100 goblins.
'But, why does it feel so unfair?'
"Accept all."
Swoosh!
First reward, status recovery.
Suho's condition was restored in an instant.
As he jumped up with his lighter body, Ammut's eyes shone with interest.
[Whew. You're a really strong guy. Very good.]
Suho allocated all his ability points into his strength stat.
In order to endure this daily quest in the future, strength was essential.
… And the long-awaited random box.
Ring!
[Obtained 'Item: Mummy's Bandage'.]
"Ah, shit…! Are you kidding me?!"
Curses came out of his mouth on reflex.
The effect of the bandage was excellent though, based on this experience.
[Item: Mummy Bandage]
Difficulty to obtain: Class C
Type: Consumables
A magical bandage made by Great Spellcaster Kandiaru.
It helps force the body to move even in a dying state.
(When sold to the shop, it will be added to the purchase list.)
"…"
Suho sold the bandage to the store without hesitation.
Swish.
['Item: Mummy's Bandage' is added to the purchase list.]
[From now on, you can purchase 'Item: Mummy's Bandage' from the shop.]
The bandage itself did not have a wound healing effect, but the effect was very good when used with a potion.
Most of all, it was comfortable and nice because the bandage was a magic bandage that automatically wraps.
'But, why do I feel so annoyed?'
When Suho came to his senses (?), Ammut released his spiritual form, returned to his original crocodile giant form then started talking.
"Hehe. Good work. Today's training ends here. Now try using that skill again."
"Which one? Strike?"
"Yeah. That clumsy version of Spiritual Body Manifestation technique."
"…?"
Suho tilted his head and allowed the Ruler's Power to dwell in his fist.
[Use 'Skill: Strike'.]
Swoosh!
The black gauntlet wrapped around Suho's fist crossed his elbow and covered his shoulder.
Ring!
['Skill: Strike' is upgraded to 'Skill: Spiritual Body Manifestation'.]