Aria, Kael and their fellow students made their way to the next classroom, their footsteps echoing in the hallways. Their anticipation tempered by a sense of unease. Based on the timetable being showcased on their smart watch, their next class was a fitness class, a course that held little appeal for most of them.
Upon entering the classroom, their eyes were met by the sight of a Lieutenant who looked cold hearted at first sight.
"Welcome…to my class! My name is Lieutenant Briggs, I will be handling your fitness class for the first year," he said, a cigarette dangling from his face, a cruel smile playing on his face.
He then began to speak once more after scanning the student's faces, they seemed happy that there fitness teacher was such a nice guy.
"Listen up maggots," Briggs barked, his voice grating on their ears. His demeanor completely different from a moment ago. "This is not some playground game. This is fitness, and it's going to be the toughest class you will ever have this year." He ended with a sadistic grin on his face.
The students almost felt like crying at this point, here they thought that they were going to have a nice fitness teacher who will go easy on them, they didn't know they were dancing in the claws of a sadistic demon.
He led them outside to a nearby mountain range, his eyes scanning the group as he puffed out a ring of smoke.
The school was for some reason extremely large, easily the size of a whole country. It was no surprise to actually see an entire mountain range.
"You see those mountains, you're going to run and climb those mountain," he said, pointing to the towering peaks in the distance.
A chorus of groans and protests erupted from the students, but Briggs instead had a wide smile on his face.
"But sir, this is too hard! We're going to die" one of the students voiced out.
Then die you shall. The weak have no place in this school, in fact! Due to your complaining, let's make it five laps, let me see who will be able talk after this." He ended, his smile still wide, he was just toying with them right now.
"Oh come on! This guy is trying to kill us all"
"How the hell are we meant to complete this?"
The students continued to complain, their expressions filed with fear, they had simply lost hope.
"Quit your bullshitting and start running, let me just tell you…No one is leaving this field until you complete this five laps."
All of them showed surprised expressions, they thought this guy was just joking or something but it seemed he was totally serious.
Even Aria showed a small hint of surprise on his face. He was totally shocked by this guy's methods.
"If you want to be warriors, you're going to have to learn to push yourselves beyond your limits," he said. "And that starts now!"
Although the students didn't want to do this, they had to if they ever to escape from his grasps.
With a sadistic grin, Briggs watched as the students began their grueling task. He followed close behind, his whip cracking through the air as he urged them to quicken their pace. The students were shocked, after all where did the whip even come from.
Running up and down the mountain range they were able to complete the first lap without any stress due to them having stronger bodies than normal human beings.
As they approached the end of the second lap, exhaustion began approaching, their breathing becoming ragged, not only was the terrain of the mountain rough, and they had to run at full speed because if they slowed down even a little.
*Whip*
They get their asses whopped by Briggs the demon, the students had already given him a nickname on the first day at that.
Reaching the end of the third lap, they began to collapse one by one, they were in so much pain that some ended up fainting, but Briggs whip always found a way to wake them from there sweet dreams, making them to run some more.
Aria on the other hand ran with cold indifference, his face devoid of emotion. He had trained his body to endure unimaginable pain, and this run was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Though he didn't like how things were going, he was about reaching his limit and had to finish it quickly.
Kael followed closely behind, his eyes fixed on the summit of the mountain. He knew that this was a test of not only their physical strength, but also their mental fortitude. His body was already screaming in pain, but watching Aria made him push pass his limits.
'I will not be left behind Aria' Kael pondered with a smile as he continued to climb up the mountain, grabbing unto a ledge before pushing himself up once more.
Elara, meanwhile managed to keep up pace with Aria and Kael. Her eyes burned with determination, and she refused to give in to the exhaustion that threatened to consume her. She tried to grab an opening while climbing to push herself up but slipped and almost fell, if no because her other hand was grabbing another ledge tightly.
"This…can't go on for much longer" She said to herself her vision getting blurry.
The other students struggled to keep up, their bodies screaming for respite. They watched in awe as Aria, Kael and Elara ascended and descended the mountains with relative ease, their faces impassive. This gave the remaining students a little confidence boost, after all if they could do it then so could the rest of them.
But they were oh so wrong, those three were in a different league of their own. They were in the top ten for a reason.
*Whip* *Whip*
"Come on maggots! I don't have all day, hurry it you little rats." Briggs said continually whipping the ground which caused the ground to even break at the strength being used.
…
1 hour later
Finally the students were all able to complete the five laps due to Briggs constant pushing, they collapsed on the ground utterly exhausted and in pain. They had no energy to move, let alone head over to the attend their final class for the day.
Briggs stood over them, his face devoid of pity. "This is just the beginning," he said. "Each time you come to my class, I will increase the level of difficulty, until you understand what I am actually trying to teach you. And you will keep pushing yourselves, until you break."
A wave of fear washed over the students as they realized the extent and the true nature of Lieutenant Briggs's training regimen. They knew they would have to dig deep within themselves to survive this relentless assault on their bodies and minds.
…