Thanks to his instincts, Raiden didn't have to act like a kid, but he couldn't recall his memories, knowledge, and experience, so he wasn't quite there yet. He was in a really weird spot.
"The fourth level of the tower of mastery is quite difficult, so try to pace yourself now," Harth said.
"Why?" Raiden asked.
"You will be pretty busy even though you will only train in the morning," Harth explained. "Also, you don't have to study anymore, and all the extra time will focus on strengthening you. This is the level where we separate civilians who can defend themselves and those who are on the path to becoming true warriors. Also, you will often be called to train or do other things outside the tower of mastery. You can consider that kind of thing your homework in the place of your studies."
Raiden was curious to know what Harth was talking about, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't reveal it for some reason. That kind of thing probably was kept as a secret to surprise the recruits as much as possible to forge them into real warriors.
Still, Raiden, Javier, and Ruth soon learned those things on the very first day on the new level. As soon as they climbed the stairs, they noticed that the level was pretty silent, even though some students were supposed to be there already.
The instructor was an elderly man with a commanding presence, exuding an aura of power and wisdom. Standing at a formidable height, he possesses a strong and robust build, reflecting his years of combat experience… at least from a distance.
His most striking feature was his long, flowing white hair that cascaded down to his shoulders. His eyebrows, also white, are thick and bushy, emphasizing his intense gaze and giving him an overall stern and no-nonsense expression.
His face was etched with deep wrinkles, a testament to the wisdom and hardships he had endured throughout his long life. His sharp, piercing eyes, which bear a reddish tint, display a fierce determination and an unwavering resolve.
"From now on, you will be number 55, 56, and 57," The old man suddenly said, and this time, even Raiden was surprised. "Number 55 will do squats until noon. Number 56 will do handstands until noon, and number 57 will run around the Tower of Mastery until noon. If either of you stops doing that for more than seconds, you will continue doing it until evening."
Raiden was supposed to be number 55, and while he didn't mind doing squats, he had something against being referred to as a number. Still, considering what he had heard on the previous night, he decided to move on, and then he pushed the others to do the same.
"Getting going and don't say or do anything Unnecessary," Raiden said.
"You just did something unnecessary, so you will stay here until evening," The old man said.
Javier and Ruth were left speechless, but soon, they began to move when Raiden began his squats in the corner of the room. They took a glimpse at the other students and noticed that they were meditating while sitting on some weird wooden chairs. The seats were pointy like pyramids, and there were five of those, so all the weight of their bodies was being pressed against that.
"This old man certainly caught me off guard…" Raiden thought since the old instructor didn't seem like a harsh guy, one could even think just by looking at him that perhaps he had the aura of a weary gentle grandpa. "Appearances sure are deceiving."
While he was doing the squats, Raiden looked around and confirmed that there was nothing in the room. No place to store weapons, books, scrolls, no nothing… The silence was finally explained, but he wondered if he and the others would have to endure that kind of order for how long until they joined the others.
Raiden thought that he would be fine for quite a while, but soon he began to realize that things would get complicated for him as well. Raiden felt a deep burning and heaviness in their lower body.
He also experienced muscle soreness and tightness, particularly in the thighs, buttocks, and lower back. The muscles felt tender to the touch and exhibited reduced flexibility.
Maybe it was because his endurance was low, but after just ten minutes, Raiden realized that things were getting quite painful. In the end, he began to take breaks of five seconds between each squat… he was supposed to be allowed to do that much.
On the other corner of the room, Javier smiled since he finally lasted longer than Raiden at something; soon, he regretted not pacing himself when he started to fall and hit his face on the ground.
"What a dumbass," Raiden thought.
Ruth was the type of girl who was too obedient for her own good, so she probably will follow the commands even without anyone watching her. Still, Raiden didn't think that the old man would have countermeasures to make sure that she would do what she had to do.
Although he didn't sweat a lot, Raiden felt like his legs had become stiff as hell when noon came. The students began to get up from their meditation, and after stretching their bodies, they began to leave while the old instructor was nodding off while sitting on the ground.
Javier and Ruth came to check on Raiden, but he told them to go home and then rest their bodies while they kept an eye on his herbs. He didn't know if that training would help him that much, but at least it would improve his discipline and mental strength.
At the end of the afternoon, Raiden felt like a single squat was worse than a kick on the balls… forget about the sweat caused by the exercise; the pain was what made him sweat the most. Despite that, the old man instructor was nodding off… or at least pretending to nod off since he did that the entire afternoon. Still, it was hard to imagine that it was the case since he had a bubble of snort growing and decreasing in size on his face.
"... You can home now, number 55," The old man suddenly said when the snort bubble exploded.
Raiden felt on his butt and then sighed in relief… it was going to be hard to go home with his legs that stiff.
Raiden massaged his legs in the end, but that only helped a bit. He only returned fast because he decided to move by doing handstands… in any case, it was already dark, but Javier and Ruth were still there.
"Sorry for the day; here is your payment for the day," Raiden said and passed some coins for them.
"Your hands are a mess… did you come by doing handstands?" Ruth furrowed her eyebrows.
"It is a novel experience; don't think too much about it," Raiden replied.
They couldn't help but think about it because they would have to experience that six days a week… the first day had already been too intense, and the fact that they didn't even tell their names was another problem. Still, everyone was smart enough to understand that it was something necessary to reach the next level… to obtain the real secret techniques that could be taught at the tower of mastery, they had to deserve it by enduring that and forging their spirits.
"Maybe I should buy some herbs that help with muscle pain," Raiden thought while he watched his friends heading to their homes.
A good night of sleep would do wonders for Raiden, but first, he had to make dinner, and he was prideful enough not to look like he was having a hard time at the new level, so he had to use all of his willpower to walk like nothing was wrong… that had been another ordeal. At least he fooled everyone while they were eating.