November 25, 3104
It's gotten cold.
The warmer clothes I came with are almost completely destroyed, but they're still useful. I can run the whole morning route now, though I won't comment on the evening one. I've managed to jump two meters forward while carrying a three-meter log. The pit I was digging is finally finished. I found out afterward that its purpose was to reach groundwater, though I have no idea how the masters knew about it. Even so, it didn't change anything—I still didn't get rid of the spade. Now, instead of digging downward, I'm working along the length of the pit, pressing the earth down with my right hand to create some sort of drainage, though it seems pointless at the moment.
Two notable events happened recently:
The first one wasn't too difficult, but it still made my life harder. It happened on November 15, 3104.
"Master, can I use your bow for training?"
At that point, I was exhausted from digging. Plus, the pit was already about ten meters deep.
"Try it."
Evans handed me his bow.
I took it in my left hand and grabbed the bowstring with my right. It felt good in my grip, but when I tried to draw the bowstring, it wouldn't budge, no matter how much strength I used. It was completely unyielding.
Is this thing made of iron or something?
"That's enough. No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to use it right now." I returned the bow.
"Why not?"
"It only responds when wind aether flows through it. You don't have the Ventus constitution to channel wind aether."
That explains it.
"Wait a minute… did you make this bow with the ability to channel aether?"
"No."
"But you mentioned that if you ever needed to make a bow, it would take a long time. I thought you'd already done it."
"You're confused. By your logic, the books on the shelf were also written and printed by me. And as for the house and everything in it, those were built by a friend of mine who visits sometimes."
"Do you have friends?"
After I asked, I saw Evans's face tense up.
Ha! He's human after all. I finally saw some reaction on his face.
"I have a feeling that tonight, you won't be getting any sleep until you finish the route," he said.
True to his word, he made sure of it. Even as I started to lose consciousness, he did everything he could to snap me back so I could finish the route. It was the only day I managed to do it.
The second event showed me just how easily my master could push me to my limits, or even worse, end me if he ever wanted. Why I keep getting myself into trouble, I still don't understand.
November 20, 3104
"Get up."
"Yes, yes... uh, maybe a day off, Master? I don't remember the last time I did anything other than daily exercises."
Without even looking at me, he said, "You want a day off?"
Since he always speaks in the same even tone, I didn't pick up on the danger hidden in that question. And, being the genius that I am, my answer was, of course, "Yes!"
Hah. I wish I had more intellect. Unfortunately, the only talent I was born with was my body—and maybe a bit of a mature attitude from dealing with adults constantly. But brains? Not so much.
"Great," he replied. "If you can run the whole route, I'll give you a day off."
At that point, I could almost finish it, though the last 2-3 kilometers were always beyond me.
As he'd warned me on the first day, after the first week, he stopped running alongside me. Somehow, though, he still tracked my every move. If I ever tried to veer off-course, an arrow would fly towards me. I had to hope I wouldn't collapse from the impact. Though they weren't shot with lethal force, their flat ends still caused intense pain, and I had to keep running with each arrow stuck in me. They never missed, even when I tried to dodge or defend myself.
By the time I had 19 arrows in me, the 20th was terrifying. Every time it hit, I lost sensation in that spot and ended up with deep bruises that lasted for days.
But back to my foolishness.
20 minutes.
That's how long my journey took—usually around five hours condensed into 20 minutes of pure agony. How do I know it lasted exactly 20 minutes? Simple: 20 arrows, each hitting with a force twenty times greater than usual. They all hit their mark, starting from the lower legs, then up to the pelvis, hands, shoulders, abdomen, and finally, the last one struck right in the forehead.
And, of course, the next morning, I got up to start all over again.
"Get up."
It wasn't real. It was just a strange dream.
"Do you want another day off?"
"No, I don't."
Thinking about it, I suppose it was technically a day off—with the minor drawback that I was only conscious for 20 minutes of it.
Now, back to the present.
"Get up."
Same morning voice, but this time with an unexpected addition.
"Tomorrow, the supplies I ordered will arrive. We'll head to the edge of the woods in the morning. You'll bring them here, and then I'll carry them back home. But you know you'll have to run from the forest to here with the supplies in your hands."
"As if I thought there'd be any other way. So… no running tonight?"
"You run."
"We're sorry, the first-day promotion is no longer valid. Please contact the administrator. I truly feel humiliated."
The day itself was no different from the previous ones, but to my surprise, I managed to reach the end of the night route.
I ate and went straight to bed.
November 26, 3104
Using the same travel method, I reached the edge of the forest, where I saw... a truck?
"I'm done for."
I greeted the driver from last time and began the transportation.
All day.
It took me the entire day to carry everything. My legs were definitely not in the best shape by the end.
It was impressive that the teacher waited until I brought more items before making his move. Every time I came back with a load, the previous pile would be gone, and he'd be standing in the same place, waiting. What kind of speed had he developed to pull that off?
The next two days, I just ran in the morning and evening. During the day, I worked alongside Master to set up everything that had been brought in.
Now, in the house, there's a shower with water pumped up from the pit I dug, powered by an aether generator outside, which draws energy from atmospheric ether. Of course, we sometimes have to feed it with our own aether, but that's no problem. The drain pipes go through the channel I made. We also set up training equipment—bows, arrows, targets, weights filled with sand and metal—a refrigerator, and new furniture. I even have my own bed now and a wardrobe with new clothes.
November 29, 3104
"One month earlier than expected, but now you won't be able to escape. Merry Christmas!"
With that, Evans took a token from the locker and dropped it on the table in front of me. It looked similar to the CinderCrest token, but this one was green with a bow symbol at its center.
Evans then approached the table, pricking his thumb with a quick flick. A drop of blood fell onto the token, which began to glow as a hologram appeared:
Cyclone's Embrace (4 ☆)
Movement Technique: Wind Kingdom (4 ☆)
Archery Technique: Tornado Archery (4 ☆)
Breathing Technique: Tempest Flow (4 ☆)
"Wow."
All three techniques were four-star—high-quality martial arts without a doubt. They might not have been as prestigious as five-star techniques, but I certainly couldn't consider them inferior.
It makes sense that the Frostwind clan didn't want to allow them to form their own clan. If a new clan appeared with martial arts of this caliber in the same field as theirs, the potential losses could be enormous.
However, he didn't trust me completely. It was normal to prepare before practicing high-level martial arts to avoid injury, but training at this intensity for an entire month? That felt excessive.
Maybe he thought I just wanted to learn the martial arts and then leave. He'd been betrayed by others so much that he couldn't trust the word of a 12-year-old boy.
What is their problem?
Why are they so determined to dominate this field?
Is it worth all the sacrifices and lives they're destroying?