After the discussion, or rather, a deal—with his father, Seiya was assigned a female assistant. Miss Onoya was tasked with monitoring and supporting Seiya's rigorous daily training regimen, all part of his journey to grow stronger.
On the first day, Miss Onoya took Seiya to the gym and instructed him to complete 100 push-ups, followed by 50 one-handed push-ups. When Seiya hesitated, she said, "What's the hesitation? You've done this under harsher conditions before, so you can manage it now."
After completing the exercises, she casually tossed him a towel. The simple gesture momentarily froze Seiya; it was one of the rare instances of kindness he had experienced after accomplishing a task.
Since the deal was struck, Seiya's days had become rigidly structured. He was awakened at 5:00 a.m. for training, went to bed at 9:00 p.m., and was restricted to only lunch and dinner—breakfast was forbidden.
His training regimen was relentless: push-ups, squats, running, jogging, back extensions, weightlifting, and new exercises added weekly to build stamina, strength, and muscle tone. From dawn until 2:00 p.m which was lunch time., he trained without pause.
Afternoons after lunch were no reprieve. His father and staff subjected him to torturous experiments that inflicted bone-deep pain, while the contempt and bullying from the other children persisted.
After three months of rigorous exercise, a professional boxer was brought in to teach Seiya the basics of boxing. Each day became a whirlwind of exercises, endless drills, sparring, and relentless experimentation from his father who never goes a day without it. It's either they're testing new found poison on him or carrying out inhumane experiments on him.
Despite everything, his body began to transform. Months of training chiseled his frame, hardening his muscles, though his build remained slim—he was, after all, still a child.
Seiya is taught strictly the basics of boxing and spars everyday with the teacher but instead of training his punches on sandbags like traditional boxers do, Seiya honed his strength against a massive unbreakable boulder he had been tasked with moving and cracking. Each strike with his full strength shattered the bones in his hands, only to get them healed and endure the process again. The cycle was excruciating but necessary, because lives were at stake.
Trying to get stronger, Seiya tried his ultimate best to complete every task given to him. In order to reduce the lives of the children lost as a result of his failure—though he deemed himself a failure because his ultimate best could only reduce the lives lost and not actually save them.
Nine months later, Seiya had mastered the basics of boxing, coupled with his physical regimen, his skills were refined.
His body, though still childlike, had become lean and muscular. He was now ten years old, marking two years since he was thrust into this harsh existence. The transformation in his physique was undeniable—his once frail frame now hardened and slightly taller. Though he took no pride in his progress, he recognized his growth. Only after a year of those arduous training, was he able to put a small crack in the seemingly indestructible boulder.
Miss Onoya, clad in a suit skirt with her sleek bob hairstyle, observed Seiya as he emerged from the pool, water streaming down his slender, muscular frame. His hair clung to his face and neck, a stark contrast to the frail boy who had arrived two years ago.
Training underwater had become a routine part of his regimen, to enhance his agility and strength. Seiya now moves fluidly in the depths, generating ripples with his punches and executing precise kicks—skills he once struggled to perform. All, a testament to his improved power and flexibility.
Handing him a towel, Miss Onoya glanced at the tablet clumped in her arm and announced, "Next, you're entering a dungeon" The casual tone of her voice belied the gravity of her words.
Seiya's heart raced, his pulse pounding in his ears. Nearly two years had passed since his last dungeon encounter, but the memories of that harrowing experience remained vivid.
Noting his pale expression, she added, "It's not like the previous one, so you can relax". Though she said this to calm him, there was no hint of concern in her tone. She has always been a nonchalant person, strict with zero cares.
"A different one? I thought only after a gate is explored do we know what kind of gate it is" Seiya turned to her, voicing his confusion.
"True.." She explained, "but every gate we've opened is registered on our system, should we want to explore it again for whatever reason. The one you entered wasn't the first nor the last we've opened"
"Though a gate that is already cleared can never be re-inspected, we have some open and uncleared. You'll be sent to a pre-inspected gate this time"
Despite her explanation, the fear gnawed at him.
Clad in fresh clothes, Seiya was led to the yard where the gate was being prepared. As the electric blue whirlpool materialized, dread settled in his chest.
"Don't waste too much time. Do what is needed to complete the task as there are twelve kids lined up to pay, should you fail to clear the dungeon" Miss Onoya instructed coldly.
Before stepping into the glowing gate, Seiya caught his father's gaze. His father's smile sent a shiver down his spine, a chilling reminder of the consequences of failure.
Inside the dungeon, everything was unlike the bleak environment of his first gate that Seiya questioned whether he was truly in a dungeon.
This one was lush with greenery, a natural, verdant landscape.
But danger lurked. A lemon-green goblin appeared behind him, its eyes gleaming with malice. Sensing its presence, Seiya turned swiftly but the goblin leapt, its spear slicing through the air, aimed directly at Seiya's neck.
Seiya instinctively caught the wooden shaft mid-swing with one hand while the other grabbed the goblin's neck, ceasing its motion—a stance where his arm is arched across his chin to catch the spear while the other is stretched to grab the goblin's neck.
The goblin thrashed wildly, scratching at Seiya with sharp nails, forcing him to briefly release his grip only to plunge his hardened hand into the goblin's throat the next second, blood splattering about.
Seiya gazed blankly at the lifeless goblin on the floor, unsure if they were just that weak and easy to pierce or he had gotten strong enough that his hardened hand alone was enough to pull that off.
The stiffened muscles in Seiya's hardened hand he's used to kill the goblin slowly eased up, relaxing as his eyes spread with realization.
It was the first life he's ever taken. Though he holds himself accountable for the deaths of the children over the years, this was the first he'd directly taken. He couldn't help but grapple with the reality of it.
Thinking how he used to be the one to save bugs along the street to being the one that now reaps them off their lives, his heart clenched with pain.
A rush of nausea filled him as he took up his trembling hand stained in blood to inspect. Tears streamed down his face in sorrowful mourn.
But! He'd choose this over the lives of the children. It's rather this than that, so he steeled himself, prioritizing the children's lives over his own moral conflict.
With renewed resolve, Seiya sprinted forward with calculated and precise movement, his eyes locked onto the nearest goblin. His fingers curled stiffly into a claw-like shape, pressing firmly into the goblin's shoulder to pin it in place. In one fluid motion, he drew back his fist, his muscles coiling with latent power. He shifted his weight, pivoting his foot and sliding his leg backward to balance his stance.
With a well clenched fist, every sinew pulled tight, Seiya delivered his punch with immense force. The blow connected with devastating precision and power, exploding the goblin's head to bits.