The next morning, long before the sun peeked over the eastern horizon, Azrael was jolted awake by Master Arcturus.
"Ugh! Why do you have to wake me up so early, old man? Can't I get just a little more sleep?" Azrael groaned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he glanced at Master Arcturus, who shuffled beside him with a walking cane and a glint of determination in his eyes.
"I told you yesterday: from now on, your days of sleeping in are over. Your training begins today. If you want to become a Demon Executioner, you need to put in the effort. Early mornings are part of that," Master Arcturus replied calmly.
"Fine," Azrael sighed, stifling another yawn as he felt the weight of exhaustion tugging at him.
After a few minutes of trudging along, they arrived at an expansive clearing that resembled a training ground, a massive space about the size of two basketball courts filled with various pieces of equipment.
"Wow!" Azrael exclaimed softly, taking in the sight. "Is this where my training starts?"
"Yes," Master Arcturus nodded seriously. "Most of your basic training will take place here."
He turned to face Azrael directly. "From this moment on, your training begins."
Azrael listened intently, his expression shifting to one of determination as he clenched his fists tightly.
He knew that today marked a turning point in his life, whether for better or worse remained uncertain, but one thing was clear: he would finally have the power to take control and seek revenge.
"Now listen closely," Master Arcturus instructed. "You'll perform these exercises:
- 20 push-ups
- 20 pull-ups
- 20 squats
- 20 sit-ups
- Run twenty laps around this training ground."
"Huh? You want me to do all that? Isn't it a bit easy?" Azrael muttered under his breath, momentarily taken aback.
"It's easy enough for you to complete, so hurry up and start! And remember: there's a time limit. If you exceed it, you'll have to start all over again," Master Arcturus said with an amused smile as he settled onto a nearby bench.
"Why are you standing there like an idiot? Your time starts now!" he yelled suddenly.
Snapped back into reality, Azrael quickly dropped down and began his first set of push-ups.
With hands firmly planted on the ground and legs pressed together, he pushed himself up and down with effort.
"1… 2… 3… 4… 5…7...8...9...10" As he reached ten push-ups, fatigue washed over him; his breath quickened and sweat trickled down his face.
"Damn it! I haven't done any intense exercise in ages! Twenty push-ups shouldn't be this hard!" Azrael grumbled through gritted teeth.
Back in Wind Moon Village, Azrael was once the undisputed king of climbing.
He had scaled every mountain and tree that dared to stand in his way, boasting impressive stamina that allowed him to breeze through challenges like a pro.
Twenty push-ups? No sweat! In fact, he could easily knock out fifty without breaking a sweat.
But now, after over a month of lounging around, eating, sleeping, and doing absolutely nothing, those twenty push-ups felt like an insurmountable mountain.
"Come on! Didn't you say this was easy? Why are you shaking like a leaf?" Master Arcturus chimed in from the sidelines, his voice dripping with mockery. "Even an old man like me, who's one foot in the grave, can do better than you! Shame on you!"
Azrael gritted his teeth at the old geezer's taunts as he pushed through the pain. "Damn that old man!" he muttered under his breath as he continued to persevere.
"15... 16... 17... 18... 19... 20..."
With a final grunt, he collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air as sweat poured off him like rain.
The lethargy he'd felt earlier vanished in an instant; all that remained was exhaustion and frustration.
Tears threatened to spill from his eyes as he contemplated the remaining exercises ahead.
"Hurry up! Time is running out! If you can't finish this set on time, it's back to square one, and no breakfast for you!" Master Arcturus urged impatiently.
"I know already!" Azrael snapped back through clenched teeth as he reluctantly rose to tackle the next challenge: pull-ups on the horizontal steel bar.
After what felt like an eternity, five agonizing minutes later, he finally finished those pull-ups but not without feeling every muscle scream in protest.
Next came crunches, squats, and sit-ups, all of which took over an hour to complete.
By then, Azrael was drenched in sweat and barely able to move as he prepared for twenty laps around the training ground.
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"Huff! Huff! Huff!" Lying flat on his back afterward, Azrael felt utterly defeated.
His body was soaked with perspiration; it felt as if he'd just been fished out of a pool.
Every muscle screamed at him; all he wanted was to lay there and drift into sleep.
"Well, well… looks like you exceeded your time limit," said Master Arcturus suddenly appearing before him with a wrinkled grin. "So guess what? You have to start all over again, or else no breakfast!"
"Old geezer! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Azrael exclaimed.
"Get moving before I really give you something to worry about," Master Arcturus replied sternly.
Cursing under his breath again at fate's cruel twist of irony, Azrael forced himself upright once more.
With gritted teeth and eyes blazing with determination, Azrael glared at Master Arcturus.
He felt as if he were trapped in a personal hell.
The relentless training had drained every ounce of his stamina and strength, yet he pressed on.
After failing five times in a row to complete the exercises within the time limit, the sun finally rose above the horizon, unleashing its scorching heat upon the world.
Heat waves shimmered above the ground as Azrael continue the training, resolute, determined to finish his last twenty laps around the training ground.
Sweat poured from him like rain, each drop hitting the ground with a soft thud.
His body was on the brink of collapse; he felt numb and sore all over, his eyes blank and unfocused.
"Alright! You've completed all your exercises this time within the time limit," Master Arcturus announced suddenly, his voice ringing out like a melodious bell in Azrael's ears. "You can head back now; food is waiting for you."
At that moment, overwhelmed by exhaustion, Azrael collapsed onto the ground.
Panting heavily, his breath came in rough gasps as dizziness swirled around him.
He lay there, unwilling to move despite his protesting stomach, a pang of hunger striking him like an unwelcome reminder.
After what felt like an eternity of lying still, he twitched slightly and slowly opened his eyes.
Squinting against the blazing sun hanging high in the sky, he forced himself to stand up and lick his dry lips.
With great effort, he began to shuffle back toward the house.
Finally arriving after what seemed like ages, Azrael spotted Master Arcturus sitting on the veranda surrounded by a pile of books.
The master was engrossed in writing and didn't notice Azrael at first!
A table laden with food beckoned just a few feet away!
Ignoring everything else a d Master Arcturus included, Azrael's gaze locked onto that glorious spread of food as greed flickered in his eyes.
Suddenly fueled by an unexpected surge of energy, he found himself seated before it without even washing his hands!
He dove into the feast with reckless abandon, shoveling mouthfuls down as if they might disappear.
Eventually noticing him devouring everything in sight, Master Arcturus paused to smile at Azrael before returning to his work with a serious expression.
Minutes later, after demolishing every last morsel, Azrael gulped down a large cup of water and patted his full stomach with satisfaction.
A contented smile crept across his face as he sprawled out on the veranda floor. Within five minutes, he was snoring heavily without a care in the world!