Huff! Huff!
My breaths came in a ragged sequence as my legs smacked against the ground.
"Curse you instructor Black!" I yelled, inwardly of course. I wasn’t nearly crazy enough to say that out loud.
Today was just the day after the mock exam. The moustached instructor said that originally, we were supposed to have a day off after the two days mock exam, but since we so happened to complete it in less than five hours, there was no need for a day off.
So, today when it was time for combat class, the instructor called us to the stadium, instead of the combat grounds. Now this same thing had happened during the third week of the institute in the novel, but because of the mock exam that seeming spawned out of nowhere, I kind of forgot about it.
Though, the dread settled when upon me, when Dion and I arrived at the stadium, and saw that it was seemingly ten times the size it was yesterday.
"I have a bad feeling about this." I had told Dion, but he laughed it off saying I was just too paranoid.
The moment instructor Black arrived, he moved in between the students so fast that he tapped everyone’s shoulder in less than a millisecond. Of course, none of the students including I actually perceived him doing that. We all just felt the ghost of a tap on our shoulders after he was done, and was standing before us.
But we soon felt the effects of what he actually did. My body suddenly felt weaker, as if the life out of me had been drawn out, and my aether slowly ceased adhering to my control, like it was behind closed doors, which I didn’t have access to, leaving only just enough for me not to go into aether exhaustion.
I quickly called out my status screen.
====Status====
Name: Damon Darkfell
Race: Human
Age: 18
Title : Third prince of the Darkfell empire.
Rank : Eta
Strength : Eta
Agility : Eta+
Stamina : Eta
Aether capacity : Theta- (Sealed)
Luck : Delta-
Charm : Alpha
Techniques: Aether reinforcement (Master), Darkfell royal sword style (Master), Mirage steps (Master).
Unique physique : Nexus prism physique (Omega rank.)
– initial ability: One of many [Create reflections of yourself to confuse foes. The strength of your reflection depends on the amount of Aether spent. You can seamlessly swap places with any of your reflections.] (Sealed).
"Fuck!" I cursed out loud, and I wasn’t the only one.
-"What the hell?!"
-"Wait... w..why can’t I feel my aether?!"
-"Can someone explain what is happening?"
The students were panicking. I understood their reactions, really. It felt weird, and wrong to suddenly lose your power, or what makes you different.
But if they thought just losing access to their aether and abilities were bad, they were in for a rude awakening.
"Enough!" The instructor bellowed, making the atmosphere in the stadium still. "I sealed all of your aethers. In the excersice we’re doing today, it’ll only stand in the way, so there’s no need for it.
Most of the students seemed to calm down at those words. ’Sigh, if only they knew.’ I thought, inwardly shaking my head.
"Bro, what do you think the excersice is about?" Dion whispered to me.
"Shhh, you’ll find out in a bit." I said, nodding my head.
Dion wasn’t the only one curious about it, the others were also chattering about what it could be. In the distance, the Alistair along with the main casts and Anastasia were also probably musing about it.
"Today’s excercise is quite simple." the moustached man smiled. "You just have to run 30 laps on the tracks." He pointed to the tracks that were at least three times the size of a standard Olympic track.
Silence reigned as the students brain processed the information, trying to ascertain if it they heard correct or not. Then the silence gave way to frustration and aggrieved cries.
-"What?! Are you crazy?!"
-"How are we supposed to do that with our aether sealed?!"
-"I’m moments away from going into aether exhaustion." Someone said weakly.
"It’s simple really." The instructor smiled. "It has come to my attention that while your combat prowess is passable, your endurance is shit. Which is why starting today, till whatever time I please, this is all we’ll be doing. Oh, and before I forget," his smile widened into a grin.
I suddenly had a feeling of foreboding.
"It’s 50 laps now, for calling your instructor crazy."
A collecting groan echoed through the crowd, while those that knew the student who called the instructor crazy glared at the student for suddenly making their job harder. Though it wasn’t his fault, in the novel too, Instructor Black found some absurd reason to increase the number to 50.
"I’d start right now if I were you, lest you want to lose a point every second you continue to stand here." he smiled with dark satisfaction as the students ran to the tracks in a frenzy.
Of course I was also part of them. These points were needed to book training halls you know. And not to mention absolutely needed when you inevitably miss either breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
And so, that was how I got into this situation where my breaths were coming out in a ragged sequence.
I was only in the nineteenth lap, yet my entire body was literally drenched in sweat. It also came to my attention that my endurance was shit.
The reason? Alistair, Rose, Fabian, and Anastasia were probably in their twenty- second lap, and though they were also drenched in sweat, they didn’t look nearly as haggard nor as exhausted as I did. They looked like they could still go on for quite a while.
As for me though, I knew I couldn’t. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if I collapsed any moment from now. ’Take away our aether, the equalizing agent, and it actually shows those who have a solid foundation, and had taken their training seriously.’
Unfortunately though, Damon didn’t do that shit for me. This body was trash when I found myself in it. Though I had gone and drunk that mystical liquid to boost my physique to Omega rank, I had yet to make up for the past years Damon slacked off.
Even though, I trained rigorously, visited the gravity rooms every two days, and had my reflections constantly practice my techniques. At this moment, if I said I was second in terms of grinding in the first years, no one would dare claim to be the first.
Okay jokes apart, I knew that in time I would eventually bridge that gap in foundation.
Anyway, back to the run, I wasn’t ashamed of dropping down, after all, Delilah and Dion had collapsed a few laps back, and so did many other students.
The only way to get out of this excersice, is either to finish it, or reach a state where you can no longer continue and collapse.
I had no illusions that any of the main casts could complete it though. I mean, even in the novel, they didn’t. Alistair lasted the longest I think, at the twenty- seventh lap.
Finally, the moment I finished the twentieth lap, my body gave up on me. I collapsed hard, on the tracks. After which I took the herculean task to turn on my back.
Just like that, I lay sprawled, gasping for breath, and once again cursed instructor Black’s seven generations.
’Fuck!’ I cursed. I hadn’t felt this weak since that time I got aether exhaustion after we escaped the ashen Deadlands.
I watched the remainder of students that hadn’t fallen as they kept running. So to say, they weren’t much. There were only five of them still going. Alistair, Anastasia, Rose, Fabian, and Calum.
Calum soon dropped out at the twenty- fourth lap though. Followed by Rose and Anastasia, both of whom dropped out at the twenty- fifty.
Fabian continued until the twenty- sixth, while Alistair did the same as in the novel, and collapsed at the twenty- seventh.
"Alright everyone, gather back here!" instructor Black shouted a few minutes after Alistair collapsed.
’Hell no, nothing is making me get up from this place.’ I thought. This was my new sanctuary, and the other students also echoed the same sentiments as many groaned.
"Every second you lay there is one additional lap." Like a thunder clap, everyone’s body responded, me included.
I quickly got up on my feet. Well as quickly as my heavy limbs let me. My limbs felt like heavy logs I was forced to carry, but I still made my way back to the field, along with the other students.
"I’m sure every one of you now know where you stand." The instructor began once everyone gathered. "I want each of you to be able to last ten extra laps than you did today, by the end of the next two weeks, is that clear?"
"I said, is that clear?!" He repeated when no one answered the first time.
"Yes sir!" We chorused.
"Great. That is all, you are dismissed." He said before disappearing.
-"Just kill me already." A student groaned.
-"You! You’re the same guy who made him increase it to 50 laps in the first place!" Another student yelled at the first one who spoke.
-"So what if I did?" The guy retorted. "It’s not like you even lasted 10 laps."
Similar groans we’re going on everywhere. They were right to be down. Even I wasn’t sure I could add in ten extra laps by the end of the next two weeks. But if there was something I was sure of, it was that none of us here were attending today’s last class.
************
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