(Rodova Military Academy – The Physical Training Class)

The early morning air was crisp, but it did little to keep Leo from noticing Professor Marvin's piercing gaze drilling into him.

As he stretched, shaking off the lingering haze of sleep, he couldn't help but feel like today's session was going to be a nightmare.

He, Su Yang, and Mu Shen already trained under a regimen far more brutal than the rest of the class, but for some reason, Marvin still didn't look remotely impressed this particular morning.

"Boys, the way Marvin's looking at us today, I'm definitely not getting any good vibes.

He's already got us carrying 80-kilo vests while the rest of the class barely manages 40.

But I think he's ready to bump us up to 100 today—" Mu Shen said, as he shifted uneasily.

"I, for one, don't mind the weight increase. After the second genetic awakening shot, my body feels stronger than ever, and I'm itching to push it even more—" Su Yang added with a cocky smirk, as Mu Shen shot him a glare, clearly unimpressed.

At the start of the academic year, all three of them had been neck and neck in strength and endurance.

But slowly—inevitably—Leo and Su Yang had begun pulling ahead.

And Mu Shen hated it.

"Show-off." He mouthed silently before the clock struck 5:30 AM and Marvin's voice cut through the murmur of the class.

"It seems I've been going too easy on you kids the past few days, so it's time to increase your burden today!" Marvin declared, as a groan of protest rippled through the students.

"50-kilogram vests for the rest of the class.

Mu Shen—100 kilograms." Marvin said, as Mu Shen's eyes widened in disbelief, as he instinctively pointed towards himself.

"Why only me? What did I do?! Why do Skyshard and Yang get a pass?" He complained as Marvin's reply was instant.

"Of course they don't get a pass! Skyshard, Yang—120 kilograms." Marvin boldly declared, as Leo almost tripped in his path.

Going from 80 to 120 kilos in a single day was a massive leap—borderline reckless.

And yet, with no room for complaints, he and Su Yang were forced to wear the extra weight regardless.

"Today's drill will be—"

1. Run a lap in under 40 seconds.

2. Fall to the floor and complete:

50 pushups

50 sit-ups

50 burpees

50 squats

3. Run another lap and repeat.

You will complete 50 such laps.

And for every lap you fail to finish in under 40 seconds, you will run 2 penalty laps at the end." Marvin declared, as the reaction to this hellish drill was instant.

A collective outroar erupted across the training grounds, with students voicing their concerns audibly.

"What happened, Professor? Did your wife leave you last night? Is that why you're in a demonic mood today?"

"Did you just find out you're impotent? Is that why you're taking your rage out on us?"

"Professor, if you want to kill us, just snap our necks and spare us the suffering. Please don't exhaust us to our deaths"

"Okay, which one of you idiots pranked the professor? Filled his dorm with shit bombs or something? Because if that's the reason we're getting punished, I swear to god, I'm beating your ass after this."

The blame game began as students grumbled and speculated, trying to figure out what had triggered Marvin's apparent descent into pure sadism.

But no amount of complaining changed a thing, as Professor Marvin remained unmoved.

And in the end—

The training session began exactly how Marvin wanted it to.

—----------

(2 hours later)

2 hours later, Leo laid exhausted on the floor, unable to complete the 50 laps, as his body hit its limit on 42.

"I can't— I can't professor, 120 Kg is too much…. It's just too much!" Leo complained, while being sprawled on the floor, as Marvin grinned in satisfaction.

"Failure to complete the drill, means you start all over again tomorrow Skyshard, with an extra 16 lap penalty for the 8 you missed today!" Marvin said ruthlessly, as Leo violently coughed and puked his guts out, much to the sadistic joy of Marvin.

Thankfully, he wasn't the only one suffering, as Su Yang could also only complete 45 laps, and was in the same boat as him in the end.

—----------

Although Leo and Su Yang were already battered from the grueling morning training, dragging their sore bodies through the day, they had no idea that the worst was yet to come.

As exhausted as they were, they at least expected the Practical Combat Class to follow its usual structure.

But today—Professor Hen had other plans.

If Professor Marvin was a demon instructor, then today, Hen was the Demon's father.

"Skyshard, Yang."

Hen's voice cut through the noise of the training grounds, drawing their attention immediately.

Standing beside him were two warriors—men who radiated undeniable experience and aura of dominance that made it clear they weren't students.

"This is Su Fan and Lu Juan."

Hen gestured toward the two figures, his tone laced with something almost cruel.

"They passed out from this institute two years ago and are now part of an adventurer guild."

A brief pause.

"They will be your opponents today."

The announcement landed like a hammer.

Leo's eyes narrowed as he sized up Su Fan, while Su Yang kept his gaze locked on Lu Juan.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were wildly outmatched, as although the duo were not aware that Su Fan and Lu Juan were the Circuit Team captain and vice captain a couple years ago, the sheer aura they radiated made it clear that they were no regular fighters.

"Try not to embarrass yourselves too much, boys–" Hen said at the end, as just ten minutes later,

BAM!

Leo barely managed to keep himself standing as Su Fan's fist crashed into his ribs, sending a jolt of pain coursing through his body.

His vision blurred.

But before he could even process the impact—

CRACK!

A sharp knee slammed into his gut, knocking the wind right out of him.

Leo staggered backward, barely catching himself before he hit the ground.

Meanwhile—

Su Yang wasn't faring any better.

Lu Juan moved like a ghost—fast, merciless, and precise.

Every strike landed with surgical accuracy, exploiting every tiny gap in Su Yang's defenses.

A kick to the ribs.

A punch to the jaw.

A swift elbow strike to the temple.

And just like that—

Su Yang's knees buckled.

His vision spun, his breaths ragged, and his body screamed for mercy.

But neither Leo nor Su Yang got even a moment to recover.

Their opponents didn't let up.

Every time they tried to attack, they were countered.

Every time they tried to defend, they were broken through.

Every time they tried to breathe, they were hit even harder.

It was a systematic dismantling.

Their bodies hit the ground.

Again.

And again.

And again.

By the time Hen finally called the end of the practice session for the day—

Both Leo and Su Yang were barely even standing, their faces swollen and their bodies bruised.

"Rest well tonight…. From tomorrow onwards you will face a rotation of opponents, none weaker than these two—" Hen declared, as at that moment, the duo finally realized that their lives were about to become hell going forward.