Pov Arthur
I crossed the finish line first, well ahead of all the others.
My legs weren't even trembling. My breathing was barely accelerated.
I felt… alive.
Inside, I was crazy with joy.
Fuck yeah! With this, I'm going to become a physical monster! This skill is exactly what I
needed!
I forced myself to keep a neutral face, trying to contain my overflowing excitement.
But Gareth didn't share my enthusiasm.
The instructor stared at me with an indecipherable expression, his blue eyes narrowed with
incomprehension. I could almost see the gears turning in his head.
How is he not even tired?
The other children gradually arrived, panting, some literally doubled over to catch their
breath. A few shot me incredulous looks.
Gareth let us recover for exactly thirty seconds—I counted—then barked:
"Rest over! Now, push-ups! One hundred push-ups! Position!"
The Push-ups
All the children immediately got into push-up position, me included.
"Execute! One!"
We all went down together.
"Two!"
"Three!"
At first, everyone kept the pace. But quickly, the differences became obvious.
At the thirtieth push-up, a few children were already starting to shake.
At the fortieth, several collapsed, unable to continue.
"Pathetic!" Gareth spat.
"Continue! Those who give up will do a hundred laps of the field!"
That threat was enough to remotivate those who'd fallen. They got back into position,
grimacing with pain.
Fiftieth push-up.
Sixtieth push-up.
And me?
I continued. Again and again.
Each movement was fluid, controlled, perfect. Slow, controlled descent. Explosive rise. My
arms weren't shaking. My muscles weren't burning with fatigue—on the contrary, they
seemed to vibrate with energy.
This is… incredible.
With each push-up, I felt my muscle fibers contract, relax, strengthen. As if my body
absorbed the effort and transformed it directly into power.
I remember this feeling. This feeling of sensing your body inflate, oxygenate, become
stronger in real time.
In my previous life, after years of intensive training, I'd developed an almost instinctive
connection with my body. I knew every muscle, every limit, every signal.
But here? This was different.
It was like my body had no limits.
Seventieth push-up.
Eightieth push-up.
Seriously? That's all?
I started to feel a certain… disappointment.At this rate, it's going to be too easy. Way too easy.
The other children still standing were panting, their arms shaking violently. Some collapsed
one by one, unable to continue.
Pathetic. Really pathetic.
Ninetieth push-up.
Only three children were still moving. Me, and two others who seemed on the verge of
collapse.
Not even a challenge.
One hundredth push-up.
"STOP!"
Gareth's voice rang out like thunder.
The two other children immediately collapsed on the ground, panting, sweating, trembling
with fatigue.
Me?
I calmly stood up, dusting off my hands with calculated nonchalance.
My breathing was slightly accelerated, but nothing dramatic. My arms were slightly warm,
but not painful.
Tch. I was hoping this would be more stimulating.
An arrogant smile threatened to spread across my lips, but I suppressed it.
Calm down, Arthur. No way I'm showing my hand on the first day. POV Gareth
Gareth stared at Arthur with an expression that oscillated between disbelief and absolute
stupefaction.
What is this kid?
He'd trained dozens—no, hundreds—of children over the years. Geniuses. Prodigies.
Descendants of legendary bloodlines.
But this?
I thought this kid had limits! But what kind of endurance is this?!
One hundred push-ups. A hundred. At five years old.
Most children this age could barely do ten correctly. The best maybe reached thirty or forty.
But Arthur? He'd executed them with perfect form. No shaking. No slowing down. No visible
sign of fatigue.
Gareth frowned and approached slightly, observing Arthur with a professional's attention.
As a high-level instructor—a Prime in the hierarchy of fighters—he'd developed a particular
sensitivity to the bodies of the children he trained. He could sense their fatigue, their limit,
their potential.
And there, observing Arthur…
What the…?
Something abnormal was happening.
He couldn't see it with his eyes—it wasn't a question of mana or visible magic. It was more
subtle. More… physical.
It's like his muscles… are strengthening? With each effort?
It was imperceptible, but Gareth, with his experience, felt it. Like a muffled vibration. As if
Arthur's body absorbed physical effort and transformed it directly into muscular growth.
That's impossible. Muscles don't develop in real time like that. It takes days, weeks of
recovery for muscular growth to manifest.
Yet he felt it. This kid had some kind of special physique that defied all normal biological
logic.
Is he a monster? An alien from Mars? What kind of monster is this…He pulled himself together and decided to push the test further.
"Very well,
" he said in a loud voice.
"Now, pull-ups! Fifty pull-ups! Position!"
POV Arthur
Pull-ups? Again? Seriously?
I headed toward the pull-up bar installed on the training ground. The other children followed
me, some with expressions of obvious despair.
These poor kids are already at their limit. And we're only at the beginning of the day.
I jumped and grabbed the bar firmly.
"Execute!"
I pulled myself up.
Controlled descent.
Explosive rise.
One.
Two.
Three.
Well, at least pull-ups are slightly more interesting than push-ups.
With each pull-up, I felt my back muscles, my biceps, my forearms working in perfect
harmony. The sensation of my muscle fibers contracting, releasing, strengthening with each
repetition was… pleasant.
But still. At this rate, it's going to get boring. Really boring.
Ten pull-ups.
Twenty pull-ups.
The other children were giving up one after another. Some couldn't even do more than five.
Really? Five? Even kids from my old world could do better than that.
Thirty pull-ups.
Forty pull-ups.
My breathing was rhythmic, deep. My arms moved like well-oiled pistons.
I could keep going like this for hours. Literally. This is ridiculous.
Fifty pull-ups.
"STOP!"
I released the bar and landed smoothly on the ground.
Not a tremor. Not a drop of excessive sweat.
Too easy. Way too easy.
I turned toward Gareth, secretly hoping he'd propose something more… challenging. POV
Gareth
Gareth remained frozen, completely obsessed with what he'd just seen.
Absolutely obsessed.
The other children had all stopped to watch Arthur. Some with admiration. Others with envy.
A few with a hint of fear.
And Gareth? He now clearly felt this strange phenomenon.
With each exercise, Arthur's muscles became denser, stronger. It was as if his body evolved
in real time, absorbing effort and instantly transforming it into growth.
This kid… He really doesn't feel fatigue. And worse, his body strengthens with each
movement.
Gareth had seen a lot in his life. Legendary warriors. Masters at the peak of their art.
Prodigies who defied all logic.
But a five-year-old child performing physical exercises as if it were a simple walk, while
becoming stronger every second?This is unprecedented.
"Squats!" he barked, almost desperate to find this kid's limit.
"One hundred squats! Execute!"
POV Arthur
Oh, we're continuing? Alright…
I got into position and started the squats.
Deep descent. Controlled rise.
Again and again.
Seriously, Gareth? Squats now? You're really going to make me do all the basic exercises
one by one?
At this point, the other children were openly watching me, having completely abandoned
their own exercises. They were all standing, mouths agape, observing this surreal spectacle.
Gareth said nothing, just observing me with disturbing intensity.
Let him watch. Let them all watch. It doesn't change anything.
My muscles sang. My body vibrated with pure energy.
But damn, at this rate, it's going to get boring. Really boring as hell.
I wanted something more. More difficult. More intense. More… worthy of my abilities.
Is this really it, the legendary First Training Camp? Basic beginner exercises?
One hundredth squat.
I stood up calmly, rolling my shoulders with deliberate nonchalance.
Not tired. Not out of breath.
Just… bored.
An arrogant smile finally stretched my lips. I couldn't hold it back anymore.
At this rate, I'm going to be bored to death here. I really hope the real training is more
interesting than this pathetic warm-up.
Because if this is all this camp has to offer…
My red eyes gleamed with a predatory light.
…then I'm going to crush them all. Without even breaking a sweat