Chapter 10:The iron fortress 5
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While everyone was deep asleep, in the heart of absolute silence, a violent knock echoed against the door.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
It sounded as if someone was about to rip the door off its hinges. Then a rough voice roared,
"On your feet, you idiots—now!"
It was a sharp voice that tolerated no delay. Its owner was an expert-ranked soldier, tall and massive. He added coldly,
"I won't repeat myself. Head to the track immediately."
The four of us in the room, Daniel included, jumped up. We quickly put on our standard training uniforms and rushed out, merging into the flow of trainees heading toward the track. Daniel couldn't recognize his roommates yet—he hadn't even properly seen their faces.
When we arrived, everyone gathered and formed long, tightly packed lines, standing at attention. The soldier who had woken us stepped forward and said loudly,
"We'll separate the newcomers from the veterans. Seniors will run as usual. I'll lead the juniors and explain things. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" everyone shouted in unison.
He continued,
"Now, juniors, you'll wear this device. It will track the distance you run. Of course, you won't run the same distance as the seniors."
Someone asked hesitantly,
"So… less than ten kilometers?"
The soldier replied with irritation,
"What? Of course not. You'll run the full distance."
"What? Then how far do the seniors run?"
"Currently, thirty kilometers. It increases by one kilometer every two weeks."
Some were shocked. Others stayed silent. As for me… I already knew.
Even after splitting up, the crowd was still large. We put on the device—made in the Magic Tower and powered by aether—and were ordered to run in pairs. By coincidence, my partner was…
"Oh! Daniel?! Morning, my friend! What a surprise to be paired with you."
"Yeah, morning. Honestly, I didn't expect this either."
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah. Room 039 was empty, surprisingly."
"Really? Mine was full."
"That's normal."
After a brief chat, we fell silent and focused on the road ahead.
Half an hour later…
"Huff… ha—ha—h…"
My chest burned with every breath. The air felt heavy, as if it refused to enter my lungs. My legs no longer moved by will, only by habit, and every step felt like it was being torn out of my body.
Sweat poured down, stinging my eyes, blurring my vision. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, louder than the sound of our footsteps on the track.
I looked at the device.
6.3 kilometers.
A crushing weight settled on my shoulders, as if my body was begging me to stop—to collapse right there.
No choice.
I glanced at William.
…He was on the verge of breaking.
Contrary to what I expected, William was far more exhausted than I was. It seemed his talent wouldn't help him here. Strangely, seeing him like that fired me up, and I kept running.
I could have healed myself, but I didn't. I wanted efficiency.
And so… we completed the ten kilometers.
When we finished, we stopped, and some trainees collapsed to the ground. William started vomiting, followed by others. As for me, nothing happened—I was already used to this kind of training.
I knelt beside him and patted his back.
"Are you okay? Hold on, I'll heal you."
"You can use healing magic too? Oh… thank you."
"You're welcome."
The instructor approached us.
His mere presence forced silence. His steps were steady and heavy, each one imposing order on the space. When he stopped in front of me, I felt an invisible pressure clamp down on my chest. His gaze was sharp and deep, as if it pierced through flesh to judge what lay beneath.
He spoke calmly—but his voice was harsher than shouting.
"Hm… You're fine. Looks like we have an interesting one. No one has endured like this since that person."
He didn't explain. He didn't wait for a reaction. Those words alone felt like a final judgment.
He stared at me for a moment longer, then turned and walked toward the center of the track, passing us by.
"Alright. Your first training session for today is over. Go to the cafeteria and prepare for the next one. Now."
"Yes, sir!"
We headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. William and I sat next to each other as usual. We had two hours of rest before physical conditioning.
"Daniel, after this we have the gym, right?"
"Yeah."
"What's it like?"
"What? You've never seen one before?"
"No."
His build really was a bit weak…
"The gym is a facility for physical training—weightlifting and other exercises. There's one at the academy too."
"Oh! That's it… I think I read about it in a book once."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
After breakfast, we chatted and walked around a bit, then headed to our next session.
As soon as we entered the gym, we started exploring it. William was genuinely amazed. A soldier stood by each machine, explaining how to use it.
We went straight to the press machine. I loaded the weights and sat down to begin my set. I didn't need anyone's help.
"Oh… you're really skilled."
"It's not about skill. It's about how you train."
After I finished, it was William's turn. He took the same position and tried using the same weights.
Immediately—
They collapsed onto him.
"Ghh—D-Daniel, help!"
"What are you doing, idiot?!"
"Sorry… they were too heavy."
I sighed. "It's fine. Try a lighter weight."
After that, we trained on the other machines.
And just like that… our second training for today, came to an end
We headed to the cafeteria, starving. We took our usual meals and began eating. William was devouring his food shamelessly—if a stranger saw him, they'd think he'd been locked in a basement or hadn't eaten for a week. His face was honestly hilarious.
I waited a bit, then said,
"We have group sword training after this. Are you coming?"
"Oh, I won't," he replied casually. "I'm not interested in melee combat. I lean toward magic—did you forget?"
"Yeah… I remember now."
Of course he wouldn't come. Most people who specialize in magic and aether neglect sword training.
Unlike me.
I had already mastered all types of magic, and my control over aether was nearly complete.
"Then I'll head to training now. See you later."
"Yeah. Take care."
I made my way to the training hall. People were already gathering there.
"…Looks like I'm late."
I stepped forward. At the front stood a man in his late forties. Half his hair had turned gray, and his body was well-honed, solid and disciplined.
He noticed me and said calmly,
"Seems the last newcomer has arrived. Then… let us begin."
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