89 Chapter 89: Training Camp II (2/2)

”Then suck it up,” Craig told him impatiently. ”Quit your whining. You think it's easy to become strong? If it is, then anyone can become strong without working hard.” He gestured at the Spartan bunk around us. ”Only when we test our limits and overcome them will we truly become strong.”

I swallowed and nodded in agreement while becoming wary inside. As I suspected, while I was climbing the ranks, Craig wasn't standing still either. He was definitely more formidable than when I fought him a few months ago.

The same went for Theodore. I could detect a potent energy rippling from him that wasn't there previously. The berserker probably doubled in strength, at the very least. I wondered if he had become powerful enough to wrestle with one of my Celestial Guardians.

That was a terrifying thought. I already had enough formidable rivals, and now these guys were snapping at my heels! Speaking of which, I had a draw with Craig, so it wasn't even as if I was ahead of them in the first place.

”For now, grab some rest. The real training will begin in thirty minutes.”

Craig lay on the bed, his feet propped up on the metallic railing at the foot of the furniture. Unlike him, I busied myself by unlocking my luggage and unpacking. Since we had a locker, we might as well use it. There were a couple of drawers, several compartments for folded clothing, and a single tall space for hanging uniforms. That was where I hung my school uniform, while I folded home clothing (which would be used for sleeping and hanging out in the bunk) and stuffed them in the compartments. The valuables such as cards, money wallet and smartphone were placed inside the drawer.

No, dude. I wasn't talking about Magic Cards or Pokémon cards. I was referring to ATM debit cards and identity cards. Even in this digital age, we still relied on debit cards and identification cards for a lot of things.

With that done, I then flopped down on my bed. Even though I felt sleepy, I didn't manage to doze off. Five minutes prior to 1500, I finally suppressed my reluctance and swung my legs out of bed. Putting on my shoes, I got up.

”Let's go.”

”Hmm? Yeah.” Dong Fang Yue Chu glanced at me and nodded. Craig and Theodore and the other six guys followed my lead, and we all practically flew down the stairs. We only needed a minute to descend four flights of stairs.

Feng Hai was already waiting for us there. He nodded at us approvingly, and then raised his head. The girls weren't here yet, and some of the guys from the other rooms were still milling about in the corridor.

”Fall in right now!” Feng Hai hollered, his voice so loud that it almost shattered our eardrums. The guys already there in the square clutched at their ears and winced. ”I told you 1500, didn't I? You only have a minute left before time is up!”

The guys upstairs were visibly hurrying, almost diving down the stairs in single bound. Some of them were actually using magic to enhance their speed. The girls were a little slower, but they were rushing out with a sense of urgency.

…it was too late.

”Take your bloody sweet time, eh? What's the matter with all of you?!”

By the time the entire group had assembled, it was 1502. Two minutes over. Feng Hai was furious at our tardiness.

”With an attitude like that, no wonder Jing Tian Academy's ranking has fallen so much! You're pathetic! No discipline, no sense of urgency at all! If this was real combat, people would have lost their lives while you're dilly-dallying! You want to responsible for their deaths?”

Everyone hang their heads in shame.

”Hey! I'm asking you a question! Are you deaf?!”

”No, sir!”

Feng Hai shook his head in disgust, and then placed his hands on his hips.

”Looks like I'll have to whip you maggots into shape.” He jerked his head toward the red track that circled the soccer field. ”All of you, get to the track. In thirty seconds!”

This time, everyone ran. Nobody wanted to face the consequences of being late.

Feng Hai clapped his hands as we all stumbled into the track, panting and red-faced. The distance between the square outside our barracks and the track was several hundred meters. It wasn't something that could easily be covered in thirty seconds, not unless we used magic. And so we did.

”Good job. All of you made it. But…did I say you can use magic?”

”Eh? But, sir, you didn't say we can't use magic either…” Terence protested as he wiped the perspiration from his face.

”That's true. That's my fault.” Feng Hai smiled coldly as he admitted his ”mistake.” ”Then I'll be clear now. You're not allowed to use magic during training.”

Everyone stared at each other in dismay.

”So let's begin. I'm going to whip all of you into physical shape.” His grin grew, and I was reminded of a shark somehow. ”All of you seem to fall under the mistaken impression that as long as you have powerful magic, you're invincible. But let me tell you this…your physical fitness and strength…the condition of your body is also just as important! Your teachers probably already taught you this…but their standards are too low. I'm going to whip you all into a satisfactory shape!”

He swung his hand down. ”250 pushups! 250 sit-ups! Then 50 laps around the track!”

”…eh?!”

Feng Hai glared at all of us when he heard several cries of disbelief. A murderous aura seemed to ooze out of his every pore.

”Do you need me to repeat myself? If I have to repeat myself, I'll double the number.”

”Sir, yes, sir!”

Every single student immediately dropped down without hesitation and began their pushups.