CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 722: IOUs

A full week had transpired since every student within the Star Academy commenced their rigorous physical conditioning under Instructor Mira's tutelage, and the experience could only be characterized by a single, fitting descriptor: utter hell.

She relentlessly drove them past their absolute physical and mental limits each day, night, and even, it seemed, within their very dreams, where her presence continued their training unabated. Just when it appeared a student might grasp the routine or acclimatize to the punishing intensity, Instructor Mira would invariably escalate the difficulty with an impassive expression, hovering above them like a detached deity observing insignificant ants struggling beneath her unyielding regimen.

Conventional wisdom dictates that rest between training sessions is crucial to prevent bodilySTRUCTION and avoid adverse reactions, favoring positive results instead. However, Instructor Mira held no regard for such principles. She disregarded the exhaustion from prior sessions and the cumulative strain within their bodies. Her sole objective was to break them, and she meant it quite literally, without any hint of exaggeration or restraint.

As for the potential for backlash, what truly worried the Star Academy? They boasted Crownstar Life Rank healers. Could a group of novice students develop any physical ailment that Crownstar Life Rankers hadn't encountered or couldn't mend? Even if a novel condition arose, they possessed the capability to heal whatever new physical backlash the training induced. Following such treatment, the students were immediately plunged back into training, granted not a single moment for repose or regained composure.

According to Instructor Mira's rationale, the students had already indulged in ample relaxation during the entirety of the healing process, a process that, incidentally, concluded in under sixty seconds due to the overwhelming proficiency of the Crownstar Life Rankers.

Instructor Mira was, without question, not an individual to be underestimated or trifled with.

Furthermore, when students plummeted from the mountainside, Instructor Mira enacted a measure that could only be deemed profoundly merciless. She simply augmented the weight of their training jumpsuits and commanded them to ascend the treacherous slopes once more, without the slightest hesitation.

Inevitably, as time wore on, a significant number of students began to adapt. Some achieved faster ascents after numerous attempts, others honed their balance and grip, while a few grew more efficient, sustaining fewer injuries as practical experience accumulated. After all, persistent errors would be truly astonishing if repeated indefinitely. Nevertheless, one aspect remained unyielding: the constant strain on their musculature, the persistent aches that refused to dissipate.

For individuals such as Asher, Teo, William, and Thalric, Instructor Mira escalated the challenges even further. She systematically depleted the oxygen levels at specific altitudes along the mountain. Ordinarily, this would pose little threat, as their awakened bodies could sustain a minimum of several hours without oxygen owing to their enhanced, supernatural physiology. However, this resilience was contingent upon their bodies being at rest—not when they were being pushed to the precipice of exhaustion. Under the dire conditions imposed by Instructor Mira, they could scarcely endure a few minutes before their consciousness began to recede into the encroaching darkness.

Whenever Instructor Mira observed them on the verge of succumbing to oxygen deprivation amidst such extreme exertion, she would briefly replenish it, enabling a precarious stabilization, only to remove it again moments later. This cycle of restoration and removal repeated, occurring just as they started to rally. It was as if she were toying with their very respiration, orchestrating the rhythm of their survival.

While it might have appeared she derived satisfaction from these actions, such was not the reality. Her intention was purely to compel their brains, minds, bodies, and spirits to adapt to circumstances that defied all reason. Naturally, she did not anticipate instant and complete adaptation, nor did she expect them to function unaided by oxygen; however, she unequivocally demanded progress, however minuscule, whether it advanced at a glacial pace or surged forth with the speed of a cheetah.

Yet, this was not the culmination of her methods. No, Instructor Mira had an even greater array of techniques prepared. Students like Asher were transferred to a distinct mountain where Instructor Mira permitted colossal boulders to cascade down from the summit. In her view, survival was a straightforward matter: it fell upon them to evade these tumbling masses while maintaining their precarious hold on every outcrop and crevice, all while conserving their stamina to an extraordinary degree.

And, as one might expect, these were no ordinary rocks. The students possessed the capability to shatter mundane boulders with a casual strike if they so chose. These, however, were boulders of a caliber that could inflict injury even upon higher-ranked cultivators. It goes without saying that under such brutally unforgiving conditions, even Asher himself faltered and descended the mountainside more than once.

He bore no complaints, readily accepting the penalties Instructor Mira levied for each misstep, and then resumed his ascent without a second thought. It was also evident that his Absolute Physique was living up to its moniker, seemingly extracting every last drop of physical potential from him during this arduous training.

Asher kept meticulous track of his advancement via the system's statistics. While his strength attribute didn’t experience the dramatic surges seen during a Major Life Rank or sub-Life Rank breakthrough, nor the sudden spikes from his Limitless Physical Growth ability’s activation, it still climbed with remarkable consistency. This steady progress alone was sufficient fuel, propelling him to repeatedly shatter his own limits without remission.

As for Finch, the man was practically awash in points. With the students too depleted to make the journey back to their quarters post-training, Finch shrewdly capitalized on the circumstance. He offered teleportation services back to their dormitories, and ever the shrewd businessman, he had foresightedly calculated that such physically taxing exercises would endure for at least thirty days. Consequently, he set a mere single point for each teleportation. While seemingly a bargain for the service provided, any student with a penchant for arithmetic would quickly discern Finch’s substantial profit margins.

Furthermore, as Asher had foreseen, the training grounds were situated a considerable distance from the students’ living quarters. This meant that even before morning drills commenced, their bodies had already shed a portion of the meager stamina recuperated overnight. This left them with no alternative but to part with yet another Academy point to Finch, just to reach the training area.

And, naturally, should any student arrive late and seek his assistance, Finch would escalate the price to an exorbitant sum. After all, such tardiness bordered on expulsion. Faced with such dire consequences, compliance was their only recourse.

He even accepted 'IOUs,' utterly assured that his debtors would eventually settle their accounts. Finch, after all, was among the select few outside the top ten echelons who maintained regular dealings with those holding the highest positions.

Moreover, it was common knowledge that any failure to pay would result in William’s intervention, even if Finch opted for inaction. William would undoubtedly deliver a severe thrashing, enforce repayment, and then confiscate any remaining points as both retribution and a twisted form of public service.

In essence, while every student was undergoing significant physical transformation under Instructor Mira’s rigorous regimen, Finch, conversely, was achieving advancements in both physical prowess and financial dominion concurrently.