CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 731: Training Ends [Castle Bonus - ]

The week concluded swiftly. Students endured harsh beatings from their Instructors, justified as training for pain tolerance and combat prowess. Yet, who dared to lodge a complaint? None. They could only clench their jaws, praying the subsequent training wouldn't inflict the same agony as the present ordeal.

A collective longing for Instructor Mira's methods emerged, as her training now seemed comparatively mild, devoid of the intense pain and torture they were currently experiencing.

Meanwhile, Asher endured his Instructor's relentless assault throughout the entire week. He, hailed as the Zarethorne Empire's most brilliant prodigy, suffered defeat in every single training match. One could only marvel at the sheer depth of the Instructor's combat experience. Truly, Cindralis had assembled an elite cadre of trainers to ensure victory in the upcoming Inter-Empire competition.

Over the course of the week, Asher experimented with an array of weaponry – bows, arrows, shields, spears, whips, daggers, lances, and more. Each day, he presented himself with a different weapon to challenge his Instructor atop the hill. Each time, the Instructor was left dumbfounded, questioning how Asher could possess such an innate grasp of diverse armaments, especially when encountering them for the first time.

He couldn't shake the suspicion that Asher possessed a diluted form of Instructor Jane's legendary talent; he simply refused to believe that raw aptitude alone could manifest such terrifying proficiency. Even more unsettling was Asher's accelerated learning curve and his uncanny ability to replicate techniques after a mere two attempts, as if he had pioneered them himself. Despite securing victory in every bout against Asher, the Instructor remained perturbed.

The Instructor finally began to comprehend the profound respect and admiration the Wargraves commanded.

Truthfully, a sense of relief washed over him as the week drew to a close. Asher, after all, was an uncomfortably formidable student. What if his own teaching repertoire was exhausted? Or, more dauntingly, what if he were to lose to a child? Wargrave or not, a child remained a child. Even with a handicap, defeat was unacceptable.

Therefore, yes, he felt immense relief, even elation. Asher's exceptional talent had genuinely instilled a considerable degree of fear within him.

As the week drew to a close, the students braced themselves for the next phase of their training. They speculated about the new forms of torment that awaited them, only to be surprised by the absence of any entirely novel training regimen.

The final week was designated for revisiting and refining the three distinct training modules they had previously undertaken.

Their expectations had leaned towards commencing training in Astra Energy control, or perhaps honing their Willpower, or delving deeper into pain resistance, or even acquiring techniques to counter illusions and mental assaults.

However, the Instructors conveyed that the optimal path to advancement lay in unwavering focus on fundamental principles. Furthermore, what substantial progress in Astra Energy control could realistically be achieved within a single week, even with instruction? Such an endeavor would merely represent a squandering of valuable training time.

And so, their grueling training resumed.

They dedicated eighteen hours daily to their training, and unlike the preceding weeks, the intensity and duration were now pushed to unprecedented extremes.

Wake-up call at 4 a.m.

Arrival at the training grounds by 5 a.m.

Each training session spanned a rigorous six hours.

Strength training occupied the hours from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Subsequently, speed and reaction drills commenced, continuing from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Finally, combat training extended from 5 p.m. all the way until 11 p.m.

The routine was utterly grueling, undeniably brutal.

Everyone grit their teeth, relentlessly pushing beyond their established limits. Their bodies fractured, only to mend and reform, enduring constant rebuilding. Skin tore asunder and snapped back together repeatedly. Barely five hours of sleep were allotted to most each night.

Had they been ordinary individuals, they would have succumbed long ago, perhaps fainting or even perishing under such wicked training conditions.

Yet, their bodies were far from ordinary; they were Awakeners, endowed with the capacity to push their boundaries daily. Although the training was extreme, it remained a carefully calibrated form of intensity, meticulously overseen by the Instructors.

Darkness had fallen; night had arrived.

Various students were observed descending from their respective hilltops, having once again been defeated by their Instructors, who maintained their perfect, undefeated streaks. Even Thalric and Teo Swig had succumbed repeatedly to their own Instructors.

Each body felt like an anvil, the air thick with ragged breaths as they ran, pushing onward. The monsters they faced grew progressively more formidable with every step deeper into the wilderness, and it wasn't just their individual power that escalated, but their sheer numbers as well.

Adding to the peril, Emovirae had also entered the fray.

Occasionally, the clashes devolved into such savage pandemonium that monsters, beasts, and Emovirae alike would turn on each other. Worse still, immense stampedes would form, relentlessly pursuing the students through the undulating hills and dense forests.

Yet, a sliver of comfort remained: this grueling ordeal was, in fact, the final day of their training.

Driven by this knowledge, every student poured their remaining strength into survival; they only had to endure for this last day.

Tomorrow, they could finally feast without restraint, luxuriate in steaming baths for hours, sleep as deeply as death, peacefully admire the natural world, and reclaim the simple joys of life.

In essence, their month of torment had indelibly taught them to cherish fundamental comforts, never again taking them for granted.

The moment the clock struck 11 p.m., their training officially concluded. Instructor Sam, responsible for overseeing combat drills, promptly transported everyone to a vast, open expanse. He surveyed their utterly depleted and bruised forms before finally speaking.

"Today marks the conclusion of your month-long training. You will depart for the Thalvorn Empire in three days. Make the most of these two free days to rest," his voice carried an air of detachment as he hovered serenely in the air.

"Secondly, I congratulate you on your enhanced capabilities. While none of you achieved a Life Rank breakthrough, your current selves could undoubtedly overpower your past selves from a month ago. Keep that in mind. Lastly, uphold the honor of the Empire and Star Academy when you depart," Instructor Sam declared definitively, vanishing completely without the slightest inclination to entertain questions.

A wave of excited smiles and exclamations rippled through the assembled students; the day they would finally journey to another Empire was tantalizingly close.

As for Asher, he simply got to his feet. Just as he had done throughout the preceding month, he offered a silent nod to his companions and his brother before discreetly teleporting away.

Meanwhile, Finch, with unexpected generosity, teleported everyone back to their respective dormitories without any charge, leaving many utterly astonished.

However, what they failed to grasp was that while today's service was complimentary, a merchant, by nature, remains a merchant. Even an act of apparent kindness from their side was, in reality, a calculated investment.

And thus, the month of grueling training finally drew to its close.

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