Chapter 17 Training

The next day's lessons passed without incident. To my relief, even Rose stopped sending glares in my direction, and the hatred from the male students in my classroom lessened considerably.

As the lectures ended and I was about to leave the classroom, a large guy with a plump face and glasses blocked my way.

We were the only two students left in the room since I was the last one to leave, and this probably emboldened him to act.

"How did you make the Goddess Rose talk to you?"

Hearing his words, I instantly regretted staying in the class until everyone left. I didn't want to talk with one of those lunatics who painted female protagonists as transcendent beings.

In Leclentia there were even strange groups that worshiped them in secret, holding bizarre ceremonies and engaging in other religious rituals to celebrate the main characters.

These characters were nothing more than props designed to focus the spotlight on the main cast, to strengthen the players' imagination of how beautiful and strong they were to even have these cults.

As I looked at his stoic face, a headache started to form. I knew he wouldn't let me go without an answer.

"I'm not sure. She just asked me what Sword Style I was practicing,"

I replied, trying to get past him, but he stepped to the side, once again blocking my path.

"I saw her staring at you during the class! What did you do?"

He demanded, his face turning red and spittle forming at the corners of his mouth. He looked mentally unstable.

I was aware that hurting another student would violate the academy's rules, and that went for both parties.

Sighing, I looked at his face and realized there was no reasoning with him. I made my way back to my seat.

"Where are you going?! Hey!"

Ignoring his yelling, I opened the window and climbed out, choosing an unconventional way to leave the classroom rather than be late to meet Robbin.

"HEY! HEY! Come back, you bastard!"

Ignoring his angry shouts, I focused on the path ahead and made my way to the Arena. When I arrived, Robbin was already there, dressed in clothes that allowed for easy movement.

"Ah, finally! I thought you weren't going to show up..."

He said, waving his hand at me.

Approaching him, I noticed some strange equipment on the ground nearby. It looked like weights that runners put on their arms and legs to increase their strength.

"Hello, sir. Why was I called here?"

I asked, although I had a premonition of what was about to happen. Perhaps he was preparing equipment for another student.

His eyes widened at my question, and he turned towards me with a raised eyebrow.

"From what I've seen in the documents, you managed to increase your rank from G to F- in a week. You spent an entire day training when most of the hard-working students retired to their dorms, and you still ask me why you're here?"

He smiled, and a chill ran down my spine.

"I will make sure you become one of the strongest people in this school... no, in all of humanity!"

He exclaimed, raising his fist into the air.

"As you probably know, the war with demons isn't going well. Your talent seems to be close to those monsters in your class who are already E-rank. I just want to make sure that another important piece for humanity's survival doesn't fall off the board before it becomes powerful enough to influence the battlefield."

His body radiated a grim pressure.

"The question is if you want to train under me?"

His intense gaze held mine as if he was searching for something deep within me. The world around us fell silent, and all I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat thudding in my chest.

"Yes!"

I didn't want to draw attention to myself, but I wasn't foolish enough to turn down such an incredible opportunity.

"Great! Put these on."

Robbin tossed me a set of weights filled with sand. There were no markings indicating their weight, but I guessed each bag weighed around 10kg. With four bags, I had added an additional 40kg to my body.

"Let's start with a jog."

He said, immediately setting off at a brisk pace. I followed closely behind, struggling to keep up with the added weight.

"Don't slow down or mess up your pace! If you fall behind, we'll add even more weight!"

He shouted, making me groan in agreement. My muscles were still sore after yesterday and my body was pushed above its limits the very next day.

The weights on my legs and arms felt like they were made of lead, but I didn't dare to slow down or complain. I just kept running, my breathing heavy and my heart pounding in my chest.

Robbin ran beside me, effortlessly keeping up with my pace, and occasionally shouting instructions or corrections to my form.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally slowed down and stopped to catch our breaths. Sweat poured down my face and my clothes clung to my skin.

"Okay, warm-up is over!"

Robbin announced, clapping his hands. My expression must have given away my disbelief. Warm-up? We had been running for the past half-hour.

As I looked around, I realized we were close to one of the training halls. Robbin led me to a special room, enchanted with gravity affinity, which allowed the gravity within the room to be adjusted at will.

"Get inside and prepare to exercise..."

As I entered the room, I felt a weight pressing me down to the ground. It wasn't like the mental pressure Robbin had inflicted on students on the first day; this pressure was physical.

"Do 50 push-ups!"

I groaned as I got down on the ground, feeling my muscles tense under the weight of the exercise.

"Endure it..."

I told myself, taking a deep breath and beginning to do the push-ups.

Robbin stood next to me, counting the repetitions and correcting my posture. I could feel the sweat pouring down my face and my arms shaking with the effort.

After I finished the push-ups, Robbin made me do various other exercises, such as sit-ups, squats, lunges, and planks, all while the gravity increased gradually.

At one point, I thought my legs were going to give out, but I pushed through the pain and continued until Robbin finally said.

"That's enough for today..."

Collapsing on the ground, I gasped for breath, feeling like all the energy had been drained out of my body.