Wailing Mountains, was it?

Specter thought to himself as they continued up the mountain without a moments rest.

This mountain is really jagged...

It was different from any other mountain on Earth; it resembled the mountains in China more than the ones in Korea. Rather than having a sloping trail, it felt more like traversing broken cliffs.

Its good for stamina training...

A smile appeared on his face. As an instructor, the more his students suffered, the more he enjoyed it. Specter glanced behind himself to check that the Watchguards were following along. They were, for now.

Well, theyre all Players

If he was being honest, he thought that the non-combatants and mages would have exhausted their energy by now.

I admit it. I underestimated them.

After all, they were Players on the 2nd floor. They had already passed the first test.

Good.

He was pleased.

This was his first time teaching so many people at once. His only experience consisted of teaching Gilberto.

I can go harder on these guys than I did on him, right?

While Gilberto had been alone back then, the Watchguards had fellow comrades who would support each other along the way.

Everyone seems fine so far, so I should be able to.

Based on the way they were breathing, he estimated that the mages and the non-combatants would be able to run for about six more hours.

Watch your footing so you dont get hurt. Follow me.

Yes, sir! the Watchguards shouted in unison. Their voices were full of trust and respect for Specterfor now.

***

Huh?

Arthur was the first one to notice that something was off as he was following right behind Specter. He checked his Vita. It was currently 10:02 AM, past the time that Specter had promised.

Should I tell him?

He considered this for a second and shook his head.

No. I could be seen as being impudent, so lets leave it alone for now.

He didnt want to seem like a slacker from his very first day. Besides, only two minutes had passed over the promised time. His friends were still full of energy, and he didnt want to interrupt their momentum.

But when the hour hand struck 11 AM, the Watchguards started to exchange looks.

Wait, didnt he say that wed only run until 10 AM?

Did he forget to set an alarm? Its 11:08 already

Maybe he just wants to reach that summit. It would be weird to stop halfway up.

Yeah. We just need to run until around 12 PM.

Just a little longer...

The Watchguards summoned a little more energy and reached their goal, climbing over the summit.

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Fuwah!

The airs so crisp.

Isnt the air a little thin up here?

...Either way, it feels nice to break a sweat. Its been a while since I worked out.

Ya~hoo!

The Watchguards chattered amongst themselves as they laughed like they were on a field trip. Specter looked pleased as he watched them enjoy themselves.

Theyre still laughing? Good. That means we can keep going then

Laughing required energy. When you were really exhausted, to the point that the sky looked fuzzy, you wouldnt even have the energy to lift the corners of your lips.

He wanted to push them to that point.

Everyone should brush against their limits at some points.

In a real battle, knowing the precise limits of your stamina could determine whether you would live or die.

Alright, if youre all rested up, lets keep going. He called out.

Yes, sir!

At Specters order, the Watchguards got ready to go down.

Oh, its not that way. Its over here, Specter said, pointing.

Huh? But we have to go this way to get to Ajit.

Theres still plenty of time left until we go there, he said, looking up at the sky. Around ten hours?

...Ten hours?

I told you when we left, didnt I? Were just gonna run until 10.

The Watchguards went pale as they realized what he meant.

Shit, he didnt mean that we were running until 10 AM

It was 10 PM?!

I cant even run for thirteen hours normally, but were gonna be hiking the Wailing Mountains for that long?

Oh my god!

They had only run for two hours so far. They still had eleven hours left and werent even halfway through, but some of them had already started to feel that they were approaching their limits. Even if they were Players, hiking up the Wailing Mountains for two hours wasnt easy.

Specter said once again, I already said this beforehand, but if youre too tired or if you want to give up, just tell me.

A few non-combatants raised their hands. Excuse me, what happens if we give up?

Is there Is there some kind of punishment?

No. I never punish or abuse my students. Their faces brightened, and some of the Watchguards moved to raise their hands again, but Specters cold voice interrupted them. I just give up on them. It means that their desire to get stronger is only that much. Those who give up shouldnt participate in my training in the future.

...

In other words, the moment you stopped was the moment you gave up Specter as a teacher. His words cleverly poked at the Players pride.

You think Im weak-willed?

Yeah, giving up after running only for two hours is a little Even I think its too much.

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Specter is testing us.

He only trains people who truly have the desire to become strong. Hes gonna pick them out and train them for real.

They misunderstood. But in this case, their misunderstanding became a powerful source of motivation. The Watchguards tied their shoelaces, their eyes alight.

Is anyone gonna give up? Specter asked.

No! they shouted with confidence.

***

Four hours passed. They had been hiking for six hours now. Even Arthur, the best out of the Watchguards, was starting to pant.

If Im this tired, then the others

The mages and non-combatants were still moving only out of pure inertia, not because they willed it. Their lungs burned as they ran whilst staring at the ground. They didnt even have the strength to look up.

...

...

You couldnt even hear them breathing. They were barely able to breathe in any air, and all they did was repeatedly exhale. They said that when humans exhausted themselves until death, all they were able to do was breathe quietly.

Lets see

Specter finally looked back and scanned each Wachguard with sharp eyes, checking every detail down to their breathing and the tension of their muscles.

Is this it for the supporters and mages? Its just as I expected

It wouldnt be fair to expect rearguard mages and those with non-combat roles to have the same level of stamina as frontline fighters. Even among the 5 Heroes, Skaya had the least stamina.

I should split the group into two now.

He stopped in a clearing. Halt.

Once their legs stopped after moving solely thanks to inertia, all the Watchguards could think about was sitting down.

Keep it together

I came this far, I cant collapse now

The supporters and mages gnashed their teeth as they tried to endure, but willpower alone wasnt enough to keep their bodies upright. They fell to the ground, one by one. Their bodies felt very comfortable as if they were in heaven. And once they sat, they wanted to lay down, and once they laid down, they would want to sleep.

N-no

I have to get up...

But even as they pounded on their legs with their fists, they showed no sign of moving. It was the first time their bodies refused to listen to them, and they started to panic as Specter approached them.

Are you so exhausted you want to collapse? he asked.

N-no!

We can get up. I-if you just give us a moment

No matter how much they strained, the Watchguards couldnt move their legs. They even started to wonder if they would be able to move their legs ever again.

No. Youve reached your limits. Specter declared as he scanned them. There were twenty-four non-combatants and mages.

Then Did we fail?

Will you not teach us anymore?

They were angry. It was so unfair. Specter could see their feelings in their faces. They had a burning desire to keep going, but their bodies wouldnt listen.

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How cute.

Of course, Specter knew about this. After all, he had already estimated their limits to about six hours of continuous running. Congratulations. Youve all reached your limit and surpassed it.

...?

They had already reached their limits thirty minutes beforehand. After that, they had been running on willpower alone.

To be honest, I thought a few of them would give up...

But this was surprising. They all followed through; not a single one had dropped out.

Rest. Tomorrow, we will be busy again, he said kindly. He asked River to open the Moving House, and personally helped move each Watchguard inside. Now, there were ten people left in the Wailing Mountains.

The non-combatants went on for six hours, so fighters should be able to go for at least twice that long, no?

...Yes, sir. Their voices were low. Twice as long meant they had to run for at least six more hours. It was a ridiculous expectation. Even if the non-combatants and the mages didnt have as much stamina, the frontline fighters stamina wasnt so high that it was double the non-combatants and mages stamina.

Itll probably be too much for them

Specter thought. But they had to do it. In his short 26 years of life, the world hadnt always been kind.

Whether they like it or not, there will come a time when they have to move.

In order to prepare for that, they had to oil their gears ahead of time. There was a saying that stated that regret is the fastest motivator, but Players knew that this was nonsense.

Lets go.

With Specter at the lead, nine Watchguards started to follow him with glum faces.

***

After ten hours, Specter stopped in the middle of the dark hill. Arthurs head lolled like a zombies and bumped against his back. He had been staring at the ground, so he didnt even realize that they had come to a stop. He fell to the ground with a crash, feeling the same bliss that the non-combatants had experienced earlier.

Does it feel nice? Specter asked the collapsed Watchguards, sitting on a nearby rock.

Yes It does. Its impossibly nice

Thats the feeling of surpassing your limits. Today, each Watchguard had reached the limits of their stamina and surpassed it. It was a tough exercise to digest from the very first day.

Sorry. But we dont have much time...

Training the Watchguards was important, but Specter himself also needed time to train. He had already decided before all this began that he would only spend two weeks on them.

Since we came all the way here today He pointed, and their eyes followed his hand. Next time, we should be able to get to the peak of that mountain over there.

...

The Watchguards realized something. They already knew it, but it hit them once more.

Your skill will stack like stairs. Youre not gonna reach the top of the mountain in one day or one session.

They tried to catch their breath as they listened. Their bodies were heavy, but they also somehow felt lighter, like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

Whether you have natural talent, good skills, good skill books, or good equipment Its still the same. Even though it might help you get stronger even faster, no one is born that way. Players heard this all the time, but the Watchguards had never understood it as much as they did today. Time is on the side of those who work hard.

With that, todays lesson ended. If the Watchguards learned anything from todays march, they would start to grow even faster.

Theres no point in just breaking a sweat or quitting once it gets a little tiring...

Even though Specters case was special, he hunted and trained until he wanted to die. He hadnt gone that far after his return, but he never slacked on his training. He had tried his hardest when training with Booster, and when he had fought the knights at the Winter Castle. Even now, he was still trying to maintain Overclocking for 24 hours straight.

We should stop by a nearby city tonight.

Tomorrow, everyone would be bedridden from muscle soreness. They probably wouldnt even be able to stand. Of course, that meant they wouldnt be able to train either.

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We cant have that...

He needed to buy potions so that the Watchguards wouldnt be incapacitated when the next day arrived. After such a hard training session, he had to take care of his students.