Chapter 28
Ten days remained before the test.
From the first dawn...
Every trainee in Section Five gathered at the training ground.
The wake-up bell was still far away.
Not one person complained.
After being told the bottom fifty were not needed on this island...
No one could sleep anyway.
Theron stood before them.
"For the next ten days, we have one goal."
He looked around.
"Find each other's weaknesses and fix them as much as possible."
Theron used a branch to draw lines across the ground.
He divided the training area into four sections.
Then assigned trainees to each.
"We'll divide into four groups."
"Every hour, switch opponents."
"After every match..."
Theron raised one finger.
"The winner must tell the loser one weakness they noticed during the fight."
"A weakness...?"
Someone looked confused.
Theron nodded.
"Our enemies inside the test are not one another."
"They're the other three hundred and fifty."
He continued.
"So if one of your comrades finds a weakness now..."
"You're lucky enough to discover it before an enemy finds it during the test."
Instead of hiding weaknesses...
Expose them.
Correct them together.
A training method completely opposite to Hell Island's common sense.
At first...
The trainees murmured.
Then one by one, they nodded.
They had already experienced how far Theron's methods could take Section Five.
"Begin."
At Theron's command...
Wooden swords began clashing across the training ground.
The special training was brutal.
CLANG! BOOM!
"Perka."
Theron watched one match.
"You have a bad habit with your shield."
Perka breathed heavily and turned.
"A habit?"
"You pause half a beat after blocking."
"When you're with a group, it's manageable."
"But when you fight alone..."
Theron pointed.
"Your side opens during that half-beat."
"...So what should I do?"
"Counterattack the instant you block."
Theron demonstrated.
"Use the force you're redirecting with the shield and transfer it directly into the sword."
Perka repeated it several times.
Then his eyes widened.
Blocking and cutting...
No longer felt like two movements.
They became one.
Renil received the opposite prescription.
"Renil, you're fast."
"But your breathing is shallow."
"Breathing?"
"You spend everything in the first ten exchanges."
"The test lasts all day."
"At your current pace, you'll be exhausted before noon."
"...Then?"
"Attack three times."
"Retreat once."
Theron continued.
"Use that one retreat to refill your breath."
"You'll hate slowing down..."
"But it's how you keep your speed for the entire day."
For silent Tioren...
One short explanation was enough.
"Tioren."
"Forget about using a bow inside the test."
"When people get close, you're helpless."
Theron handed him a short wooden weapon.
"So learn to draw a weapon and attack the instant an enemy enters your range."
"With your speed, you can do it."
"...Understood."
One person after another.
Theron's eyes identified the nature of every one of the forty-two trainees.
His advice was always precise.
At first...
Many doubted him.
But as their own bodies changed day by day...
Everyone started hanging on every word Theron spoke.
Soon...
After every sparring session...
Trainees crowded around Theron, waiting for their own advice.
Everything engraved into Theron's body through countless life-and-death battles...
Was slowly becoming part of his comrades.
The first additional change came on the morning of the second day.
Just as everyone prepared to divide into groups...
Noise came from the entrance.
Palcoat.
Behind him...
Valk and six or seven others carried wooden swords.
"...What?"
Renil frowned.
"Why are they here?"
An awkward silence fell.
Until now...
Palcoat's group had never joined the special training.
Naturally...
Everyone remained cautious.
Palcoat walked through the stares.
Stopped in front of Theron.
Stood silently for a long moment.
Then finally forced the words out.
"...Do you have room?"
A short question.
But the bandages around his hand showed how many nights it had probably taken to ask it.
Theron looked at him.
Then casually tilted his head toward one group.
"Second group has space."
"Warm up and join."
"..."
That was all.
No welcome.
No mention of the past.
Palcoat stood blankly for a moment.
Then led his group toward the second training area.
"What? That's it?"
Perka looked at Theron in disbelief.
Theron shrugged.
"He came."
"That's enough."
No words were needed.
The moment someone stood on the same training ground holding the same weapon...
He was already a Section Five comrade.
That afternoon...
Palcoat showed exactly why he belonged.
BOOM!
His natural strength combined with the "last handspan" technique.
His downward strike became one of the strongest in Section Five.
Three trainees in his group dropped their weapons one after another.
"Strong..."
"Was he always this strong?"
"He was always strong."
"But now..."
"This is completely different."
Palcoat silently pointed his wooden sword toward the next opponent.
Yet Valk noticed the tiniest proud lift of his shoulders.
"Brother! Your shoulder! Too much power again!"
"...I know, idiot!"
Every time Palcoat shouted back at Valk's constant advice...
The other trainees laughed.
Someone who once ruled Section Five through fear...
Had become just another noisy part of the training ground.
But beyond the walls...
Things were very different.
