Chapter 4
The daily schedule on Hell Island was surprisingly simple.
FWEEEEEEE!
Early in the morning.
Just as the sun was beginning to rise, a piercing whistle rang through the entire dormitory.
"Everyone, wake up! We have to go!"
Perka, the room leader, woke Renil and Tioren.
Theron was already awake and dressed.
"Hey, Renil! Do you want to get beaten again today?! Get up!"
"Urgh... My body... hurts so much."
Renil could barely get up.
Perka frowned.
He really had been beaten badly yesterday.
But that did not mean he would receive special treatment.
"If we're late today, they'll beat you until your bones break. I'll help you. Let's go."
"Th-Thanks."
Perka helped Renil stand.
Tioren supported him from the other side.
The two fought constantly, but they did not actually hate each other.
The four quickly ran through the hallway and went outside.
Every morning began with running around the training building.
An instructor who seemed more like a demon than a human looked over the gathered trainees.
"The last five won't receive breakfast. And whoever comes in last will get beaten until I feel satisfied. So grit your teeth and run."
"Yes, Instructor!"
The trainees shouted.
Their eyes immediately became fierce.
This place followed the law of the strong.
If you came in last and were badly beaten, your condition would worsen.
Then you would perform badly again the next day.
Fortunately, learning the Mana Method had given them two lighter days.
But...
"...Can you run?"
"I have to."
Renil had been badly beaten because he failed to memorize the Mana Method.
No...
Almost everyone had been beaten.
So perhaps the conditions were more equal than Theron first thought.
Theron exhaled and looked ahead.
Unfortunately, he had no time to help others right now.
My current physical condition is absolute garbage.
During the last two days, Theron had practiced the Mana Method while checking his body.
Strength.
Endurance.
Stamina.
Not a single one was better than the other trainees.
Thinking back, Theron had never stood out during most of his time here.
Instead, he had been seen as a cowardly piece of trash who survived by using other people as sacrifices.
But...
Theron's eyes sharpened.
This time would be different.
The training method here encouraged competition by punishing failure.
But if you looked at it another way...
The rewards for doing well were also very clear.
Almost no trainee knew how to properly use those rewards.
"Run! Move, you pieces of trash!"
At the instructor's shout, the trainees started running with everything they had.
Because most had been beaten, few could run properly.
Theron ignored them and continued forward.
"Haah... Haah... Haah..."
He had barely completed one lap, yet he was already out of breath.
His weak body irritated him.
Improving stamina comes first.
Without stamina, nothing else mattered.
That was why Theron refused to use mana.
He ran using only his physical ability.
He understood better than anyone that the pain he felt now would become growth later.
And then...
"Theron. First place."
"Th... Thank... you... Haah... Haah..."
His stamina was poor.
But by using memories from his previous life, Theron carefully controlled his breathing and pace.
That was enough for him to finish first.
Several other trainees arrived shortly afterward.
Even while gasping for breath, they stared at Theron in surprise.
Perka came over.
"You... Have you been secretly training or something?"
"What do you mean?"
"You suddenly became good at running. You always finished near the bottom before and missed breakfast."
"...Forget about that. Many things are going to change from now on."
Perka was right.
At this point in Theron's previous life, his poor performance had prevented him from receiving enough food.
That slowed my growth a lot.
It was a small thing.
But changing small things one by one was important.
Theron slowly controlled his breathing and calmed his pounding heart.
Then...
"Haah... Haah... Haah...!"
Renil ran past Theron and Perka.
He was in last place.
Perka shouted.
"Renil! Run faster! You're going to finish last!"
He did not want to watch his roommate get beaten again.
But...
"Haah... Haah... I'm... damn it... trying... Haah..."
Renil could barely breathe.
He moved forward one painful step at a time.
He was clearly trying desperately.
But if nothing changed, he would definitely finish last.
"..."
Theron looked toward the instructor.
The man was lying down with a hat over his face, seemingly uninterested in the trainees.
Theron stood.
Perka looked at him.
"Where are you going?"
"To help him."
"...What?"
Theron could barely stand himself.
Who was he going to help?
Perka was too exhausted to move and simply stared.
Tap tap tap!
Theron quickly ran toward Renil.
Renil looked at him.
"W-What?"
"Look straight ahead and focus on your breathing. Listen to my voice, but don't focus on me."
"Haah... Haah... What?"
"Look forward. Focus. Unless you want to finish last and get beaten."
Theron's firm voice made Renil automatically face forward.
He concentrated on breathing.
His wild breathing slowly began to form a rhythm.
Theron looked around.
Renil was nearly ten meters behind everyone else.
The trainees ahead were looking forward.
No one was watching them.
As soon as they entered a blind spot hidden from those who had already finished, Theron placed a hand on Renil's back.
Flow.
"Huh?!"
Renil nearly jumped.
Warm energy entered his body.
At the same time, his body suddenly felt lighter.
"Y-You...!"
Theron interrupted him.
"Forward. Focus on breathing!"
"Hu! Hu! Hu!"
Renil immediately faced forward again.
Theron smiled slightly.
"Imagine sending the energy I just gave you into your legs. You moved mana yesterday, so it should be possible."
Renil nodded.
He moved Theron's mana toward his legs.
Ideally, mana should be spread evenly throughout the entire body.
But...
That's still too difficult for him.
Right now, they needed to focus on what he could actually do.
The moment mana entered Renil's legs, his speed increased.
When they were about to leave the blind spot...
"Run, Renil."
Theron stopped.
If he continued running beside Renil, someone might notice.
"Haah! Haah! Haah! Haah!"
Renil maintained his breathing and pushed harder.
Then...
"Huh? What?!"
He began passing the trainees ahead of him.
The others stared at him in shock.
A moment ago, Renil had barely been able to walk.
How had he suddenly started running so steadily?
Renil safely moved out of the danger zone and completed the run.
"Haah! Haaah! Haaah!"
The moment he finished, he collapsed onto the ground.
Then he looked at Theron and forced himself to sit up.
"Th-Theron... Thanks... Thank... you... Haah..."
He weakly held out his hand.
With this...
Maybe I've repaid a little of my old debt.
Theron looked at his three roommates with a faint smile.
However...
"Everyone, assemble!"
Training was not over.
At the instructor's shout, the trainees gathered like an organized swarm of ants.
As promised, the bottom five were denied breakfast.
The large trainee who came in last was beaten for the second day in a row.
Then came breakfast.
"...Theron. That bastard has been staring at me since earlier."
The trainee who had come last and been beaten was glaring murderously at Renil.
His face was badly swollen.
There was no evidence, but he clearly suspected something.
Theron did not even look at him.
He focused on eating.
"Ignore him. There's nothing he can do."
"Y-You don't think he saw what happened earlier, right?"
"Don't worry. Nobody saw."
"...What are you talking about?"
Tioren, who had overheard them, asked.
Perka only shrugged.
"Be careful. That guy has a terrible temper."
"What did you do to get Palcoat angry at you?"
Palcoat was famous even within Section Five for having a violent personality.
Theron did not care.
He finished his meal.
Training resumed immediately afterward.
The program was designed to systematically strengthen the body.
But the suffering belonged entirely to the trainees.
"Lower-body strength is the foundation of everything. You should eventually be able to sleep in this position."
They were forced into something similar to a horse stance or an invisible-chair position.
Their knees were bent almost ninety degrees, as if they were sitting on a chair.
Then bowls of water were placed on their thighs.
Endure... Endure... Endure...!
Theron bit his lip and held the position with everything he had.
Compared with what was coming...
This kind of training is practically comfortable.
Theron knew exactly what would happen on this island in the future.
That was why he endured even harder.
If he could not bring his body up to a minimum level, everything else would become meaningless.
When the time comes...
He would not be able to make excuses about weak muscles or poor stamina.
Theron completed the training without letting his posture collapse even once.
He still had a long way to go.
But it felt like he had finally taken one proper step forward.
Then...
"Hey!"
During the short break after morning training, Palcoat approached Renil angrily.
"You bastard. What cowardly trick did you use?"
Palcoat glared at him.
Renil looked nervous.
"W-What are you talking about?"
"You bastard! I saw this guy come over to you during the run! Don't pretend you don't know!"
Palcoat was known for being both strong and violent.
Other trainees began gathering around them.
"What's happening?"
"Palcoat again? What's he causing trouble over this time?"
Whispers spread through the crowd.
Palcoat pointed at Renil and Theron.
"During the morning run, this bastard helped him! Otherwise, how did a guy who looked half-dead in last place suddenly start passing everyone?!"
Several trainees who had finished near the bottom nodded.
"He's right. Renil was definitely last."
"He was really far behind too."
"It was strange how he suddenly became faster..."
"Did someone help him?"
Public opinion quickly turned against Renil.
Renil panicked.
"N-No, that's not..."
"What's not?! He definitely pushed you or helped you somehow!"
Palcoat grabbed Renil by the collar and lifted him off the ground.
Despite training and being beaten, he still had plenty of strength.
Theron spoke quietly.
"All I did was tell him how to control his breathing. Is a roommate not even allowed to give that much advice?"
"Don't lie, you cowardly bastard!"
Palcoat stared at Theron as if he wanted to kill him.
Perka quickly stepped between them.
"Palcoat, calm down. It's already over. Theron only told Renil to control his breathing. If you cause more trouble, you could end up in the punishment room. You know that, right?"
"Shut up! They're the ones who cheated first!"
Palcoat was too angry to listen.
Being beaten had nearly driven him crazy.
Even Perka and the surrounding trainees looked nervous.
But then...
...The punishment room.
Something suddenly flashed through Theron's mind.
Once the thought fully formed...
This might actually make things move faster.
A faint smile appeared on Theron's lips.
