"Move your asses, kids!" I shouted, watching them struggle up the incline. "Don’t slow down!"

  It had already been a few hours since we left the courtyard to start conditioning on the mountain trail. For this training, I made them wear crescent amulets—heavy suppression gear I had borrowed from the guild—to completely block their aura and magical capabilities. It was a necessary cruelty. I needed to make sure their physical cores were strong enough to survive.

  As I observed them, it was obvious their current physical condition was mediocre at best. Patrice actually possessed the highest physical prowess of the group, which made sense since her fighting style relied more on raw power than aura. Her only real problem was her temperament.

  I need to fix that, or she will become a massive liability in the field.

  "Mentor," Hoiler gasped, panting heavily as he stopped. "We've already run up and down this hill almost thirty times!"

  "So?"

  "What’s the meaning of this?!" He stood up straight, glaring at me. "We deploy as Cave Crawlers in two weeks! We need to train our abilities! Not... whatever this is!"

  The rest of the squad nodded, stopping to stand behind him.

  As I thought. They haven't changed at all. Sigh. "Do you honestly think your abilities alone will save you in a dark cave?"

  "Of course! Look at the veteran Crawlers. They all survive because of their unique abilities!"

  "And what happens when your magic or aura is depleted?" I countered. "Or when your weapon shatters mid-fight? Can you survive, or do you just become a burden?"

  Hoiler staggered slightly, his brow furrowing. "Then we just need to finish the fight as fast as we can!"

  "Can you measure the depth of a dark cave beforehand, then?"

  "Look! We only have a little time left before deployment, sir!" He gritted his teeth. "I admit your experience is greater than ours, but it’s limited to the hunting grounds. I bet you only managed to knock out that troll because you already knew its weakness.”

  “…..”

  "We already trained hard during our academy years to master these basics! We need to develop our tactics and hone our abilities! Not repeat this kind of training over and over again!" he argued, his frown deepening.

  My jaw clenched. This kid is crossing the line. "You think you’re strong, Hoiler? You truly believe the pampered 'training' you got at the academy is enough to keep you alive?"

  "Based on my raw strength? Of course!" He clenched his jaw defensively.

  "Then try destroying that boulder without your aura." I pointed to a large rock nearby.

  He glanced at it. "Sure!"

  He walked firmly toward the boulder, dropped into a martial stance, and launched a heavy fist into the stone.

  Crack. A small fissure fractured the surface of the boulder. "See?"

  Patrice laughed. "Step aside! Let me show you how it's done. I can destroy it with my bare fist!"

  She ran at the boulder, launching a brutal punch of her own.

  Crack!

  The boulder split cleanly in half. "That’s how you punch with real raw power!" she cheered.

  "You see, sir?" Hoiler said, turning back. "We didn't even need our auras. So please, let's move on to our actual preparations."

  Alright. Now they’re entirely out of line.

  I walked past them toward the largest boulder in the clearing. I widened my stance, pulled my arm back, and launched a single, focused punch directly into the center of the stone.

  BOOM!

  The massive boulder violently shattered into a shower of gravel and dust.

  Their eyes widened in sheer shock.

  I slowly turned around, dusting off my knuckles. "Alright, Hoiler. Take off the amulet. If you really think your academy basics are enough, prove it. Ignite your aura. We’re sparring”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  He swallowed hard, the color draining from his face.

  “If I lose, I’ll follow whatever training regimen you want. But if you lose, all of you will obey my instructions without a single complaint."

  Hoiler’s pride flared, overriding his fear. He clenched his fists. "Then let’s set the rule! The spar doesn't stop until one of us is unconscious!"

  I smirked. "Sure." I unbuckled my leather armor and tossed it aside as Hoiler ripped the crescent amulet from his neck.

  "Are you ready? Remember, this time I’m actually going to attack," I warned him.

  He gathered his aura, the air around him humming. "Bring it on."

  In a heartbeat, I launched myself forward, closing the gap instantly. I drove a punishing punch straight into his abdomen.

  Bang!

  He was launched backward, flying through the air until his spine slammed into a large oak tree. But his aura flared, absorbing the worst of the impact, and he managed to stay on his feet.

  I rushed him again. This time, he anticipated my speed, jumping high to dodge my second punch. Using his momentum in mid-air, he launched a glowing, downward axe kick aimed at my head.

  I casually pivoted on my left foot, sweeping my right leg up in a blurring arc to meet his strike.

  Bam!

  The impact sent him flying upward once more, his aura flickering. I sprinted toward his trajectory. As gravity pulled his flailing body back toward the earth, I stepped into his landing zone, twisted my hips, and buried my fist squarely into his liver.

  His eyes rolled back. His body shut down instantly, and he collapsed onto the dirt, completely unconscious.

  As Hoiler slumped in the grass, I slowly turned my head to Patrice. "Now. Do you want to test your 'raw power' against me too, midget?"

  She shook her head vigorously, her face pale. I looked at Kenny and Mathilda. They both spontaneously shook their heads in terrified agreement.

  "Good. Now wake him up and form a line in front of me." I picked up my leather armor and strapped it back onto my chest.

  It took several minutes and a splash of water from a canteen to rouse Hoiler. Groaning in agony, he had to drape his arms over Kenny and Mathilda's shoulders just to stay upright as they dragged him into a line before me.

  "Now, the deal is settled. No one complains about the training regimen. Understood?"

  "Yes..." Hoiler wheezed.

  "Understood?!" I barked.

  "YES, SIR!" the four of them shouted in unison.

  "Good. Gather here every day at first light. We will train until dusk."

  Their eyes widened in horror, but this time, not a single one of them complained. "And remember. You are to wear those amulets for the entire week. Live with them. Sleep with them. If you take them off behind my back, trust me, your progress will completely stall. Dismissed."

  I turned my back on them and walked away, leaving them alone on the mountain.

  **

  The next day, they surprised me by arriving exactly on time. I could even see the heavy suppression amulets still securely fastened around their necks.

  I see. These kids are actually eager to train. Good.

  The morning began with brutal physical reconditioning. I pushed them through grueling circuits designed to strip away their academy habits and rebuild their stamina, functional strength, and raw reflexes. Lungs burned and muscles screamed, but to their credit, not a single complaint left their lips.

  When the midday sun hit its peak, I split them up. I gave each of them a specialized, maddening task designed to break their worst habits.

  I handed Hoiler a crude, unsharpened wooden pole and pointed him toward the rushing mountain river. His objective: spear a Linua fish. Linua are shimmering, silver-scaled slippery devils that perfectly mimic the refraction of running water. Hooking one with a line is easy; spearing one with a blunt stick requires the stillness of a stone and the striking speed of a viper. It stripped away his arrogant reliance on explosive power and forced him to learn agonizing patience.

  Kenny’s fatal flaw was the manic, psychotic break he suffered whenever his magic surged. I didn't give him a weapon. I forced him through endless, agonizing core-strengthening drills in the dirt. A stronger physical vessel could contain a larger volume of mana, buffering the violent magical backlash that usually hijacked his sanity. He had to learn to master his body before he could master his spear.

  Patrice already hit like a battering ram, and her aura control was surprisingly refined. Her problem was her explosive temper. I tasked her with catching a Hover Rabbit bare-handed. The creatures are infuriatingly smart, possessing the sadistic cunning of a goblin. They will deliberately stay just out of reach, chattering mockingly before vanishing into the underbrush. To catch one, Patrice couldn't just smash the forest; she had to swallow her rage, lay traps, and outthink her prey.

  Mathilda remained the wild card. She was highly intelligent, already possessed a solid physical baseline, and her control over wind magic was unmatched in her peer group. She even knew how to read tracks. Without a glaring flaw to fix, I simply pushed her physical conditioning to the absolute breaking point, forging her muscles to keep up with her sharp mind.

  While they suffered through their trials, I didn't sit idle. The brutal beatdown I took from Xion was a harsh wake-up call. I relentlessly drilled my own evasive maneuvers, forcing my muscles to react on pure, thoughtless instinct to prepare for the blinding speed of Vanguard-level threats.

  For seven agonizing days, this cycle repeated. Wake up, bleed, sleep, repeat. But when the seventh sunset finally bled across the sky, the results were undeniable. They hadn't magically transformed into elite killers, but the soft, arrogant academy fat had been burned away, leaving a foundation of solid, tactical discipline.

  "Stand down. That concludes week one," I announced, letting my gaze sweep over the squad. They were covered in mud, sweat, and bruises, but they stood rigidly at attention. Their eyes were focused. Sharp.

  Heh. Not bad, kids. Not bad at all. A faint, proud smirk ghosted across my lips.

  "Starting tomorrow, the curriculum changes." I paced slowly down the line, my boots crunching in the dirt. "At first light, I want you packed with field rations. I want your armor strapped tight, and I want your weapons sharpened."

  Four pairs of eyes blinked at me in unison, a mix of apprehension and eager confusion rippling through the squad.

  "If you're wondering why the sudden change in dress code," I stopped, leveling them with a dark, promising grin, "it's because tomorrow... we are going hunting."