I felt pathetic in every way, shape, and form.

Bobo had to hang from his teeth. I had to hang from my hands.

And I couldn’t even last half as long as Bobo did.

It started simple.

“Just hang,” Rhyzar had said. “Easy.”

Yeah. Easy.

I gripped the thick iron bar above me, my arms already burning. The moment I lifted my feet off the ground, I felt it. My body wasn’t built for this. My shoulders protested immediately, and my grip? It was already slipping.

Meanwhile—Bobo clamped his teeth onto a suspended chain, legs dangling in the air like it was nothing.

Minutes passed. My arms shook. My fingers felt like they were going to rip off.

Bobo? He just swung back and forth like he was enjoying the breeze.

My body screamed. My fingers gave out.

I dropped.

Bobo was still hanging.

I panted on the ground, trying to pretend I’d totally meant to fall, while Bobo just hung there, tilting his head like, That’s it?

I groaned.

This was going to be a long day.

“All right,” Rhyzar said. “Next.”

He gestured at two objects sitting in the dirt.

Mine was a massive iron ball.

Bobo’s was a flat iron slab.

I frowned. “…That doesn’t seem fair.”

Rhyzar grinned. “It’s not.”

I sighed, gripping the thick rope attached to the ball. “What are we supposed to do?”

“Drag it. Fifty meters. No stopping.”

I nodded. Okay. That doesn’t sound too bad.

Then we started.

And I realized how foolish I was.

The ball was heavy. My entire body strained just to make it budge. But at least it rolled.

Bobo’s iron slab?

That thing didn’t move.

Not at first.

But then Bobo gritted his teeth, dug his claws into the dirt—

And pulled.

Slowly, inch by inch, he dragged the massive slab forward. It screeched against the ground, the sheer resistance making my own struggle feel like a joke.

At first, I tried to keep pace with him.

But as the distance grew, I fell behind.

Bobo didn’t slow down. Didn’t complain. Even when his arms shook, even when his legs nearly collapsed, he kept moving.

I?

I stopped.

Again.

And again.

And again.

By the time I was halfway there, Bobo had already finished.

And the worst part?

He came back for me.

Bobo stomped over, hooting encouragements, slapping my back like, Come on, get it together!

I wanted to die.

“Next,” Rhyzar called.

I groaned. “You’re actually trying to kill us.”

He smirked. “Not yet.”

He pointed at the next obstacle.

A boulder.

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A giant one.

It sat at the bottom of a hilled path, perfectly round, perfectly smooth.

I sighed. “Let me guess. We have to push it?”

“Oh, no.” Rhyzar grinned. “You have to push it uphill.”

I rubbed my face. “Of course we do.”

“And,” he added, “when it rolls back down, you push it up again.”

I glared. “You enjoy this too much.”

Rhyzar didn’t answer, just smiled in that irritating way of his.

And Bobo?

Bobo was excited.

The boulder fought me every step of the way. My legs trembled, my arms ached, and the moment I got it to the top—when I let go—

It rolled right back down.

And I?

I collapsed, gasping for breath, hands on my knees, watching the massive thing tumble back to where I started.

Rhyzar clicked his tongue.

“No, no, no, no, no—”

I looked up, panting. “What?”

He spread his hands in mock disappointment. “Who told you you could let it roll back down?”

I blinked. “What—?”

“You reach the top, and what? You just let go?” He scoffed. “Did I say the exercise was push the boulder up?”

I hesitated. “…I mean—”

“No.” He cut me off, shaking his head. “You push it up, then you guide it back down. Step by step. Controlling it. Withstanding the pressure the whole way.”

My stomach dropped. “You’re joking.”

Rhyzar smirked. “Do I look like I’m joking?”

I stared at him. “That’s—that’s not even training, that’s torture.”

He chuckled. “Ah, so you did think it was going to be easy.”

I groaned. “I never said—”

“Oh, no, no, no, Akul.” He folded his arms, eyes glinting with amusement. “If I was actually trying to break you, I’d have given you a slab instead of a ball. Maybe made you hang from your teeth, or carry it instead of pushing. You know—real suffering.”

I fought the urge to throw a rock at his face.

Bobo, standing beside me, tilted his head, then grinned.

He liked this.

Of course, he did.

I exhaled, looking at the boulder.

This was stupid.

This was unfair.

But…

I wasn’t about to back down.

I rolled my shoulders, wiped the sweat from my brow, and stepped forward.

“Fine,” I muttered. “Let’s do it right this time.”

Rhyzar smirked. “Exactly.”

The first push wasn’t bad.

The second?

Agony.

Rhyzar’s rule? No using Vital Surge to recover.

My muscles screamed. My chest heaved.

Bobo?

He didn’t stop.

Even when his legs shook, even when he slowed down, he kept going.

I?

Stopped.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Bobo finished first. Again.

I hated my life.

I thought we were done.

I was wrong.

“All right,” Rhyzar called. “Last one.”

I groaned. “‘Last one’ better actually mean last one.”

He just smirked.

I sighed. “…What now?”

Rhyzar gestured at the ground.

Wet sand.

Deep, soaked sand.

“You’re going to dig through it.”

I blinked.

“…With what?”

“Your hands.”

I stared.

“…You want me to dig with my bare hands?”

“Yup.”

I exhaled sharply. “Fine.”

I turned to Bobo. “Guess we’re digging, buddy.”

Bobo nodded.

Then Rhyzar pointed past the wet sand, at a giant slab of solid rock.

“Oh, not you.” Rhyzar grinned at Bobo. “You are digging through that.”

…

Bobo stared at the rock.

I stared at the rock.

Bobo turned to me.

I turned to Rhyzar.

“…That’s a joke, right?”

Rhyzar just smiled. “Get to work.”

I wanted to believe this wasn’t as bad as the others.

But it was worse.

My fingers burned. My nails ached. The wet sand resisted everything—every handful I scooped out slid right back in.

Bobo?

Bobo was clawing through stone.

Stone.

His claws scraped, scratched, and chipped at the solid mass in front of him, his whole body straining.

I had to dig.

Bobo had to break.

I didn’t know which of us had it worse.

By the time we finally stopped, I collapsed.

I didn’t sit or kneel. I collapsed.

My arms were useless. My legs trembled. My entire body hated me.

Bobo?

Bobo flopped next to me, panting, grinning.

Rhyzar strolled up, hands in his pockets, completely fine.

“Not bad,” he said. “Not great, but not bad.”

I groaned. “‘Not great’? I nearly died.”

He shrugged. “You’ll thank me later.”

I didn’t believe him.

But Bobo?

Bobo smirked.

Like he did thank him.

I slumped against a nearby rock, my entire body shaking. Every muscle in my arms and legs burned, my fingers throbbed, and my back felt like it had been carrying mountains.

Rhyzar stretched lazily, looking completely unbothered. “Alright, I’ll give you a break.”

I barely heard him. My breathing was ragged, my vision still swimming.

He crouched down, giving me a look. “Well? You gonna sit there like a corpse, or are you gonna do something about it?”

I frowned. “Do… what?”

He smirked. “Use your own abilities, genius.”

Oh.

I hadn’t actually used Vital Surge or Adaptive Growth on myself before. I’d always used them on Bobo or on others—but never on me.

I hesitated for a moment. Then—

I activated Vital Surge.

The effect was instant.

A rush of warmth flooded my limbs. The exhaustion weighing me down lifted, like my body had suddenly decided, Nope, we’re good now. The ache in my muscles dulled, my breath evened out, and my heartbeat slowed to a steady rhythm.

Then I activated Adaptive Growth.

And that—

That was something else entirely.

It felt like my body wasn’t just recovering—a burning beast was blazing through my veins.

Every fiber of my being absorbed what I’d just put it through. The strain, the exertion—it wasn’t just healing; it was adapting. Like having a test and instantly knowing all the answers, except it was physical improvement. My body understood what it had gone through, what it needed to change, and it was doing it right then and there.

It was the best feeling ever. Better than any magic.

But then—

A sharp, brutal hunger ripped through me.

Not from my stomach.

From everything.

My whole body screamed for fuel. A deep, gnawing, primal hunger that made my hands shake, made my mouth dry, made every instinct scream at me to consume something—anything.

I felt like I could tear into whatever was in front of me. If I didn’t control it, I might have…

Rhyzar shoved a pack into my arms. “Eat.”

I didn’t need to be told twice.

I tore into the food without thinking. Meat, bread—anything I could get my hands on. I devoured it like a starved animal. Bobo was no better, practically inhaling his portion, stuffing his face with zero concern for dignity.

I barely noticed how much I ate. Only when the hunger finally began to subside did I slow down, breathing hard.

Rhyzar leaned against a pillar, watching us with amusement. “So. How was it?”

I wiped my mouth, still recovering from what just happened. “…It’s insane.”

He grinned. “And now you get it.”

I exhaled, still feeling the lingering effects of Adaptive Growth. My body felt better than before. Stronger. More efficient. It was like every struggle I’d just gone through had already made me better.

But that hunger…

That was dangerous.

Rhyzar clapped his hands together. “Alright. Now that you two are back in one piece—”

I blinked.

“…Wait.”

He smirked.

“No.”

“Oh, yes.”

“No way. That wasn’t all the training?”

Rhyzar chuckled, pushing off the pillar. “Akul.”

I swallowed.

“There’s always more.”

Bobo jumped to his feet, dancing, as if he wanted more.

I exhaled.

I was bonded to a lunatic.