After a week of painstaking training, another week of a different kind of effort began. Physical training is necessary, as is mental and psychological effort, as the balance between them is the basis of good construction. The team met at the agreed morning time, when the sun was starting to rise and dissipate the darkness that had covered the world for hours. The sleepiness did not completely disappear from everyone's eyes, but the cool breeze in the air began to conquer fatigue and turn it into stimulation. Maximus then got up from his seat and detailed the training plan for them, which was as follows:

-Half an hour of running around the track without the help of mana or other artifacts, rope climbing ten times, push-ups and squats, ten minutes rest, basic near-range combat training without weapons.

After completing these trainings, they will head to the private room and continue until noon and the physical training ends. Then they rest, have lunch and then complete their mana training to improve their performance in it.

.........

After explaining the basics of the training that awaits them, Maximus entered the training ground and signaled them to start from one corner of the rectangular track after placing their belongings on a recess chairs.

Running at first was easy, but the difficulty increased as the seconds passed. The steps slipped down, the pace of breathing increased, and their faces swollen red as peaches. With only two minutes to go, their speed is so weak that we can hardly call it running. Maximus gave them another impetus to stimulate in the form of punishment for the latter.

'Harder. Whoever arrives the last will run for an extra five minutes.'

After hearing this punishment, it motivated them to be more serious. Mira was the last one who came and could not change that fact, as she had to run for an extra five minutes.

"When will time end? My vision is starting to blur. I'll fall soon..."

Hearing the teacher's signal at the end of time she fell straight from fatigue. She could not say a word until they poured water on her face and she woke up.

'Don't push yourself too much girl, if you can't just slow down and endure.'

'Great talk, Dante, 17 laps around the field in just thirty minutes. I was impressed by the result, well done.'

Maximus applauded the result achieved by the students and then continued:

'We'll change it for twenty laps. It's more than what you have done, but as you perform better, it will take you less time as the days go by.'

'Understood, Master.'

They then passed to another side of the training ground, a twelve-meters-high wall with a row of ropes tied to its upper edge to climb and a ladder on the other side to descend. As the teacher said earlier, this is not only a test of strength but also of technique. Orion who worked as a hunter with his father and had experiences handling various equipments. Moreover, he began to teach them how to climb the rope:

'Hold the rope well, lift your legs to a sitting position and rotate the rope twice around one of your feet and then use it as a foothold and lift yourself up and repeat the process. It's going to be tough especially at the beginning.'

'This sounds a bit dangerous... Isn't it dangerous to fall?'

Eric spoke after Orion explained the method, then Maximus patted on his shoulder, and told them: 'If you fall, fortify your body with mana to reduce injuries, plus I will pick you up if there is a real danger to you.'

'Thank you for your concern teacher, we will only focus on training and the rest is on you, my teacher.'

Mira, who was on the verge of losing consciousness previously, has returned better than before and with greater determination.

After an hour and a half of attempts and stumbles, everyone completed the climb ten times. Unlike previous training, the danger was here and simulated a real-life example of what might happen to you during exploration or combat.

‘We are a little behind time so you have to speed it up this time, 20 push-ups followed by 20 squats that you will repeat again.'

Fatigue began to build up quickly on everyone but time is inexorable, and in seven minutes, the team completed both rounds.

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'We're back to the original timing, rest for eight minutes and complete the rest of the time in hand-to-hand combat essentials.'

'May I have a question, Master?'

'Go ahead, Mira.'

'What is the use of physical training for a magician and what would I gain from it, Master?'

'This is a wrong thinking method, little girl; fitness is indispensable for a person even in everyday life. Let us say your mana is exhausted in combat, and there are still enemies. Running away is the only option, and if you don't have enough fitness, doom is what awaits you.'

'You're right.'

'You may be assassinated and the ennemy gets close enough so your magic becomes useless. You must have enough skills to defend yourself, little girl. Death is not an option, remember this.'

'Sorry to ask.'

Mira lowered her head apologizing; the teacher was right, as she did not see the big picture. Small things that always seem worthless can save life in a dangerous situation. She learned a valuable lesson: "Some things may not seem useful, but they become the most important thing at another moment, like a rope, a dagger, or even a bottle of water in the desert."

Maximus advanced towards the wooden training dolls and began to explain to them the movements and the most important mistakes to avoid.

'Don't kick a side kick, if the enemy is skilled, he will be able to catch your leg and you will be in a vulnerable position.'

'Don't tackle blows with long bones, tackle using your joints such as your elbow or knee to minimize both injury to you and harm your opponent.'

'The kick must be direct; it can push the enemy and create a gap in his posture.'

'Even if I teach you how to tackle, it's better to avoid an injury than you can bear.'

Each of them chose a wooden training doll and followed the teacher's instructions, some had prior experience so they learned faster and their knowledge was wider, unlike others. The training in the public square ended and they left as the students started coming to train. Minutes of rest after they arrived at the private room and then Maximus began to explain the importance of body training:

'The force of a blow depends on two factors: the strength of the person and the amount of mana in it. There is a limit to the mana someone can release at once, it depends on the level of your physical abilities, the higher your physical ability, the more mana you can pump if you have it. So the lack of fitness cannot be compensated for by mana, but it can improve a good fitness with mana.'

The minutes of rest passed like a few seconds and Maximus applauded to draw the attention of his disciples before he began to explain this stage of training:

'Outside we train without using mana to develop physical abilities, but here we use mana to push bodies to their limit, this is a method used only by the strong.'

'So... Will we repeat what we have done again now?'

'Yes, Aliana, but with Mana you can refresh yourselves and increase the efficiency of the training.'

Maximus snapped his fingers, a chair appeared on which he sat and continued:

'Half an hour of running and mana is allowed, at your full speed. Inaction is forbidden!!'

'Understood, master!'

They all gathered in one corner of the room and waited for Maximus' signal to go. Bang!! Each of them went at full speed competing for first place at varying but close speeds, at least twice as fast as before. With a speed that is many times faster than normal humans, Tai Min outperformed everyone else with his innate and mana-enhanced speed, followed by Dante and Orion by not much difference. The half hour ended and everyone achieved over thirty laps. Other than some stress, they did not appear tired unlike before, thanks to their use of mana.

'The difference is huge. This time running was so easy that calling it a warm-up is not an exaggeration.'

'Have you noticed the size of the difference? This is just the beginning. Watch now.'

Maximus took out reinforced wooden dolls from the room's pantry and began by explaining the difference between an enhanced and non-enhanced attack:

'Boosting the attack not only increases the power, depending on your skill in it, it is able to boost penetration or even inflict only internal damage without external signs. Watch carefully.'

Maximus placed four wooden dolls in a row and separated them by two meters, securing them to the ground with magic so that they would not move.

He tapped the first in the chest area; the doll cracked slightly and made a crater two centimeters deep.

Then headed for the second and tapped it after boosting with mana, the top half of the doll was completely blown up.

Then to the third doll and did the same as well, it created a five-centimeter tiny hole that pierced through the whole doll.

Finally with the fourth doll and he did the same, this time the surface of the doll where he clicked it was not even scratched but the doll's back exploded with hundreds of wooden fragments.

'You notice, the result varies as the method of application changes, this level is a bit advanced so you will learn it later.'

The mouths of all of them were wide open, it was really shock, shock was the word that describes the students now, each of them knows deep down that the teacher is strong but not to that degree.

Even these magic dolls with a typical durability equivalent to the abilities of a four stars knight and are difficult to penetrate but pierce as if they were made of glass.

Overwhelming power, this is the only word that describes what they have seen now but none of them knew that their teacher is now the most powerful of those on the continent...