After overcoming the shock, Mira asked directly: 'Is it normal for a person to be that strong, teacher?'

'That's an exception, but you can catch up to a close level in a few years.'

Mira whispered to the teacher's answer, the answer was training and nothing but training, talent may help but without training, you will not reach these distant horizons. Who would refuse to get such a power if it was for free? The price is the effort of years of training and many do not admit this, they want quick strength while real strength is the product of years of toil and fatigue.

'Now it's your turn to try, you can only make a simple attack like the second puppet so far. By the end of the month, I'll teach you how to do something like that if you reach enough level.'

"Adequate level... This means that we cannot learn it at our current level. We must accelerate our growth so that the teacher recognizes our potential."

These two words affected them more than the rest of the sentence, a simple but subtle meaning, 'You are currently weak.' Telling the weak about their weakness may have two different effects depending on the person: some of them are broken by these words as it will crush their ambition so they fall victim to the clutches of despair, and some of them awaken their resolve to fight their weakness and prove that the other party is wrong and this is called the struggler.

.........

The training began similar to the previous one, but with the use of mana to adapt more to its use and thus they hit two birds with one stone.

The training continued until he reached the phase of attacking the magical wooden dolls, they tried to do as the teacher did. They had high ambitions for results but even with their strongest punches and magic-boosted kicks left only superficial scratches on the dolls. They marveled at what they had previously seen more and more.

"Even without magic, the teacher had overwhelming power!!"

After a few small things, the first day of physical training is over.

'Do not neglect your mana training and do not forget to take the weapons I have prepared for you. You have to adapt to carrying weapons by the end of the week and whoever needs help does not hesitate to ask the next day.'

Each of them took what the teacher had prepared for him as well as a dagger to enhance protection in unforeseen situations. They left after listening to some of the teacher's advice and each of them went to take care of his training. The weapons were not of high quality but were more than enough for training.

The eighth day of training is over...

------------------------

Training along these lines lasted for three days without major changes. However, on the twelfth day, the change began. There was not only general training only. Maximus began to teach each of them in his combat specialty: he helped Orion and Tai Min apply the aura to their weapons, he helped Dante to improve his mastery of stealth, and he helped Yoon Hwa to overcome some obvious gaps in her fighting style and gave Mira magic books for vegetal magic spells for the third circle or less. He gave advice to Aliana in order to teach her how to harness the energy of spirits without summoning the spirits them. The hardest part was teaching Eric how to wrap arrows in magic to enhance their toughness and penetrating abilities, this requires high concentration to learn only what about mastering it.

The remaining three days passed between general training and their own specific trainings, as well as practical training to improve teamwork between them by collaborating to face Maximus. Losing was just what they reaped but teamwork became better to some extent, at least they will not hit each other with their weapons if they cooperate to fight an opponent and that itself is an achievement.

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At the end of the last day of the second week, after the completion of training. The teacher challenged them to inflict a single scratch on him, they had an hour of time and cooperation was allowed. It was as if it were a real fight for an enemy, the ferocity in their eyes was something you could not see in children who did not live in the midst of wars and crises but the reality and their future dictate it. The idea of eliminating the enemy was firmly entrenched in their minds after the teacher insisted on it daily, he convinced them of this by linking their lives to the future of the world in addition to violating and bullying them in the past days during the training and convincing them to speak by repeating this phrase whenever the opportunity arose:

'Eliminating the enemy is a necessity, if you cannot eliminate him, inflict the most injuries on him to disable him and then withdraw; the enemy will not forgive your life if he is the victor. Keep this idea in mind, your life is linked to the future of the world, survival is not a choice but a duty. So never forget this idea.'

Each of them had a perception related to what he had experienced until the moment. Some imagine Maximus as a wild wolf or a ferocious bear and other dangerous and merciless beasts.

The fighting began and Orion and Tai Min advanced on both sides, Mira is preparing a magic spell to cast while Aliana is conjuring spirits to fight. Yoon Hwa is looking for gaps in the teacher's style and Dante is chasing gaps to make a stealth attack. A spear stab from the left side and a sword swing from the right, Maximus stepped back to avoid the two strikes, Yoon Hwa recognized a gap in the teacher's retreat and tried to perform a side punch aiming for the ribs. Maximus spotted her, jumped over her head, and pushed her forward to fall on her face, before he reached the ground he received an arrow in his back, Eric was taking advantage of the gap because he was off the ground to injure him. Maximus grabbed the arrow and shot it back to Eric, tilting his head to avoid the arrow that passed like a rocket. If he had been hit, it would have ended for him; fighting was actually a life-and-death combat.

After the magician landed on the ground he was surrounded by Tai Min and Orion again and Mira and Aliana took the opportunity to tighten the siege on him, attacking him with roots from the back that stuck to his legs, tied his feet and began to complete his chaining, the handcuff ostensibly succeeded but Maximus blew up the roots in an instant, among the flying fragments Dante sneaked in and used them as a cover to try to stab him in the back. It worked, but the stab did not even tear his clothes.

'A great and accurate attack but useless if it doesn't achieve its desired purpose.'

Maximus pushed him hard until he hit the wall hard. Dante wrapped his body in mana at the last moment to protect his internal organs, and although the damage was not severe, the danger was imminent. The cycle of attacks continued in many forms and patterns, but it did not work. Not all prizes are physical, strengthening relationships and improving teamwork are the fruits of many efforts that will last for a very long time.

'Imminent death makes you push yourselves to its limits; I didn't really intend to kill you because I long ago realized the limits of your skills. So, what lesson have you learned today?'

Breathing heavily, Dante replied: 'Two lessons, the first is to realize your limits and not face an opponent stronger than you, sometimes withdrawing is a victory or preparing for a one. The second is that we should not get into a fight unless we secure victory or study the strength of the opponent.'

'You heard what Dante said, always remember that. Survival always takes precedence; the dead don't have a second chance.'

The second week ended, the trouble was huge, but it achieved goals and approached the goals that were very far away, who expected that those who were ordinary people until two weeks from now would be able to compete with the outstanding in one of the most famous academies.

'Do not make your goals simple, little ones, they limit motivation and weaken determination, as the goal and determination grow, you have to be worthy of that goal.'

'Understood.'

'The training style will change completely for the remainder of the month now. Basic physical training in the training grounds, two hours of basic mana training and the rest of the day in actual combat training, it will be in a forest or desert or something like that, you have to eliminate monsters and run away from me at the same time, consider it a training to survive and adapt to all environments.'

Everyone started laughing hysterically after hearing the teacher, training to survive death and fight at the same time. It was close to a psychological breakdown or PTSD, they could not find a proper response to this but only one thing they were sure.

Either you become strong-minded or you are psychologically destroyed afterwards, this was about each of them and their mental stability...