By Day 14, Echo could already feel the first signs of exhaustion in his body—an unfamiliar sensation. The fatigue was still there, gnawing at him, but there was something more, something deeper. His progress felt… slower. Each exercise was harder to complete, and though he pushed himself harder than before, he couldn’t help but feel the growth he had become accustomed to was beginning to stall.
The weight of the 30-kilogram bracelets, once an overwhelming challenge, had started to feel like a familiar burden. His legs still trembled, his arms still ached, but it wasn’t the same intense growth that had flooded his body in the earlier days of training. It was like his muscles were adapting faster than his body could handle, and as a result, the strain was becoming less effective.
"Something’s wrong," Echo muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow as he adjusted his grip on the sandbag.
Rook, who had noticed the same thing happening to him, was breathing heavily beside him, his face flushed. "It’s like we’re stuck in the mud," he grunted. "It’s getting harder, but we’re not getting any stronger."
Gladiator’s booming voice cut through their frustration. “You’re starting to hit a plateau. It’s normal. The body adapts quickly, but at a certain point, it stops responding the same way. That’s when you have to push harder. There’s no shortcut.”
Echo nodded, but the words felt like a weight in his chest. He had always known the path wouldn’t be easy, but the sudden feeling of stagnation stung. He had worked so hard to reach this point, and now it seemed like the challenge was getting worse, not better. He couldn’t afford to slow down, not when they were already neck-deep in the training.
They had already made it through the basic exercises: running, lifting, carrying, and fighting under pressure. Each task was now a war of attrition—he couldn’t rely on pure strength and determination alone. Something more was needed, something deeper.
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Day 14
The morning of Day 14 began with the same exercises, but the intensity of the effort was noticeably higher. Echo could feel the weight of the bracelets in his every movement—his arms and legs felt like they were encased in lead, and each step was slower than the last. The energy he had once felt during the first few days had dimmed, replaced by an overwhelming fatigue that seemed to seep into his bones.
The first task of the day was a long-distance run, but this time, there was an added challenge. Sentinel stood at the starting line, arms crossed, a cool and unreadable expression on his face.
“No more pacing yourselves,” he said. “The run will continue until you collapse.”
Echo and Rook exchanged wary looks, but they had no choice. They started off, pushing their legs harder, trying to keep up with the relentless pace. The extra weight dragged them down, and the exhaustion from the previous days seemed to be catching up with them, but they forced their bodies forward.
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Minutes turned into hours, and still, there was no end in sight. Echo’s breath was ragged, his legs aching with every stride. His body screamed at him to stop, to rest, but there was no time. Rook was beside him, pushing just as hard, his face set with determination, but even he was starting to slow.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Echo collapsed to his knees. He gasped for air, every muscle burning, every fiber in his body pleading for respite.
“Get up,” Gladiator’s voice boomed, harsh and unforgiving. “No time for resting. We have more to do.”
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Day 15
Day 15 brought a new level of difficulty. Echo had never imagined that the days would grow this relentless. The exercises were becoming monotonous, the same actions repeated with little variation, but each time felt harder, less rewarding. He began to question whether it was even possible to keep improving at this rate.
The first task was a combination of deadlifts, squats, and overhead presses, all while wearing the weighted bracelets. His muscles screamed in protest as he pushed through set after set, but there was no escape from the increasing tension in his limbs. His body was at its limit, and yet the challenge only seemed to increase.
By the time Gladiator barked out, “Keep going!” Echo could feel the frustration building up. Despite all his effort, he knew that he wasn’t improving as quickly as before. The training was growing harder, but the progress felt like it had stalled. He knew the weight had something to do with it, but it didn’t make sense. Why was it so much harder now? Wasn’t the point to keep growing stronger?
And then came the second task: combat. Echo fought against Rook, but the fight felt like it had no purpose. It was more about enduring the weight than actually improving. They clashed, blocking strikes, exchanging blows, but it felt more like an exercise in survival than actual skill development. Each swing of his arm felt heavier, slower.
After their sparring match ended, Echo was left winded and frustrated. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the intense growth he had experienced during the first few days was already slipping away.
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Day 16
By the third day of this new training cycle, the plateau had fully set in. Echo’s body was tired, sore, and struggling to keep up with the increasing difficulty. They were now expected to complete the exercises while also enduring high-intensity combat scenarios, all while wearing the weighted bracelets.
Today’s challenge involved a series of obstacle courses designed to test both their physical strength and mental endurance. Echo navigated the first set of obstacles—a series of walls to climb, ropes to scale, and barrels to push—his body moving sluggishly under the weight of the bracelets. His arms felt like lead, and each step felt like it took an eternity.
Even Rook, who had always been the more energetic of the two, was visibly slowing down. His face was flushed, his breath shallow and ragged, but he pushed on.
“I don’t get it,” Rook muttered, after finally completing the obstacle course. “We’ve been pushing ourselves so hard, but it’s like we’re not getting anywhere.”
Echo didn’t answer, his mind too clouded by fatigue to come up with a response. They had trained longer than most, pushed harder than most, but this plateau felt like it was holding them back. They could feel it in their bones, the frustration of knowing that no matter how much they pushed, the growth wasn’t coming fast enough. Their bodies were adapting too quickly.
Gladiator and Sentinel, watching from the sidelines, exchanged a knowing look, but said nothing.
“We’ll continue tomorrow,” Gladiator finally said, his voice gruff. “But you two need to understand this: this isn’t about speed. It’s about pushing past your limits, even when it feels like you’ve hit a wall.”