Compared to his progress in swordsmanship, Liens was more surprised by the speed of his improvement in physical fitness.
He hadn't expected that in just two months, he would catch up to the intensity of the training.
And this was under the condition that the training intensity was constantly increasing.
The instance ability could only allow his body to rest better; it couldn't transfer the training effects from the instance back to his real body.
He had verified this long ago.
Because of this, he focused more on improving his swordsmanship and combat experience through continuous battles in the instance.
Liens suspected he was taking drugs, especially since everyone there drank a bowl of "Red Potion" every day at noon.
He hadn't expected that besides restoring stamina and healing injuries, that stuff could also gradually improve a person's physical fitness.
To confirm this, Liens specifically sought out Ben and inquired about his situation.
The answer he got from Ben was also—the speed of physical fitness improvement was too fast, somewhat abnormal.
Everyone had done labor before; in fact, the heavy and tiring work Ben had done sometimes rivaled the Training Camp's training, but the increase in muscle strength was far less noticeable here.
Ben said it might be possible to achieve this effect in one or two years normally, but to have such results from only two months of training was truly against his common sense.
After analysis, both Liens and Ben unanimously believed that the improvement in physical fitness was largely related to the "Red Potion."
Unfortunately, both of them were at the bottom of society; similar things were only heard by Ben in the legends told by bards.
Naturally, they couldn't know the true nature of the "Red Potion."
The reason why [Stamina Potion] had the effect of improving physical fitness was also related to its principle.
Its essence was to continuously consume Life force to stimulate the body's Life origin, thereby enhancing physical development, which led to the rapid improvement effect.
If Liens had carefully investigated the situation of other Trainers, he would have discovered that everyone was not very old.
They were all very young, at most in their twenties; in their Life, they hadn't reached the peak of their strength.
This rapid increase in physical strength was merely them drawing strength from their future selves in their prime.
If described in game terms, it was exchanging maximum HP for strength improvement.
And this improvement had a limit; once the limit was reached, there would be no further strength improvement effect.
However, it was precisely this characteristic of [Stamina Potion] that made it widely used in the training of various military branches that wanted to quickly form.
Although he didn't understand the true nature of [Stamina Potion], Ben wasn't as worried as Liens.
Compared to Liens, who believed that "everything has its price," Ben's thought was—even if there really is a problem, can we refuse?
No choice is perfect; most of the time, our choices in Life are only suitable for the current situation, not a perfect solution to the problem.
So, relax; people can always find their own way out. If not, isn't there always a dead end?
"What are you thinking about?"
Ben gently patted Liens's shoulder, waking him from his contemplation, then asked.
"Why are you here? Aren't you going to rest?" Liens asked back, puzzled.
"I was surprised to see that you didn't lie down and rest immediately after training, so I came to check," Ben replied with a smile.
Liens's unusual behavior made Ben somewhat worried that he might have a physical problem.
Here, having a physical problem basically meant a death sentence.
"Don't worry, there's nothing wrong... I'm just a bit puzzled by the Trainer's departure," Liens shook his head and waved his hand in response.
He first responded to Ben's concern, then explained the reason for his unusual behavior.
"The Trainer's matters are not something people like us should be concerned about... If you have this much free time, you might as well pay more attention to the physical examination at noon. Don't oversleep this time."
Ben advised Liens with a serious expression.
Ben was worried that Liens was focusing on the Trainer because he still harbored thoughts of escaping, so he admonished him.
He wanted Liens to focus more on the Training Camp, give up that unrealistic idea, and strive to survive.
"I'm just a little puzzled, and I don't really care much," Liens replied to Ben with a smile.
However, speaking of physical examinations, it did bring some things to his mind.
Since the first physical examination, the Training Camp had a similar check every 15 days, still in the cultural class classroom, and always during the noon break.
During the second examination, Liens couldn't resist and directly asked Marvin in the instance about the purpose of the physical examination.
He remembered the situation at the time—
"Teacher Marvin, what is the purpose of our physical examination? Is there anything about it that I can know?"
Liens asked Marvin with a smile while placing his hand on the crystal ball, appearing as if he was asking casually and didn't care about the answer.
"It's to help you train better," Marvin replied with a smile.
After seeing the crystal ball emit a faint white light again, Liens continued to smile: "Is that so? I don't quite believe it, so may I ask you to..."
Answer again seriously? —This was what Liens was about to finish saying.
As he spoke, he instantly made his move, wanting to grab the throat of the white-haired old man with his right hand.
Liens intended to use this threatening method to obtain the true answer he desired.
However, just as he made his move, in an instant, a familiar sharp pain came from his brain.
He collapsed, clutching his head with both hands, no longer able to make a move.
That stinging sensation was what he had felt from Barton before, belonging to the punishment of that "contract."
After nearly a month, he once again experienced the existence of that "contract."
It was also from then on that he became more certain that the condition for that "contract" to take effect was bloodline, and Marvin was very likely a member of the Glenbagen Family.
And because he lost the means of physical threat, he ultimately couldn't extract any information from Marvin.
...
Rewind time a bit.
Upon receiving his subordinate's report, the Trainer hurried to the Training Camp's gate.
He took a wooden token from his uniform pocket and brought it close to the gate.
As the token touched the gate, the magic barrier that enveloped the gate rippled like a lake struck by a stone.
Then, the magic barrier began to fade and disappear, and the gate slowly opened.
As the view gradually opened up, a lavishly decorated, red-lacquered carriage with various carvings appeared before the Trainer and his men.
On either side of the carriage stood several tall guards dressed in military uniforms with longswords hanging at their waists.
Their expressions were solemn, their bodies guarding the carriage, their gazes fixed on the Trainer and his men.
"Welcome... the visit of General Aboer Grumbagen."
The Trainer's expression was calm; he placed one hand on his chest, bowed slightly, and greeted the still-closed carriage door in front of him.
As the Trainer's voice fell, the carriage door opened.
What came into view was a finely dressed but ordinary-looking, bald and pot-bellied middle-aged man, along with several young and beautiful maidservants.
"Sir Leinajin, you are too kind."
The General's voice was deep and low; although he said 'too kind,' he showed no intention of getting out of the carriage, still enjoying the maidservants' service inside.
The Trainer didn't mind this, as he hadn't held any expectations to begin with.
Apol Grumbagen, the eldest son of the current Earl of the Glenbagen Family, and the General of Kara City's garrison.
Lazy, lustful, arrogant, incompetent...
These were all labels associated with this General.
Because the Earl had not yet died, this General had not inherited the title.
It was precisely because of this that he preferred others to call him General, rather than Lord.