Chapter 18: Hellish Training
Ank P.O.V
When I woke up, I felt someone shaking me.
My eyes fluttered open, and I saw the familiar wrinkled face of the old man—my new master.
"Ank! Wake up!" he shouted, his voice carrying weight and determination that he found something amazing.
I blinked at him slowly, gave a faint groan… and then slowly shut my eyes again.
Big mistake.
The next moment, I felt myself being thrown into the air like a sack of meat. The old man didn't even hesitate—he threw me. Not gently, not carefully, but like I was a bag of sausages tossed straight into the mountainside.
Boom!
The impact cracked my bones and blood started coming from my head and I woke up instantly.
"What the hell, old man!" I shouted, coughing up dust and blood from my mouth.
Arthur didn't even care. His eyes burned with that merciless fire that sent shivers down my spine.
"From today onward," he said, voice like a judge delivering a death sentence to the prisoner, "your hellish training begins."
And thus, my nightmare started.
Two weeks passed.
I wasn't dead yet—though I wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse. My body ached from the endless drills, the climbing, the carrying of boulders. Every day felt like torture.
Yet, despite all that, I could feel the faintest improvement. My level had gone up. Not by much—just three measly levels in two weeks.
Three. Levels.
Anyone else would have already jumped ten or twenty levels by now. But me? Just three.
Why? Because I wasn't like "anyone else."
My body… this cursed body… was once the strongest in the universe. Even a single strand of my hair could unleash destruction powerful enough to wipe out armies. But that power had been sealed. Now, instead of being invincible, I was weaker than a child.
To regain my former glory, I had to work harder. Not ten times harder. Not a hundred times harder.
A thousand times harder.
That was my fate.
And I now understand why my body was healed so fast, but I am not sure; I had guessed that my body was motivating me by healing and saying, "Don't focus on pain and wound, focus only on hard work. I will help you."
This was the result of old man training, in my only useless thought like this was only happening. I didn't know, but I was thinking about these useless things.
During this time, Maya, old man's granddaughter, changed too.
She had always loved to tease me, mocking me every chance she got. But after what happened on the mountain, after nearly dying that day, she stopped.
She barely talked to me anymore, keeping her distance.
Honestly? I was relieved. Her insults had been annoying, and without them, I could finally train in peace.
But I knew she wasn't idle.
While I was out breaking my body on the rocks and dirt, Maya was working on something else.
She focused on magic, sharpening her spell chants, learning faster casting techniques, and digging for knowledge about her mysterious locked spell.
She didn't want to be useless anymore. She didn't want to feel helpless like she had during that attack.
So in her own way, she was fighting too.
One night, after another hellish day of training, I collapsed onto my bed. My body screamed in pain, but what tormented me more was frustration.
I wanted to learn magic. But every time I tried, the damn system sent me the same message:
You cannot access
You cannot access
You cannot access
System note: "You cannot learn any spell from outside the system until you reach a certain level."
That cursed line drove me insane and I thought damn system, damn Destruction. I will kill you, no one can save you from me.
After cursing him, in my mind came, "What does 'a certain level' even mean? Why can't they just say the exact number? Why keep me in the dark like this?"
Because of that restriction, I was chained. I could only push my body, fight, sweat, bleed. No magic. No shortcuts. Just endless physical hell.
The next day, Arthur finally noticed something.
"Why are you not learning spells?" he asked, his sharp eyes fixed on me.
I froze. If I told him the truth, he'd start asking questions I couldn't answer. I can't tell him about my past. I want to change. I don't want anyone to know about my past, especially the old man and Maya.
So I lied.
"I want to train physically first," I said firmly, trying to sound convincing. "After I reach level 30, I'll start learning spells. My body is still weak. Using powerful magic now might destroy it."
Arthur studied me for a long moment. My heart beat fast in my chest. Would he see through me? Would he call out the lie?
Finally, he nodded.
"That makes sense. Your foundation must be solid before you build upon it. Very well—we'll continue physical training."
Relief washed over me, though it was bitter. I had avoided suspicion, but the truth still remained: I was trapped.
No spells. No shortcuts.
Just pain.
But even so, I clenched my fists and made a vow.
No matter how many seals bind my body… no matter how long it takes…
I will return to my former glory.
Even if it means enduring hell itself.
And now in Central Continent,
Runewood kingdom,
In a dark room, 10 plus Kings were assembled sitting on chairs and their faces were hidden in the dark.
No one was saying anything, they were just watching each other.
And then one king said, "How will the princess escape?"
"We already spent millions of gold to catch her."
Then another said, "His spells helped her but now we knew she was going to the Diamond Heart Continent.
And I already dispatched more mercenaries that were far more dangerous than Deathhunter. This time she would surely be trapped.
I will not lose her again, she will definitely die at our hands."
Yes ,we cannot afford that she was alive after this.