Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 722: IOUs

A week had passed since every student within the Star Academy began the physical conditioning training under Instructor Mira, and it could not be described with anything other than a single word; hell.

She had pushed them to their absolute limits every single day, every night, and even within their dreams, it almost seemed as though she manifested there as well, continuing their training without pause. Anytime it looked like anyone had begun to grasp the routine or adapt to the intensity, Instructor Mira would simply increase the difficulty with an indifferent expression, floating high above as she stared down at them as though they were nothing more than insignificant ants struggling beneath her regime.

Normally, it was said that when one trained, one should take time to rest in between sessions to prevent breaking the body or causing a backlash instead of gaining positive results. But Instructor Mira did not care for such sayings. She did not care about the fatigue from the previous training sessions, nor the accumulation of strain within their bodies. She was here for one purpose, to break them, and she meant that quite literally, without exaggeration or restraint.

As for the possibility of backlash, what did the Star Academy have? Crownstar Life Rank healers. Was there anything a group of weak students could suddenly develop in terms of physical illness that Crownstar Life Rankers had not seen before or could not heal? Even if such a condition had never been encountered, they could still heal whatever new physical backlash arose from the training. And once the healing was done, they were immediately thrown back into training without even a single second to relax or regain composure.

According to Instructor Mira, they had already relaxed enough during the entire healing process, which, by the way, took less than a minute due to the overwhelming capabilities of the Crownstar Life Rankers.

Instructor Mira was simply not someone to be trifled with.

And when students fell from the mountainside, Instructor Mira did something that could only be described as utterly merciless, she simply increased the weight imposed by the training jumpsuit and ordered them to climb the mountain again without hesitation.

Of course, as time went by, many students began to adapt. Some climbed faster after repeated attempts, some improved their balance and grip, while others became more efficient, sustaining fewer injuries as they gained experience in real time. After all, it would have been strange if they continued making the same mistakes over and over again. Yet one thing remained constant, the constant strain on their muscles, the persistent aches that refused to fade.

As for individuals like Asher, Teo, William, and Thalric, Instructor Mira took things even further. She erased all oxygen at a certain altitude along the mountain. Normally, this would not have been an issue, as their awakened bodies could survive for a minimum of a few hours without oxygen due to their enhanced supernatural physiology. However, that was only possible when their bodies were at rest, not when they were being pushed to the brink of collapse. Under the conditions imposed by Instructor Mira, they could barely last a few minutes before their consciousness began slipping toward darkness.

And whenever Instructor Mira noticed they were about to faint due to the lack of oxygen under such intense exertion, she would restore it briefly, allowing them to stabilize, only to remove it again moments later. Then restore it again, then remove it once more just as they began to recover. It was as though she was playing with their very respiration, manipulating the rhythm of their survival itself.

It might have appeared as though she derived enjoyment from it, but that was not the case. She was simply forcing their brains, minds, bodies, and hearts to adapt to conditions that defied reason. Of course, she did not expect complete adaptation immediately, she did not expect them to suddenly function without oxygen, but she demanded progress, no matter how insignificant, whether it advanced at a snail’s pace or surged forward like a cheetah.

But that was not even the end of it. No, Instructor Mira had even more methods prepared. Students like Asher were relocated to a separate mountain, and there, Instructor Mira allowed massive boulders to roll down from the peak. To her, survival was simple, it was up to them to dodge while maintaining their grip on every hold and crevice, all while preserving their stamina to an extreme degree.

And, of course, these were no ordinary boulders. The students were more than capable of shattering regular boulders with a casual strike if they so wished. These, however, were boulders capable of injuring even higher-ranked individuals. Needless to say, under such brutal conditions, even Asher himself stumbled and fell from the mountainside more than once.

He did not complain. He simply accepted the punishment that Instructor Mira imposed whenever they fell and continued climbing without hesitation. It also went without saying that his Absolute Physique was living up to its name, it seemed to draw out every ounce of physical potential within him throughout the duration of this hellish training.

Asher also monitored his growth through the system’s stats. Although his strength stat did not surge dramatically as it would during a Major Life Rank or sub-Life Rank breakthrough, nor did it spike like when his Limitless Physical Growth ability activated, it still increased steadily. That alone was enough to drive him further, pushing himself beyond his limits again and again without pause.

As for Finch, the man was practically swimming in points. With the students too exhausted to journey back to their rooms after training, Finch took full advantage of the situation. He teleported them back to their residential buildings, and being the ever-calculating businessman, he had already anticipated that such physically draining training would last for at least thirty days. So, he charged only a single point per teleportation. It seemed too cheap for the service rendered, but anyone intelligent enough to do the calculations would quickly realize that Finch was making an immense profit.

Besides, as Asher had predicted, the training ground was located far from the students’ residential buildings. This meant that even before they arrived early in the morning, their bodies had already expended a portion of the little stamina they had recovered overnight. As a result, they had no choice but to pay Finch yet another Academy point just to teleport to the training grounds.

And, of course, if any student happened to be late and required his services, Finch would immediately increase the price to an outrageous amount. After all, that student would be risking expulsion. Under such pressure, they had no choice but to comply.

He also accepted ’IOUs,’ fully confident that anyone who owed him would eventually pay. After all, Finch was one of the few individuals outside the top ten rankings who maintained consistent interactions with those at the very top.

Besides, everyone knew that if they failed to pay, even if Finch chose not to act, William would simply step in, beat them thoroughly, force repayment, and then seize whatever remaining points they had as both punishment and a so-called service to society.

All in all, while every student was making significant physical progress under the brutal regime of Instructor Mira, Finch, on the other hand, was making progress in both physical strength and financial dominance simultaneously.