“Why didn’t you go with Professor Dardones? You would have been able to enjoy a better training for sure.”
“Maybe that is true, but getting better training isn’t everything. Morally, I cannot accept studying under such a rotten person.” (Valde)
“You’re sabotaging your future.”
“We don’t know that. The future is vast and unpredictable. For all we know, this decision may lead to me becoming the prime Ministery of the magic association.” (Valde)
“Stop pulling my leg.”
“Also, about the part of Professor Dardones referring to himself as one of the best battle mages, that’s a lie.” (Valde)
“What do you mean?”
“Like many other nobles, he avoided being drafted into the war through connections and money. The only reason he got his position as a professor here is also due to connections and money and not his ability as a battle mage.” (Valde)
“How do you know all of this?”
“I like to read. You should try it sometime.” (Valde)
“I feel very inclined to do so now.”
The other “professor” started to introduce himself after Professor Dardones, and the noble students left the gymnasium.
“Hello students, I am Archil Kuzman, a D-tier battle mage. I’m a human and beast people mix, although it isn’t exactly obvious. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Because I am not technically a professor at this academy, please refer to me as just Mr. Kuzman or Trainer Kuzman. Either is fine.” (Trainer Kuzman)
“From my understanding, almost all of you don’t know how to cast spells yet, so we’ll start with body tempering. Until all of you learn how to absorb mana, we’ll be doing physical training in this class.” (Trainer Kuzman)
Many students seemed upset upon finding out that they’d be doing cardio and strength workouts in the Magic in Combat class and started protesting.
“Being a battle mage is much more than just being able to use magic. A battlemage not only must be adept at using magic, but they must also possess a strong body. The biggest weakness of all magicians is close-quarter combat. If a magician is dragged into close-ranged combat, it usually results in the magician’s defeat or death if on the battlefield. I have seen too many magicians who have completely forgone their bodies to pursue absolute magical power die due to being caught unaware on the battlefield. As my student, I will not allow you to neglect your body. If you continue to complain, you may leave my class. I am more than happy to bear all the repercussions if it means supporting my belief.” (Trainer Kuzman)
“Now, the first order of business is to run three laps along the walls of the gymnasium. Every time you stop mid-run to walk or to catch your breath, you will have to run an extra lap.” (Trainer Kuzman)
Although many students still felt frustrated at the idea of training their bodies in a magic course, the speech Trainer Kuzman gave struck a chord within them. Additionally, if they were to leave, there was nowhere to go, Professor Dardones would not allow them into his class, so this was their only option.
It was only now that I realized how physically weak some of my classmates were. They were already panting and sweating after the first lap. Combined, three laps around the wall were approximately a mile at most. Physically, I was pretty good since I was used to running back at the orphanage. Whether it was running away from Toby Longbottom and his lackeys or running away from the stall owner after stealing some food, it all required me to be able to run fast.
Valde was doing just fine as I had expected after he showcased me his grappling skills earlier today. I also noticed that the few beast people students were on average performing better than their human, elves, and other races counterparts. Maybe it was genetics or because they lived a more physically active lifestyle due to living in wilder environments, who knows? Speaking of which, it just occurred to me that there were very few beast people students compared to the other races. Why is that? I’ll have to remember to ask Valde about it later, and he’ll know the answer.
I finished fifth in the run. Both Valde and Ronald finished slightly before me, and the other two students were also of the beast people race. One had cat-like features, and the other one also had wolfish features like Ronald.
“Your time is eight minutes and twenty-three seconds. Good word.” (Trainer Kuzman)
That’s not bad, I thought for a mile pace. Though it could be better, it’s a decent place to start.
Some students couldn’t finish running the single mile in one go, so they had to run extra laps. Honestly, I couldn’t even pity them as there was no reasonable excuse for them to be so physically weak. I believe I now understand why Trainer Kuzman was so adamant about us doing physical training.
Trainer Kuzman gave us a moment to catch a breath before assigning our next set of workouts.
“You will now do five sets of ten pushups, ten sit-ups, and ten squats. The first one to finish will be allowed to leave early. Whereas the rest will have to stay to do more workouts.” (Trainer Kuzman
I was confident in finishing the sit-ups and squats. However, doing fifty pushups would be challenging for me.
“Ready, set, go!” (Trainer Kuzman)
I immediately got onto the ground and started churning out pushups. I breezed past the pushups until the seventh rep, when I felt soreness in my arms. Fortunately, I was able to finish the last three, albeit with some difficulty. Looking around, I saw that the top performers of the mile run had already moved on to sit-ups. I didn’t want to fall too far behind, so I followed suit.
Everything was going great until the third set, where I collapsed on my belly while doing the pushups. Am I only capable of this meager amount of pushups? I now understood that I also lacked when it came to my physical strength. But I couldn’t give up here. It isn’t a sin to be weak. However, staying weak is a sin. I finished the remaining pushups in the set by resting between each rep. By the time I got to my fourth set of pushups, one of the beast people students had already finished. By the time I got to my last set, I was the only one who hadn’t finished yet among the top five runners.
After finishing the last reps of squats, I felt proud of myself for not giving up when things became tough. Although my body felt weak and tired, mentally, I felt stronger than ever.
My dog, Bobby, when I was writing.
