"Good morning, Mog! Welcome, to your first day in hell!"

When I heard Faevyre say that, I was too stunned to process her words as a chill ran down my spine.

"Hell?" I repeated dumbly, still failing to process her words.

"Yes, hell. A hell I made just for you." - Her eyes shined like a cat staring at a new toy.

"Just for me? Eh..."

I slowly came to understand her words, and the more I did, the greater the chill I felt. It didn't help that Livia, who was on the side, was starring at me with a knowing pity in her eyes.

"Since this is your first training, I will explain it to you patiently. From now on, you shall address me as Ma'am. I'll give you orders to train in specific ways, and you'll comply. If you half-try, give up, protest, be rude, talk back to me, or underperform, I will punish you. However, I am fair and reasonable, so everything that you do, Livia and I will also do and more, so you can't complain about it. You may ask for a single five minutes toilet break and you will receive two five-minute water breaks during training. Yes, the mistress gave her consent, and no, you don't have the right to ask questions unless I explicitly give you the right." - Faevyre said with a widening sadistic grin.

As I understood her words, bitterness filled my mouth. Although I was initially slow on the intake, I wasn't a dimwit.

"In other words, I am her chew-toy now. As for that so-called fairness, a load of bull." - I concluded the gist of it.

For obvious reasons, I didn't buy into her fairness. She is a C-rank warrior, and Livia trained under her for over a year. Ignoring Faevyre, I didn't doubt that Livia was physically superior to me in every aspect. Hence, even if Faevyre worked the untrained me to the bone, it would be, at most, an intensive exercise for Livia.

"Is that understood, trainee Mog?!" - Faevyre said in a loud voice.

"Yes..." - I replied weakly.

"You need to say 'Yes Ma'am!'. And louder!" - She barked.

"Yes, Ma'am." - I said with a more firm voice.

"Louder!"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Good, now that we made some introductions, let's start your training!" - My new hell instructor announced.

"Listen here, Mog. All warriors have their strengths and weaknesses. Some specialize in heavy armor and heavy weapons and charge head-long into melee. Some prefer wearing medium armor and using a sword and shield to counter ranged opponents. Some prefer wearing light armor while using ranged weapons to pelt the enemies with projectiles. There are many varieties, and I don't plan on talking about them all. All warriors, regardless of their specialization, must possess a few key characteristics, however." - Faevyre lectured and then pointed at Livia.

"Trainee Livia, tell me, what are the three most important aspects of a warrior, and in order."

Livia immediately straightened her back and said.

"Yes, Ma'am! The first aspect of a warrior is his Vitality. Vitality is the health and endurance of a warrior. Without a healthy body, a warrior will get poisoned or sick easily. A warrior who lacks sufficient endurance will be unable to train or fight for long periods. The second aspect is strength. Strength is the muscular strength and toughness of a warrior. Without it, a warrior won't be able to kill his opponents and be susceptible to blows. The third aspect is agility. Without sufficient agility, a warrior will be too clumsy no matter how strong he is."

"Correct! Well done, trainee Livia. These are the three main aspects of any warrior. All other aspects, including aura, are supplemental. That is not to say that they are not essential, but their roles are lesser. I will also add that the greater a warrior's strength and agility are, the more energy they use when utilizing them. Even I, a C-rank warrior, will get tired at the same rate as an E-rank warrior if we both use our full strength." - Faevyre nodded and said.

At her words, I remembered Drusus and Lars. They both Faught Agrippa at full strength, and they got tired in minutes. It was proof that even mighty warriors get tired.

"Ma'am, requesting permission to ask a question!" - I raised my hand and said.

"Go ahead, trainee Mog."

"Thank you, Ma'am. May I ask, why are you teaching me this now?" - I asked curiously.

"Excellent question, trainee Mog." - Faevyre nodded in approval.

"Well, the reason I am teaching you this is that it is relevant to your future training from now on. For the next few weeks, we will be working on your basic aspects, Thoroughly."

"I'm so screwed." - my instincts told me as I audibly gulped.

"Well, let's start things light. Trainee Livia, pick up an 18 lb chainmail shirt and put it on." - Faevyre pointed at a rack I didn't notice until now, holding vests and weights.

"Yes, Ma'am!" - Livia didn't complain in the slightest as she went to pick her weights.

"As for you, trainee Mog, you are exempt from it until I think you are ready." - Faevyre added magnanimously, much to my relief.

She then went to the rack and chose a vest with intricate rune carvings. She also took a large belt, arm bracers, and leg bracers, all of which were with intricate rune carvings.

"Let's see... around 900 lb. Perfect." - Faevyre casually said as she put the set on, with each piece's runes glowing dimly before going back to normal.

"... 900 lb?! You fucking monster!" - I screamed internally in pure horror.

Seriously. I knew C-rank warriors were at least 20 times stronger than average, but knowing and seeing were two different things. She was carrying around ten times my body weight for a morning exercise. 

After Faevyre put on the weights, she said, "Alright, trainees. We will start with jogging. Follow me, and keep up with me."

She then started jogging, and Livia followed her. Afraid of being punished, I immediately ran after them and caught up with Livia. We then did four rounds around the training field. That wasn't so bad.

However, I did notice that wherever Faevyre stepped, the ground was left unscathed, as if she stepped on air. On the other hand, I left clear sandal prints wherever I stepped. She weighed over ten times my weight, but she didn't leave a single mark. It truly baffled me how she does this. Although I wasn't someone who learned of the mysteries of the world, I at least know what gravity is.

When we finished the jogging, I was already sweating a bit and panting lightly. Livia wasn't sweating, but she was panting a bit. Lastly, Faevyre wasn't even phased by this light exercise, as if she was only doing a casual stroll.

She glanced at the two of us and said, "Ok, trainees. We'll do stretches now that our bodies have warmed up a little. Copy me."

After she said that, she started doing some stretches, and I tried my best to mimic her movements.

Around ten minutes later, we finished stretching. My body is sore, especially my crotch tendons. I didn't practice doing a split before, so it hurt.

By the way, Livia and Faevyre both managed to do a leg hold, with it pointing to the sky¹A standing split.. They sure are flexible, hah? It's worth mentioning that Faevyre didn't punish me for failing to copy her. However, it appears that she expects me to be able to do this over time, so I had to improve my flexibility.

"Alright, trainees. Now that we have properly warmed up and stretched, we can start the real training. Today, we will do it Legionary style." - Faevyre smiled.

A question mark appeared above my head, and I asked, "Legionary style?"

"Ask for permission first, trainee!" - Faevyre snapped.

I immediately straightened my back and asked, "Ma'am, requesting to speak freely!"

"Go ahead, trainee Mog."

"What do you mean by Legionary style training?" - I asked curiously.

"It's a training adapted by Legionaries practice, of course. Although the Lamarian Legionaries have quite a few shortcomings, they do have some areas that they are good in, and one such area is their training regimen for newbies. In fact, because of how good it is, it was even adopted by the adventurers guild to train new-bloods. Even the royal family and some mages train in it."  Faevyre said as a matter of factly.

"It's that good?!" - I exclaimed in shock.

"That good. The Legion trains its newbies arduously for four months. Even if you don't have the talent to be a warrior and without prior training, you have around a 65% chance to awaken the common class Recruit. If you have some talent or enough prior training, you will awaken the Recruit class with absolute certainty. You even have an increased chance to awaken a stronger class. This very training program is one of the reasons why the Lamarian empire's Legion is so strong. Given enough training, even most common folk can become warriors with it, and those with some talent can become even more excellent."²Historical fact: Roman legionaries had ridiculously high training standards. It is comparable to modern marine training in intensity and was famously strict during the empire's peak era.

"Crazy..." - I muttered.

"Yep. Naturally, we won't do the orthodox training but the adapted version. Alright, enough talk, let's get started! Our training goes as follows: We run back and forth three times and then do 20 pushups. We run back and forth three times and then do 20 lounges. We run back and forth three times and then do 20 bodyweight squats. Rinse and repeat until you collapse. And..."

"And...?" I repeated with expectations.

"That's it."

"..."

"..."

"... Hah? That's it?" - I asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes, that's it." - Faevyre replied with a straight face.

"..."

"..."

"... Isn't there anything else? Anything at all?"

"Nope."

"Isn't it a bit... Too simple?" - I asked doubtfully.

Faevyre suddenly smiled with narrowed eyes and asked, "What, you think it's too easy? If you want, I can give you some weights."

In response, I immediately waved my hands and shook my head, "I-I'm good, thanks."

"Tch* Boring. Alright then, let's start. Follow me, trainees, and keep up." - She said and started running.

Livia and I followed and ran after her. After running from the mansion to the outer wall and back three times, we started doing push-ups.

"Yes, Trainee Livia, just like that! Trainee Mog spread your arms a bit more! Cmon, 12 more to go! 9, 10, 11, 12..."

After we finished the push-ups, my hands and belly were sore, but it was just the beginning of it.

After running another three laps came the lounges. 

"Trainee Livia, your knee touched the floor too much! Trainee Mog, your lounges are too shallow! Do it until your knee touches the ground! Cmon, 7, 8, 9, switch leg!"

My calves were killing me, but I continued to preserver. If I can't finish a single set, I am afraid I would be too embarrassed to continue training. After we finished the lounges, we did another three laps. Now, we did the bodyweight squats. Although I say bodyweight squats, Livia and Faevyre both wore weights, so it was more like presses for them.

"Cmon, feel the heat! 5, 6, 7..."

By the time I finished this rep, I was sweating and sore all over. Just when I thought I could take a short break, I heard a devil's voice.

"Trainee Mog! You are not to take a break yet, or you will only have dry bread for breakfast! Now, do another two full sets, and you can go have a drink!"

When I heard her say it, I felt like my fatigue was half-gone. It was easy to get used to good food but hard to go back to crappy food.

"For food!" - I yelled this embarrassing yet effective warcry in my mind.

Although it was only a psychological effect, it was enough to push me to continue. 

 

 

 

20 minutes later.

Thump*

"Hah, Hah, Hah, Cough* Cough*, Hah, Hah..."

I was lying on the floor, collapsed and exhausted like a dead dog in an alley. Casting an empty gaze at the other two, I noticed that Livia was sweating and panting, but she was still holding on, probably able to do another set. Faevyre, on the other hand, was barely breaking a sweat. She can probably continue like this for a few more hours.

I closed my eyes in fatigue and thought, "Damn, I am weak. I am still far from reaching Livia's level. I wonder how many weeks and months it will take me. Dammit, I'm thirsty but too tired to get up..."

Thud*

I opened my eyes and saw a waterskin in front of me.

My eyes immediately lit up as I shakily took the waterskin and drank all of its contents. As the sweet, sweet succor entered my dry mouth and flowed through my parched throat into my empty stomach, I slowly felt my fatigue waning.

"No, my fatigue is indeed waning at a slow but noticeable speed! Even my muscle fatigue is fading! But, at the same time, why do I feel so sluggish?"

I couldn't help but voice out, "What's going on? What did I drink?!"

"Training draught, courtesy of the mistress. Helps remove physical fatigue and heals minor muscle tearing during training, while still retaining the results." Faevyre said with a knowing smile.

"This thing is crazy-expensive. A drop mixed with a bottle of water costs half a silver coin³$10. Usually, only the children of rich people enjoy such treatment. Lucky you! However, it can only be used three times a day. What's more, it will make your body limp, so it is suicidal to use it in a fight."

True to her words, I was indeed feeling better as time passed, but at the same time, I lost all the strength in my body. I was in a vulnerable state now. Luckily, I was in a controlled and safe environment, and it only lasted for three minutes before I regained control of my body.

I stood up, good as new, "Wow, I don't feel any fatigue now! Even my muscles feel refreshed!"

Faevyre gave a toothy grin and said, "Good. Now, let's repeat this two more times."

"..."

It was then that I understood Faevyre's words.

A Hell made just for me.

 

 

 

 

An hour later. The morning sun greeted the residents of Lamaria, lighting up the city in all its splendor.

I sat on the ground with a vacant gaze as I drank that blessed/cursed liquid again, restoring me to peak condition.

I was brought to exhaustion and collapsed three times, and I was brought back three times to peak condition. Of all the hardships I have endured until now, be it freezing, starvation, or sickness, this one takes the cake. Nothing could have prepared me for something as nerve-wracking as this.

It was truly a hell made just for me.

On the bright side, I did feel a slight improvement in my fitness since I was slightly less tired by the third time. At least, I didn't collapse like a dead dog. However, I would need to do this for weeks and months to see an actual effect.

Livia and Faevyre have already taken their weights off. Just like me, Livia chugged down her third waterskin filled with training draught and was resting on the ground while recovering. Unlike us, however, Faevyre drank water.

I couldn't help but ask while recovering, "Ma'am, aren't you going to drink the training draught?"

"Hm? Nah, too expensive for me. I would need more than 800 drops of this thing to achieve the same effects as your drink. That's like drinking liquid money, literally. And I also have Aura that helps me recover."⁴$8,000 for a single drink. Yeah.

She then shrugged, "Besides, I wasn't going all out in this training. If I truly wanted to exhaust myself, I would use 2,000lb weights."

"... Monster..."

Faevyre's eyes immediately turned sharp and stared at me with predatory eyes, "The hell did you just say?!"

"Crap! I said that out loud!"

"I-I mean you have monstrous strength! I wish I could be as strong as you one day!" - I said in hopes of alleviating the situation.

Faevyre continued to stare at me with narrowed eyes for a bit longer before letting go, "Fine. I will let your remark slide this one time. Next time you say something like that, I will give you my special attention."

I sighed in relief and could only internally reprimand myself, "Me and my big mouth..."

"Ok, trainees, that ends the endurance training for this morning. We still have around an hour to burn until breakfast, so let's practice acrobatics today."