In the end, more than half of the Disciples didn't make it. Despite the fact that it didn't gauge their overall strength, they were still embarrassed since they were lacking in the stamina department.
To top it all off, they won't have dinner for tonight, and they had to repeat the test before they could get some rest. It was a truly hellish experience, but it gave them a grave reminder that they couldn't just rely on their strength or superpowers alone.
It was one of those adages where the fist is always more reliable than the gun or the sword, and this training was to emphasize that fact.
"We made it in time! I can't believe it!" Nanako brightly cheered the moment they all crossed the line together.
All five of them immediately fell to the ground, their adrenaline leaving their system and giving them a sudden bout of exhaustion. It was understandable though since they sprinted all the way to the finish line.
Jonathan, Satoshi, and Yun Zhe were thoughtful enough to run in front of the group to block the wind pressure and give Himuro and Nanako an easier time to run. They barely made it in time but it was thanks to everyone's teamwork that they managed to do it.
"Thanks again, Himuro, Nanako," Satoshi mumbled, his face pressed to the ground. as he tried to absorb the coldness of the earth.
"Yeah, if it weren't for you... we wouldn't have been able to make it." Yun Zhe agreed. "We're the first ones to arrive, right?"
"Yeah, we should b—"
Before Jonathan could finish what he was saying, his gaze wandered toward the person who was eating like a ravenous wolf. He didn't bother leaving food for the others who were about to come. He just continued eating, gorging himself without reprieve.
His urgency gave the group newfound energy, and they stood up without question, scampering toward the barbecue place and grabbing as much as they could. Even though they started eating at their fastest pace, they still couldn't keep up with the mysterious man.
"Who's he? Do you know him?" Himuro whispered to Nanako, who also had no idea who the person was.
"He's been here since day one, right?" Nanako returned before eating another skewer. He proceeded to eat some form of chicken drumsticks next, even though she had no idea which bird they cooked. To be fair, she didn't question the drumstick since it was more savory than the drumsticks she had in their dimension.
"Yeah, he's been here... but he never socialized with everyone. I bet no one knows his name." Himuro commented.
Unbeknownst to them, the mysterious man was actually listening in on them. For a moment, he stopped eating, and then he stared at Himuro and Nanako.
There was a pause. HImuro and Nanako gulped when they felt the bloodthirst emanating from the mysterious man. Before they could react to him, however, he redirected his attention on the food and he continued eating.
"What was that about? That was scary." Nanako shivered, but she continued eating anyway.
It didn't take long before the next groups arrived. But by the time they got there, the food was already gone. Even though they finished in time, they still wasn't able to eat dinner.
There were only twenty or so Disciples who managed to finish the challenge. Obviously, Raniel and the others weren't able to finish in time. It was one of the hardest challenges that day because it didn't rely on physical strength, but rather endurance and willpower.
Three seconds left.
Two.
One.
The deafening sound of a siren reverberated throughout the entire area, marking the end of the challenge. Once again, Dumble Dore walked forward, clearing his throat before his voice boomed in the air.
"Test complete! Those who passed the test, you can now head back to your rooms. As for those who couldn't complete the test, you have to redo it before going back." Dumble Dore announced. "As you may know, the dorms are exactly ten kilometers away from here... you guys would have to walk all the way over there before you could rest."
"What?!"
"No way!"
"Are you kidding me?"
They just completed the hardest challenge of running thirty kilometers. And now they had to walk an additional ten kilometers? Crazy.
"Don't worry," Dumble Dore smiled as he continued speaking. "There will be no time limit. It's not even 8:00 yet, so you can enjoy your sweet time strolling through the forest. Just steer clear of the beasts okay?"
Not only do they have to walk back an additional ten kilometers, they also had to face beasts if they were to encounter one. This was what they signed up for, and this was what they were going to get.
"Come on, let's head back." Himuro called out to Nanako. "How about you guys? Do you know the way back to the dorms? We can walk together."
The offer brought about a new question in the trio's mind. Their manager, Bucky Barnes, didn't inform them that they'd be staying in for training. At first, they thought that it would only be for a short time, and they'd be able to go back home before the next day of school comes.
Who would've thought that the training would actually take longer than expected?
"Uh, sure?" Satoshi trailed off, gesturing for Jonathan and Yun Zhe to tag along since they don't know the way either.
Surprisingly, Satoshi was the only one who was worried. Jonathan and Yun Zhe were actually looking forward to staying in the dorm. It's like a sleepover— something that they've never experienced before.
While Satoshi worriedly tagged along, Jonathan and Yun Zhe already caught up to Himuro and Nanako, conversing with them.
"Ey, do you have cards with you?" Jonathan asked out of nowhere. "We still have time before lights out, right?"
"Yeah, we have cards. There's also a snack bar there so you won't have to worry about snacks. I think that everyone who didn't finish the challenge would flood the snack bars later on." Himuro explained.
"You'll like it there. There's a lounge where everyone could go, and then the dorms were separated into the left and right wings. The right wing belongs to the guys— "
"Because we're always right." Himuro interrupted.
Nanako gave Himuro a stare before he continued. "— and the left wing belongs to the ladies. The rooms are also airconditioned... not that we use it though since the night air is cold enough as it is."
"Whoa~ let's go check out the others' rooms," Jonathan suggested out of nowhere. "Let's go to your room, Himuro. Right now we don't know which one's our dorm room."
"Ah, you can check that out by the list located beside the front door. Yeah sure, you can stay in my room, only if my dormmate allows it." Himuro continued before jerking a thumb towards Nanako. "Her dormmate is pretty amicable so if we can't stay in my room, let's go invade theirs instead."
"Oh, you're going to our room? Let's play some board games! The drink's on me!" A vibrant voice suddenly spoke out of nowhere, causing everyone to turn around.
Well, everyone turned around except for Satoshi, who flinched when a head popped to his side out of nowhere. He almost let out a scream since he wasn't able to detect the presence of the girl. "Ooh~ you're pretty muscular... lean muscular... you must be super strong." The unnamed girl commented as he touched Satoshi by his obliques.
"It's Mitsuka! You were able to complete the test as well!" Nanako celebrated, happily approaching Mitsuka and grabbing her by the hand. The two of them started skipping in glee.
"Guys, this is Shoji Mitsuka. She's my roommate." Nanako introduced the red-haired girl beside her. As she did so, Mitsuka waved her hands to everyone. Nanako continued her introductions "This is Satoshi, Jonathan, and Yun Zhe."
andasnovel.com "Oh! You're name sounds familiar. Was it based on that animated series about tamed beasts? it's still pretty popular in our real world." Nanako asked. "Jonathan sounds like a normal name... and Yun Zhe... you're name's weird."
The trio had no idea how to react, but they could tell that Mitsuka was having fun. To be fair, she described their names perfectly. Even Yun Zhe finds his name weird even though it was a pretty normal name.
"You're Bucky Barnes's Disciples, right? I'm Scarlet's Disciple. No one knows what her surname is, everyone just calls her scarlet. Also, all of us have red hair, for some reason. I guess she's raising an army of redheads or something." Mitsuka continued. "In any case, all of you are more than welcome to come to our room. You can even spend the night there if you want... all of you would have to share a bed though. I don't mind sharing a bed with Nanako since we're both girls."
"Then let's hit it. Off to the dorms then." Himuro excitedly said, only to realize that they have about nine kilometers to go before they could get there.
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