Physical Training

After browsing the data list and analysis report, Yi Chen found himself wondering about something.

He recalled what had happened in his pathology class.

Dagobert had grabbed an entire metal desk with one hand and hurled it, smashing the Living Corpse away and completely crushing its head.

Even before obtaining Gentleman's Skin, the strength he had displayed in Green Lake Town had been astonishing.

"Can I really reach Dagobert's level physically?"

"Dagobert... Oh! Now I remember.

You mean that strong student with fair skin and perfectly defined muscles?"

At the mention of him,

Zede could not help drooling, as though he desperately wanted to dissect the man's muscles and understand how their lines were distributed.

After indulging in his fantasies for a while, he continued explaining:

"No... He possesses an innate talent for strength. With only some simple activation training, he should be able to touch the Limit Membrane.

Even if you underwent intensive training here day and night and had your body modified beyond conventional limits, it would still be impossible for you to obtain that kind of strength within two years.

But,

you seem to have misunderstood something.

Physique encompasses far more than strength. It also includes stamina, resistance, and other things directly related to the body.

What we need to do is select the aspect most suited to you, amplify it through intensive training, and reach the so-called limit.

Don't worry. I've already devised the optimal plan for your physical growth! As long as you can endure it, reaching the limit of your physique within two years will absolutely be no problem.

I personally have high hopes for you."

As he said this, Teacher Zed slowly split his mouth open. Several of the fine lines at its corners even snapped apart as he meaningfully patted Yi Chen on the shoulder.

"Understood. I'll keep at it."

Immediately afterward,

Zede pulled an uncapped pocket watch from his coat pocket and checked the time by touch.

"Because you were unconscious, it's already three in the morning.

The Teaching Building is closed at this hour, and nobody is allowed in or out. You'll have to stay here tonight.

Let's not waste any time~ Hurry up and eat this food. Then we'll begin your training."

"O-okay."

Zede simply squatted there, tearing open his bizarrely huge mouth as he faced Yi Chen... quietly waiting for him to finish all the food.

However,

the eerie atmosphere did not affect Yi Chen's eating. He knew very well how important replenishing his nutrition was.

It was just like the "food-grabbing session" at the orphanage when he was alive. Everyone would be gathered in a pitch-black room, while the huge pipes overhead released only enough food for half the number of people.

Not only did they have to fight their "playmates" for food, but the rats in the dark room were also formidable rivals.

If they failed to grab enough food, they could not fill their stomachs... During the long series of games that followed, their stamina would inevitably run out, and they would ultimately be eliminated.

As he recalled that experience,

Yi Chen's eating grew faster and faster. He even shoved his entire head into the basin.

Seeing this, Zede gently patted the back of his head.

"Hey! Don't rush~ Slow down. We still have plenty of time."

Yi Chen's thoughts were pulled back. He replied quietly, "Mm... I just thought of something unpleasant."

Before long~ clang!

The empty food basin was thrown onto the ground.

"Let's begin the training, Mr. Zede."

"Mm. Follow me!"

Zede was still wearing nothing but a black coat as he led Yi Chen back to the main office.

When he lifted the carpet,

a secret passage leading even deeper was revealed.

"There's more below?"

"That's right... This upper level is only my office, used for research related to my personal interests and for exercising my brain.

My body can't get enough relaxation or activity in such a cramped office area.

When the academy decided to place me down here,

I naturally made one request: they had to build a 'paradise' where I could relax my body."

Zede became excited again when he spoke of his "paradise" and eagerly led Yi Chen downward.

As they descended through the passage,

a faint scent of rust mixed with a fishy stench pricked Yi Chen's nostrils like tiny needles, forcing him to rub his nose.

There was clearly no sound at all,

yet he could vaguely hear faint screams coming from below.

After stepping out of the passage, Zede conveniently switched on the power switch on the side wall.

Click!

The wall lamps hanging here all used red glass.

The filtered red light resembled two eerie bloody hands, actively drawing back the mysterious curtain of the "paradise" for its visitors.

Although Yi Chen had prepared himself mentally, the scene before him instantly awakened his biological instinct to flee.

Even after doing his best to restrain himself, Yi Chen still took a step backward.

"Welcome to my paradise!"

Teacher Zed was like the host of an amusement park. He spread his arms proudly, displaying the deep-red chamber behind him as fully as possible.

The basement covered roughly three to four hundred square meters.

It was packed with all kinds of "exercise equipment."

Every one of these machines had been personally designed by Zede. Afterward, he had submitted the designs to the academy and received the finished products.

Zede jogged over to the corner of the paradise and waved for Yi Chen to come over from the entrance.

"Come over quickly! Say hello to the surveillance camera here.

The people at the academy are extremely stingy. We need their approval before we can begin training... Otherwise, if you accidentally die during exercise, they'll hold me responsible.

Of course, I believe you can endure it. You won't die that easily."

"O-okay."

Yi Chen walked up in front of the surveillance eye and forced a smile.

Before long, the surveillance eyeball began swaying up and down.

"Oh! The academy is being quite generous today. They actually agreed so quickly. Then let's begin our training!

This is your first time at the paradise, so start by trying some simple equipment.

See that treadmill?

Get on it and run as hard as you can. You absolutely must not stop before your stamina is completely drained."

"Okay..."

Yi Chen looked in the direction indicated by Zede's finger.

The all-metal treadmill had restraints on its handrails. Once they were fastened, there was no way to get free... unless both arms were torn off.

The most frightening part was that the running belt was covered in iron nails, each two to five centimeters long. They were packed densely together, ensuring that every step landed on one.

Once someone failed to keep up with the belt's speed,

with their arms fixed in place, their lower body would be forced into intimate contact with the belt and be scraped into an unrecognizable mess by the nails.

However,

the Spiked Treadmill was merely beginner-level exercise equipment in Zed's Paradise. He himself disdained using it, and it was even covered in dust.

Before stepping onto the treadmill, Yi Chen had a small question.

"Mr. Zede, is this meant to train my resistance?"

"Resistance is only one aspect.

Think about it~ If an attack landed on you and didn't hurt at all, but instead made you feel comfortable... wouldn't that be a huge advantage?

What I truly want to grant you is 'control over the body.'

For us humans, the body has never belonged to the brain. 'She' has always had ideas of her own.

You can think of the body as a mischievous little darling.

On the surface, she belongs to you and seems obedient, but in reality, she often pulls little tricks behind your back. The moment she becomes unhappy, she goes on strike~ She might even want you to die as quickly as possible.

For example, when a hammer strikes your knee, your brain clearly hasn't issued any command, yet she willingly displays that alluring, fair calf.

At the slightest bit of external stimulation, she throws a tantrum and screams, transmitting vast amounts of pain-causing substances.

Only by constantly destroying and repairing 'her' can you deepen the intimacy between you, turning her into your most loyal other half."

"Mm." Yi Chen reluctantly accepted this explanation.

"Oh, right. Before getting on the treadmill... remember to take off all your clothes. Gentleman's Skin is a good thing, but it won't help with our training. Try not to get it dirty."

Yi Chen changed into the ready-made clothes he had bought in Easton Town.

He took off his leather shoes,

stepped onto the treadmill,

and fastened both arms tightly to the handrails.

Zede thoughtfully wheeled over a set of circulating infusion equipment.

One end was connected to the blood vessel in Yi Chen's wrist,

while the other was connected to the liquid reservoir beneath the treadmill.

The blood flowing out during the run would be continuously pumped back into Yi Chen through the circulation system, ensuring that he would not faint from blood loss.

As the training run began,

Zede found a bench and sat down, savoring the sight of Yi Chen, the agonized runner, as though he were watching his favorite television program.