Three days later, at six in the morning.
Few pedestrians walked the main road east of Heaven's Arena. The morning mist had yet to clear, and the streetlights cast hazy yellow halos through it.
Leo stood alone at the agreed intersection with a simple travel pack on his back, his breath turning white in the cool air.
Footsteps sounded in the distance.
Biscuit approached with a spring in her step, her blond twin tails swaying gently.
Today, she wore a light green tracksuit that allowed for easy movement, looking like an ordinary girl heading out for a picnic.
Wing followed behind her, carrying a bulging bundle in one hand and a hiking pack on his back.
The bundle looked heavy, and dull metallic clunks sounded from inside with every step.
"Morning!"
Biscuit stopped in front of Leo and greeted him with a cheerful smile, looking nothing like a mentor about to put him through brutal training.
"Morning."
Leo nodded in reply, his gaze settling on the bundle in Wing's hand.
Before he could ask, Biscuit turned to Wing and gave an order.
"Take everything out."
Wing acknowledged her and gently lowered the bundle to the ground.
It landed with a dull thud, making it clear that its contents were anything but light.
He undid the fastening and pulled back the cloth, revealing a set of specially made weighted gear.
A dark gray metal vest, heavy wrist guards, and a pair of shin guards.
Every piece was cast from a high-density alloy, its matte surface reflecting only a dim sheen in the morning light.
Biscuit pointed at the equipment and told Leo,
"This set weighs 100 kilograms in total. Put it on. No Nen. Start running south from here."
She paused, a hint of mischief creeping into her smile.
"Keep going until we reach the Moonlight Tundra Forest. No resting along the way, and no stopping."
Without asking any questions, Leo crouched and began putting it on.
The moment he fastened the vest around his back, his shoulders sank sharply. The weight was evenly distributed, but its burden immediately spread through his entire body.
He secured the wrist and shin guards in turn, noticeably restricting the movement of his limbs. An extra 100 kilograms meant running a long distance while carrying the weight of a grown adult.
"How does it feel?"
Biscuit tilted her head as she asked.
"Manageable."
Leo rolled his shoulders and adjusted his breathing.
Life energy had strengthened his body, putting his basic physical capabilities far beyond those of ordinary people, but running a long distance under this much weight was still a challenge.
"Then let's get going."
Biscuit clapped her hands, then turned to Wing, her expression instantly becoming stern.
"Wing, you'd better train properly! I'll check your progress when I get back. If you've been slacking..."
She clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking sharply.
"...you're getting a beating!"
Wing rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"Yes, Master Biscuit. I'll take my training seriously."
He looked at Leo and adjusted his glasses.
"Mr. Leo, I hope your journey goes smoothly. Goodbye."
Leo nodded and waved to Wing.
"Right. Goodbye, Mr. Wing."
Without any further farewells, Leo took a deep breath and started running.
His first few steps were sluggish, the weights making his strides heavy.
But after a few dozen meters, his body gradually settled into the rhythm. His cadence steadied, and he adjusted to the deep breathing suited to a long run.
Biscuit followed effortlessly, staying about three meters behind him.
She even pulled a fashion magazine from the hiking pack, flipping through it while keeping an eye on Leo's condition.
Moving one behind the other, they soon left the city.
High-rises gradually gave way to low houses. The asphalt became gravel, then finally a dirt road stretching south.
Buildings disappeared entirely from either side of the road, replaced by rolling farmland and scattered groves.
The morning mist cleared completely, and the sunlight grew hot.
Biscuit closed her magazine and watched Leo's back.
His running form remained excellent: spine straight, core engaged, strides even, and footfalls light.
The weights clearly affected his speed, but his form hadn't faltered at all.
His physical conditioning really is impressive.
Biscuit considered it silently.
It's 289 kilometers from here to the Moonlight Tundra Forest... I wonder how long he'll last.
Time passed to the rhythm of their footsteps.
Two hours later, they were more than forty kilometers from the city.
The road had led them fully into the countryside, with forests stretching along both sides and the occasional farmhouse passing by.
The sunlight beat straight down, and the temperature rose noticeably.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Leo's forehead, but his breathing remained steady.
As he ran, he spared some attention to assess his condition.
With 100 kilograms of weight at this pace, the strain on my heart and lungs is manageable. Muscle fatigue is starting to build, but I'm still far from my limit. The problem is that I don't know the total distance...
Without knowing how far away the finish was, he couldn't pace his energy properly.
This was a test of both mind and body.
He adjusted his breathing and focused his attention on each step he took.
Rather than thinking about how far remained, he made sure this step was solid and let the next follow naturally.
Biscuit noticed his adjustment, and a flicker of approval passed through her eyes.
Recognizing the problem and finding a way to handle it so quickly showed a mental fortitude more valuable than physical ability alone.
Five hours passed. The midday sun scorched the earth, and fine dust rose from the dirt road.
Leo had already covered half the distance. The surroundings grew increasingly desolate: broad stretches of wilderness, sparse shrubs, and the occasional outline of mountains in the distance.
Sweat soaked his back, plastering his training clothes against his skin.
His lips had dried from hours of breathing, but he had no intention of stopping for water. Biscuit had said, "No resting along the way," and he followed that rule strictly.
Biscuit still followed him effortlessly, without even a noticeable change in her breathing.
Every so often, she checked Leo's condition, then mentally estimated the remaining distance and their arrival time.
His endurance is better than I expected... It looks like his experiences gave him a solid foundation.
Ten hours. The sun sank toward the west, staining the sky orange and red.
Leo had used up most of his stamina. His breathing grew labored, and each step took more effort than before.
Sweat dripped steadily from his chin, leaving dark spots on the dry dirt road.
But he neither slowed nor stopped. His gaze remained focused on the road stretching endlessly ahead.
Watching Leo begin to pant, Biscuit's lips curved slightly.
He's nearly at his limit... But we're not far now. Another four hours should get us there.
Only the final eighty kilometers to the Moonlight Tundra remained.
Night fell, and the temperature plummeted.
A cool wind swept across the wilderness, bringing a biting chill as it blew against his sweat-soaked body.
Leo's muscles began protesting with aching pain. His lungs felt as though they were burning, and every breath stung.
His pace inevitably slowed.
But he didn't stop.
One step, then another. His legs alternated mechanically, his body instinctively maintaining its running form.
His awareness began to blur, leaving only a single thought to sustain him.
Can't stop. Can't stop...
The moon rose.
Its cold light spilled over the wilderness, turning the road into a silver-gray ribbon.
Far away on the horizon, a hazy glow began to appear. It wasn't moonlight, but some kind of natural luminescence tracing the outline of an immense forest against the night.
The forest gave off a soft halo, pale blue, light green, and pearly white glimmers mingling and flickering like something from a dream.
The glow wasn't harsh, yet it was strong enough to pierce the darkness and illuminate the surrounding landscape clearly.
The Moonlight Tundra Forest.
Leo saw that glow, and a final surge of strength welled up in his exhausted body.
He clenched his teeth, picked up his pace slightly, and ran toward that dreamlike light.
Four hours later.
When Leo finally stepped onto the edge of the Moonlight Tundra, Biscuit's voice came from behind him.
"Yep, we're here."
Leo stopped. His legs buckled, and he nearly dropped to his knees.
He barely steadied himself, his limbs trembling uncontrollably, his face pale in the tundra's faint glow.
289 kilometers. 100 kilograms of weight.
Fifteen hours of nonstop running.
Biscuit walked in front of him and looked up, a satisfied smile on her face.
"Not bad. I underestimated you."
She surveyed the glowing forest around them, its light dancing in her eyes.
"You managed to run all 289 kilometers... Your physical abilities really exceeded my expectations."
Biscuit turned back, a hint of danger entering her smile.
"Looks like I'll have to make the rest of your special training a little harder."
Leo gulped down air, sweat sliding down his cheeks.
He struggled to steady his breathing. A few seconds later, he spoke in a hoarse but clear voice.
"Just tell me what to do. No matter how hard the training is, I'll see it through."
At those words, Biscuit's smile grew even brighter.
She patted Leo's arm. That simple touch made him grimace in pain; his muscles were already utterly exhausted.
"All right, get some proper rest tonight. Consider it your reward."
She pointed deeper into the forest.
"There's a clearing two hundred meters in, perfect for camping. First thing tomorrow morning..."
Biscuit's smile became meaningful.
"...your training from hell begins."
Leo nodded and followed Biscuit into the glowing forest, dragging legs that barely obeyed him.
The interior of the Moonlight Tundra Forest was even more fantastical than it had looked from afar.
Thick moss covered the ground, every clump giving off a soft glow.
Luminous lichen also clung to the trees' branches and trunks, pale blue points of light scattered among the leaves like stars.
The light was enough to illuminate their path without dazzling their eyes.
The air carried a fresh scent, like earth after rain, mingled with a faint sweetness.
They set up camp in the clearing.
Biscuit took a simple tent and cooking utensils from the hiking pack.
Leo all but collapsed onto the ground and slowly removed his weighted gear.
The metal pieces hit the ground with heavy thuds.
Dinner was simple: compressed rations and heated meat broth.
Leo ate quickly, his body desperate to replenish its energy.
Afterward, he didn't even have the strength to clean up. He crawled straight into the tent and fell onto his sleeping mat.
An entire day of running under that weight had truly exceeded his expectations.
Every muscle in his body ached, and every joint protested.
Yet beneath that extreme exhaustion, he could also feel something deeper awakening.
It was the instinct born from the union of life energy and flesh, a power of recovery long since etched into his bones.
Outside the tent, Biscuit sat on the glowing moss and gazed up at the stars visible through gaps in the branches.
She toyed with the Red Storm in her hand, the gemstone refracting even more mesmerizing colors against the tundra's glow.
"Only two months of training... And he already has a foundation like this."
She murmured to herself, the corners of her mouth lifting.
"Looks like I can get serious with this round of special training."
The night deepened, and the Moonlight Tundra's glow gently enveloped the camp.
The calls of unknown insects drifted from afar, ethereal and distant.
Inside the tent, Leo sank into a deep sleep, his breathing gradually becoming long and even.
Before you continue