Faster Than Imagined

As the sun set, after finishing their training, everyone ate in the cafeteria and headed straight to the training ground without even returning to their rooms. Even Hina had skipped her usual post-training bath.

The group arrived directly at the field.

"Are you ready?" Vergo looked at everyone, especially the large pile of pebbles before them, his expression grave.

"Can't we not start off this intensely? I'm afraid I can't take it."

Shu's face was pale, his lips trembling as he repeatedly swallowed.

"M-Me too." Very Good was in much the same state, shaking all over.

"According to Instructor Zephyr, the best way is to experience death. Right now, you'll only be seriously injured, not killed. If you can't even endure this much pain, what will you do in the future?"

Ye Chen's face had turned cold. It was rare for him to speak, and his tone was harsh.

"B-But..." Shu and Very Good flushed red. After meeting Ye Chen's eyes for a few seconds, they helplessly lowered their heads.

"If you don't want to train, then just focus on throwing."

Ye Chen did not force them. He merely walked ten meters away from the others and stopped.

"Who said we weren't training? To hell with it." In the end, Shu and Very Good looked at Smoker and Hina, saw the looks in their eyes, puffed out their chests, and made up their minds at once.

"We'll go one at a time." Vergo bent down, picked up a pebble, and tossed it lightly in his hand.

"Okay."

One after another, everyone grabbed a handful of pebbles and surrounded Ye Chen from different directions, each standing ten meters away.

"Chen, shouldn't you stand a little farther away?" Smoker tossed the pebbles in his hand, grinning at Ye Chen with ill intent.

Using pebbles for training had been Ye Chen's idea. It was the perfect way to train Observation Haki.

If one was struck by accident, it would be no different from being hit by a bullet. In severe cases, it could even be fatal.

Ye Chen took out a strip of black cloth from his pocket and blindfolded himself. "At the beginning, take it slow. I don't want you to accidentally kill me."

"Hehe." The others grinned, each wearing a malicious smile. With their current strength, a pebble thrown at full force could absolutely pierce an ordinary person's body.

"Ready?"

"Start!"

Whoosh!

A pebble shot out first, tearing through the air like a bullet as it flew toward Ye Chen.

Vaguely, Ye Chen could sense the pebble's attack, but he could not tell which direction or distance it came from. He only felt danger.

Fortunately, everyone was aiming away from vital areas. Otherwise, it would not have been a sense of danger, but a sense of death.

The direct hit sent piercing pain through Ye Chen's body, making him stiffen.

"Brother Ye Chen, are you okay?"

Everyone stopped. Hina looked at Ye Chen with concern.

"I'm fine. Continue."

After steadying himself, Ye Chen did not give up.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

At the start, ten pebbles came one after another. Ye Chen took nine hits, dodging only one out of ten. The places where he was struck quickly turned bruised and purple.

Gradually, Ye Chen relaxed his body and relied solely on instinct to dodge.

Meanwhile, Vergo and the others began throwing faster and faster. There was no pattern to it. Perhaps Hina would throw two pebbles at once while no one else threw anything.

In short, everything came without warning.

Whoosh! Whoosh! The sounds cutting through the air grew louder. At some point, Ye Chen found the rhythm. His one-in-ten success rate became two in ten, then three in ten, and a strange sensation slowly began to take shape in his mind.

An hour later, the training ended, and Ye Chen removed his blindfold.

"Brother Ye Chen..." Tears shimmered in Hina's eyes as she looked at Ye Chen's exposed arms, which were covered in bruises and patches of purple. Yet aside from his somewhat pale face, his expression had not changed at all.

"How was it?" Vergo and Smoker asked impatiently.

"Very good. I felt something special. This method works." Ye Chen nodded.

"Then it's my turn. Ten meters, same as Chen." Vergo immediately took off his shirt, exposing his chest. He also pulled a blindfold from his pocket and covered his eyes.

Then everyone suppressed their eagerness and began throwing pebbles again, only this time, Vergo was the target.

At first, Vergo was just like Ye Chen, taking nine hits out of ten. But as time passed, it became clear that he was gradually dodging more and more pebbles.

But what was with all the grimacing and muffled groans? Was it really that painful?

Shu's eyelids twitched. When Ye Chen had trained, he had not shown much pain. Why did things seem so wrong now that it was Vergo's turn?

An hour later, Vergo stepped down covered in injuries. His entire face was not only pale but twisted together, drenched in cold sweat.

His muscular upper body was covered in dense patches of bruised purple.

"Brother Vergo, why do I feel like you're in a lot of pain?" Very Good swallowed nervously as he looked at Vergo.

"It's like a massage. Not bad."

Vergo felt as though his upper body had already gone numb. Glancing at Ye Chen, whose expression remained unchanged, Vergo cursed inwardly. How the hell did this guy endure it?

"Next."

This time, it was Smoker's turn.

Whoosh!

A pebble struck Smoker, and he immediately let out a scream so horrifying that Shu and Very Good nearly cried.

That scream was chilling. They knew Smoker was tough, but now...

Whoosh! Whoosh!

"Ah! Ah!" For an entire hour, bloodcurdling screams echoed across the training ground. It was truly thrilling.

In the end, Smoker lasted only fifty minutes before he could no longer endure it and called for them to stop.

"Smoker, does it really hurt that much?" Shu poked Smoker's shoulder. Smoker immediately jumped up, sucked in a breath, and cursed, "If it didn't hurt, would I scream?"

"But..." Very Good wiped the cold sweat from his face. Why could they not see it on Ye Chen or Vergo? Why was the difference so huge when it came to Smoker?

Smoker's pained expression made Shu, Very Good, and Hina's hearts pound uneasily. They all felt terribly anxious.

After all, Ye Chen had remained expressionless during training, Vergo had merely twitched his mouth, but Smoker had screamed? If it was their turn, wouldn't they be finished?

"Next." Ye Chen spoke coldly.

"Shu, you go." Very Good intended to let Shu test the waters first. The two of them had always been evenly matched, so Shu would be a good reference.

"Why don't you go?" Shu glared at him.

"Hurry up. Time is money."

In the end, it was Shu's turn. However, this time the distance was not ten meters, but thirteen.

Likewise, his screams sounded like a howling wolf, chilling to the bone.

Shu lasted only half an hour before he could no longer take it.

Then came Very Good. He was about the same as Shu, without much difference.

As for Hina, she stood even farther away at fifteen meters. Everyone also held back their strength when throwing pebbles. Even so, tears streamed down Hina's face, making her look utterly miserable.

Anyone who did not know better would have thought Ye Chen and the others were ganging up to bully Hina.

However, the pain had not been for nothing. Every one of them had more or less sensed that feeling. Though it was faint, it truly existed.

But the training was not over, because it was time to spar.

This time, Hina, Shu, and Very Good truly could not hold on any longer and returned, leaving only Ye Chen, Vergo, and Smoker to fight on with their bruised bodies.

From beginning to end, while they trained, a pair of eyes watched them from the shadows.