Shocking Results

Time passed little by little. The others gradually grew used to Subaru Natsuki's screams, and one by one, they went about their own business.

Only when the sun set did Hane end the training. By then, Subaru Natsuki had screamed himself hoarse.

After Hane gave him another pill, he felt a little better.

"Master, do we have to keep training like this tomorrow?"

"No. Today was just to give you a foundation. Tomorrow, we'll move on to the next stage: refining chakra and teaching you a ninjutsu technique that's practically cheating!"

Subaru Natsuki breathed a small sigh of relief. If tomorrow was going to be like today, he didn't know whether he would have the courage to keep going.

It had hurt so much that even his soul seemed to tremble.

"Master, what exactly was today's training supposed to improve?"

Hane smiled mysteriously.

"You'll find out tomorrow. Today's effort was worth it. Be glad you endured that pain—it let you accomplish what takes others one to three years of hard work!"

Hane offered no further explanation. It had looked as though he was abusing Subaru Natsuki, but he had actually been using his own power to accelerate the boy's training in Iron Body and kicking.

Almost every lash carried a trace of magical power, reshaping his fragile body.

If Hane wanted Subaru Natsuki to gain combat strength quickly, taking a shortcut was the only option.

But shortcuts were never easy. Getting through one without side effects or pain many times worse than usual was a joke.

Subaru Natsuki didn't doubt Hane. Instead, anticipation stirred within him. His master was a god who could destroy worlds. Helping him grow stronger had to be easy.

That was why he hadn't thought of giving up today, even when the pain had nearly driven