Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 721: Greenhorns [Castle Bonus - ]

Two hours flew by, and the students were already sweating, panting as they held on for their dear lives. The most menacing thing was that the higher they climbed, the colder it became, the cold striking them harshly and without mercy. Every breath they took hit them hard, as though their chest, heart, lungs, and everything within them were begging for mercy. Some simply stopped breathing between intervals, choosing to hold their breaths so they wouldn’t feel the sting that accompanied every inhale.

But it was futile; their entire bodies still felt the cold, whether they chose to breathe or not, the chill seeping deep into their bones and refusing to let go.

Asher could only shake his head at the foolish idea. As someone who was knowledgeable in a bit of biology, he understood that what they were doing would inevitably backfire on them. But did he advise anyone? Absolutely not; he couldn’t be bothered to waste his breath on something so trivial, especially in a situation where everyone was responsible for their own survival.

The next moment, a scream slammed into Asher’s ears, his eyes snapping to the side to see a student who had lost his grip immediately plummet from his position until he disappeared from sight. After all, they had already climbed so far that the mountain ground was no longer visible beneath them.

Asher wasn’t surprised. Many people had fallen before this; this student wasn’t the first. He simply earned a few brief stares before everyone turned their attention back to their grips and their singular goal of survival and ascent.

Asher himself remained composed, controlling his breathing rhythmically with every climb and push. His clothes were drenched in sweat, then cleansed, then drenched again, the cycle repeating endlessly. His muscles began to beg for rest, but Asher only climbed higher. At this point, he was already ahead of Teo and Thalric, moving with calm calculation despite the strain.

Asher felt the pain, not only from his muscles but from his fingers and toes as well. They ached and burned, his skin turning a bright, angry red as though it would swell at any moment. Blisters formed across his hands and feet as he gripped each foothold and crack for dear life, refusing to let go.

After a while, people began to bleed from their hands, knees, and feet, their skin, fingernails, toenails, each tearing apart under the unforgiving hardness of the rocks they clung to. More and more students fell as they could no longer endure the pain, not just the pain itself, but the necessity of continuing to climb despite their worsening injuries, forcing their battered bodies to keep moving.

Asher felt exhausted. He felt the cries of his muscles in every part of his body, each fiber screaming for rest. At this point, only those with undying wills and immense pain tolerance remained. Behind Asher were Ryaen and William; these two were physically inclined fighters. William, whose ability was to copy, had obviously trained his physique to the extreme. After all, if he didn’t have anyone to copy during a battle, he would have no choice but to rely on his own body and his greatsword.

As for Finch, the ever-opportunistic merchant, he was long gone. He had fallen off the mountainside during his climb, a sight that Asher and William could only react to with a slight shake of their heads and a faint, amused exhale.

After what felt like ten years, Asher finally reached the peak. The moment he arrived, he collapsed face-first onto the ground, not even attempting to shield his body from the impact. At this point, the fall wouldn’t injure him or cause any pain anyway; he was simply far too exhausted to care or react.

Instructor Mira’s voice echoed within his mind once more before he could even catch his breath.

’Your ten-minute break has already begun,’ her voice rang out calmly before vanishing as though it had never been there.

Asher didn’t waste a single moment. He rolled onto his back and began employing every breathing technique he knew, focusing on the most efficient methods to recover stamina as quickly as possible. His body felt as though it was on fire from the hours of exertion he had just endured. In total, Asher had spent thirteen hours climbing the mountain.

Asher raised one hand and stared at his injuries. Despite the severity, his body’s natural resilience had already slowed the bleeding, and the wounds were beginning to heal gradually. Of course, he could have used Crimson Pact to heal himself instantly, but Asher wasn’t the type to deceive himself during training. Besides, even if he tried, Instructor Mira would undoubtedly notice; the perception of a Crownstar Life wasn’t something to be underestimated.

’System, what’s the time?’ Asher asked as he stared at the darkened sky above, the transition into night having gone almost unnoticed during his climb.

[It’s 7 p.m., Host]

The next moment, Thalric and Teo reached the peak, both of them not sparing Asher a glance as they immediately began using their own breathing techniques to recover, clearly prioritizing efficiency over unnecessary interaction.

With his ten minutes of rest exhausted, Asher began to climb down the mountain. However, after about fifty minutes of descent, he suddenly felt the wind compress around him before forcefully pushing him off the mountainside. He didn’t panic; he had already guessed that this was Instructor Mira’s doing. Her control over the wind was evident, and it was highly likely she possessed mastery over other elements as well, such as earth.

Looking around, he saw that everyone had been brought down in a similar manner, Instructor Mira effortlessly retrieving them from their positions on the mountain.

"The training begins at five o’clock in the morning and ends at eight o’clock at night," she stated, waving her hand as bandages fell from the sky. The students immediately understood that these were special bandages designed to stop bleeding and slightly accelerate healing.

Their training would last fifteen hours daily from this point onward. Arrive at the training ground by 5 a.m., leave by 8 p.m., use whatever time remained to eat, bathe, and attend to necessities, then rest with the little time left before repeating the cycle again.

"I hope you didn’t think you would be getting healers? We are here to train your body, not coddle it," Instructor Mira stated, clearly aware that some students had been expecting the presence of healers, an expectation she found utterly foolish.

Sounds of pained groaning filled the air as the students gathered on the ground, their bodies trembling from exhaustion and strain.

Mira shook her head, then snapped her fingers, lifting the Astra energy restriction. However, she left the weight effect intact, ensuring that their burden remained constant.

Asher and everyone else felt their Astra energy return, but it did nothing to restore their stamina. Although they still felt the oppressive weight of the jumpsuit pressing down on their bodies, not a single person complained.

"Goodnight, greenhorns," Instructor Mira stated before vanishing like the wind, as though she had never been there at all.

Asher didn’t speak; he had no strength left to exchange words with anyone for any reason. Finch? William? Thalric? Ryaen? None of that mattered right now. This wasn’t the time for camaraderie or conversation.

Without hesitation, he activated his Position Marker ability and vanished from the forest entirely, his body flickering out of existence before reappearing on his bed, utterly drained.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Bonus Chapter sponsored by FatelessPen.

Y’all should try to help FatelessPen, bro. He’s been sending castles back to back, and I’m afraid he might not make rent this month. So send your super gifts and ease the pressure on FatelessPen’s wallet and card.

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