Hugo was exactly the kind of person who would dominate a running competition like this. From the very start, even just by glancing at his stats, it was clear that his chances of winning were already high. His signature ability alone gave him a massive edge over everyone else.

  Hugo could lift things that should have been far beyond his normal limits, maybe by about twenty percent more than what should have been possible. His speed was remarkable, and that was before even counting the power behind his punches and the crushing strength of his grip.

  It felt a little unfair, honestly, especially when all of that was backed up by Hugo’s physique. His entire body looked like it was built from solid muscle, and even his head seemed packed with muscle too, as if there was barely any space left for actual brains.

  “Come on, Krov! Is that all your training amounted to? Hahaha!” Hugo shouted from the front as he ran, turning his head back and waving his hand. He looked like he was cheering, but it was obvious that he was really just mocking Krovane.

  Even so, Krovane was not about to lose that easily. When it came to running form, he should have been better than Hugo. This was something he had been doing long before mana entered their bodies and changed them into what they were now.

  If Hugo was relying on his signature ability to secure his victory, then Krovane would take advantage of Hugo’s carelessness and use it to bring him down.

  Krovane began to move faster, refining his footwork and making every step as precise and efficient as possible, until he was finally closing the distance to Hugo ahead of him.

  This was a long-distance race, not a sprint. At least one full lap was required, so he had to maintain his momentum and avoid burning out too early.

  Just as Krovane got close enough to overtake him, suddenly… Hugo made a strange movement with his foot and kicked a stone off the ground, sending it flying through the air.

  The stone shot straight toward Krovane’s running path.

  With a quick maneuver, Krovane veered sharply to the right and narrowly avoided it. But just as he refocused, several more stones were kicked up, flying through the air and forcing him to dodge again.

  “Hugo! You!”

  “Hahahaha! Come on, Krov, you’re not going to lose just because of a few small stones, right?”

  Krovane narrowed his focus. Using speed and sharp footwork, he moved smoothly to the right and left, even jumping when needed, effectively dodging every stone kicked by that cheating Hugo.

  Krovane nearly fell as he lost his balance, his body pitching slightly forward. But he adjusted his posture in time and managed to regain his footing.

  A sharp pain shot through his ankle, yet he knew this was nothing. What if he had to run while being chased by monsters? Or worse, what if what came at him was not a small stone, but an actual attack from a monster?

  Something like that still felt far beyond their current level, especially when even a situation like this was something Krovane could barely handle.

  But he could do it.

  He burst forward again at full speed, forgetting the pain in his ankle and ignoring the harsh, burning breaths in his chest.

  Krovane had done this before. He had pushed through it, just like when he had to bring the hammer down a thousand times onto molten metal, when it felt like his body would no longer endure it. Yet he had done it.

  Forcing past physical limits and breaking through them was truly the greatest blessing granted to awakeners.

  Mental strength. Mental strength. Just as Rogan had taught them. The only thing standing in the way of becoming stronger was themselves. How far their minds could endure, how hard they could force themselves forward, and how relentlessly they continued to chase strength.

  And by doing so, they would become stronger.

  Several more objects were kicked up into the air. Not just stones, but anything Hugo could get his foot on along the path. Pieces of wood, broken branches, even small fallen twigs.

  Krovane steadied himself, pulling his resolve together and sharpening his focus.

  “Go on, Hugo. Keep it coming.”

  He clenched his teeth and, with perfect timing, shifted to the left as a large stone shot past his face, so close that the rush of air brushed against his ear.

  Another tree branch flew straight at him, and this time there was no room to dodge.

  Krovane reacted instantly, raising both arms and crossing them in front of his face. The branch slammed into him, scraping against his skin, but the force of the impact knocked it away.

  “Come on, Krov, this is nothing! Are you going to give up? Hahah!”

  Krovane kept chasing, maintaining his full attention. He had to focus. Yes, he had to focus. When it came to concentration, Krovane was confident he could outdo that muscle-brained Hugo.

  He darted to the right to avoid another hit, then to the left again. He continued surging forward at high speed until he was finally right behind Hugo.

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  It all happened so fast, yet Krovane was already right behind Hugo, so close that they were within grabbing distance of each other.

  Hugo looked slightly surprised when he realized how near Krovane was. But at that moment, there was a piece of wood lying in the middle of their path. Hugo quickly stepped on it, kicking it up so it bounced into the air at high speed, straight toward Krovane.

  Hugo grinned and laughed as it happened, but… in that narrow instant, Krovane focused harder than ever.

  He could not lose!

  He ducked down in one sharp motion and barely avoided the flying piece of wood as it passed right over his head.

  Hugo looked shocked.

  In that split second, Krovane surged forward. His left hand shot out and grabbed the back of Hugo’s knee with perfect timing.

  The powerful grip forced Hugo to stop running.

  “Krov! What are you doing!”

  Krovane turned to look at him, smirking in satisfaction. In that brief moment, Hugo could clearly see that Krovane’s left hand had turned dark and looked solid, its grip locked tightly around his leg.

  Using strong momentum, Krovane planted his feet to brace his body. At the same time, he applied the technique Garreth the blacksmith had taught him, using his whole body to handle heavy loads.

  With a powerful pull, Krovane yanked Hugo’s leg. Hugo tried to resist and reached out to grab Krovane’s right shoulder.

  But Krovane reacted swiftly, gripping Hugo’s left wrist instead.

  That grip had been trained by holding hammer handles and striking thousands of times. It was not something to underestimate.

  Then, with the right timing, Hugo lost his balance and his body tilted forward. Krovane kept pulling with that unyielding grip and, gritting his teeth, forced the motion through.

  Hugo’s body lifted off the ground.

  In the next instant, his body was released and thrown backward with tremendous force.

  Hugo flew through the air and rolled across the ground again and again, unable to stop the impact, until he finally came to a halt.

  But by that time, Krovane was already running again, leaving Hugo behind.

  “Krov! I’ll get you back for this!” Hugo shouted loudly from behind.

  Krovane only laughed in satisfaction. At last, he had managed to get back at his muscle-brained friend.

  Krovane then focused fully on running. With no more obstacles in his way and Hugo still recovering, he had bought himself some time. He had to win.

  He pushed himself harder, never looking back even once, despite the risk that Hugo might attack from behind. Still, the sound of heavy footsteps behind him told Krovane that Hugo was close.

  In the distance, he could see Rogan standing there, with Emily beside him, right at the finish line. They looked like judges, ready to decide who would win this match.

  Come on, Krovane. You’re almost there.

  “Krov, you won’t win!” Hugo shouted from behind.

  But Krovane kept forcing his legs to move, faster and more efficiently. He could not lose.

  The finish line was right there.

  Everything happened in a blur as Krovane was about to break through the line. In that split second, he caught sight of Hugo’s shadow rushing up beside him.

  The moment Krovane leapt forward to cross the finish line, he knew it. Hugo had crossed it at the exact same time.

  Krovane tried to stop his run, but his legs gave out. He lost his balance and fell onto his back, letting the ground catch his exhausted body after everything he had forced it through.

  Hugo was not far away, standing with his hands braced on his knees, still upright. Both of them were gasping for air.

  “Krov, you know you won’t get away with what you did, right? I’ll get you back. Hahaha,” Hugo said, even though he clearly enjoyed the match.

  Rogan and Emily then walked closer.

  “Not bad. You both tried to use your abilities while running,” Emily said.

  “You’ve never trained your body and only rely on magic, you wouldn’t understand how hard this kind of training is, Emily,” Hugo replied.

  “Oh? Now you’re comparing physical training to magic training?” Emily shot back. “I’d like to see if you can cast even a single basic spell if I give you the easiest one.”

  “Hahaha,” Hugo laughed. “Sure, sure. When I learn magic, I’ll make sure to ask you for lessons, Miss Genius.”

  Krovane then sat up and looked toward Rogan.

  “Good,” Rogan said. “It turns out you can run better when there’s competition. But this time, you crossed the finish line at the exact same moment. That means you both lose, and the punishment is one more lap for the two of you.”

  “Rogan, are you serious? Krov threw me down hard,” Hugo protested.

  “Well, I did say you were allowed to do anything,” Rogan replied firmly. “Now rest for a moment, then run again.”

  Emily could only laugh at their behavior.

  “Why don’t you run with us too, Emily?” Hugo asked.

  “I have my own training routine,” Emily replied. “Handle your own training.”

  **

  Krovane and Hugo now sat side by side while Rogan, with his solid and muscular build, stood before them. They were inside a training hall, a wide room with firm footing and a surface patterned like wood, though far stronger than it looked.

  Rogan stood there holding a wooden sword in his left hand.

  “You’ve trained your bodies enough for now,” Rogan said. “You are starting to get used to physical training. But this is something you will have to keep doing for the rest of your lives. This is not just training, it is a way of living. There will never be a time when you are free from it. For an awakener, training stays with them for their entire life.”

  He then shifted slightly in place, the atmosphere inside the hall calm and focused.

  “With martial arts alone, you can already go very far,” Rogan continued. “You can learn how to throw an opponent, understand proper positioning, and know how to avoid taking damage. In truth, you can continue growing much further using pure martial arts. Later, when your levels rise even higher, you can combine it with elemental magic to become even stronger.”

  “However…” Rogan went on, then paused once more. “If you can use a tool that is specially crafted by skilled crafters, one that makes use of monster cores and techniques refined over thousands of years…”

  He lifted the wooden sword in his left hand. “Using a medium like a sword, or something similar, will help you develop your combat more effectively. A sword, or any other weapon, can become an extension of your body. When it is combined with proper technique, it allows your strength and skills to flow more naturally.”

  He paused for a moment.

  “The point is, at this stage, you should begin to figure out what kind of weapon will suit you on your journey ahead.”

  Rogan went silent again, letting his words sink in.

  “That doesn’t mean you have to stick to a single weapon forever,” he added. “Understanding many weapons is fine, but it’s not better than truly mastering one. You can learn others later, but first, you need a foundation.”

  “Now,” Rogan said, looking at them both, “there’s the sword, the spear, the axe, the bow, and more. So tell me, what kind of weapon do you think suits you best?”