How many people have lived without ever running?
Unless someone is born with a problem in their legs, anyone with a body considered ‘average’ by societal standards has naturally run on two legs at some point.

I, too, have naturally run before.

And I was running now.

“Heave, huff…”

I couldn’t see the sun with my eyes closed, but I knew the sunlight was beating down on the ground.

I couldn’t see the clouds floating in the sky, but I could tell there were clouds from the shapes of their shadows on the ground.

I was sprinting along a track that was incomparably larger than a typical school running track.

I’ve heard that a normal school track is about 200 to 300 meters per lap…

But this one seemed to measure in kilometers.

It felt less like a jog around the schoolyard and more like running a marathon.

“Heck, eh-hek… Heck, ugh…”

I moved my legs. While one foot supported me, the other moved forward.

The process was laughably simple, yet it consumed a lot of stamina.

‘How many laps have I done?’

As I ran with legs that felt as heavy as rocks, Professor Atra, who had been standing with her arms crossed, spoke.

“Six laps.”

Even amidst mental exhaustion, her words stuck in my ear.

While I was running, Professor Atra had been leaning against a tree at the edge of the field, watching me.

I didn’t wonder why she was resting while I was going through such hardship.

After all, for someone with her skills, teaching combat at The Tower of Growth, this kind of running was probably negligible.

For her, this was probably as easy as lying down and eating rice cakes.

So, I just kept running.

Gasping for air as if I might pass out any moment, I managed a sarcastic laugh.

I was reminded of myself looking around at the training facilities. Back then, I had wondered how they were used, but now, such thoughts seemed unnecessary.

‘Six laps…’

Six laps, they say. That’s quite the feat.

I had estimated I would collapse after about three laps based on my rough guess of the track’s size, but I had run twice that and was still conscious.

Moreover, I still had a sliver of strength left. Gritting my teeth, I regulated the breaths that threatened to explode from my chest.

“Seven laps.”

My legs were becoming numb. For the first time, I was glad my vision was obscured. If I had been watching with my eyes, my vision would have blurred and I would have eventually fallen.

“Eight laps… that’s enough.”

“Cough.”

At the sound of ‘that’s enough,’ my legs gave out. My lower body collapsed like a punctured balloon, and my body rolled on the ground.

“Heave… heave… huek…”

I flipped over from my face-down position. It felt like my heart was pounding right next to my ear. Lying on the ground panting, Professor Atra approached from where she had been leaning against the tree.

“Eight laps. Your physical condition is comprehensively the lowest.”

Professor Atra gave a cold assessment as she fumbled in her pocket.

“It’s understandable since you’ve just awakened, but moving forward, you won’t be able to use that excuse anymore.”

She pulled out a bottle of water from her pocket. It seemed to be enchanted with magic, as dew formed on the bottle placed beside my head.

“Setting aside the application of your unique ability and manipulation of mana, let’s focus on improving your physical condition.”

Although my mind was fading in and out, I perked up at the mention of the future direction of my training.

My fingers trembling, I tapped on my smartwatch.

[Phy…sical… con…dition??]

“…If it’s too hard, just listen.”

My fingers were too weak to press properly. After a glance at the hologram, Professor Atra shook her head and advised me to just listen.

“I won’t concern myself with magic since another professor will teach you that later. My part is combat. I will teach you based on close combat that requires physical prowess. For that to happen…”

Poke-

Bending over, Professor Atra pressed her index finger firmly against my forehead and continued her words.

“Of course, this requires that you have the physical ability to support it. In other words, before you can create fighting techniques, you need to create a body that is capable of fighting. Do you understand?”

[Un…der…stood]

“…Good.”

Straightening up, Professor Atra checked the time.

“It took quite long to run eight laps. That’s it for today. From tomorrow, we’ll start for real, so brace yourself.”

Having said that, Professor Atra turned her back and left without hesitation. I remained dazed and catching my breath even after she was out of my spatial perception range.

I must have been lying there for almost 10 minutes, and I still had trouble catching my breath. Shaking, I reached out and grabbed the water bottle.

“Blurgh…”

I poured half of it down my throat while still lying down. Though tasteless, the intense coolness was refreshing.

I dumped the rest of it over my head, cooling my body that had been sweating profusely and overheating.

‘I’m exhausted…’

Strength was needed to break the constraints. I had resolved myself, anticipating the pain that would come with the process.

But now that the pain was actually here, there was no denying it was tough.

‘It ended early.’

Checking the time on my smartwatch, only a little over two hours had passed.

Or had it really been two hours? Two hours to run eight laps around the field, roughly 20 minutes per lap?

Sure, my pace had plummeted after the first lap… but still, it was an immense amount of time.

I sat up, stifling a groan.

‘Oof…’

I nearly moaned without realizing. The moment I lifted my upper body, my whole frame felt so stiff I thought it might break.

Carefully supporting my torso with my arms, I pressed my legs into the ground.

After a lot of struggling, I managed to stand up. A short rest had done me some good. Earlier, it felt like my legs might snap, but now they were just quivering.

I considered heading back to the dormitory but shook my head internally.

It was true my body ached and I was exhausted. I even felt a budding desire to collapse on my bed and sleep, but I still had some free time.

To be exact, my body was at its limit, but my mind was surprisingly alert.

Dragging my shaking legs, I headed to the library.

Having rolled my body around, it was now time to roll my mind over some magic books.

The day was still young.

.
.
.

I worried I might be extremely sore the next day, but surprisingly, it wasn’t too bad. My whole body ached, but it was bearable.

The next day followed a similar pattern to the previous one.

In the morning, I attended theory-focused common lectures. In the afternoon, I went to specialized classes according to rank.

I stamped my attendance early at the lecture hall and received more candy from Hong Yeon-hwa.

I attended the morning lecture after Professor Liana’s morning announcements.

Lunch was once again with Hong Yeon-hwa. The problem was that I still hadn’t brought up the matter of my lack of taste. It was a difficult topic to broach.

Afterward, I parted ways with Hong Yeon-hwa to attend our specialized classes.

During my specialized class time, I received one-on-one instruction from Professor Atra.

The content was similar to the first day. It ended up being running again.

“Today, we’ll aim for ten laps.”

“……”

The hurdle had been raised from the previous day. I hadn’t even fully recovered from yesterday’s exertion.

‘Can she not see my legs trembling?’ I sent a silent plea. Asking for reconsideration.

“Start.”

Regrettably, my desperate gaze seemed to have gone unnoticed since my eyes were closed.

I sighed inwardly and kicked off the ground, nearly collapsing in the process. Relieved, I resumed running around the track.

One lap, two laps, three laps…

‘Huh?’

While running in a state of emptiness, I felt a sense of discomfort after passing three laps.

I was tired. My legs hurt. My breathing was rough, and my heart pounded as if it would burst.

But it was better than yesterday.

Yesterday, the pain I felt on the second lap was now only hitting me on the third lap.

“Ten laps… stop.”

I finished ten laps. Just like before, as soon as I heard ‘stop,’ I flopped down onto the ground.

– Thud, thud.

Footsteps approached my head. Professor Atra looked down at me.

“Do you realize?”

“Heave… heave…”

It was an unexpected question, but I nodded. Puzzled inwardly, I then grasped a bit of the reasoning.

“The blessing of growth is granted to cadets, allowing them to grow at a rate that is otherworldly compared to before.”

One of the main reasons everyone desperately wants to enter The Tower of Growth is for the blessing of growth.

It absurdly amplifies growth in all positive aspects, and even the rate of growth is incredibly high.

“Probably, your rate of growth is set higher than other cadets.”

Special admission student. I recall from the original work that the protagonist had a higher rate of growth than other main characters.

“Thanks to that. In just one night, your body has grown noticeably enough for you to feel it. Have you understood up to here?”

– Nod

In other words, I was in a superior condition compared to others.

“Well, the immediate level of your physical condition is bottom-of-the-barrel, so that’s part of why you’re feeling it more, but still, the performance of the blessing can’t be denied.”

Professor Atra placed a water jug beside my head.

I emptied the bottle and took a brief moment to rest, lying down.

“In simple terms, even something as basic as running can explosively enhance your physical abilities. So run with all your might. Do you understand?”

– Nod

“Alright. Then get up.”

It seemed her warning that we would start for real from today was not an empty threat. Yesterday had ended with just running.

Barely managing to stand, Professor Atra handed me something long she had been carrying at her waist.

Taking it in hand, I felt a considerable weight.

It was a Western-style sword common on the internet.

“From today, we’ll also include sparring. I’ve decided you’re ready to start today, given the rate of your growth.”

As I inspected the sheathed sword, she then pulled out a wooden sword.

“Let me say in advance that I don’t do systematic training.”

“?”

“Swing the sword as much as you like. I won’t get hurt, so don’t hesitate.”

Something about that statement was odd.

No systematic training? Swing it as much as I like? No need to worry about injuring her? What did all that mean?

As I was feeling a chill at her words…

– Shivers

“…!!”

My hairs bristled. Following an instant surge of thought, I swung the sword, still sheathed.

Bang! My arm jerked violently. The handle of the trembling sword was gripped tightly. I almost dropped the sword. My body, unable to absorb the shock, was pushed backward.

“Hmm?”

Professor Atra let out a puzzled hum. I steadied my stance from swinging the sword and narrowed my eyes.

“Have you ever held a sword before?”

It was a sudden question.

Confused, I tapped my smartwatch.

[Uh? No.]

“…Indeed.”

Professor Atra seemed to understand something on her own and nodded after my answer.

I had a bad feeling.

Before I could ask what she understood, Professor Atra gripped the wooden sword.

“Here I come.”

‘Don’t come.’

I couldn’t say it out loud. There was no time to tap my smartwatch. Professor Atra’s figure was closing in fast.

The menacing sound of rushing wind instinctively made me anticipate the future.

It was going to be incredibly tough from here on out.