CHAPTER 233: TRAINING IX

The next morning came too soon.

Han Yi groaned as the sun rose.

"Already... again... no... my body refuses..."

Mu Chen sat up slowly, rubbing his arms.

"I swear my muscles are gone... evaporated... poof..."

Yue blinked, her hair sticking to her sweaty face.

"Obstacles... I don’t even want to know what that means..."

Lei Feng just lay on the ground, staring at the sky.

"...I might die before moving a single step..."

Ling stood calmly, stretching.

"Get ready. Trial two begins now."

Tian Lei appeared at the edge of the camp, arms crossed.

"Obstacles. Every step will test your strength, balance, and mind. Move carefully. Fail... and you will learn the cost."

Han Yi shrieked.

"COST?! I didn’t sign up for costs! I signed up for surviving accidentally!"

Mu Chen shivered.

"Mentally prepare... mentally prepare... maybe sleep again..."

Yue whispered, "Maybe if we all just walk slowly, it won’t notice us..."

Ling shook her head.

"No. Slow isn’t enough. We must face it."

They arrived at the obstacle field. Logs stacked at odd angles. Narrow beams stretched over pits. Swinging ropes. Water-filled ditches. Every part of it looked designed to break them.

Han Yi stared.

"...I... I am officially dead inside..."

Mu Chen whimpered.

"...How do people survive this willingly?"

Tian Lei gestured sharply.

"Begin."

Han Yi stepped forward. His foot slipped immediately.

"...This is it. Goodbye world. Tell my story. Tell them I tripped."

Mu Chen tried next, carefully stepping across a narrow beam. It wobbled. He screamed.

"...It hates me. Literally hates me."

Yue balanced on another beam, shaking.

"...Why is survival this hard? Why is everything trying to kill us?"

Ling moved smoothly across every obstacle. Logs, beams, ropes—nothing slowed her. She paused at the end and looked back.

"Focus. Watch your step. One movement at a time."

Han Yi groaned from the mud below.

"I... one movement at a time... but I have a thousand broken bones!"

Mu Chen stammered, falling into water.

"...I’m a goner... and wet... mostly wet."

Yue slipped but grabbed a rope just in time, swinging across a ditch.

"...I... I did it... kind of..."

Step by step, scream by scream, they made it through the obstacles. Every one of them soaked, scratched, and exhausted.

Tian Lei nodded once.

"Acceptable. You survived. That is the goal. Tomorrow... endurance. You will run, climb, fight... and survive again."

Han Yi collapsed dramatically.

"...I survive... and I still exist... barely... barely..."

Mu Chen lay on his back, staring at the sky.

"...One day at a time. One day at a time..."

Yue wiped mud from her face.

"...We survived. Somehow... we survived."

Ling smiled gently.

"That is enough for today. Rest. Grow. Tomorrow we endure more. One step at a time."

And far in the forest, the wind whispered again, cold and unrelenting.

Night fell again, heavy and silent.

The group sat around a small fire, muscles aching, hearts still racing.

Han Yi poked the flames weakly.

"...I hate fire... it’s too alive... too hot... too judgmental..."

Mu Chen lay back on a log.

"...My body is still stuck in obstacle mode... how do people move normally?"

Yue picked at a piece of cloth on her uniform.

"...Tomorrow is endurance... I can’t even imagine it..."

Lei Feng stretched, careful not to tear anything further.

"...Endurance... like running, climbing, carrying... I think I already failed in spirit..."

Ling arranged her gear neatly.

"Rest now. Endurance will test us differently. Physical fatigue, mental fatigue... we need to prepare for both."

Han Yi groaned loudly.

"...Mentally? I am already dead mentally... can we skip the trial? Mentally skip it?"

Tian Lei’s voice came from the darkness beyond the fire.

"Endurance will not wait for your feelings. You will face it, or be left behind. Rest while you can. Tomorrow begins with the climb."

Mu Chen shivered.

"...Climb? As in... up... something... tall...?"

Yue whispered, eyes wide.

"...And then run... or fight... or both?"

Lei Feng muttered,

"...Why do we still wake up every morning..."

Ling placed a hand on each of them.

"We endure. Together. That is our strength. One day at a time."

Han Yi groaned again, curling up by the fire.

"...I hate surviving... but somehow... I want to survive tomorrow too..."

The fire crackled. The wind howled.

Somewhere deep in the forest, the shadows shifted, waiting.

Endurance would test them all.

The next morning arrived before anyone was ready.

Han Yi cracked an eye open.

"...No. No no no... my body is still recovering... why is the sun awake?"

Mu Chen rolled over, groaning.

"...Endurance... I think I left my energy in yesterday’s mud... it’s gone forever..."

Yue blinked, hair stuck to her face.

"...If endurance means running... climbing... lifting... or fighting... I’m not ready..."

Lei Feng didn’t move at all.

"...I am already a ghost in spirit..."

Ling stood, calm and collected as always.

"Endurance. Today we push further. Focus, watch each other, survive together."

Tian Lei appeared at the edge of the camp.

"Endurance trial begins. Climb, run, fight. Every step tests your body and mind. Fail... and the consequences are yours."

Han Yi whimpered.

"...Consequences... I already signed a waiver in my head... mentally, spiritually, emotionally... still not enough..."

Mu Chen muttered,

"...I wish we could just... sit in a hole and rest..."

Yue whispered,

"...Survival... yesterday was already enough..."

Lei Feng slowly sat up.

"...And yet... here we are again..."

Ling turned toward the forest.

"Come. The climb awaits."

They approached a massive cliff. Jagged rocks, narrow ledges, loose soil—it was impossible to look at without shivering.

Han Yi stared.

"...I... I officially refuse to climb... physically refuse... mentally refuse... existentially refuse..."

Tian Lei’s voice cut through.

"Step forward. Begin."

One by one, they started the climb.

Han Yi slipped immediately, grabbing at air.

"...I’m dead... this is it... gravity hates me personally..."

Mu Chen’s fingers bled from gripping rocks.

"...Why are cliffs alive? Why are they attacking my hands?"

Yue kept one eye on every loose stone, moving slowly.

"...One wrong step and it’s over..."

Lei Feng shuffled along, trembling.

"...My heart... my legs... I might just stop existing..."

Ling moved smoothly, hand over hand, step by step.

"Focus. Watch the ledge. Every movement counts. One step at a time."

Hours passed. Every handhold a challenge, every foothold a threat.

At last, they reached the top. Collapsed. Shaking. Bloodied. Exhausted.

Tian Lei nodded.

"Acceptable. You survived endurance. That is what matters."

Han Yi flopped onto the ground.

"...I survived... somehow... barely... but I survived."

Mu Chen sank beside him.

"...One day at a time... one day at a time..."

Yue whispered,

"...We made it. Somehow... alive."

Lei Feng slumped, staring at the horizon.

"...Normal life... I miss it already..."

Ling stood, brushing off dirt.

"Endurance is done. Rest. Tomorrow, the final test: survival under pressure. One day at a time. Together."