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墨書 Inktalez
The training activities varied significantly from the afternoon until dinner time.
For the arm strengthening exercises, they used no gym equipment. Many participants struggled to perform under the weight of their heavy clothing. At that moment, they were moving car tires back and forth, with two shackles fixed on their shoulders and a tire tied to the other end. They ran on a sandy beach, using the friction of the tires against the ground.
"To calculate your team's score, add up everyone's individual times and divide by the number of team members. However, if the last two members have the slowest times, there will be additional penalties."
"The distance is one hundred meters. You will carry a truck tire to the other side and return to the starting line; that counts as one person's score. Of course, I have certain expectations for your performance. If you think you can crawl like a turtle and disrupt the fairness of this competition, that's not going to work. If an individual's round-trip time exceeds zero seconds, your entire team will incur an additional ten seconds at the end. If you don't want to be eliminated or face penalties during this competition, give it your all."
Freyr's Second Team had an overall average strength, likely designed intentionally to create such a balanced group. Meanwhile, some individuals in other teams had excellent physical qualities and would likely be sent out first to score as many points as possible, while those with the worst performance would be placed in the last leg.
The weight of the truck tires was rough to handle. With over a hundred pounds weighing them down and another tire dragging behind them, it was undeniable that completing the task in thirty seconds felt miraculous.
The tires were already heavy enough; running across a distance of about one hundred meters and returning added up to over two hundred meters. Although every team member moved like a turtle, Freyr knew this was their ultimate effort. Two girls from another team could barely handle moving the tires; blood spurted from one girl's nose as she truly reached her limit. Such training was enough to make even ordinary men reconsider their participation.
"Surgeon!" Cousins strode forward and turned back to shout.
"You all continue here. Sergeant Johnny, during my absence, you are in charge. If there is any slack in their training, revoke their military status and blacklist them." Cousins said coldly, his voice booming as he nearly roared. Though directed at Johnny, it was also meant for everyone else nearby to understand this command.
Being placed on the blacklist meant that once someone’s name entered that list, it equated to being unable to rise from civilian status for life. Many benefits were available to citizens: government assistance in old age, medical subsidies, housing allowances, economic support for having three children until graduation from university, and some could even choose to enter politics. Thus, any equal citizen could find suitable work after serving a few years in the military.
Conversely, those unfortunate enough to be blacklisted would not be treated as traitors but would face significant limitations in survival after retirement in a harsh society. Most had low educational levels and would lack access to welfare benefits or job opportunities. Even basic food security could become a major issue at the civilian level. Citizens had rights such as food storage privileges and could buy land from the government for farming or trade with officials sent by the government.
Few would willingly give up such enticing rights; once blacklisted, it meant living a life of hardship for decades. Inevitably, they would have plenty of time later to regret their reckless actions.
"Faster! Move quicker! My grandmother can run faster than you with her cane!"
Sergeant Johnny shouted sharply before returning to his post. Compared to Colonel Cousins, these officers in management shared a common trait: they were as cold as hellish demons. While he believed they could complete their tasks quickly, he still provoked them with words suggesting they couldn't.
Reaching the finish line required circling around a pole before returning; they couldn’t drop the tires in their hands. Their muscles bulged like ordinary people's legs under strain. This training did not focus solely on fixed targets for body parts—like deliberately enhancing upper or lower body strength—but rather aimed for comprehensive body strengthening across all targets. It sought to create a perfectly balanced physique. The training process was arduous; yet regardless of individual motivations—whether for revenge or simply striving for a more comfortable future—the current struggles were entirely worthwhile.
"Ha!"
Freyr gasped for breath, having pushed himself through the entire course. He tossed the tire aside and collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. His arm muscles twitched from exertion, and sharp pain shot through his ligaments. Yet, as the pain reached a certain threshold, it began to subside, replaced by a warm sensation deep within his muscles. It was reminiscent of Target's condition at that moment; muscle cells felt like sponges, swelling as if they had been soaked in water. After being kneaded and squeezed dry under the sun, they seemed to have grown slightly larger than before.
It appeared that this was the purpose of it all. After training, the relaxed dead muscle approached exhaustion, but simultaneously, new and stronger muscles began to grow and stretch. Through repetition, the newly formed muscles would eventually die off, only for new ones to emerge again. This cycle of breaking through physiological limits led to remarkable improvements in physical fitness.
In the face of despair, one could find a final spark of strength. After breaking through, new vigor would arise within the body, becoming part of it once recovery occurred. Until the muscle spasms ceased and his arms returned to their original size, Freyr took a deep breath and stood up from the ground.
He had broken through Ultimate.
This feeling was not new; he had experienced it once before. Currently, it seemed that just this single training session was more rigorous than any he had undergone in the past. During the ten-thousand-meter run, he had already gone through multiple transformations of physiological limits. He had also experienced one during squats, fully unleashing his hidden potential.
"The first round is over; the average results are dismal," said Sergeant Johnny. "Aside from Second Team barely passing, this performance is clearly insufficient. I want you to do three more sets and take your best score. Then I will announce which two teams among you will face punishment."
Clearly, everyone suddenly missed Cousins' time as their instructor. Although no one in the team cried out in despair, their expressions resembled frostbitten eggplants—showing both an impending sense of suffering and visible impatience.
"Where is your spirit?!" Sergeant Johnny shouted.
"Yes, sir!" everyone replied, looking straight into Sergeant Johnny's eyes before erupting into shouts.
"Get ready and run hard! Remember, it's you who will face punishment; it's you who will suffer! If you choose to slack off and let others succeed, you're merely planting trees for others to enjoy shade under—utterly foolish! If you refuse my guidance, I won't hesitate to blacklist your names. Those unwilling to step back to the starting line," Sergeant Johnny stated flatly.
"Yes, sir! We have no objections!" everyone replied resolutely.
Sergeant Johnny nodded in acknowledgment. "Good! Then let's begin!"
Everyone's emotions were stirred up. Of course, the weight of the tires loomed large; even though some among them had broken through their personal Ultimate records, they merely shaved a few seconds off their previous times. Just a few seconds' difference could leave others behind. Hearing Johnny's reported times ignited a belief within them that they could be faster next time.
With such motivation, training for the second round and beyond progressed with intense fervor. Their times improved significantly; enduring physiological limits required only a short while before new strength emerged within them—perhaps this was where the mystery of human physiology lay.
"This kind of performance is still unacceptable," Sergeant Johnny shook his head, secretly critiquing each round as they passed.
As Johnny observed the group competing before him, he couldn't help but chuckle inwardly: "If you can't clearly understand your Ultimate limits, then I don't deserve to be your Trainer. These guys still have room for improvement in their physical abilities; it all depends on whether you're willing to put in the hard work confronting those limits."
As he recalled the scene of the recent training overload, he slightly furrowed his brow, revealing a hint of distress.
"Yeah, that was too reckless; the body won't hold up for long."
A few minutes later, Johnny blew his whistle.
"The following two teams will face penalties: Third Team and Second Team. Your performance has not been ideal. Compared to Team and Four Teams, you still have a long way to go. Therefore, you need to put in more effort to catch up with them." Johnny halted the competition, stating that continuing would harm their physical health. Some targets required significant effort to overcome, but it was essential to know when to stop and maintain relaxation. After all, no matter how strong those targets were, they could not surpass metal. He had arranged the training process based on strict guidelines.
"Third Team, Second Team, step forward!"
"Team and Four Teams, stay relaxed; next, we will work on your endurance."
Johnny whispered something to the sergeant beside him before leading the two teams aside for training. As for what specific exercises they would be doing, the members of Third Team and Second Team had no idea.
"Report, sir! What do you need us to do?" Freyr saluted. As the captain of Second Team, he felt it was his duty to set an example for his team while meeting the cold gaze of the sergeant.
"What else can you do? With such results, no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to catch up with Team and Four Teams in a short time. But don't worry; since your abilities are not on par with the other two groups, your training regimen will completely transform your bodies and at least bring you closer to them!"
"The next phase will take place in the water: perform push-ups using your knuckles, followed by swimming back and forth for a total of two hundred meters in ten sets. Then there will be a sprint in place in the water, and finally, a relay race in the water between the two teams. The losing team will have to wash the underwear of the other team members."
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