Chapter 63 : This hurts my pride

The three sisters finally released Arthur.

He immediately rubbed his arms, stepping back slightly while keeping a wary eye on them. His muscles still felt the pressure of their grip.

Yuna turned without hesitation and said calmly, "Come with me."

Arthur glanced down at himself—

Half-naked.

His torn shirt hung uselessly from his shoulders.

He raised an eyebrow and said, "...Like this?"

Yuna didn’t even blink. "Yes. Like this."

Arthur let out a deep sigh, dragging a hand through his wet hair. "I haven’t even eaten anything yet..." he muttered.

Yuna waved her hand dismissively. "Don’t worry about that. You’ve shown me something impressive today."

A faint smirk formed on her lips.

"I’ll let you eat to your heart’s content inside the mansion today."

Arthur froze.

Then—

His eyes lit up instantly.

"Are you serious?" he asked, his voice suddenly full of energy. "You can’t take that back now."

Yuna chuckled softly. "Yes, I’m serious. Stop acting like a child."

Arthur grinned widely, almost forgetting his current state. "Finally... I’ll get to eat properly today."

’Food... real food... I can almost see it...’ he thought, practically glowing with anticipation.

The group began walking toward the mansion’s backyard training ground.

The air was still.

The ground beneath them was rough and uneven.

Yuna stopped and turned toward the three sisters, then shifted her gaze to Arthur.

"Today’s training," she said calmly, "these three will attack you at once."

Arthur blinked.

"And you will not attack them back."

Arthur froze.

"We’ll start with one hundred hits," Yuna continued, her tone steady. "All directed at your midsection."

She turned slightly and said, "Girls—start."

"Wait—wait—wait!" Arthur quickly raised both hands, stepping forward in protest.

He looked at Yuna in disbelief. "So... I just have to get hit a hundred times?"

"Yes."

"Without fighting back?"

"Yes."

Arthur stared at her, stunned. "What kind of training is this?!"

Yuna’s expression shifted slightly—disappointment flickering across her face.

"Arthur... do you know what your main problem is?" she asked.

Arthur frowned. "Yeah? What?"

"You whine too much," Yuna said flatly. "If you keep going like that, you’ll never reach your full potential."

Arthur’s eye twitched.

Yuna continued, her voice calm but firm. "And for the record... you’re only getting hit one hundred times."

She paused briefly.

"Julia endured more than one thousand hits every day."

Arthur went silent.

’A thousand... per day...? That’s insane...’ he thought, his expression tightening.

’This hurts my pride as a man.’

Yuna stepped closer, her gaze unwavering. "That’s how my master trained me," she said. "And that’s how I’m training you."

She crossed her arms.

"I’ll give you a choice."

"You can quit right now. I won’t stop you."

"Or... we continue."

Silence filled the training ground.

Arthur took a slow, deep breath.

’I have to trust her...’

Gradually—

He bowed his head.

"I’ll follow your training," he said.

Yuna nodded, a faint smile appearing. "Good."

She pointed at him. "Focus on your breathing and endure it."

Her voice softened slightly.

"I promise you this... by the time your training is complete... your body itself will become a weapon."

"It won’t break easily."

Arthur gave a faint smile. "...I’ll take your word for it."

Yuna nodded once more. "Then let’s begin."

Arthur closed his eyes briefly.

’Iron Breathing... focus... don’t lose it...’

He inhaled—

Deep.

Controlled.

His abdomen expanded as pressure built inside him.

He held it—

Stabilized—

Then released.

TSH.

His body tightened instantly.

His posture aligned.

He opened his eyes.

"I’m ready."

Yuna gave a small gesture. "Begin."

The three sisters moved at once.

THUD.

The first strike slammed into his midsection.

Arthur’s body shook violently.

THUD.

The second hit followed immediately.

THUD.

The third.

By the tenth hit—

Arthur dropped to his knees.

"Ghh—!" he gasped as pain exploded through his abdomen.

His breathing broke—

Then—

He forced it back under control.

’No... hold it... hold it...’

He inhaled again.

Forced the pressure downward.

Stabilized.

Slowly—

He pushed himself back to his feet.

"...Again."

The strikes continued.

THUD.

THUD.

THUD.

Each blow heavier than the last.

By the thirtieth—

His legs trembled uncontrollably.

By the fiftieth—

He nearly coughed blood.

By the seventieth—

His vision blurred.

But he didn’t stop.

’Don’t fall... don’t break...’

He kept breathing.

Inhale—

Hold—

Release—

TSH.

By the ninetieth—

His body barely responded.

The final hits came.

THUD.

THUD.

THUD.

Then—

Silence.

Arthur collapsed to his knees, his entire body shaking as sweat dripped from his face.

But—

A small smile formed on his lips.

"I... did it..." he whispered.

Yuna walked toward him immediately.

She pulled out a small container filled with green balm and began applying it carefully across his chest and abdomen.

"You did well," she said calmly. "This will help your body recover gradually."

Arthur winced slightly as the balm touched his skin. "...How is this different from a healing potion?" he asked.

Yuna continued applying the balm as she explained, "Healing potions aren’t suitable for endurance training because real endurance comes from natural fatigue and recovery."

She glanced at him briefly.

"When your body gets exhausted and then recovers on its own, it becomes stronger."

"But healing potions skip that process."

Arthur listened quietly.

"They instantly repair your muscles and restore your condition," she continued. "So your body doesn’t experience the stress it needs to grow."

She paused slightly.

"In the long run, that weakens both your physical adaptation and your mental toughness."

Arthur frowned. "So... it makes the training useless."

"Exactly," Yuna replied.

She held up the container slightly. "This, on the other hand... is traditional medicine."

"It doesn’t replace your body’s recovery—it supports it."

Arthur leaned forward slightly, examining it more closely.

"It reduces pain, helps with inflammation, and speeds up recovery a little... but your body still goes through the process," she added.

She tapped his chest lightly.

"You still feel the damage."

"You still adapt."

"You still grow stronger."

Arthur exhaled slowly.

’...That makes sense.’

He rolled his shoulders carefully.

His body still hurt—

But it felt... better.

"...This is good," he said quietly.

Yuna nodded. "I know."

She stood up and added, "From now on, this is what you’ll use."

Arthur looked up at her—

Still exhausted.

But now—

A little more determined.

Yuna crossed her arms and looked down at Arthur, who was still recovering from the previous punishment.

"Now for the next part," she said calmly, "we’ll start with a 10-kilometer run... followed by 100 push-ups."

Arthur’s eye twitched.

Yuna continued as if she hadn’t just said something insane. "Then squats, core training, endurance drills, and breathing control under stress."

Arthur opened his mouth—

Then closed it.

’I really want to complain... but I also want to live.’

He gave a silent nod.

"Good," Yuna said with a faint smile. "Let’s begin."

What followed—

Was hell.

Arthur ran until his lungs burned, each breath scraping through his chest like fire. His legs felt like they would give out at any moment, trembling under the strain.

Still—

He didn’t stop.

He pushed forward.

Step after step.

He completed every push-up, his arms shaking violently with each rep. Every squat burned his thighs. Every drill Yuna threw at him tested the limits of his endurance.

Each time he slowed—

A calm voice cut through everything.

"Keep going."

And he did.

By the end—

Arthur collapsed onto the ground, completely exhausted. His chest rose and fell heavily as sweat soaked his entire body.

He didn’t even have the strength to complain.

Yuna looked down at him.

Satisfied.

"Good," she said. "From tomorrow, this will be your morning routine."

For a moment—

Arthur’s soul left his body.

Yuna continued, "And we’ll increase the number of hits you take as your body gets stronger."

Arthur simply nodded.

No words.

No energy left.

Yuna smiled faintly. "Alright... it’s time to eat."

Arthur froze.

Then—

He sprang to his feet instantly, as if nothing had happened.

"Let’s go!" he said excitedly. "I love eating time!"

Yuna blinked.

The three sisters covered their mouths, trying not to laugh—

Then failed.

Soft laughter filled the air.

Arthur ignored them completely.

’Food comes first. Pride comes later.’

They walked inside the mansion.

The kitchen was large and warm, filled with the rich aroma of freshly prepared food that instantly wrapped around Arthur’s senses.

Without hesitation, he sat down at the table.

Yuna took a seat beside him.

Arthur glanced around. "Is Julia not eating?" he asked.

"She already ate," Yuna replied calmly. "Don’t worry about her."

Arthur nodded.

Then—

The food arrived.

Plate after plate.

Grilled meat rich with protein.

Steamed vegetables packed with nutrients.

Rice, eggs, soups, and energy-dense dishes prepared specifically for martial artists.

Everything looked—

Perfect.

Arthur’s eyes almost watered.

’...This is heaven.’

He didn’t wait.

He started eating.

Fast.

Very fast.

"More," he said between bites.

The sisters brought more.

And more.

And more.

Yuna watched silently as he devoured everything like a starving beast.

"Slow down," she said.

Arthur shook his head. "No time."

By the time he finished—

He leaned back slightly.

Tears formed in his eyes.

"...That was delicious."

Yuna smiled faintly. "Good. Now let’s get back to training."

Arthur froze again.

Then slowly nodded.

’...Of course.’

They returned to the training ground.

This time—

Wooden statues stood lined up across the area.

Thick.

Solid.

Heavy.

Yuna pointed at them. "Break all of them," she said. "Only using physical strength. No mana. No Qi."

Arthur stared at her in disbelief. "You’re joking... right?"

Yuna gestured toward a pile nearby. "Do those look like a joke?"

Arthur followed her gaze.

Several statues—

Completely shattered.

His eyes widened.

Yuna said calmly, "Julia broke those using only physical force."

She looked at him directly. "Can’t you do the same?"

Arthur let out a long, hopeless sigh.

’...Why do I even ask anymore?’

He stepped forward.

Raised his fist.

And punched.

THUD.

Pain shot through his knuckles instantly.

"Ah—!" he winced, his hand turning red.

But—

He didn’t stop.

An awakened body was far stronger than a normal human.

And his strength wasn’t low either.

He clenched his teeth.

And punched again.

THUD.

Again.

THUD.

Again.

Slowly—

Cracks began to form across the surface.

Then—

CRACK.

The statue broke apart.

Arthur froze for a second.

Then—

A grin spread across his face.

"I did it."

Yuna nodded. "Good. Now do the same for all of them."

Arthur’s smile disappeared instantly.

’...I spoke too soon.’

For the next three hours—

He kept punching.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Until finally—

The last statue shattered.

Arthur stood there—

Barely.

His hands trembled violently, his entire body drained of strength.

Yuna walked up to him and applied the green balm to his hands once more.

"This is enough for today," she said.

Arthur exhaled deeply, relief washing over him.

Then—

Yuna added, "If you want, you can use the training area inside the mansion for extra practice."

Arthur stared at her.

’...She’s not human.’

Yuna continued calmly, "From now on, everything you did today—you will repeat daily."

Arthur nodded weakly.

Then asked, "...So can I finally sleep inside the mansion?"

Yuna replied instantly, "No."

Arthur froze.

"Until you can make Julia go all out," she continued, "you will sleep in the tent."

Arthur looked up at the sky.

’...Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.’

He sighed.

And accepted it.

Days passed.

One.

Two.

Three.

Each day—

The same routine.

Pain.

Training.

Endurance.

Growth.

Arthur’s body began to change.

Slowly—

But noticeably.

Muscles tightened.

His movements sharpened.

His endurance increased.

Eight days later—

The day finally arrived.

The day he would face Julia again.

-----

A/N:

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