Morning light barely touched the sky when Kael arrived at the back garden of Marquis Alvan's estate.
He wore simple training clothes, a towel hung around his neck, and one thought dominated his mind:
> Alright, today's the day I learn magic—maybe start by floating a cup, conjuring a fireball, or teleporting a pebble...
Magic.
Elegant. Sophisticated. Cool.
He was ready.
Until Elmond—his assigned magic tutor—pointed toward a dirt path leading up the mountain and said:
> "Start running."
Kael blinked.
> "Huh?"
> "Ten kilometers. Up the mountain and back. No magic. Use your legs."
He blinked again.
> "Wait… aren't we supposed to learn magic?"
Elmond didn't reply. He just stared coldly.
Behind them, Marquis Alvan sipped his tea and muttered,
> "I asked the same thing once."
Kael glanced at the mountain.
Then at them.
Then back at the mountain.
> "But I already memorized the Aqua Spear II incantation! I even nailed the hand signs. I'm ready to cast!"
> "Run," said Elmond flatly.
So Kael ran.
He didn't last five minutes.
His legs burned, his lungs exploded, and his brain screamed:
> This isn't a magic academy… this is boot camp!
When he finally stumbled back, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, Elmond tossed him a bamboo water bottle.
> "Next. Fifty push-ups. Then sit-ups. Then a three-minute plank. No magic."
Kael collapsed on the grass.
> "This... isn't... magic class..."
Elmond crouched beside him, eyes sharp.
> "Magic flows through the body. Weak body, poor control. If mana runs wild, you'll faint. Or... explode."
Kael's eyes widened.
> "Explode again...?"
> "If you don't want to become a walking bomb, strengthen your vessel."
A few hours later…
Kael sat beneath a waterfall.
His hands trembled. His legs felt like mush. His pride? Already dead.
The freezing water slammed against his back.
His teeth chattered.
His soul left his body—twice.
> "Just like an anime…" he whispered. "Except I don't have a dragon mentor or a cheat item…"
Elmond lounged nearby, flipping through a book lazily.
> "You're oddly calm."
> "I'm... just regretting... life."
> "Good. That means you're learning."
By sunset…
Kael had:
Run a total of twenty kilometers.
Done more push-ups, sit-ups, and planks than his entire lifetime.
Nearly drowned under a waterfall.
And still hadn't cast a single spell.
When he lay half-dead on the grass, Lilia approached with a towel and a bowl of hot soup.
> "Oh, you're still alive."
> "Half of me, maybe..."
Lilia chuckled. She placed the bowl beside him.
> "You thought magic was just reading chants and doing hand gestures?"
Kael stared at the sky.
> "I thought… it'd be cool."
> "It will be. Once you stop fainting every ten minutes."
He sipped the soup slowly.
> "If this is only day one... I might die by day three."
The next day… and the day after… and the day after that…
What Kael thought was a one-time hardship turned into a month-long routine from hell.
Every morning, Elmond's voice rang like a cursed alarm clock:
> "Wake up. Time to train."
And every single day, he trained everything but magic:
Mountain and river runs.
Push-ups under the rain.
Silent meditation beneath a freezing waterfall.
Lifting rocks the size of goats.
Planks on artificial snow.
Climbing trees, falling, and climbing again.
One time, Kael was even forced to run while carrying a water barrel heavier than his dignity.
> "THIS ISN'T MAGIC TRAINING! THIS IS A SURVIVAL REALITY SHOW!!" Kael screamed.
Elmond calmly replied,
> "Mana can't be controlled by a weak body. Strengthen your body. Then we'll talk magic."
[DING!]
One afternoon, just as Kael was about to collapse after a 15-kilometer run without breakfast, a familiar voice rang inside his head.
> [Side Quest Updated!]
Title: Iron Body, Pure Mana
Description: Complete intense physical training for 30 consecutive days.
Objectives:
Train hard every day ✔️
No magic assistance ✔️
Stay conscious for more than 3 days ❌
Rewards:
+20 Permanent Stamina
Unlock Skill: Mana Endurance I
Unlock Meditation Technique: Inner Core
Kael stared at the translucent blue screen with a blank expression.
> "So... there was a point to all this?"
He chuckled.
That hollow, life-flashed-before-my-eyes kind of chuckle.
> "But why is it only +20 stamina? I feel like I lost 200…"
Day 29
Kael woke up before Elmond called for him.
His body still ached, but not like before.
His steps were steadier. His breath no longer vanished after a few meters.
Something had changed.
The mana within him… felt calmer.
More obedient.
More under control.
And for the first time, Elmond looked at him and said:
> "Tomorrow… we start magic."
Kael stared at the morning sky, eyes sparkling.
> "Finally… magic!"
Then he muttered under his breath,
> Please don't give me another side quest involving goat-lifting fire chants…