Crane left quietly, leaving only Foxy and Zephyr in the office. Although Zephyr didn’t emit any intimidating aura, Foxy couldn’t help but feel nervous.
Looking at Zephyr’s thigh-thick arms and the powerful muscles hidden under his clothes, Foxy felt like a small chick in comparison.
“Let’s go meet your future companions,” Zephyr said decisively, standing up and heading for the door.
“Yes, Admiral Zephyr,” Foxy replied, following behind with determined steps.
“From now on, call me Teacher Zephyr,” Zephyr instructed without turning around, maintaining a stern expression.
“Yes, Teacher Zephyr,” Foxy responded. For some reason, he felt even more nervous and apprehensive. Was it because of Zephyr’s overpowering presence?
“Gather!” Zephyr’s strict command echoed as they reached the training ground.
Foxy noticed some children shivering slightly, indicating their fear of Zephyr.
Standing neatly in two rows, the children, varying in height and age, stood at attention and stared at Zephyr.
“Foxy, introduce yourself,” Zephyr ordered.
“Yes,” Foxy replied, trying to keep his expression serious.
He wanted to appear relaxed, but Zephyr’s aura was too overwhelming, creating a heavy atmosphere.
“My name is Foxy. I am 14 years old. Please take care of me,” Foxy introduced himself.
“Hmph!” Some children crossed their arms and looked at Foxy with disdain, while others smirked, amused by his nervousness.
Foxy felt a sinking feeling. These kids didn’t seem easy to get along with.
“Now, get familiar with each other by running five laps around the field,” Zephyr commanded abruptly.
At this order, all the children seemed to wilt, looking dejected.
“Teacher Zephyr?” a boy with short blond hair and a broad chin, looking about sixteen or seventeen, started to speak but was silenced by Zephyr’s stern look.
“Gaspard, make it six laps,” Zephyr added coldly. “Anyone else have a problem?”
Seeing Zephyr’s stern gaze, no one dared to speak up.
“Why are you still standing there? Start running!” Zephyr roared.
“Yes, sir!” Dust flew as the children started running under the sunlight.
Foxy joined the run without needing Zephyr to prompt him but was quickly dismayed by the size of the training ground. Each lap was about eight or nine kilometres, making five laps daunting.
These kids ran incredibly fast, leaving Foxy far behind almost immediately.
Foxy pushed himself with all his might but could only trail behind them.
MMP, this is brutal.
After completing one lap, Foxy was panting and sweating profusely while the others were already on their second lap, barely breaking a sweat.
What frustrated Foxy the most was being overtaken by a little girl who smiled sweetly at him, making him feel the sting of deep-seated malice instead of warmth.
He couldn’t even keep up with a loli. It was a humiliating disgrace.
The track was ten kilometres long, equivalent to twenty 500-meter tracks. Running five laps totalled fifty kilometres, an exhausting marathon.
Even though Foxy had been training for over a month, fifty kilometres was still a daunting challenge.
Slowly, the fast runners began to slow down, panting and sticking out their tongues.
Foxy kept a steady pace, maintaining his breathing despite the sweat and weakening legs.
Three kids stood out among the runners, particularly the wild loli, who was in the second group. Foxy was in the third group, trailing alone.
As the sun continued to beat down, the number of runners dwindled. Most had finished their five laps, leaving only Foxy and Gaspard, who had an extra lap to run.
With his mouth dry and legs like lead, Foxy persevered.
“Your name is Foxy?” Gaspard asked as they ran side by side. It was Foxy’s fifth lap and Gaspard’s sixth.
“Yes… hello…” Foxy panted, trying to smile but looking worse than if he were crying.
“You’re weak,” Gaspard sneered before speeding up and leaving Foxy behind.
Foxy’s face stiffened as he watched Gaspard disappear into the distance, wishing he could slow him down with a photon slowdown.
Damn, at such a young age, he’s already a bully. Shouldn’t he help a fellow runner out?
But despite wanting to catch up, Foxy’s body wouldn’t cooperate.
Gaspard’s name sounded familiar. Blond hair, big mouth, wide chin, and a fierce look—a delinquent’s face.
Unable to recall where he had seen or heard of Gaspard, Foxy gritted his teeth and kept running.
Despite his slow pace, he eventually finished.
Feeling like a dying dog, Foxy supported himself on his knees, panting heavily and drenched in sweat. He looked utterly dishevelled.
Everyone watched him.
“Your physical condition is too poor,” Zephyr frowned.
Straightening up, Foxy was still panting heavily, his chest heaving and legs trembling.
“Teacher Zephyr, I will work hard,” Foxy declared, clenching his fists. His pride was stronger than he realised.
He had worked hard to get here, enduring humiliation, flattery, and even life-threatening dangers. He couldn’t give up halfway.
His left eye throbbed. He had already faced life-threatening situations; what was there to fear now?
Besides, there was fixing his appearance—he couldn’t afford to be careless!
“Work hard, of course. I won’t treat you any differently just because Crane recommended you. Everyone here is the same. Your days will be hellish, and you might die if you’re not careful,” Zephyr warned coldly, eyeing Gaspard and the others sternly.
Swallowing nervously, the kids held their breath. They had only been in the academy briefly, some for a month or two, so they didn’t fully understand Zephyr’s temper.
“That’s it for today. Rest well. Tomorrow, real training begins. If you don’t meet my standards, you’ll find out the hard way.”
“Drake, take Foxy to your dormitory. The rest of you are dismissed.”
Without waiting for a response, Zephyr disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Seeing Zephyr vanish, all the trainees breathed a sigh of relief. His presence was simply too overwhelming.
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