Chapter 54

Iron Body Arts training was hell itself.

[Eleven! Twelve!]

"Nngh!"

SNAP! SNAP!

At twenty push-ups, his muscles tore.

[Twenty-five! Twenty-six!]

"Ggh...!"

POP! SNAP! SNAP!

At thirty, his tendons ruptured.

[Thirty-eight! Thirty-nine...!]

CRACK!

At forty, his arms broke.

"Aaargh...!"

[Hah! Pathetic! Is that all the willpower you possess? Show some grit!]

But Ammut had no intention of going easy on him. Instead, he laughed heartily at Suho's feeble body.

This was boot camp taken to the extreme.

Countless disciples had already fallen by the wayside, unable to endure his training.

But this pyramid was an Iron Body Arts training facility that Grand Shaman Kandiaru had prepared especially for Ammut.

[The training will continue, even with broken bones!]

WHOOSH!

No sooner had Ammut spoken than snow-white bandages flew in from every direction and wrapped around Suho's limbs.

CRACK! CRACK-CRACK!

Excruciating pain followed as his broken bones were forcibly set.

[There! Now you can continue training, can't you? Sixty more to go!]

These seemed to be the same kind of bandages that wrapped the mummies here. The enchanted bandages, capable of moving even rotting corpses, astonishingly allowed his broken limbs to move.

But they hadn't healed him, so the pain remained. No, forcing his broken arms to move only made the agony worse.

"Nngh!"

Ammut gave a sinister grin as Suho gritted his teeth, blood and sweat pouring from his entire body.

[What? Having regrets now? It's too late. Great power always comes with equally great suffering! You have but two paths before you. Enjoy the pain, or die in it.]

But Suho had a third option.

'So that's how you want to play it?'

Forcing the corners of his mouth upward, he opened the shop window.

CLINK!

[You have purchased 'Item: Lesser Healing Potion'.]

The potion floated up. Suho snatched it with telekinesis and poured it into his mouth.

GULP! GULP!

The healing potion seeped into his battered body. His broken bones knit back together, and his torn muscles began to regenerate.

[Huh?]

Ammut's eyes widened.

Looking revitalized, Suho met his gaze and asked, "So, how many did you say I had left?"

[...]

Ammut suddenly recalled just how many disciples he had driven to their deaths in his attempts to create another Tarnak.

Every last one had died screaming in agony.

But there was something different about this one.

Perhaps this time...?

Ammut bared his teeth in a sinister grin.

[Heh heh heh! What an interesting ability! Now I can increase the intensity without worrying!]

"No, wait."

That wasn't the idea!

RUMBLE...!

"Gah!"

An even heavier pressure crushed down on Suho.

[You have a long way to go! Let us continue!]

Only after repeatedly drinking potions each time his arms broke did Suho finally manage to finish the push-ups.

But hellish sit-ups awaited him next.

[One! Twooo! Two! Two! Hey! Keep your form straight!]

Good god.

Had sit-ups always been this dangerous?

At first, his abs hurt as though they were tearing apart. Then his back actually snapped.

"Nngh...!"

This really hurt.

It hurt too much for words.

WHOOSH!

Bandages immediately flew over again and wound around Suho's waist.

To reiterate, they merely forced his body to move. They did not stop it from hurting.

With superhuman willpower, Suho endured the near-blinding pain and opened the shop window.

CLINK!

[You have purchased 'Item: Lesser Healing Potion'.]

He forced his vertebrae back together with the healing potion and resumed exercising.

[Hahaha! Excellent, excellent!]

Ammut seemed delighted with Suho, who could be repaired and reused no matter how often he broke down(?).

Only after his back broke twice more did he finish all one hundred repetitions. By then, his entire body was swathed in bandages.

'Oh.'

A realization suddenly struck him.

"W-wait. Don't tell me all the mummies here ended up that way because of this?!"

[Hahaha! Exactly right! Every mummy in this pyramid is one of your good-for-nothing predecessors who departed before you!]

"Seriously..."

This gym really didn't cut anyone any slack.

[If you don't want to die and become a mummy yourself, do try to stay alive and endure to the very end! Light will surely await you there! Next, squats! Ooone! Twooo!]

This time, the hellish squats mercilessly shredded his thigh muscles.

CRACK!

With the gravitational field added to the strain, both his legs finally broke at once.

Once again, bandages flew over and wrapped around them.

"Shop..."

CLINK!

[You have purchased 'Item: Lesser Healing Potion'...]

Before he knew it, Suho was exercising with a healing potion held in his mouth like an IV drip.

Until, at last...

DING!

['Skill: Toughness' has leveled up!]

[Physical defense +40% → +60%]

"..."

How did that make any sense?

A little bodyweight exercise had actually increased his Toughness.

Of course, leveling up Toughness hadn't made him any stronger, so the exercise was just as grueling. It did, however, reduce the pain when he got hurt.

Considering that this hellish training was a daily quest, that would be a huge benefit in the long run.

He ought to be happy about that.

So why were there tears...?

[Good! Now for the run! Run at full speed!]

"..."

Naturally, the ten-kilometer run was no easy task either. Merely standing in that tremendous gravitational field was an ordeal.

The instant his legs lost even a little strength while running, he rolled an ankle. The immense pressure then crushed down on it and snapped the ligaments.

SNAP. SNAP. SNAP.

The sound of his ligaments snapping one after another was utterly chilling.

Then the bandages came rushing over to wrap his ankle, as though they had been waiting for this very moment.

'These fucking bandages!'

Now a full-fledged mummy, Suho's eyes blazed.

If he had to run anyway, wouldn't it be better to run faster?

Then this hellish workout would end sooner!

"Gray, Spirit Possession!"

[The spirit of 'Pet: Gray' possesses the shaman's body.]

WHOOSH!

Suho's hair turned silver, and wild energy swirled around his body.

[Activating 'Skill: Wind of the Grasslands'.]

[Movement speed temporarily increases by 30%.]

[Attack speed temporarily increases by 30%.]

As Suho sped up, Ammut burst into a satisfied laugh.

[Excellent, excellent! This disciple has plenty of tricks! Yes! Use every means at your disposal and run, run!]

"This is insane. How is that training? It's torture."

Watching it all from a distance, Esil couldn't close her mouth.

But Beru reacted differently.

[Ahem. This brings back memories.]

Beru wore a wistful expression, lost in recollection.

[Come to think of it, the Monarch once underwent similar training. Though the difficulty was a little different.]

"Lord Sung Jinwoo trained like that too? Oh, now that you mention it...!"

His words brought back Esil's own memories of the days when she had accompanied Sung Jinwoo as his guide.

He certainly had done some light exercise from time to time.

"... Hmm?"

Suddenly, Esil's expression froze.

But back then, it really had been light exercise.

Just ordinary push-ups.

Just ordinary sit-ups.

"...?"

[...]

Esil's and Beru's eyes met across the space between them.

Without either taking the lead, they silently nodded.

'Lord Sung Jinwoo had it easy.'

'My liege...'

For the sake of Suho's mental health, they would have to keep this secret for the rest of his life.

Another nod.

And so, a silent pact was sealed between them.

* * *

DING!

[You have completed 'Daily Quest: Iron Body Arts Training'.]

100 push-ups: Complete (100/100)

100 sit-ups: Complete (100/100)

100 squats: Complete (100/100)

10-kilometer run: Complete (10/10)

※ All exercises must be performed with Ammut on your back.

"I-it's overrr...!"

Wrapped in bandages from head to toe, Suho collapsed spread-eagled on the floor.

Ammut stared blankly at him and muttered, [Oh, so it really is possible?]

"What was that, you bastard?"

[No, ahem. Of course it was always possible. It's just that no one besides the Monarch of the Iron Body has ever succeeded. No, really!]

"..."

Under Suho's searing gaze, Ammut discreetly looked away.

DING!

A message arrived just then, drawing Suho's gaze away from Ammut.

[Your completion rewards have arrived.]

[Would you like to view your rewards?] (Y/N)

[The following rewards are available.]

Reward 1. Full Recovery

Reward 2. Stat points +3

Reward 3. One random box

Perhaps because it was another daily quest, the rewards were identical to those for killing a hundred goblins.

Then why did he feel so cheated?

"Accept all."

WHOOOSH!

Reward one: Full Recovery.

Suho, who had been on the verge of passing out, was restored to perfect condition in an instant.

He sprang up from his spread-eagled position, his body feeling light again. Ammut's eyes gleamed with interest.

[Oh? You really are a sturdy one. Excellent.]

Suho poured all his stat points into Strength. He would need it to endure this daily quest from now on.

Then came the eagerly awaited opening of the random box.

DING!

[You have acquired 'Item: Mummy's Bandages'.]

"You fuck...! Are you messing with me?!"

The curse escaped his mouth on reflex.

Still, having experienced them firsthand, he knew the bandages were remarkably effective.

[Item: Mummy's Bandages]

Acquisition difficulty: C-rank

Type: Consumable

Enchanted bandages created by Grand Shaman Kandiaru.

Forcibly enable your body to move even when you are near death.

(Selling this item to the shop will add it to the purchase list.)

"..."

Without another word, Suho sold the bandages to the shop.

CLINK!

['Item: Mummy's Bandages' has been added to the purchase list.]

[You can now purchase 'Item: Mummy's Bandages' from the shop.]

The bandages themselves didn't heal injuries, but they worked extremely well in combination with potions. Best of all, they were enchanted to wrap themselves, making them wonderfully convenient.

So why did he feel so irritated?

Once Suho had regained his senses(?), Ammut left his spirit form and returned to his original crocodile-giant body before addressing him.

"Heh heh. Well done. That's enough training for today. Now try using that skill from earlier again."

"What? Smite?"

"Yes. That clumsy version of Iron Body Arts."

"...?"

Tilting his head at those words, Suho imbued his fist with Ruler's Authority.

[Activating 'Skill: Smite'.]

At that moment...

WHOOSH!

The black gauntlet encasing Suho's fist spread past his elbow and all the way up to his shoulder.

DING!