Volume 1 Chapter 4 Training I
Pipina says.
"In this world between life and death, you don't get hungry, you don't feel sleepy, and no matter what injuries you have, you won't die. Plus, you can play around in this space however you want!"
"Uh, really...?"
"Well then, Elk. Let's start training Telekinesis!"
Pipina jumps up and shouts, "Yay!"
Elk is more of a quiet person, so he isn't really good with Pipina's energy.
Pipina snaps her fingers. Suddenly, a blackboard appears from nowhere.
"First, let me explain Telekinesis."
"Y-yes."
"Telekinesis. Haa... looking at the world below, I think everyone is too foolish. Telekinesis is seriously super strong!"
"Huh."
"Because, you can use it just by thinking, right? You don't have to move your body, you can sit down, close your eyes, or even be all tied up and still use it. Unlike magic, it doesn't consume any magic power... and, and, Telekinesis can do anything!"
"Anything...?"
"Yeah. The level is set to 10 because if it were too strong, the world would end. But, well, if it's just Elk, being super strong should be fine."
"R-really?"
"Yeah. But to get stronger, you need stamina! So, we'll be training Telekinesis and building stamina too!"
"Question!!"
"Yes, Elk."
"Um, stamina... right now, I feel like a soul, right? Can I build stamina by running and stuff?"
"Ooh, good question!"
Pipina, for some reason, puts on glasses.
"Sure, Elk is in a state of pure soul. But you know, the 'experiences' you have here are engraved in your soul. The experience of running, the experience of using telekinesis, all of that is remembered in your soul. When Elk returns to his body, all those experiences will reflect in his physical form, so don't worry!"
"Reflect in my body...?"
"Yeah. Two thousand years here is about 6 years in reality. Elk's soul will grow properly here, so you can relax!"
"Uh, okay."
Elk didn't quite understand.
But Pipina said with a smile.
"Alright, let's start by running!! Let's run all the way to my house, which is tens of thousands of kilometers away!!"
"...Huh?"
When Pipina snapped her fingers, the scenery changed.
It was a rocky area.
There were cliffs and a flowing river. The rocky terrain was very complicated and twisted.
"Let's run straight ahead!"
"No way, that's impossible!!"
"Don't worry!! It'll take over ten years to get there."
"...."
"Climb the rocky hills to build strength, go up and down the cliffs to improve balance, swim in the lake to build stamina, and run a lot to increase endurance!!"
"I might as well die...."
"Then, on your mark, get set, go!!"
"...Ugh, fine, I'll do it!!"
Elk started running.
Thus, the training for 2 thousand years began.
* * *
A year passed since he started running.
"Hah───, hah───...."
Elk was just running.
Running, resting, running, resting, over and over.
He didn't feel hungry. He didn't feel thirsty. He didn't get sleepy. But he was tired.
In a way, it was torture.
The first week was hell.
His body was trained, but just running continuously was too hard.
"Fight, fight!!"
Pipina's cheers were the only voices Elk could hear.
But even that was becoming hard to hear.
He kept running. With running... He couldn't tell if he was getting stronger or not.
It had been 2 years since he started running. Finally, he could see the end of the marathon.
"Ah...."
"Oh, I can see it! Let's climb up there and go to the next stage!!"
What he saw was a huge mountain... or rather, a cliff.
It towered higher than the clouds, a massive cliff.
"Okay, let's climb!!"
"...With my bare hands?"
"Of course!!"
Pipina was always so energetic.
And then, Elk realized.
"Oh, by the way... I feel like I've grown taller."
Without realizing it, Elk had turned 12.
* * *
A year passed since he started climbing the cliff.
"...."
He was used to it now.
He had gotten used to it.
Every day was just climbing the cliff. He didn't need sleep, so he didn't sleep. But he still felt tired.
He climbed, using his hands and feet to grip the rock crevices, climbing, climbing.
At first, it was scary.
But after a few days of climbing... one day, after climbing about 900m (≈ 2,953 ft), his hand slipped and he fell.
He hit the ground but didn't die.
In that moment, Elk felt free.
He had become a boy who just climbed the cliff.
Without realizing it, 2 years had passed since he started climbing. Elk was now 14, and thanks to climbing, he had built a strong and toned body.
And after 3 years of climbing, Elk was 15.
"Oh, I can see it. The top!!"
"...."
Elk reached the top.
And───quietly, he shed transparent tears.
"Okay, now let's go down. Oh, but don't jump down; you have to go down slowly. If you fall, you'll be sent back to the top."
"...Haha."
Elk smiled quietly.
* * *
Three years since the cliff descent.
Elk is 18 years old... but his physical age has stopped at 16.
After 3 years, he finally made it down the cliff.
His 16-year-old body is now toned, packed with solid muscles, looking like a fit young man.
"Wow, you have a great body!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, yeah! Next up is swimming!! Let's swim all the way to the other side!!"
The other side seems to be beyond the horizon.
Having never swum before, Elk decided to start with kicking his legs.
* * *
Four years have passed since he started swimming.
Elk has completely mastered the trick of floating on the water to rest.
Strangely, he doesn't get tired much. It seems swimming has really built up his stamina.
Elk has arrived at the other side.
"Good job!!"
Pipina offers him a towel.
Elk wipes his body and looks ahead.
"So, what's next?"
"Running!! Ready to go?"
"Yeah!!"
Elk, already pumped up, starts running.
With monster-like stamina, Elk runs slowly and carefully.
He has stamina, but it's not infinite.
He pushes himself while running.
"Huff, huff, huff, huff..."
He keeps his eyes forward and just runs.
Then, 3 years later───Elk finally finishes running.
He sees a huge temple.
Pipina is there holding the finish line tape.
With tears in his eyes, Elk───breaks through the finish line.
"Goaaaal!! Elk, you did it!!"
"I did ittttttt!!"
"Okay, let's practice Telekinesis now."
"...Oh."
Now that he thinks about it, it was supposed to be Telekinesis training.
Elk had completely focused only on 'finishing the race.'
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