The physical conditioning plan Master Jin gave Mizuno had four parts.
Head north into the forest, climb a mountain over a thousand meters tall, scale it from the cliff side, and then roll straight down the gentler slope—using nothing but your body.
At dawn, when the sky was just turning pale, Mizuno reached the mountaintop. Following the plan, he found a slope with about a forty-degree incline, tucked himself into a tight ball, and threw himself forward.
"Ugh—waaah—aaah—gah!"
Pained cries echoed down the mountainside as his body slammed against the hard ground again and again, kicking up clouds of dust.
Halfway down, a massive boulder stood directly in his path—
His head hit it dead-on.
Stars exploded in his vision before everything went dark. Limbs limp, he rolled the rest of the way down like a rag doll, coming to a stop at the base of the mountain.
Small animals scurried over him before, half an hour later, Mizuno finally twitched back to life.
Head west and cross a swamp without any equipment. Be careful—the swamp is home to crocodiles.
That morning, Mizuno waded into the murky water, shoving aside tall grass and forcing his way through. The thick mud sucked at his legs, each step draining his energy twice as fast as usual.
A dark-green crocodile burst from the reeds, jaws clamping down on his right arm.
Gritting his teeth, Mizuno grabbed the reptile's snout with his left hand, trying to keep its bite from crushing his arm entirely. Luckily, his newly toughened body held up—otherwise the beast's fangs would've ripped straight through.
The crocodile twisted violently into a death roll.
Forced to react, Mizuno rolled with it, matching its motion to lessen the tearing force. When it finally tired out, he yanked his arm free, lifted the reptile, and flung it aside before charging onward—
Only for another crocodile to surge from the water ten meters ahead.
Go deep into the southern forest, find a hidden cave, and steal whatever you find inside.
By noon, sunlight filtered through the leaves in golden shafts, making the woods glow like a sacred hall.
Mizuno sprinted between trees, clutching something tight in his arms.
Behind him thundered two enormous bears—one reddish brown, one golden—roaring furiously as they closed in.
Because of their colors, Mizuno mentally nicknamed them Big Bear and Little Bear.
A few minutes earlier, the pair had been peacefully preparing for their nap when Mizuno barged into their cave and made off with their honey stash. Now they were out for blood.
"Stop chasing me!" Mizuno shouted breathlessly, clutching the dripping honeycomb while zigzagging through the trees.
Anyone who thought bears were slow just because they looked bulky was dead wrong. They could sprint at sixty kilometers per hour and swat a human's head clean off. Thick fur and fat made them nearly bulletproof to boot.
And Mizuno had picked a fight with two.
Big Bear swung a paw. Mizuno ducked by instinct—the claws grazed his hood and smashed a nearby tree clean in half.
Cold sweat poured down his back. Adrenaline flooded his veins, forcing his exhausted muscles to keep moving. He ran harder than he ever had before.
At the southern edge of the forest, he threw the hive aside. As the two bears skidded to fight over their reclaimed treasure, Mizuno bolted from sight.
Meditate under the eastern waterfall, enduring two hours of nonstop pounding water.
By afternoon, under the blazing sun, Mizuno dragged his bruised, battered body to the waterfall where Hayakawa-san was already training. He collapsed face-down on the stone beside her, letting the water slam into his back.
"Trainer Mizuno, are you alright?" Hayakawa called out, concern in her voice.
"…" Mizuno didn't answer—just raised one trembling thumb.
Of course, he was not alright. Even though his injuries were hidden beneath his clothes, Hayakawa could easily imagine the state he was in. From her experience treating Uma Musume who crashed during races, Mizuno had to be one step short of "pineapple-pineapple"—completely tenderized.
"Maybe… we should stop here?" she murmured, reaching out to help him.
But the moment her hand moved closer, Mizuno shook his head, refusing.
He knew his body best. He was right at his limit—but that was the point.
Master Jin's words echoed in his mind: To grow stronger, you must first break yourself down. Let the body remember the pain, then rebuild harder than before.
Compared to climbing cliffs, wrestling crocodiles, and running from bears, simply lying here enduring the waterfall was almost relaxing.
"Trainer Mizuno…" Hayakawa whispered, her worry gradually turning into admiration.
Seeing him push himself so far for his goal filled her chest with quiet respect—and, unexpectedly, motivation.
"I'll work hard too!" she said with conviction, closing her eyes and returning to her meditation beneath the rushing water.
Cold streams crashed over her head and shoulders, washing away heat and stray thoughts. This was exactly why she came here—to still her heart, to clear away the distracting scent of Mizuno that lingered in her mind.
Maybe if she meditated long enough, she could finally suppress that intoxicating craving to breathe in his scent.
But suppressing desire when the object was far away was one thing.
Suppressing it when that object lay right beside you—drenched, exhausted, utterly defenseless—was something else entirely.
Her pulse quickened. The roar of the waterfall couldn't drown it out. The cold water couldn't cool the heat rising in her chest.
She clenched her thighs together, whispering faintly to herself, Follow current novels on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝓷𝓮𝓽
"Mou… You being right next to me… makes this desire-control training way too hard…"