Chapter 68
Karen had achieved the fourth point breakthrough.
"Hah... hah..."
Karen spat out ragged breaths as she watched the hero and the dwarves pulling farther ahead. Her mouth was parched dry, and her slender legs trembled uncontrollably even as she stood still. The clothes that were always pristine on her were soaked through with sweat, dirtied by the dust that had clung to the damp fabric in between.
The Dwarf City was in a place no human-made carriage could reach due to durability limits. Naturally, the slopes were steep, and for Karen, who had never done any real exercise, hitting her physical limits was inevitable.
"Too slow. Who told you to walk like that?"
"N-no... I'm doing my best."
Karen replied in a voice thick with fear as the hero rode up close on his horse. It had already been several days since they'd left Caliban Territory, and she'd been through similar situations multiple times by now.
"Your best? You think so? Can't you see everyone's waiting because of you?"
"..."
Karen shuddered as she saw the hero clench his fist. Every time she fell behind, he'd ride up and hurl words like that at her, always ending with a punch to the gut. Once she passed out from the blow, he'd sling her over the horse like luggage and gallop ahead of the dwarves. Then, when she woke up, the training would start all over again. That was the routine—and the reason her face went pale white at the sight of his raised fist now.
"N-no... I'm sorry about that. But really, this is my best..."
"Still a long way to go."
"Guh."
Karen groaned at the excruciating pain exploding in her stomach again, her mind going hazy moments later. And as consciousness faded, a stray thought crossed her mind.
'Maybe this is for the best...'
The gut punch was over in one go, but climbing the mountain was a constant, unrelenting agony. Being hauled like baggage on the horse wasn't pleasant, but at least it meant a break from the thigh-searing torture for a while.
* * *
"Stop showboating and get down, Karen."
The hero's voice reached Karen's ears as she lay draped over the horse's rump, unconscious—or so she pretended. She should've played it cool, but having been cowed by him, she flinched at the sound.
"N-no, I was just about to get off anyway."
In truth, she'd come to minutes ago but had kept up the faint act. Hanging off the horse's rear wasn't comfortable, but it beat walking on her own two legs by a mile.
But the damn hero seemed to know she was awake, speaking as if he'd seen right through her. Karen hopped off the horse at once. Watching him ride ahead slowly without a word, she started trudging up the rugged mountain path again. Her legs had recovered a bit from the brief rest, but each step sent throbbing pain through her thighs.
"Kekeke, look at that bitch, already wiped out."
"Hah, what a worthless piece of trash—not even any stamina!"
The dwarves, catching up late, jeered at Karen as she climbed with tears in her eyes. She didn't have the energy left to snap back. Her thighs and calves burned like fire, and her blistered, burst soles stung fiercely with every contact to the ground.
'Maybe it's better to just take the hit and pass out?'
For the first time, Karen wondered if the hero might actually be right. The pain from a gut punch wasn't something you got used to, but at least it was quick and efficient compared to this endless torment.
"Hah... hah... I-I can't walk anymore."
Finally reaching that conclusion, Karen stopped and called out to the hero. She inwardly cheered as he turned his horse toward her. Time for another break.
But the hero atop his mount just stared down at her with an odd expression, not swinging his fist like before.
"...Trying to slack off?"
"What?"
"You can still run, right? Or do you just prefer passing out to ride?"
"..."
Karen had no comeback to words that pierced straight through her thoughts. Her brilliant mind, always sharp no matter the situation, had flatlined.
"Want me to hit you just hard enough not to black out?"
The hero asked, and Karen shook her head furiously. She only took the hits to hitch a ride unconscious—not because she enjoyed the pain.
"Then run, Karen."
She nodded and hustled her legs again. Her thighs still throbbed, and her soles burned hotter than ever.
* * *
Thinking up some bullshit trick.
I snorted at Karen as she resumed climbing. Her mood and thoughts were plain as day. This wasn't my first rodeo with this insane training, after all.
In my previous life, Jena had put me through the exact same hell. Back then, I had nothing but my Immortal Body, and that's when the saintess and Jena showed up. Her very first "training" for me? This pointless sprinting.
Not that it was truly pointless. Run and run until you can't, get beat when you drop—repeat until your mind blanks out. You get numb to the pain, even start building a weird grudge-fueled drive.
Of course, I'd done it on the flat forest path from Kalein Village to the capital Lidea, while Karen was tackling the sheer cliffs to the Dwarf City. Totally different difficulty.
But that wasn't my problem. If anything, she might see the benefits faster than I had.
"Hweeeeng... ueeeek!"
Suddenly, Karen collapsed mid-sob, vomiting onto the ground. Too busy resting to eat, all that came up was stomach acid.
I halted my horse beside her as she retched up the sticky bile, just watching silently. My mere presence was pressure enough. When my shadow fell over her face, she jolted up reflexively.
And as she staggered forward again, a bizarre laugh bubbled from her lips.
"Heehee... hihi... Doesn't... hurt anymore. Weird... heehee."
I stiffened at the sight of her walking unsteadily, joints seeming loose like a broken doll.
Fourth point breakthrough.
I could tell her state now. The human body was strange—prolonged extreme strain could numb you to the pain entirely. Jena had called it the fourth point breakthrough; having lived it, I figured it was just your brain frying.
"Hey, that ain't dangerous?"
"Yeah, even for a bitch like her, won't her screws come completely loose?"
Even the dwarves riding up expressed concern.
"Heehee, I'm feelin' weird, heehee. Breathin' easy now? Heehee. Swing yer arms like this, legs go faster, legs faster means arms zoom too, ground flies back, so I'm super fast!"
I scowled at her mad mutterings as she shuffled along like a lunatic. She seemed to have broken through, but the state looked off.
"Huh? What's that?"
Then James, the dwarf beside me, yelped in surprise.
"Eung? Snake? Heehee?"
A small lizard perched on a rock near Karen, staring at her. The problem? No scaly reptile skin—just stark white bones.
Crunch.
And that skeletal lizard chomped down hard on Karen's outstretched finger.