As I saw the tired, restless faces of the warriors—struggling through their inhuman workout—I relaxed under the shade, enjoying coconut water and fruits.
I could feel their bloody glares aimed not just at my food, but at me.
It was clear: the moment they surpassed me, they'd beat me until I died.
And yet... I was enjoying every second of it.
Finally, both male and female warriors completed their 1,000 push-ups and squats.
I called them to gather.
Just then, I noticed the four scouts were about to stop as well.
They assumed I was calling everyone.
But I shouted coldly,
"I said the others—not you! If you stop, I'll break your leg and make you run on a broken one!"
Tears welled in their eyes as they continued running, legs trembling.
The warriors lined up in front of me.
I walked toward them with my hands behind my back, deep silence hanging over the training grounds.
Everyone was quiet—no one dared speak.
I approached one male warrior, a bit plump-looking, his face covered in sweat.
I stared into his eyes, unblinking.
"Did you complete the whole 1,000 push-up set?"
He stuttered, unable to make eye contact.
"Y-Yes, Chief..."
I leaned in closer to his ear.
"Are you sure?"
He replied again,
"Yes, Chief..."
I moved on, pacing slowly.
"You know one thing humans always do when they're in a difficult position?
They lie.
And I don't say that's a bad thing. You can lie—until you get caught.
But once you're caught... everything becomes worse than the original situation.
If I ever catch your lie... things could become deadly."
I turned back toward him with a straight face.
"I may take your manhood.
And for the women—I may take your bathing water. So you'll never bathe again in your life."
Everyone's expressions turned serious—even afraid.
I stood before him again.
"I ask you one more time... did you complete your 1,000 push-up set?"
This time, he gathered the courage to meet my gaze.
His voice trembled,
"S-Sorry, Chief. I lied... I was tired... I hit my limit at 999."
He lowered his head.
"Chief, it was just one push-up... please forgive me."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Well... if you defend against 999 attacks from an orc warrior but miss just one... will you say to death, 'It was only one hit—I missed just once. Please let me live?'"
He had nothing to say.
I placed a hand on his shoulder, speaking in the gentle tone of a caring father,
"This training is for you.
To make you strong. If you become strong—no one can harm you or your loved ones.
Your strength is humanity's strength.
I'm doing this because I care for your well-being.
I can't bear to see you in pain...
So just forget about the 999 push-ups."
His eyes sparkled with emotion.
"Chief... I'm sorry."
I smiled—a creepy smile.
"So... let's start again. With 1,000 push-ups."
His expression shifted from gratitude to pure horror.
"But Chief—you just said you care for my well-being and don't want to see me in pain..."
I smirked.
"I lied."
He collapsed to his knees, gloomy and defeated.
Then, I shifted my expression and spoke loudly,
"You warriors don't need to worry. I care about your hard work.
You completed my first training order—and I can see you are all tired.
So now... it's time to eat."
Their faces lit up like children seeing a festival.
"Yes! Nutrients are important—or we'll all get sick. Am I right?"
They shouted together,
"Yes, Chief!"
I grinned.
"To eat food... we need food.
So—go and hunt animals.
Also, bring me some too—or I'll take yours."
Their smiles vanished—shock plastered on their faces.
"What? You expected me to bring you food?
Ha! Act your age! Go bring the food!
You have two hours. Then training begins again."
They staggered off like zombies, groaning.
The male warriors couldn't use their arms from the pain, and the female warriors limped from the squats.
I whistled.
"My dear four scouts!"
They came running—panting like broken engines.
"You can now go hunting with the others too. But you have just one hour, okay?"
They tried to protest,
"Chie—"
I interrupted them.
"Come on! You're losing time!"
They ran into the forest, tears forming in their eyes.
Then I heard a laugh from behind.
"Hahaha... you also need to act according to your age."
I turned around.
"Oh... Chief."
He nodded.
"Now you're Chief. Call me Elder Belon."
I replied,
"Well, Elder Belon—my strength exceed my age. So why should my behavior match it?"
He laughed again.
"Well... it's true. You act like you've already lived an extra life."
I just laughed it off.
Elder Belon looked at me for a moment, then said,
"Don't you think your training is a bit... excessive?"
I replied in thought,
"I don't think so."
('You don't know how my masters and teachers treated me... they thought I was a sinner from past generations who didn't have the right to even ask for food.')
Lost in dark memories, I didn't notice Elder Belon shaking me.
"Chief! Are you there?"
I snapped back,
"Yeah, yeah..."
"So what I'm saying is—they're too weak.
And we don't know when the orcs will attack.
I don't have a clear timeframe to prepare.
So I need to push them to their limits—so they can break through their bottlenecks."
Elder Belon nodded.
"Valid reason."
Then he asked,
"What about the four scouts? You treat them... more harshly."
I smiled slightly.
"Well, in any battle—the first people who die... are scouts.
So they need extra care."
I brushed my hands together with a devilish glint in my eye.
Elder Belon saw my face and sighed.
"Just don't kill them."
Suddenly, I heard Dries' voice.
We turned together to see Dries and Aries approaching. Aries was holding a thin, thread-like material in his hands.
Dries greeted us,
"Hello, Chief. Hello, Father."
I nodded,
"Dries, how was your search?"
He reported,
"Chief, the Jeta Mountain Range is too big to explore alone... but we covered a lot of area around the Meric mine.
We found some strange stones, rocks, and weird trees."
I rubbed my chin.
"Well... strange stones and rocks... might be some kind of different metal. I'll need to look into that."
I asked,
"Was there anything dangerous in the Jeta Mountain Range?"
Dries and Aries looked at each other, their faces darkening.
Dries said seriously,
"There is... a certain danger in the Jeta Mountain Range."
I narrowed my eyes.
"What kind of danger?"
Dries replied,
"We found footprints of an Amora."
Elder Belon's expression changed drastically.
"Amora... you say?"
I turned to him.
"What is an Amora?"
Elder Belon spoke solemnly,
"Amora is a magical beast of legend.
A massive lion... with fiery facial hair and three tails.
It can... use magic."
I froze.
"Wait a minute... magic?"