After lunch, I went back to the classroom with Cassian, Ken, and Adam. But as I walked down the hall, Cassian suddenly grabbed my shoulders, slowing my pace. He looked like he wanted to speak to me about something but was keeping quiet so Ken and Adam wouldn't hear.
"Hey man, can we talk?" he asked in a hushed voice.
"Yeah, sure, what's up?"
He glanced around, eyeing Ken.
"Not now. After school, okay? Meet me at the same place we spoke last time."
I nodded, and we made our way to the classroom. After classes were over, we went to the boxing gym to do some training. This time, it was the second years' turn to do some sparring, so we first years had to stick with strength training.
Cassian was by far the strongest of the three of us. It looked like most of his training focused on strength. Ken and I struggled a bit, and by the time we were done, our muscles were sore all over.
After training, I met Cassian at the sports field, the same spot we had met before. He had a serious expression on his face, even going so far as to ask if I was followed by Ken. It took a while for me to convince him that I wasn't, and only then did he get down to the meat of the matter.
"Do you have anything planned for tonight?" he asked suddenly.
I thought about the question. I wasn't sure how my night would go since I had training with Alexa tonight, and I had no idea how long that would last.
"Not sure how my night will go; chances are I will be busy."
Cassian's shoulders slumped at my answer. He hissed his teeth and kicked up some dirt.
"Dammit!" he sighed. "Guess I'll have to go by myself."
"Go where?" I asked.
"A boxing match. There's one taking place tonight that I really wanted to see."
"Oh, so why not ask Ken to go with you?"
"It's an illegal boxing match, and you already know how he is."
"Illegal? How could a boxing match be illegal?"
"You know, underground fights and stuff. Fights that aren't properly regulated. I thought it would be interesting to finally see a match in person. Screw it, I'm just gonna go by myself."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked. "The fact that the match is illegal probably means there's something shady going on behind the scenes. A place like that sounds dangerous."
"Yeah, I know you're right, but I really want to see one of the matches." He shook his head solemnly, clearly disappointed. "Anyway, thanks, man. I'll see you later."
With that, he walked away. Something told me he was still going to see the match.
Entering my house, I hoped Thalia was there so we could have a proper conversation, but unfortunately, she wasn't. I took out the golden key Alexa gave me and opened my room door.
Before me was an endless track stretching as far as the eye could see. Alexa was there, sitting on a chair with an umbrella over her head.
"What is this?" I asked.
She smiled and crossed her legs before answering.
"For today's training, you'll be completing a marathon. This track stretches for 30 miles, so if you're fast enough, you can finish in about 5 hours."
[Time Remaining to finish marathon: 6 hours]
Just as she said this, a screen popped up and started counting down without giving me time to think. I immediately took off in a sprint.
The track was similar to the ones professional runners used, except there wasn't any end in sight. To the side of the track was freshly cut grass that I could barely tell was real or fake. The only thing that gave it away was the scent.
The worlds Alexa transported me to had similar features to Earth, but they were all different in their own way. I focused mainly on my breathing as I ran, maintaining a steady rhythm so I wouldn't tire out easily.
About an hour into my run, I felt the slightest burning sensation in my leg. I pushed it to the back of my mind and continued trekking along.
[IMPROVEMENTS]
+-----+
Power: 8 -> 10
Speed: 14 -> 17
Endurance: 11 -> 15
+-----+
My power had increased. It made sense since a lot of the power in boxing came from your feet. I collapsed on the track a little after five hours. My muscles were burning with intense fatigue, and my clothes were completely drenched in sweat.
Alexa stood right over me.
How does she always teleport to the finish line?
"Not bad; your stamina has improved a lot since we first started. I reckon you can now go a full match with a professional boxer while having energy to spare."
After she said that, her face took a grim turn, but then her mischievous smile returned. Seeing that, an uneasiness settled in my stomach. Whenever she got serious or was overly excited about something, it almost always meant trouble for me. I swallowed hard just thinking about it.
"What is it?" I asked, dreading what the answer would be.
"We never expected you to come this far," she replied.
There it was. That 'we' again. Who exactly is this 'we' she keeps talking about?
"We have noticed your hard work, but there is a problem with your development."
"Problem? What problem?"
"The intense training is putting a strain on your body. We've already detected a few anomalies. Your body simply isn't suited enough, and for that, we've come up with a solution."
"What kind of solution are we talking about?" I asked.
"A complete deconstruction and reconstruction of your entire body."