When sunset arrives, Yasoke stands up with extreme difficulty; the hardest part of the situation was simply supporting his own weight. The weight of the white tank top was immense, but Yasoke possessed the eyes of determination and an internal hatred expressed only through the coldness of his gaze and his absolute silence. Yasoke's heavy footsteps, circling the house, could be heard; he could not run, only walk. His eyes, pale with frustration, were what kept him on his feet.
By nightfall, he completes the sixth lap, and at the start of the seventh, the weight of the tank top sextupled. However, instead of hitting the deck, his feet sank into the ground and Yasoke kept walking. The thugs and Yuji were impressed by the boy's persistence. Yuji felt a bitter taste in his mouth, as it was the first time he had seen someone, without prior training, manage to complete more than five laps with the weight increasing progressively.
"This kid is carrying approximately two tons and 880 kilograms; this is bizarre," Yuji commented. While he was impressed, the thugs questioned whether this was even reality.
After three hours, he completes the eighth lap, which septuples the weight; however, the pressure is so great that it sends Yasoke straight to the ground. Yuji, realizing this could lead to the young man's death, moved with speed and removed the tank top from the boy, who fell unconscious after regurgitating blood.
"Everything is fine, everything will be okay. Wait for the signal. Yasoke is dreaming; everything feels real: the sand I step on, the sea I look at... everything feels real," a voice echoes in Yasoke's thoughts. He doesn't know what is happening. "Doors, doors, doors..." Yasoke can't stop thinking about the word "door," which repeats infinitely. He is hallucinating; perhaps the pressure of the training exerted went far beyond what he could endure. "Find me in Northrain and distribute a fruit soup when you find me," says a voice from beyond to Yasoke, who understands nothing.
Yasoke wakes up fully healed; his wrist and his body are intact. He is impressed to see Yuji with the thugs drinking tea outside the house. They aren't just drinking tea: they are playing chess, and Yasoke notices that, strangely, the day looks more beautiful. So, he gets dressed, takes his training tank top and his shoes—which, curiously, are heavy—and his jeans, which are also heavy. Then, he climbs up the chimney and, instead of using the ladder, jumps straight down.
"Yasoke's awake! Look, I swapped all your clothes for special garments!" Yuji delivers a checkmate to the thugs, who are impressed and start applauding. "By the way, since we can't watch TV during training, we'll just listen to the radio. There's some good music to unwind, just listen!"
Yuji turns on the radio and receives the following news: "Conflicts in the ancient land: the fight for the territory of Barbidia intensifies. Lutherking increases the number of soldiers on the front line, led by four-star general Paco Lustrosa, who is massacring all the soldiers of the Fallswest metropolis." After the news, an upbeat song begins to play.
"Perfect! Now let's start your training. You suffered too much yesterday, so I had to take you to the hospital. Thanks to my contacts, the head of the General Hospital healed you up in a jiffy!"
Yasoke is impressed and stares at Yuji, awaiting his orders.
"The routine will be as follows: we have to push your body to the limit. We have three days for me to prepare you for the tournament; therefore, the training will be hellish. At the start of the day, you will hang from that tree by your feet; then, you will strike the center of the scarecrow, and finally, you'll run around my house. Given your physique, Pure Macogo is ideal for you; so, start now!"
Yuji picks up a book and starts reading, while Yasoke heads to the first stage of training. Yasoke goes to the tree and hangs himself by his feet.
"Now, Mr. Miguel and Mr. Zilmar, you can strike the boy!"
Yasoke is startled, as are the thugs. "Hey, you scoundrel, you didn't tell me anything about this!" Yasoke says, revolted. "But hanging there without any challenge would be no fun. Your objective is to fortify your body so you don't fall from the tree!" Yuji replies and, after saying this, returns to his reading.
The thugs, not knowing what to do, position themselves in front of Yasoke and start punching his face and chest. Yasoke wonders how long this would last and, without needing to ask, Yuji answers: "It's eight o'clock now. You will be beaten until twelve o'clock and you cannot fall from the tree. If you fall, you go back and have to hang yourself again, restarting the whole process!"
Yuji goes back to reading. The first few minutes are hell; Yasoke already felt the urge to vomit and his face was turning purple, but he had to endure. After the first hour passed, his strength began to fade, but there were still three hours left to bear. Yasoke thought that at the end of it all, the effort would be rewarded. Half the time passes and he continues to be struck consecutively. He was already losing consciousness and turning pale, but he refused to fall from the tree.
Three hours pass and his face is unrecognizable, with large bruises and blood dripping from his mouth. His stomach was purple due to the countless blows, but his will was still great. When the time limit is reached, the thugs stop striking and look at Yasoke, totally disfigured, with his white tank top stained with blood, but still hanging from the tree. After a few minutes, he falls, with no strength left.
Yuji closes the book with tears in his eyes: "I can't believe he died! Damn author!" He sees Yasoke on the ground, looks at the clock, and breaks into a smile: it was 12:04 PM. "Now get up, because your training isn't over yet. We still have the scarecrows and the laps around the house."
One of the thugs replies: "Sir, I don't think he's doing very well."
Yuji disappears and reappears with a box of syringes. "These are magic syringes! Just inject them and he'll be healed, hehehe!" Yuji had gone to the Lutherking General Hospital and stolen the syringes, but likely had some excuse for such an act.
Yuji applies the injection to Yasoke; his wounds begin to heal and his vigor returns. Yasoke stands up somewhat dazed and Yuji points to the scarecrows. Yasoke catches the idea and heads toward them, but remembers that the last time he struck the scarecrow, he broke his wrist. He closes his hand into a fist with confidence and looks at Yuji, who gives a thumbs-up with both hands.
Yasoke starts by striking lightly; the scarecrow wasn't as rigid, but it was still difficult. He repeats the movement, delivering an uppercut. Yuji explains: "It's 12:20 PM. You will strike this scarecrow nonstop, with kicks and punches, until 3:20 PM!"
This truly was no ordinary training. Yasoke continues striking the resistant scarecrow. After minutes, his fists begin to scream for mercy and his feet are sore, but apparently, the physical pain wouldn't move him. The worst part wasn't the injuries to his hands and feet, but the extreme fatigue that highlighted the wounds. After half the time, he could no longer move his arms and legs properly; they were very heavy. The blood dripping from his fists and feet painted the center of the scarecrow. The weight of his limbs required immense willpower just to lift his arm and even more strength to strike. It was extremely frustrating, but Yasoke completed the second part of the training.
Glancing at the scarecrow, he notices it is painted with a mixture of blood and sweat. Yasoke cannot walk; he can't take it and collapses to the floor again. Yuji understands what happened and applies the syringe, leaving him as good as new. Yasoke wakes up and Yuji explains: "Now complete the laps and today's training will be over. Then, we will eat."
Yasoke, still dazed, only wanted to escape that hell, but he ignores the thoughts of quitting and begins the laps around the house. He manages to complete the laps suffering a bit less, although the seventh is still torture. However, he does it consciously, with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. At the start of the eighth lap, Yuji orders him to stop and congratulates him: "Congratulations, Yasoke! You are evolving. Now let's eat; it's late."
It was approximately 7:00 PM. Yuji jumps to the roof to enter through the chimney; Yasoke climbs the ladder and goes down the chimney. "We'll have to share the food with Miguel and Zilmar, okay?" Yuji smiles, flashing glistening teeth.
Yasoke is indignant, but apparently, that's part of the training. So, Yasoke, Yuji, Miguel, and Zilmar eat two kilograms of bread, eight liters of water, and plenty of ham.