> Yuri PoV

Ellie looks down at us from the treetops as we run past.

“You people make me sick. You want to call yourself adventurers?! I’ve seen worms that were tougher than you! Why did you even come here if you’re just going to bitch and moan at me?! Huh?!” (Ellie)

Does she HAVE to keep spouting that abuse, though?! What part of this is ‘instruction’ exactly?!

“Haah, haah, haah!” (Yuri)

And just how much longer are we going to keep running?! We’ve been going around in circles for 4 hours already! I really want to take a break! Maybe if I slowed my pace a little-

*Fwit*

Ack! What was that?! Something black just whizzed past my eyes!

“I didn’t say you could rest, maggot!” (Ellie)

Nevermind! I can keep running!

“Yes ma’am!” (Yuri)

That Ellie is scary! Seriously scary! It’s only been three days, but I already want to go home! Over a quarter of the people who showed up that day gave up on the first day! Even more left on the second! Now there’s only 20 of us left! Out of more than a hundred! But I can’t give up just yet! If it’s just moving my body around I’ll do it for as long as she tells me!

“Grom! You’re slacking off! What sort of legionnaire are you! Your ancestors are laughing at your pitiful efforts!” (Ellie)

“Evil. Fuuu. Bloody. Fuuu. Cunt. Fuuu.” (Grom)

“What was that, maggot?! You saying you can run without arms!? Because that’s all I’m hearing when you mumble like that!” (Ellie)

“No ma’am! Fuuu. Fuuu. No such thing!” (Grom)

“That’s what I thought, retard!” (Ellie)

At least it’s not just me she’s picking on! But if even a former soldier like Grom can’t satisfy her, what hope do the rest of us have?! Ah, I guess being a dwarf makes it hard to run around on this course. It’s a miracle he can make it past the part of the track that’s filled with cold muddy water. It’s so deep it probably goes all the way up to his chest!

“Oh! It looks like we have a lazy worm. Congratulations Russ! Everyone gets to do another lap because of you!” (Ellie)

Russ collapsed again!? Well of course he did! There’s no way that black haired boy can keep up with this! He’s barely fifteen years old! Granted, I’m only eighteen myself, but he’s way too frail to be running as much as the rest of us! It’s a miracle he stuck with this exhausting training regime for so long!

“Haah, haah, haah!” (Yuri)

More laps! Damn it! I can still do it! If I give up over something this mundane then I’ll really be nothing but a failure! I just wish we weren’t running around in the middle of the forest! The misshapen terrain and the trees in the way make this overgrown course feel like it’s twice as long as it actually is!

“I’ve seen porridge with more determination than you sorry sacks of piss!” (Ellie)

And of course Ellie’s keeping a close eye on all of us! If someone tries to slack off, she makes the rest of us run even more! If someone refuses to run she breaks their legs! And then her bird friend heals them! And then Ellie breaks them again unless the poor soul starts running right away! She already did that like six times! I don’t dare defy her! I like my legs!

“Haah, haah, haah, haah!” (Yuri)

This is torture, isn’t it?! This is actual torture! What’s any of this running got to do with adventuring!?

Ah, I’m running past where Russ has collapsed. Poor guy, his black hair and handsome face are both covered in mud. Mages aren’t meant for this sort of exertion, right?! Alright, let’s give him a hand! I scoop him up with one arm as I run past him. I throw him across my shoulders in a fireman’s carry without stopping!

“Huh? Wha? Yuri?” (Russ)

I glance to the side to check on him. He can barely breathe and his face is ghostly pale, but at least he seems to be awake now.

“Haah, haah! Rest up! Haah, haah!” (Yuri)

“Th-thanks. Sorry for the trouble.” (Russ)

“What’s this? Picking up garbage you find laying around the ground Yuri!? Should you really be doing that?” (Ellie)

I don’t care! Russ is part of my team! Along with Grom! I’ll carry both of them if I have to, but I’m not going to let them be bullied by that despicable woman! I just know she’s going to use his inability to stand up as an excuse to start her leg breaking cycle!

He’s not that heavy anyway. He should know this sort of thing is no trouble for me by now, but he still worries. Such a nice boy! He’s actually a bit cute when he’s being all needlessly concerned like that!

“Seems to me like Yuri isn’t focusing on her training! Congratulations! One more lap for everyone!” (Ellie)

Ack! Damn it all!

“Bossy bitch… Just because she’s Rank A-” (Russ)

“Shut it!” (Yuri)

“Eep!” (Russ)

I seriously don’t want her to give me any more laps!

“Who said you could sneak a potion onto my obstacle course, baldie?! I’ll be lenient though, I won’t give out any more laps today! Be grateful, vermin!” (Ellie)

Alright! That was clo-

“Instead you all get to do twenty extra push-ups before bed! Doesn’t that sound like fun?!” (Ellie)

OH COME ON!

* * *

I stoke the campfire to make sure it doesn’t go out. My tail flame isn’t bright enough to chase away this darkness. Well, at least not when I’m calm like this. I really want to sleep, but it’s my turn to keep watch at night so I can’t afford something selfish like that! I just wish we had more people, having only three of us on rotation is really cutting into our sleep time! I’ve been so tired lately that I can’t even smile!

I shift my body around slightly, trying to get comfortable. It’s useless though - it aches all over! This entire week has been nothing but one painful memory after the next. I was naive. I thought it couldn’t get must worse than the endless running. Then came the rock climbing, the hole digging, the log hauling. Not to mention she always finds a reason to give me more push-ups!

Honestly, it wouldn’t be so bad if I could actually rest properly, but she’s making us live out here in the woods! This monster-infested forest south of Runetap is way more inhospitable than I expected! Water we can somehow manage with Russ’s magic, but food and shelter are serious concerns! Foraging and hunting on top of the merciless training and keeping watch at night - there’s barely enough time to sleep!

I should’ve known something like this would happen when the meeting spot on the listing was outside the city walls! I think only Grom actually came prepared with a tent and some emergency rations in his luggage. Which is good, because out of the three of us only I have the fortitude to sleep outside in this cold air.

At first I thought this whole ‘roughing it’ thing was part of the ‘Basic Survival’ class that was on the course listing. But now I know better. The real thing we need to survive through is our instructor!

Ellie made us participate in one on one ‘sparring sessions’ with her! Isn’t that just an excuse to beat on us?! It was obvious that none of us here are good enough to land a finger on a Rank A like her! Not even my serious attacks could so much as put a scratch on her, while her bare hands left bruises all over my arms and legs!

I wonder why she only aims for the scaled bits, though?! Does she really hate them that much? Is it just bullying?! She hasn’t punched me in the face yet, but she did throw me to the ground and stomp on my tail! Her boot seemed to penetrate through the thick scales, muscles and leather and right down to the bone! She actually managed to break a salamander’s tail bones! Aaargh! That was a special kind of pain I don’t ever want to experience again!

Huh? What’s that scent on the wind?

*Sniff Sniff*

Oh great. Trolls by the smell of it. And just like before they’ll probably head right for us! This is the third night raid we’ve had in a row! Somehow they always seem to come whenever I’m on watch, too! Well, let’s consider it lucky that my nose can sniff them out well in advance! I stand up, take a deep breath and scream at the top of my lungs!

“Wake up! Trolls!” (Yuri)

I hear rustling immediately within the tent nearby. Grom crawls out of it in his full steel plate armor. Lately he’s taken to sleeping in that. I can’t imagine it’s very comfortable though. He must be even more tired than I am, but at least his eyes are attentive!

“How many?” (Grom)

*Sniff Sniff Sniff*

“A lot. Over twenty.” (Yuri)

This is bad. We managed to fight them off before, but they only attacked us with six at most. But this is too many! If they surround us, they’ll easily overwhelm us!

“I’m up! Where do you want me!” (Russ)

Russ has also climbed out of the tent. He seems to be keeping it together since I’ve been able to shoulder some of his burden lately. He’s definitely the most frail of the three of us, though, so I have to look after him.

“You two should stay here and guard the camp, it’s all you’re good for! I’ll go wipe those bastards out! And don’t come anywhere near me or you’ll regret it!” (Yuri)

“You sure?” (Grom)

“She’ll be fine, dude! If it’s that fire-butt then she can probably level half this damn forest!” (Russ)

“Alright. We’ll hold the fort! Err, tent!” (Grom)

*Sniff Sniff*

I head in the direction the troll stench is coming from. There’s a few of them splitting off from the main group. Those two will have to fend for themselves though. I really don’t want them to get caught up in my Red Flame.

Speaking of which, this should be far enough away. Time to work myself up.

“Hrn. Grrr. Raaaarr!” (Yuri)

I slowly unbottle my pent up rage and frustration. The flame on my tail grows larger and hotter, turning from yellow to red. It bathes the snowy surroundings in a red light as it burns brighter and brighter. I see the bushes in front of me rustle and a troll leaps out of them. Good!

*SLASH*

One swipe of my claws and his front is covered in three deep wounds! It backs off, but doesn’t even fall down! There’s another three of them coming from behind that one! And even more behind them!

Good! Not only are they tough, but there’s so many of them!

“Come right this way! Yuri has a lot of stress to let out!” (Yuri)

*SLASH*

That witch! How dare she force all this unwarranted abuse on me!? I really wanted to rip her arms off yesterday!

*SLASH*

Does she know how much I had to suffer just to get away from that place!? To come here?!

*SLICE*

What the fuck’s her problem with me?! Just because she’s some blasted Rank A she thinks she’s better than me?!

*SMASH*

She’s just like that bastard back home! I’ll show her! And those other assholes too! Fucking cunts the lot of them!

*CRACK SNAP SPLAT*

And now these retarded trolls think they can interrupt what little sleep I can get away with?! Who the fuck do they think they are!? Worthless piles of stinking shit!

“RRRAAAARGH!” (Yuri)

* * *

“Got something to say to me now!? Huuuh?!” (Yuri)

I stomp on the troll’s head with my heel, splattering its contents against a rock sticking out of the ground!

“What? You’re done already?! Come on, I haven’t had enough!” (Yuri)

I kick it a few times in frustration! Blood squirts out of its open wounds, but it’s not getting up!

“Worthless pile of garbage! Why did you die before I was done killing you?!” (Yuri)

“... Yuri?” (Grom)

“What!? You want a piece of this too, short stuff?! You and! And… and… Russ? Russ?! Is he okay?!” (Yuri)

What is Grom doing here?! Why is Russ staring at me from on his shoulder!? And why do I feel something wet and sticky on my face?

“Fine. Just exhausted. Uh, you got a little something there...” (Russ)

Ack! It’s not just my face! My everything is covered in troll filth! Ugh, now I’ll smell like monster blood for days! I need to-

“Woah!” (Yuri)

“Oy lass?! You okay?!” (Grom)

I tried to take a step, but ended up losing my balance and falling to one knee. I must be more tired than I thought.

“None of your business, moron!” (Yuri)

He should worry about himself first! He’s completely covered in blood! Ah, I guess it’s not his blood though.

“She’s clearly fine Grom, hehehe- Ow! Hurts to laugh!” (Russ)

“But seriously, what happened here?!” (Grom)

“What are you- Oh.” (Russ)

Huh? Ack! Now that I take a good look around, there’s bits of meat and guts all over the place! In the bushes, up the trees, buried halfway into the ground and- Oh wow, I even felled a couple of trees too! I really went overboard this time!

It’s all because Ellie kept pushing my buttons! When I let the Red Flame take over it went completely berserk!

“We got worried after mopping up on our end and followed the red glow in the distance, but what’s all this?!” (Grom)

“Did Yuri… do all this?!” (Russ)

They probably hate me now. As expected. Nobody wants to stick around a loose cannon like me, after all. Even the people back home avoided me. It’s not my fault my Red Flame is a bit more intense than usual, okay?! But I still let it take over, so I only have myself to blame.

Just like the last time I let my rage break. I took things too far and seriously injured my former teammates before I could stop. Even if I try to pass it off as a failed high-five, I’m just deluding myself. Guess it’s just my lot in life to be alone, huh?

“You’re seriously amazing, you know that?” (Russ)

“... What?” (Yuri)

“I agree with you, lad! This is bloody marvelous! She must’ve wiped out at least thirty of the buggers!” (Grom)

They… don’t mind?

“Are you two right in the head?” (Yuri)

The two of them stop looking around with awed expressions and stare me dead in the eyes.

“Nope.” (Russ)

“Not in the slightest.” (Grom)

“Hah. Hahaha! Ow!” (Yuri)

I see, we were all nutjobs. Guess it takes one to know one, huh?

“I know, right?” (Russ)

“Come on, let’s try to get some sl-” (Grom)

*STOMP*

….

*STOMP*

“Something’s coming!” (Grom)

I just can’t catch a break, can I?

“Sounds big.” (Russ)

“The smell of blood probably attracted it. What do we do?” (Grom)

Why are you looking at me?! Russ is out of commission and-

*STOMP*

-that thing is seriously coming closer! How far is it though?

*Sniff*

Blech! The stench of troll around here is too overpowering! I can’t pick up its scent at all!

“It’s alright, we’ll get through this, right Yuri?” (Russ)

“Damn right!” (Yuri)

*STOMP STOMP STOMP*

Those heavy footsteps are getting closer! I can hear sounds of trees being pushed aside and being uprooted!

“GURURURU!” (Cyclops)

A loud deep gurgle echoed from the distance.

“Ah crap! It’s a cyclops!” (Grom)

“A what?” (Yuri)

“A giant Rank B monster! We can’t fight it! We need to retreat!” (Grom)

Rank B? If it’s something of that level, then maybe...

“But if we abandon the camp-” (Russ)

“Screw it lad! Your life’s way more important than some training!” (Grom)

That’s right. If we lose our camp, we get kicked out of the course. And if that happens, we miss out on a recommendation from the top adventurer team in the country! I mean we can always apply again, so Grom makes a valid point.

However, I still have something up my sleeve!

“I got this!” (Yuri)

I get back to my feet while reassuring them with a forced smile.

“You’re sure?” (Grom)

“You questioning me?!” (Yuri)

“Come on Grom! Let’s give the scary fire lizard some room.” (Russ)

“... Promise me you’ll run if you can’t stop it!” (Grom)

“You’re not the boss of me!” (Yuri)

Honestly, you don’t need to tell me something that obvious!

“Good enough!” (Grom)

Grom starts backing off while still carrying Russ on his back.

*STOMP*

I face towards the direction the sounds are coming in and widen my stance. I hold my right arm out with my palm open, facing away from me. I put my left hand on my right bracer and start flowing my mana into it.

*STOMP*

I have to use every last drop I have. It’s not much, but it should be just enough!

“----------” (Yuri)

One… two… three… four… five! All five pairs of runes on the left bracer are lit up. Their counterparts on the right one are also glowing with a pale blue light. Since all ten of them are active, it means the spell is properly charged!

“GURAAA!” (Cyclops)

A gigantic, fat shadow bursts through the treeline! I focus everything I have onto its chest and chant the spell!

“[High Burst]” (Yuri)

The cyclops’s upper body is instantly enveloped by a fiery explosion!

*KRAKHROOOOOOOOOOoooommmmm*

My bones rattle and the ground shakes from the resulting shockwave! The nearby trees catch fire, illuminating the entire area! A few breaths later, the smoke clears up. I can faintly make out the outline of the cyclops. Or at least what’s left of it.

The head neck and the middle of its chest are completely gone. Only the shoulders and its sides remain of its upper body. The giant mass of its remaining flesh then falls over backwards like a fat tree. It lands with a loud thud, throwing a cloud of snow and ash up into the air.

“Fuuuu.” (Yuri)

I’m spent. I relax my stance and let my arms go limp. The recoil from using these bracers really hurts, but I grit my teeth and bear it. I turn around smiling triumphantly towards the others. Huh? What’s wrong with them? They’re completely pale! Was the shockwave a bit too much?

“Something you wanna say?” (Yuri)

They shake their heads so hard you’d think they’d fall off. Maybe it’s their first time seeing Explosion Magic? Well, I’m sure if it was something important they’d tell me. They’re a pretty reliable bunch!

Maybe now I can finally get some sleep!