Book 1 - Venture into Eternity, Recim the Star's Embrace

  CHAPTER 3 - Dude, Who Even Are You?

  "Alright, listen up, you little sacks of disappointment!"

  Coach Vance, the academy’s infamous PE instructor and certified muscle-head, barked as the students lined up at the track field. He was built like a tank, bald, and wore a permanent scowl that could make a grown man cry.

  "Today, we separate the warriors from the weaklings! If you puke, do it on the grass! If you cry, save it for your pillow! If you break something—tough luck, we don’t do refunds!"

  Lean, standing beside Ken, already looked defeated. "This guy is the reason therapy exists."

  Ken smirked. "Better get used to it."

  Lean let out a dramatic sigh. "Why do I feel like I’ve already failed, and we haven’t even started?"

  Ken chuckled. "That’s because you did."

  "Rude!"

  The first test of the day was the Physical Fitness Test, and Lean was already reconsidering every life decision that led him here.

  “Alright, everyone, line up!” the instructor called out.

  Ken stood at the starting line, rolling his shoulders. Around him, students stretched and adjusted their uniforms, psyching themselves up for the grueling obstacle course ahead.

  This wasn’t just any obstacle course—it was straight out of a high-stakes competition, designed to push students to their limits. To pass, students had to complete every section without falling into the elimination zones—mainly the pools of water that separated certain obstacles. If they fell, they were out.

  Ken exhaled, assessing his body. Weak.

  There was no sugarcoating it. This version of himself had no prior martial training, no endurance, and no physical conditioning. His control over his body was refined thanks to his past experiences, but raw strength and stamina? Pathetic.

  But even with that disadvantage, he wouldn’t let himself pce at the bottom. If nothing else, he could rely on technique and strategy.

  "Alright, first group, on my whistle—GO!"

  Ken exploded forward, careful not to waste unnecessary energy.

  A handful of students surged ahead instantly—Darius and his cronies among them. They relied on sheer power and speed, not bothering with efficiency.

  Ken, on the other hand, focused on breathing properly, keeping his strides measured, and maintaining steady momentum.

  The first obstacle, a series of high hurdles, approached fast. Ken leapt, clearing them with surprising ease.

  Not bad. My reflexes are intact.

  Next was the wall climb. Some students threw themselves at the wall with reckless abandon, scrambling up with sheer brute force.

  Ken, however, took an extra second to position his hands and feet precisely. Instead of fighting gravity, he used momentum, vaulting over with minimal effort.

  From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Jane and Luis.

  Unlike everyone else, the elite twins moved with eerie precision.

  Jane flowed over the walls like water, her every movement calcuted and elegant. Luis, in contrast, had unshakable power, scaling obstacles with absolute control and zero wasted motion.

  They had been trained since childhood, receiving elite coaching that far outcssed anything avaible to commoners.

  While others grunted and panted through the course, the twins looked bored.

  "They're monsters," Ken thought, remembering his past life. "The top two in every physical event. I can’t even think about challenging them right now."

  "Struggling, commoner?"

  Darius’s smug voice broke through his thoughts.

  Ken turned his head slightly to see Darius keeping pace beside him, wearing a smirk.

  "You’re working hard just to stay in the middle," Darius taunted. "Why not just accept your pce and walk?"

  Ken didn’t take the bait. Instead, he gnced forward.

  The next obstacle was the rope swing. A long trench of muddy water stretched beneath it. The goal was to grab the rope and swing across in one clean motion—fail, and you’d be stuck climbing out of the pit, wasting valuable time.

  Darius sped up, reaching the rope first. With an arrogant ugh, he swung forward.

  Ken ignored him and focused on his own jump. His grip was firm, his trajectory clean. He nded on the other side without issue.

  Darius, expecting a reaction, frowned when Ken didn’t even look at him.

  Ken simply maintained his pace.

  By the time they reached the bance beams, many students were already gasping for air. The weaker ones gged behind, some already colpsing from exhaustion.

  Ken’s breath was growing heavy, but his focus didn’t waver. He wasn’t here to beat anyone—just to measure his limits.

  The final stretch of the race was the most grueling yet—the ultimate test of endurance, agility, and sheer determination.

  First, the Quintuple Steps.

  A series of five snted ptforms spread across a water pit. Competitors had to jump from one to the next with perfect bance and momentum.

  The stronger students took powerful leaps, covering multiple steps in one go. Others hesitated—and those that miscalcuted? Straight into the water.

  Ken nded lightly on the first step, carefully shifting his weight before springing to the next. He cleared the section cleanly, sticking the nding as several students spshed into the elimination pit behind him.

  Lean barely made it, nearly slipping on the st step. "Holy crap—holy crap—holy crap!" he muttered as he stumbled forward.

  Second, the Warped Wall.

  A curved wall that had to be sprinted up and climbed over. No ropes, no footholds—just pure explosive strength.

  Darius charged forward, his powerful legs propelling him up effortlessly. His cronies followed, though one slipped and tumbled straight into the elimination pool.

  Ken took a steady breath. This body doesn’t have the power for a full-speed rush.

  Instead, he analyzed his approach. Less force, more technique.

  He sprinted, then kicked off the wall in a precise angle—not just straight up, but diagonally, allowing him to grab the top edge. Using his upper body strength, he hoisted himself over.

  Darius, standing at the top, smirked. "Not bad, commoner. Didn’t think you had it in you."

  Ken ignored him.

  Lean, meanwhile, made his attempt… and immediately slid back down, face first into the water.

  Ken winced. "RIP."

  "KEN, YOU BASTARD!" Lean’s voice echoed from below as he was eliminated.

  Ken held back his ughter.

  Third, the Rolling Log.

  A spinning cylinder suspended over a water pit. Students had to run across it while keeping their bance.

  One by one, students attempted it—and many failed instantly. Some made it halfway before their feet slipped, sending them filing into the water below.

  Darius took a bold sprint, barely maintaining his bance as he wobbled to the other side.

  Ken was more careful. Instead of rushing, he adjusted his center of gravity—staying low, shifting his weight subtly as he stepped forward.

  He cleared it without issue.

  Darius frowned. "What the hell is with you today?"

  Ken just gave him a zy smile. "Taking my time."

  Fourth, the Salmon Ladder.

  A horizontal bar that had to be lifted rung by rung using only upper body strength.

  Many struggled here, their arms giving out.

  Luis arrived at the challenge. With a single motion, he bsted upward, skipping multiple rungs effortlessly.

  Jane followed—graceful, almost inhuman in her efficiency.

  Ken sighed. Yeah, no competing with that.

  When his turn came, he went slow and steady. His arms strained, but his control helped him minimize wasted movement.

  By the time he reached the top, his muscles burned—but he wasn’t out yet.

  Darius, however, smirked. "Took you long enough."

  Ken smirked back. "You should try going slower. Maybe your brain will catch up to your body."

  Darius scowled.

  Then the final stage, the Rope Climb.

  A long vertical rope climb leading to the finish ptform. No mistakes—if you lost your grip, you were eliminated.

  Jane and Luis reached it first, scaling it like it was nothing. They finished at the same time, securing 1st and 2nd pce.

  Darius soon followed, pcing 3rd.

  Ken reached the rope, arms already aching from the Salmon Ladder. He grit his teeth. This body is weak.

  But giving up wasn’t an option.

  He used his legs as support, climbing carefully, focusing on precision rather than speed.

  By the time he reached the top and crossed the finish line, he was breathing heavily, arms aching.

  "Yeah, my body sucks." Ken muttered to himself. "I need to fix this ASAP."

  The test results were posted.

  Ken’s name climbed dramatically in the css section rankings.

  Jane: 1st PceLuis: 2nd PceDarius: 3rd PceKen: 16th PceLean: …28th Pce (out of 30 students)

  Darius was furious.

  Lean?

  He was on the ground, still trying to process everything.

  Ken nodded to himself. "That’s about right. My technique made up for my weak body, but I need serious training."

  Lean walked over to him, wheezing. “Bro, 16th?! Who even are you?!”

  "Ken… please… are you secretly an alien? A time traveler? A god?"

  Ken just patted his shoulder. "Let’s just say… I’m full of surprises."

  Lean groaned. "I’m 3rd to the st. I… hate… everything…"

  Ken patted his back. “Come on, it wasn’t that bad.”

  Lean shot him a betrayed look. “You weren’t the one nearly dying!”

  Ken ignored him, already running a complete analysis in his mind.

  While his body was still far from its peak, certain advantages from his past life allowed him to perform better than expected despite his current physical limitations.

  One of his most notable strengths was his body coordination and movement efficiency, which were well above average.

  Thanks to years of experience in both high-intensity gaming, Ken had exceptional control over his body's micro-movements.

  This allowed him to navigate obstacles with precision, maintain bance in tricky situations, and adapt quickly to shifting terrain.

  His reflexes remained sharp, likely due to his ingrained muscle memory and instinctive reaction speed, which pyed a significant role in his ability to dodge and maneuver efficiently.

  His endurance was acceptable, though not outstanding, allowing him to keep up with the middle of the css rather than fall behind.

  However, these strengths did not compensate for his gring weaknesses.

  The most critical issue was his raw physical strength, which was far too low compared to the top-performing students, especially Jane and Luis, who dominated the trials with overwhelming athleticism.

  His speed and stamina were unimpressive, causing him to fall behind in sprint-based sections of the test.

  Furthermore, he cked explosive power, meaning he struggled in areas that required sudden bursts of strength, such as high jumps, climbing, and acceleration-based challenges.

  While his technique helped him stay afloat, his ck of sheer physical prowess prevented him from excelling.

  The conclusion was clear—training was not just an option, but an absolute necessity.

  Without immediate and targeted improvement, he would hit a ceiling that no amount of strategy or coordination could surpass.

  Ken needed to build a comprehensive training regimen, focusing on strength, speed, endurance, and explosive power to match the academy's elite students.

  If he wanted to rise in both the academy and Eden Prime, his body had to become a weapon in its own right.

  Ken wasn’t in a rush to compete with the elites right away, but he needed a proper training regimen to build his endurance, agility, and strength.

  For now, he had the foundation. Now, he just had to build upon it.

  With the physical test done, Ken turned to Lean, who was still gasping for air.

  "Come on," Ken said, patting his back. "That was just the warm-up."

  Lean shot him a horrified look. "Warm-up?! Ken, are you a demon?"

  Ken just chuckled.

  "Alright, students! The next test begins in ten minutes!" their cssroom adviser announced.

  Ken straightened up, already shifting gears.

  Time to move on to the next challenge.

  TO BE CONTINUED…