Chapter 55: The test
"Forty-nine... fifty!"
Thud
As he struggled to count any further, Jaden's body landed on the ground. The sweat that he was drenched in was proof of how hard he had been working until then.
His hair had the drops of the salty liquid visible before landing on the rough surface. The face planted on the ground while he turned in the right direction, but he stayed still.
The elbows that were pointing outwards quivered as he tried to pull himself backwards. But that was of no use since his body was already at its limits.
Swissh
His gaze was fixed on the man in front of him while he lay on the ground. The sword that was swung around by him tore apart the air, making some sounds. Those horizontal slashes held quite a bit of power.
"What are you stopping for...? Did I permit it?"
At those words, Jaden gritted his teeth with an unsettling fear in his mind. The unsteady breathing of his made it clear that he wouldn't be able to do any more of it.
On the other hand, there was Blaise, who was watching everything unfold silently from one corner of the room. It had been around 2 hours since he happened to sit there to observe Adrienne and Jaden exercise.
'Thank God it wasn't me in his place.'
Blaise was confident in his own combat power, but that was only if he considered magic. When it came to pure physical strength, at most, the distance he could've run was about 1,500 metres without stopping. After that, he would've lost his breath.
He was pitying Jaden, who was asked by Adrienne to do push-ups. That was all okay until he actually told him to do three sets in moderation.
The first and second sets he performed were of fifty reps each. Adrienne hadn't said a word before, but when he stopped at fifty on his last set, things were a bit different. He had actually never told Jaden how many reps he was supposed to do.
And the reason he stayed quiet while noticing Jaden do so was because he was trying to test him. It was natural that most people decide on performing a certain number of reps for every set, but that was just due to their weak mindset.
If one said that he would do ten reps for a set, then he would be stopping exactly at ten, and so on. Then his body might begin to take it as common sense that his strength was too low. Then, what exactly did Adrienne expect from him?
Pushing past one's limits is the most important thing any individual should be truly focusing on. Experience indeed makes one stronger, but without even trying, how can one possibly gain it?
"Do fifty reps more. If you stop in the middle, you will be redoing it from the start."
The hell that he was experiencing while still alive made Jaden's face pale. What Adrienne had asked him to do was simply beyond impossible.
The main reason behind that was that a total of one hundred and fifty push-ups was too much for anyone. Again, the world Jaden remembered had changed drastically for him. Was the common sense he had even valid in that world?
'What am I? A freaking super sa-yan?'
Yes, for him, at least. There was no way for him to know about it. Currently, he was too busy trying to get done with what Adrienne had assigned him.
His arms shivered in a clumsy manner as he tried to push himself up. The weight that he was feeling on them a few moments ago had increased by a lot.
That much was within his expectations since he was beyond tired. But he had no option other than performing fifty more of those tiresome push-ups.
Blaise was getting nervous, even though he wasn't the one doing the push-ups. Why, you ask? He had never understood a thing about physical training. All the time, he holed himself in the magic tower.
The magic tower was a place that not anyone could enter. No one had a clue as to where the tower was located. The people who tried to search for it had all failed miserably.
A legend said that it was situated amidst the clouds floating high above the ground. Another one of those said that it kept on teleporting from one place to another.
"You..."
Swish
The tip of the sword pointed towards Blaise, who had a peaceful smile filled with uneasiness. The words that he was hearing made him shudder.
Adrienne's cold tone of speaking never failed to keep up with his freezing gaze. The frosty sensation on his toes made Blaise stand up straight at his spot.
"Why are you lazing around? You are joining us too."
Fwip
The continuous swinging of the sword made his voice sink deeper into his throat. The fear he was feeling due to the cold air around his body made Blaise shut his mouth.
The reason Blaise was sitting near the two was because a certain person had asked him to. Heeding her words was his biggest mistake.
Jaden heard the same conversation, but he had no time to try speaking or thinking about anything at all. If he were to mistakenly lose his breath, the last ounce of strength remaining in his arms would've been lost too.
The failure to accomplish fifty push-ups meant performing two hundred push-ups again from the get-go. Pardon him, but anyone would've passed out if they tried that.
The precise reason why there's always a suitable warning displayed during certain scenes of some series.
[Children, don't try this at home. This could lead to serious injuries.]
The sore muscles in Jaden's arms were crying instead of him on one end, and on the other, Blaise couldn't think of how to make his escape. He was the magic tower master who excelled in magic.
At that moment, their tears never showed while their gazes met each other's. Surprisingly, both Blaise and Jaden were sharing the same words in their minds.
'HOW DID IT END UP LIKE THIS?'
------------------
-Few hours ago-
"Stop. Stop. He asked to be left alone for a while."
Sierra tried to stop Adrienne, who had started marching off towards the room Jaden had locked himself in. Even though she had said that, he showed no signs of hesitation.
For him, what mattered at the moment was starting to teach him whatever he could. But that was only if Jaden could satisfy him by showing some skills.
"He asked that of you people."
Since he wasn't present among them at that time, it was somewhat true that Adrienne wasn't asked to leave him alone. Jaden could, of course, never comprehend or understand the twisted way of thinking Adrienne possessed.
Thud
The door went flying and fell at the feet of the bed on which Jaden lay with his eyes closed. His body flinched as he stood up and took a defensive stance instinctively.
His eyesight became clear within a few seconds, and his fists lost their strength. The murky black colours of the man in front of him made a strange, eerie feeling quell in his heart.
Adrienne was exactly that type of person. Someone who would leave a suffocating feeling on the person who happens to meet him. All of that was because of his expressionless face with a tint of coldness.
"I heard that you want to be trained by me..."
Those words made Jaden feel dumbfounded for a few seconds. The next moment, his eyes, brimming with astonishment, reflected on the silver surface.
The blade that Adrienne unsheathed with the rising black flames was clearly visible to Jaden. The people who were following Adrienne's footsteps were separated by the fire.
"Why don't you try to impress me?"
Jaden had no idea where he had managed to hear that, but his instincts were saying that it was Aliana who told him. Wasn't this supposed to be his chance?
Swish
Certainly not. Jaden jumped down the bed in an attempt to dodging the sword that Adrienne swung at him. The white feathers rained, and the bed got totally destroyed.
Whatever the four people outside the room were yelling was never heard by Jaden. That's how terrifying the expression of the smiling man looked to him.
The gaze that had no sense of hesitation in it made it certain for Jaden that Adrienne wasn't messing around. But...
'What can I even do?'
Was that something he should've been asking himself? He never realised it until that point in time.
'No. I will survive.'
Even though that came to his mind, Jaden didn't know how he could stay true to his thoughts. There was a way in his mind that he could actually put it to use, but he was hesitating.
As soon as Adrienne noticed his hesitation, he understood the reason why Aliana had asked him to teach Jaden. The sword that he held a bit lightly earlier steadily rose slightly up.
"Do your best not to die."
He was being brutally serious the moment he said that. The flames that were just spreading on the ground began growing in size. Yet there was no smoke.
The blade, which he slowly swung vertically, brought down a strange black light. The black fire, in the shape of a crescent wave, was approaching Jaden.
The terror paralysing his body made it impossible for him to move. He stood dazed at the sight of death crawling up to him.
THUDDD
The wall behind him shattered into a thin layer of dust. The attack managed to graze past the left cheek of Jaden, making a light cut on it. The blood flowed down slowly to reach his chin.
The sweat flowing on the wound made the burning sensation intensify. He gritted his teeth tightly while feeling a mix of emotions.
He felt as if he was going to pass out at any moment. He would've maybe, if not for Adrienne speaking without giving him a chance to.
"The next one will be for real."
His whole body was getting goosebumps and chills hearing those words. The huge wall behind him had come crashing down when Adrienne wasn't even using his proper strength? That was simply unbelievable to him.
If something like that were to hit Jaden, his death would've been unavoidable. It wasn't the time for him to be standing dazed, waiting to die.
When the view of the blade getting raised up in the air again reflected into Jaden's eyes, his lips parted with each other. If he didn't do anything, he would die for sure.
And then there was Adrienne, who was feeling thrilled, witnessing the expression filled with an unknown void on Jaden's face. That's when a small sound fell on his ears.
Snap
The red rose and the blue, sharp edge of the frozen rose shone brightly. Jaden put his right hand behind him while pointing the sword with his left hand at Adrienne.
The way he had thought of it was something that was absurd, despite being the only one that could actually help him survive. One mistake would cost him his left hand at most.
The chances of dying were slim when using the trick he had thought of. This was one of the only three sword skills he had managed to learn because of Aliana and the memorization potion.
Krrrk
The sound spread across the whole area when Adrienne brought down his blade. A huge shockwave of fire was moving towards Jaden at high speed.
The time had slowed down for Jaden as he tried to pull behind the sword. The tip of the sword was aimed at the centre of the attack, heading towards him.
SPLISSSS
It happened within a dozen seconds. The attacks of the two colliding made a strange yet sizzling noise. The white smoke covered the spot where Jaden was standing.
Swooosh
Frozen Rose had managed to pierce the attack without receiving any severe injuries to Jaden's body. That was all thanks to the 'Pierce' skill Aliana had taught him.
Jaden fell down on his knees after that. A smile emerged on his face, covered in red marks. The blood flowed down his lips when he spoke.
"Did I pass?"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
AbyssKun00
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