End Of Physical Tests

WHOOSH!

Mikhail sped through the trees, descending down from the mountain to the finish line.

The moment he landed back on the ground, he let go of his sprint.

Small huffs escaped from his mouth as slowed down to a stop, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

He was back, and he was first.

The moment he took off his weights was when it all became a breeze for him.

He passed through the cadets and returned to the first place in a flash.

And it only took him a total of 19 minutes.

Catching his breath, Mikhail looked over to Daniel, who was standing in the distance.

The old man had a surprised but impressed grin on his face, nodding to express his satisfaction.

Mikhail nodded back, acknowledging his praise.

He turned back to look at the mountain, seeing the remaining cadets now arriving down as well.

The first one to pass the finish line after him was someone he knew very well.

Cameron Brooke, Commander of the 18th Squadron.

He was famous for being one of the only few commanders that were a tanker.

It was also why his physical abilities excelled so much.

His gigantic muscular body already coupled with his Size-Increasing Dragma, made him one of the strongest people around.

Despite being a heavy-hitter/tanker.

He was one of the major position holders in the Physical Tests, often ending up at 2nd or 3rd.

Behind him was someone he knew as well, albeit barely.

With short brown hair, the girl's muscular body was the clear evidence of her current result.

Layla Thorneheart.

She was the Vice-commander of 12th Squadron, known to be a heavy-hitter as well.

Unlike Cameron though, she preferred using knuckles and her body for fights.

Mikhail had only heard her name time and time around but never knew her well enough.

Unlike Cameron.

That guy was also present in his platoon during the incident.

For some reason, Mikhail could not remember what happened to him in his previous life later on.

Being quite close in their pursuit of the line, it was unfortunate for Layla that Cameron was the first to win.

They arrived just some minutes after Mikhail, their bodies covered in sweat.

Arriving after 30 minutes would result in an automatic disqualification.

Mikhail saw both of them glare at each other for a second, the rivalry clear between them.

But then, both of them turned to stare at him meaningfully.

There was no angriness or frustration in them though, Mikhail could only see acceptance.

At this point, they had gotten used to being beaten by Mikhail.

From behind, Mikhail heard more noises of cadets arriving, their bodies out of breath.

Ignoring them, he focused on Daniel.

The old man was known to give no breaks between tests, making them extremely difficult.

And he was right.

"Nobody will take off their weights. Get down on the ground for 500 push-ups. Right now," He said, showing absolute calmness.

Terror instantly took over the cadet's face at the order.

But Daniel's face expressed no sympathy, erasing any chances of raising their disapproval on the task.

THUD!

A sound echoed in the ground, making everyone's faces turn.

It was Mikhail, who had already started doing the task without any hesitation.

It was useless to look at Daniel for changes, they were just wasting their time.

And Mikhail couldn't waste any time. He had a record to set.

As their gazes landed on Mikhail, two more sounds were heard.

THUD! THUD!

They were Cameron and Layla, who immediately followed Mikhail with no intention to lack behind.

"We are just wasting our time, hurry up!" One cadet shouted, getting to the ground as well.

If their collective time got over 1 hour for the exercises, that would result in failure as well.

Furthermore, in this exercise, if they failed to do 3 push-ups correctly or took a space of more than 5 seconds between pushups, they were disqualified.

Failing one exercise would result in failure in the whole category.

This was how difficult Daniel's Physical Tests were.

And why not many picked them up.

People like Raviel and Modric would brutally fail here.

***

[30 Minutes Later]

It was finally over.

After a brutal half hour of harsh exercises that ranged from just legs to the whole body, the Physical Tests finally came to an end.

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Mikhail wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking out at the other cadets.

He could see cadets with closed eyes, dead on the ground, unable to move even a muscle.

It was clear how tough the tests were.

Even Mikhail's clothes were completely drenched in sweat, sticking to his body.

They highlighted his toned and athletic muscles underneath, often hidden by his oversized white shirt.

He felt several glances at him from all around but he chose to ignore them.

He was only focused on the thing, the results.

And it was now time for them to be announced.

Coming forward to the middle of the ground, Daniel tapped his supporting cane at the ground.

Everyone's attention moved to the old man, who carried a list in his hand.

"Now, I'll be announcing the marks of the top 3 positions."

There was no exciting reaction from the crowd, but it wasn't surprising.

It was always like this.

The first 3 were always more or less the same, especially this time with the harder difficulty.

"First off, at the third position, with a clear time of 48 minutes and 04 seconds is, Layla Thorneheart. 71 Points."

There were some appreciative claps heard from the crowd while the short–haired girl just nodded.

Nodding back to express his acknowledgement, Daniel moved on.

"Then, at the second position, with a clear time of 46 minutes and 11 seconds is, Cameron Brooke. 74 Points."

Again, some claps were heard from the crowd while the giant guy nodded to show his satisfaction.

Nodding, Daniel moved to the final result.

At the same time, Mikhail felt every gaze directed at him.

Because this time, there was something curious about his performance.

Despite the test being harder, this time, Mikhail was one of the fastest to complete the tests.

The difference between him and Cameron was quite a lot, making them wonder if he had broken his own record.

Even Daniel gave him a meaningful stare.

"Good job, Mikhail. I saw the effort you put in these tests."

Mikhail nodded, accepting the rare compliment from Daniel.

It was known among everyone how much the old man favored the 21th Squadron Commander.

Daniel moved onto the final result next.

"Now, as for the result. For the first position, as always, with a record-breaking clear time of 39 minutes is, Mikhail Hendrix. 81 Points."

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