"Not picking up the pace? If you end up in last place, I'll have to eat you~"
The Feathered Serpent slithered lazily behind Mumen Rider, occasionally flicking out its long tongue to intimidate the two-legged creature in front of it.
At first, it thought it wouldn't get to "play" with the humans until the final few laps, but to its surprise, one of them was particularly weak—and had already fallen to last place.
"Damn it! I won't go down in a place like this!"
Mumen Rider gritted his teeth and roared as he picked up his pace. Running over a dozen kilometers wasn't a challenge for him—but the real issue was not being in last place.
"Damn it! I'm not gonna get eaten by a snake!"
Just one place ahead of Mumen Rider was Bone, ranked 77th in B-Class. Seeing that the guy bringing up the rear was catching up, Bone—clad in a skull-print bodysuit—suddenly pulled out a bottle of milk from who-knows-where, chugged it down, and somehow boosted his speed by 30%.
Not only did he leave Mumen Rider behind, but he also caught up to Mountain Ape, who was ahead of him.
"Crap… he already caught up?!"
Mountain Ape, a member of the Fubuki Group, turned pale watching Mumen Rider desperately gaining ground—he nearly peed himself.
Coming in last meant being fed to the snake! Even if Kizaru didn't seem like the type to go overboard, who could really guarantee that giant terrifying snake wouldn't actually eat someone?
Mumen Rider pushed himself hard to catch up to Mountain Ape. The rule Kizaru set was simple: as long as you're not constantly in last place, you're fine.
In theory, as long as everyone took turns being last and managed their time, no one would be in real danger.
But… no one could guarantee that when they did end up in last place, they'd be able to catch up again.
It was a classic prisoner's dilemma—once one person decided not to be last, everyone else had to push harder too.
"Damn it! Why are you all running so fast?!"
"Save your energy, guys! Twenty laps isn't exactly a walk in the park! No need to fight over it!"
"Oh, and I suppose you're not trying to pull ahead too, huh?!"
…
It didn't take long before the heroes realized something was off.
But once the first person started going all out, everyone else had no choice but to follow.
Even those who thought they had plenty of stamina and could pace themselves found themselves speeding up, trying to secure a better spot in the race.
Kizaru hadn't mentioned any rewards for running faster—but it never hurt to make a good impression.
Especially when many heroes noticed they were leaving higher-ranked competitors behind—the subtle sense of satisfaction fueled them to run even harder.
And those who got overtaken by lower-ranked heroes? Yeah, they were not okay with it. "These punks really think we won't catch up?!"
"Why are they running so fast?"
Watching the heroes sprint neck and neck, Fubuki was stunned. This training field was crude and simple, yet they were all running nearly at their physical limit.
The ones in front were racing to be first. The ones in the back were fighting like hell to avoid being last.
Only the Feathered Serpent was moving at a leisurely pace, trailing behind the group. With the special sensory abilities of Ryuchi Cave snakes, it could roughly judge the condition of its "prey."
Once these two-legged creatures reached the final laps and were running on fumes—that would be the best time to have fun.
"Probably because they love running," Kizaru replied lazily as he reclined on a beach chair, sipping on a drink while a member of the Fubuki Group served up snacks.
Even heroes weren't all that different from Navy cadets—if you wanted them to compete, it took almost zero effort.
"Is this kind of training really effective? And at the rate they're going, how many of them will even last all twenty laps?"
Fubuki sat beside Kizaru. She had poor stamina herself, but she could make a decent guess based on what she knew about Lily's endurance.
Even if the heroes were stronger than Lily by a wide margin, everyone has a limit. And even if they managed to push through all twenty laps—how much energy would they have left for the next stage of training?
Fubuki knew exactly how hellish Kizaru's training program was. She had even thought about pulling some strings to get in on it herself… but the moment she saw the training regimen, she immediately gave up.
Psychics should fight in their own unique way. As for all that Navy Six Styles stuff? She had zero interest in it.
"Don't underestimate them. Every one of these guys has at least 200 power units… Oh, maybe not the one on the bicycle, but as long as he's willing to push himself, he should still be able to hang in there."
Kizaru had more or less copied the Navy Academy's training curriculum—only with the training intensity tripled.
Still, considering the solid foundation most of these heroes had, triple the intensity should still be within their tolerance range.
If it weren't for the fact that this was another world, where even if the training program leaked it wouldn't affect the Navy, Kizaru never would've handed over something this valuable so casually.
"If they actually manage to finish the special training and learn that Navy Six Styles you mentioned… how strong could they get?"
Fubuki asked, still a little skeptical. But given that Kizaru was clearly a big shot from another world—and his strength might even surpass her sister's—his judgment likely held more weight.
Watching the members of the Fubuki Group still running—aside from Mountain Ape, who was about to fall to last place—most could still hold on. Fubuki felt a little more at ease, though she couldn't help being curious.
"If someone fully masters the Navy Six Styles, they'd be about S-Class level. If they've got enough talent, they might even be able to go toe-to-toe with that weirdo from earlier."
Kizaru rubbed his chin and gave an answer that left Fubuki rather shaken.
Just mastering the Navy Six Styles could put someone in S-Class? Even challenge someone like Sweet Mask?
Since when did becoming an S-Class hero get so… cheap?
There were only sixteen S-Class heroes total in the Association. Even if you counted Sweet Mask, the "uncrowned king," there still wouldn't be more than twenty people with true S-Class strength.
Yet now Kizaru was claiming that just learning the Navy Six Styles could give someone that level of power? That sounded way too exaggerated.
"You're not seriously thinking learning the Navy Six Styles is easy, are you?"
Seeing Fubuki hesitate to speak, Kizaru couldn't help but chuckle.
Sure, if someone could learn the Navy Six Styles, they could gain S-Class-level strength—but the catch was, they had to be able to learn it first.
Even in the Navy Academy or among CP agents, there were tons of trainees who spent years and still couldn't master even one move.
Granted, those were extreme cases. Normally, after a few years, anyone could pick up a few techniques.
But Fubuki's idea of a one-month crash course producing Navy-Six-Styles-wielding S-Class heroes? Yeah… in that case, Rob Lucci—the guy hailed as the strongest in CP9's 800-year history—would be crying in the bathroom.
Even someone as gifted as Lucci took nearly ten years just to get the basics down. Unless you already had a monstrously strong foundation—like Kizaru himself, or Saitama from this world—then mastering it would be a long grind.
For monsters like them, the Navy Six Styles was more of a finishing touch. Expecting a massive leap in power from it? That was a bit too optimistic.
"Huff… huff… Am I already at my limit…?"
Mumen Rider felt like his heart might burst out of his chest at any moment. Every breath took everything he had, and yet he still felt like he was suffocating.
"You've been in last place for over a minute now. Can I eat you yet?"
The Feathered Serpent's voice whispered into his ear. Maybe it was just because he was getting used to it, but somehow… Mumen Rider felt like the serpent's voice had a weirdly cutesy tone to it.
But one glance at that massive snake head—easily several times larger than a heavy-duty truck—was enough to erase all such delusions.
Let's be real: with his puny body, he'd probably just barely be enough to wedge between the serpent's teeth.
"Damn it… I won't… I won't fall here!"
His vision was blurring, and every breath carried the faint taste of blood—but just as he was on the verge of collapse, Mumen Rider suddenly erupted with a final burst of strength, sprinting forward with everything he had.
Even if he couldn't pass the test—he would collapse on the road forward!
"No way… how the hell is that guy catching up?!"
Mountain Ape from the Fubuki Group was already gasping for breath, and the only thing giving him peace of mind was knowing someone else was still behind him.
Yet just as he was struggling to hold on, he noticed that Mumen Rider, who had been trailing behind him, was starting to speed up again.
The heroes in front were all groaning in frustration. While Mumen Rider and Mountain Ape couldn't really threaten their positions, the others being forced to speed up by the pressure from behind were very much their direct competition.
The break in the race due to exhaustion was short-lived, and the competition flared up again. The leading group had less than a third of the 20 laps remaining.
But with all the bursts of acceleration they'd already gone through, even the heroes with the most stamina had less than a third of their energy left.
Good thing all the heroes who could even get into this training camp weren't average people. Otherwise, after running nearly 100 kilometers, some of them might not even be breathing anymore.
"Hey! Blue Flame, do you really think Swift Flash's training is worth it? If just running ourselves to death could make us stronger, there'd be S-Class heroes all over the place!"
Magic Trick Man, who was running in the lead pack, felt like he was reaching his limit. But as the 7th-ranked A-Class hero, he couldn't fall behind. He had to grit his teeth and keep going.
If someone ranked lower than him ended up ahead, who knows what kind of gossip would spread behind his back?
"You'd save a lot of energy if you talked less. Just for the sake of Swift Flash's name, I'm willing to try. If you're not up for it, you can quit."
A-Class Rank 6, Blue Fire, was the calmest among them. Even in this A-Class ego deathmatch, there were few who could seriously threaten his lead.
Compared to him, Magic Trick Man was already panting hard, but Blue Flame's face barely changed—as if running another 20 laps would be no problem.
"Don't joke around. If I quit now, then all that earlier running would've been for nothing!"
Magic Trick clenched his teeth. He wanted to believe in Swift Flash's training like Blue Flame did, but when he looked at Kizaru, lying on a beach chair with a beautiful woman by his side, basking in the sun… he couldn't help but feel resentful.
They were all heroes—so why were they running for their lives with a giant serpent chasing them, while Swift Flash got to lounge under the sun with a babe?
"Magic Trickster-senpai is right! Let's all do our best together!"
The only one still this energetic at a time like this was the main fighter Mizuki, wearing her competition swimsuit. Ranked 71st among B-Class heroes.
As the only B-Class hero in the lead group, Mizuki's performance surprised quite a few A-Class heroes.
It was only now that they started to understand why HQ thought she had the potential to become an S-Class hero.
Hearing Mizuki's voice, even Blue Flame's expression twitched a little.
If there was anyone who could challenge him for first place, it was probably this high-energy girl.
"Wait, why are those guys in the back suddenly speeding up again?"
Crescent Eyebrows, who had fallen to the end of the lead group, couldn't help but shout. By this point, most of the heroes had a rough idea of their limits.
Since this lap-running was just the first phase of training, they had to conserve some stamina for what came next. After realizing they probably couldn't break into the lead pack, most heroes had settled into a steady pace to save energy.
But now, with those two stragglers accelerating again, the ones in front—who didn't want to fall to the back—were being forced to speed up too. The pressure was slowly creeping up on the lead pack.
"I'm speeding up too."
Whether it was to himself or someone else, Blue Flame increased his pace again—despite still having several laps left to go.
Even though Swift Flash never once said there was any special reward for finishing first, the competitive spirit of the heroes made them instinctively fight for that spot.
"Then let's all sprint together, senpai!"
Mizuki's eyes sparkled!
She loved this kind of competitive atmosphere. Getting to challenge so many respected seniors—she would've signed up even without Swift Flash's promised results.
°°°
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