The next day, the training camp officially began.
The douriki test that had been delayed by Hammer was finally completed, albeit it took a while
Zephyr still stood atop the high platform, coldly looking down at the remaining elite trainees, now reduced to just a hundred.
"Those of you who stayed made it through the initial test, but don't celebrate too soon. The training ahead will only get tougher."
"Now, start running! Run until you can't move!"
With a thunderous shout, everyone started running laps around the training field.
Hammer was surprised to see that the four people who were seriously injured yesterday, except for victim number two, had already returned to the group.
Dragon, Sakazuki, and Borsalino were all back on their feet.
This secretly astonished Hammer. As expected of monsters, their recovery speed is insane!
The running went on endlessly.
Hammer no longer knew how long he had been running. He only knew that he kept running until his vision went black and he collapsed from exhaustion.
And just like him, the rest of the trainees collapsed one after another.
They had thought Zephyr would call a halt when they reached their limits, but who would've guessed… he never did.
It was just nonstop running, nonstop over and over.
When even Sakazuki and the others finally collapsed, Zephyr finally began his lecture.
"Look at you! You call yourselves elites, huh?!"
"You get exhausted just from running, what the hell can you even do?!"
"Hurry up and rest! In one hour, you're running again!"
Then he ordered the nearby soldiers to bring them saltwater to replenish their strength.
"Hammer… Hammer…"
A faint voice shook Hammer awake.
He opened his eyes and saw it was Dragon.
With difficulty, he managed a weak smile: "Yo, Dragon… you made it to heaven too?"
Dragon instantly got a dark look on his face and shoved a cup of saltwater into Hammer's hands.
Seeing it was water, Hammer downed it without thinking.
The next second, his face twisted in shock at the salty taste.
"Saltwater?! Damn, how much salt did they put in this… that's just cruel!"
Zephyr, hearing his voice, shot over a fierce glare.
Hammer hurriedly shut up in fright.
This scene made Dragon burst into hearty laughter.
Meanwhile, Zephyr turned and walked away, going off to prepare the mysterious equipment they'd be using that afternoon.
"Hammer… I just had an idea…"
Borsalino shuffled over on shaky legs, wearing a mysterious expression.
"Hm? Borsalino, what are you thinking?"
In an instant, the two of them huddled together, whispering.
"Hammer-kun~ Since you can imbue objects with attributes, why not try making our boots fly us around?"
Hammer: "!?"
"Damn, I think you might actually be a genius, a sneaky genius!"
With a low growl, Hammer's eyes lit up.
The next second, he yanked off his Navy boots and smashed his fist down on them.
THUD!
Nothing triggered.
Again!
THUD!
Again and again, the sound rang out.
Watching the boots slowly get deformed, Borsalino's mouth twitched.
The others around them began noticing Hammer's strange actions, glancing over curiously.
Only Sakazuki and Dragon seemed to guess what was happening, focusing intently on Hammer.
THUD!
[Ding… Critical Hit triggered. Attribute granted: Navy-issue boots now have "Swift as the Wind" effect, increasing movement speed by 50% and reducing personal weight by 30%. Duration: 24 hours.]
"It worked!"
Hammer let out a loud shout, his heart overflowing with joy.
Though it was just a temporary item, it was enough to handle the current situation.
Under the astonished gazes of everyone, Hammer put the boots back on.
Feeling the nearly weightless sensation, Hammer grinned with satisfaction.
Borsalino's eyes sparkled, just about to ask something, when suddenly Admiral Zephyr returned carrying a massive box.
"Rest time's over! Get back to running!"
The groans and wails of the trainees filled the air once again.
Under Zephyr's terrifying presence, they had no choice but to drag their legs and start running again.
Seeing the exhausted elites, Zephyr revealed a wicked grin.
The next second, he opened the box and pulled out a monstrous weapon.
Hammer looked closely and nearly had his jaw drop to the floor.
That was a damn Gatling gun spitting blue flames!
"Can't run, huh? Struggling to move, huh?"
"Let me help spice things up!"
"Behold, my blue-flame Gatling gun!"
RATATATATATATATA!!!
As Zephyr burst into maniacal laughter, the Gatling gun roared to life.
With blue flames crackling around it, countless bullets rained down on the soldiers.
"OUCH! Damn, rubber bullets, but they still hurt like hell!"
"AAAHHH! Stop, stop, Teacher Zephyr!"
For a while, the screams and yelps filled the training field.
Though they weren't real bullets, those rubber rounds fired from a Gatling still
It hurt like hell.
Everyone immediately took off running like crazy, terrified of being caught in Teacher Zephyr's Gatling barrage.
In contrast, with the boost from his "special boots," Hammer was suddenly sprinting at lightning speed.
The three "monsters" (Dragon, Sakazuki, Borsalino) stared in astonishment.
A glint of sharp light flashed in Borsalino's eyes as he locked his gaze on Hammer's boots.
"Speed ability, huh? That's terrifying!"
Teacher Zephyr, who was gleefully enjoying himself, also noticed Hammer's abnormal performance.
He swung the Gatling gun around and began firing directly at Hammer.
"Damn it! You old geezer, have you no shame?!"
One moment Hammer was calmly cruising along; the next, he was surrounded by a hail of bullets.
The curse slipped out of his mouth, and Zephyr's face darkened in fury.
He unleashed a wild barrage from the Gatling, raining bullets nonstop at Hammer.
If this had happened before, Hammer would've been done for.
But now, with the "Swift as the Wind" effect on his boots, he had nothing to fear!
Hammer stomped down with force, and his feet seemed to leave afterimages.
In an instant, his figure shot forward tens of meters.
As his feet kept striking the ground faster and faster, an unusual rhythm of footfalls echoed out.
With the help of the speed boost, Hammer ran faster and faster.
Zephyr's Gatling could no longer keep up with his speed.
That scene made Zephyr's jaw practically hit the ground.
The jaws of all the trainees also nearly dropped off.
But what happened next shocked them even more.
Hammer sprinted madly, his legs leaving afterimages in the air.
In the blink of an eye, he stamped his feet on the ground dozens of times in just one second.
With a series of heavy thudding sounds
BOOM!
The next moment, Hammer's figure completely vanished before everyone's eyes.
When he reappeared, he was headfirst in the dirt, legs sticking up in the air, flailing around.
Only his two legs were still kicking around comically.
"Soru… it's actually Soru…"
"That bastard Hammer… he actually figured out one of the Six Powers - Soru - just by running…"
"Oh my god…"