SSS Class Mythic Beast Master

Chapter 401: Beast Spirit Connect (1)

The next morning arrived with brilliant sunshine streaming through the villa windows. Reinhard descended the stairs to find people already gathering, some eating a quick breakfast, others stretching in preparation.

"Alright!" Marie stood in the center of the main room, hands on hips, looking very much in command. "We're starting with physical conditioning. Building mental strength starts with pushing physical limits."

The beach became their training ground. Gran led warm-up exercises such as methodical stretches that targeted every muscle group. His instructions were clear and precise, voice carrying over the sound of waves.

"Breathing matters as much as form." Gran explained. "Control your breath, control your body, control your mind."

They ran as their feet pounded against sand near the water's edge, and Brunhilde placed a gravity rune over the area. To further increase the pressure and challenge, they were all sprinting on the beach at five times gravity.

They sprinted with all of their might, with Scáth setting the rhythm, purple hair streaming behind her, and the Dream Club struggled to maintain it after three hours passed.

They were sweating while their breathing grew labored.

"Keep going!" Nikki called encouragingly from beside them, red hair bouncing as she jogged backward, facing them. "Don't stop until your body tells you it's impossible and then go five more minutes!"

Alger's face had turned red, his distinctive grey hair plastered to his forehead. But he kept moving while Resa's breathing came in gasps, and her legs pumped steadily. Jake, Kite, and Irene all showed similar determination, pushing past comfort and not giving up.

After running for another two hours, which had them seeing darkness.

Next came strength work. Roana demonstrated exercises through push-ups, planks, and squats that burned muscles and tested will. Once again, Brunhilde added gravity, and Roana unleashed her soul pressure down on the Dream Club.

Her gold eyes watched each Dream Club member with careful attention, as they pushed against the five times gravity and restrained Soul Pressure.

"Keep going, guys, what we're doing is pushing you beyond and then doing it again. The better you do the position, the more effective it will be." she said calmly, correcting Irene's plank position. "We will be compressing lots of training in the remaining days we have."

When someone's arms gave out, trembling with exhaustion, Roana simply said. "Rest for three minutes and then try again."

And they did, every single time without complaint.

The Cups took over the next section, which was sparring practice to help further build their confidence. If they can fight and clash well with Third and Second Class Beast Master, then their belief in themselves will only grow.

Bruno paired with Alger, his green eyes serious despite his usual grin. "Come on now Alger! Even if I can summon my Beast Spirit, that doesn't make you inferior!"

Alger's fuchsia eyes showed nervousness, but he nodded. Bruno threw a punch forward, which Alger quickly blocked before he was sent skidding. Alger blinked in surprise. While he felt his arms trembling, he was still able to withstand the punch.

"Again." Bruno reset his stance with a grin.

Obviously, he was restraining himself, but making him believe he was going full power was more beneficial.

Another punch was blasted out, and this time Alger was able to evade the attack to his surprise, and made Bruno laugh.

"Good, now this time strike back at me without stopping. This is a spar after all," Bruno said in a teasing tone, leading Alger's lips to twitch, but he nodded.

They continued with Alger evading Bruno's strikes and lashing out with a kick, which Bruno redirected. Before he blasted out with a fist again, Alger parried, and then he rushed to clash with Bruno. Both of them exchange over twenty moves, with Alger smiling, gradually turning into a grin to match Bruno's own.

Kyle worked with Kite, having him withstand blows from his Beast Spirit, which increased Kite's confidence. While Jessie had Resa do multiple races where they constantly won against each other. Lloyd paired with Jake as he had Jake evade all of his strikes and showed that he shouldn't feel inferior or scared.

Suzy worked with Irene, and both of them clashed while talking about various battles Suzy had with her team.

They cycled through partners, and everyone got to experience something different. By the end of the two hours, their clothing was soaked, sand stuck to their skin, and their bodies screamed in protest.

But nobody quit.

The afternoon brought different challenges.

Mental exercises designed by Gran and Vanna working together. Puzzles that required sustained focus despite physical exhaustion. Memory games that tested recall under pressure with little windows of time to memorize, even under full conditions. Scenarios demand clear thinking when the body wants only rest.

"The Beast Spirit judges your will." Gran explained, his mind breaking down the concept. "This means the greater you can push through with your goal, the stronger it is."

Vanna's silver eyes watched each Dream Club member work through problems. "Your connection grows when the Beast Spirit recognizes unshakeable determination. Not perfect determination."

They sat in the villa's main room, papers spread across tables, minds working despite physical depletion. Irene's cyan eyes burned with focus even as exhaustion pulled at her face. Resa's hands shook slightly as she wrote, but the writing never stopped. Alger had abandoned his usual humor entirely, expression serious and concentrated.

Evening brought cooking, another lesson disguised as meal preparation. Marie orchestrated the chaos with surprising skill, platinum hair pulled back, hands directing traffic.

The Dream Club members found themselves assigned tasks such as chopping vegetables, managing multiple pans, and coordinating timing so everything finished together. Small skills, but requiring attention, coordination, problem-solving under pressure, and with an exhausted body.

"Jake, your vegetables are burning. Adjust the heat!" Marie called.

Jake moved immediately with no hesitation and fixed the problem.

"Kite, taste that sauce and tell me what it needs."

Kite sampled, considered, and added salt with growing confidence.

They produced a feast through combined effort. And sitting down to eat food they'd created themselves, which brought different kinds of satisfaction.

Pride in their accomplishment and proof of capability, even if it was just making dinner for everyone.

The second day intensified everything, such as longer runs, harder exercises, more sparring, and harder mental challenges.

Scáth led them through an obstacle course Roana had made out of ice. It required climbing, crawling, jumping, and balancing while pushing through the cold seeping into their body. Her wine-colored eyes gleamed with enthusiasm as she demonstrated each section with casual ease that made it look simple.

It wasn't simple.

"Even as you fall, just use that time to recall why you're pushing yourself hard. And then use the pain to force yourself back up." Scath called out as Alger face-planted in the sand for the third time.

Alger stood up again and kept on trying even as he fell down over and over. By the tenth attempt, he made it through.

Brunhilde taught them about mental fortitude through a different approach. She had them meditate while maintaining difficult physical positions. Holding poses that burn muscles while keeping the mind calm and focused.

They held poses until arms shook uncontrollably, legs threatened collapse, breath came in gasps. And then held them longer.

"Feel the pain." Brunhilde says lightly. "Acknowledge it if you must, and then choose to continue anyway. I know that even I had trouble when I did this when I was close to being a Third Class Beats Master. So surpass me and push through this as you are now."

And they did, as her words set a fire in them. All of them gritted their teeth as they continued holding their pose for the next hour.

And then once they were done, Brunhilde giggled and said. "Amazing, my past self would have looked at you all in awe."

Her words made them tremble as faint smiles appeared.