As soon as the recruitment session ended, Lucifer left the ducal courtroom along with his mother Mia, wife Veronica, and butler Allen, and headed to the hall where most people were eating.
Lucifer ate his meal and then went straight to Thomas's forge to make even more sunstone bulbs… After all, he didn't need just one, but millions of them. Almost 100,000 families lived across Westirifer… and the number of people in each family varied greatly.
Some families had only 2–3 members, while others had 100–150. So at the very least, he needed around 300,000 bulbs. And Lucifer had no time to waste.
Just as Thomas had announced during Jeff and Lucifer's sex competition, people who collected and brought sunstone would receive rewards… and sure enough, a huge amount of sunstone had already been gathered at Thomas's place. Lucifer had also arranged for massive quantities of sand, animal bones, and sea shells to be brought in advance.
Now all that remained was forging.
Lucifer's entire focus was here.
Lucifer arrived at Thomas's house along with several other forgers, divided the work among them, and began making bulbs… In the blink of an eye, day turned into night without anyone realizing. Lucifer let Thomas and his wives go rest, but he himself kept struggling with the work…
He worked from morning to evening, evening to night, and night to the next morning—Lucifer didn't step out of the forge at all. The next morning when he finally came out, more than 800 sunstone bulbs were ready alongside him.
Because he hadn't slept the entire night, Lucifer was extremely sleepy. Although Lucifer didn't need any sleep to restore his power or anything—it was simply his habit to sleep every night. His time dilation skill only activated when he was extremely aroused and engaged in sexual intercourse, not during everyday work.
So after producing a large number of sunstone bulbs, he returned to his ducal residence, ate the breakfast prepared by Misty, gave his mother Mia a sweet hug, and then went to his penthouse room to sleep.
---
As Lucifer went to sleep, on the other side Jeff and Jasper packed their rations along with 10 viper guards and departed from Westirifer towards Evorywood village.
The same village that had once been the home of Lucifer, Jeff, Mia, and everyone else—but no longer.
As mentioned before, Evorywood was six days' travel away from Westirifer… so even with 12 powerful stallions pulling three different wagons (each carrying four people), they only managed to shave off a little time. They still had a very long distance to cover.
Just as the small convoy of Jeff and Jasper departed, the ninth bell of the day rang… signaling that it was 9 o'clock in the morning.
Actually, the task of bringing Derek from Evorywood to Westirifer had originally been assigned solely to Derek himself, but Jasper had voluntarily joined him, and Lucifer had no objection—so he didn't interfere. What mattered most to Lucifer right now was Derek's arrival in the Westirifer duchy, followed by his torture and complete mental breakdown. Nothing else held much importance for him… at least not yet.
---
The previous day, when Lucifer had assigned all eight apprentice knights under Vance and Artemis, the two instructors had said nothing except: "Rest well—your training begins tomorrow morning." With only those words, both of them left the eight candidates alone.
That day Graham ate heartily and slept well, just like the seven women candidates—Anna, Lina, Elin, Edena, Lysa, Nora, and Tara—while all of them discussed what kind of training they might receive from those instructors.
From the group of seven women, Edena asked Graham:
"Mister Graham… what do you think our training will be like?"
Graham, being an S+ rank adventurer, had his own pride. Even though he had barely managed to defeat a simple viper guard, compared to the others he had at least won… unlike these seven women who had been completely toyed with by the other guards. (In reality, he too had been toyed with by No. 507, but one small mistake on her part had turned into his victory.)
So, answering Edena, Graham said: "What could it be… just some sparring sessions and endurance training… what else could they possibly ask us to do?"
Hearing Graham, Edena replied: "Don't you think your attitude toward this training is a little too casual? I mean, the instructors are SS- and SS+ rank holders… don't you think the training they give will be quite tough?"
The other six women agreed with Edena.
But since Graham was an S+ rank holder, he believed he was superior to the rest of these women, so he answered: "It's true that none of us performed particularly well in the selection—I barely won, and you all barely managed to resist those guards… but remember, it's only a matter of experience. And experience comes with time… It's not like they'll give us tasks during training that we can't complete. Believe in yourself as I believe in myself."
As soon as Graham finished speaking, Nora suddenly said: "The Young Master also forbade us from indulging in any form of sex… You know, ever since I lost my virginity… there hasn't been a single day I've lived without having sexual intercourse… Even now, just looking at you, Mister Graham, I want to ride you… But since we've already given our word to the Master… let's endure for a little longer."
To Nora, Graham replied: "If the training was just like regular knights—running and other basic exercises—then I wouldn't even bother doing it. I only came to this recruitment because lately I haven't been getting any missions suitable for my rank, and the pay and benefits here are good… Who wouldn't want 4 silvers a month plus food supplies? It's basically what royals pay their knights."
At this, all seven of them nodded… and continued talking before falling asleep like logs, without a care in the world.
The next morning, even before the sun rose, a sharp, bellowing voice pierced their ears and woke them all up… And just as they opened their eyes, the fourth bell of the day rang—clearly it was dawn. Standing right in front of them were Artemis and Vance, faces completely emotionless.
As soon as everyone was awake, Artemis said: "All eight of you—wake up. Get freshened up and eat properly. After that, head toward Velmare town. That's where your training will begin. You have 1 hour to get ready and eat, and another 15 minutes to reach Velmare town. We'll meet you there near the bank of the River Venesa, at the starting point of the foothills. Don't be late—every extra minute you waste here will be deducted from your rest time."
"Now, cadets… move!"
With that, Artemis stepped back toward Vance and the two of them returned to their own quarters.
They rose from their straw beds, quickly freshened up, ate the few fruits and dry rations they carried, and ran toward the foothills near River Venesa.
All eight reached the meeting point within the hour.
Artemis and Vance waited beside their small tent, expressions hard as stone.
"Attention!"
Eight bodies snapped straight.
Vance spoke:
"From this day for the next four weeks, you live here, eat here, sleep here, train here. Thirteen hours of directed training. Three more hours of assigned labour. The rest—if you earn it—is sleep."
Artemis pointed at the towering silhouette in the east.
"Resilience Peak. Twelve thousand meters. Twelve hours to climb and descend. No ropes. No aid. No assisting one another. We watch every face of the mountain."
To the women: "After returning, thirty sets each of push-ups, squats, pull-ups—one hundred repetitions per set. Three thousand of each. Total time from 'move' until everything is done: sixteen hours. Every minute over comes from your sleep."
To Graham: "You do the peak twice. Fourteen hours total. Then fifty sets of each exercise."
Lysa's voice trembled: "Instructor… that height, that steepness… is it truly possible?"
Artemis answered coldly: "It is calibrated to your ranks. A- to A+ for most of you. S+ for him. If it were impossible, you would not be here."
Graham muttered: "Even you couldn't do the double in fourteen hours."
Vance seized him by the collar, sprinted to the base in moments, then bounded up the cliffs like a mountain cat—two full ascents and back in under thirty minutes.
He dropped Graham at the group's feet.
"Move."
No one spoke again.
The Climb — Lower Slopes (False Confidence)
At the beginning, the mountain did not feel like an enemy.
The lower slopes of Resilience Peak were wide and forgiving—long shelves of stone broken by angled rises, rough but dependable handholds carved naturally into the rock. The air was cool, the wind mild, the sun still low enough not to burn their skin.
For the first hour, the eight climbed in relative silence.
Breathing was steady. Muscles were warm. Packs were light. Each movement felt familiar, almost routine, like dozens of previous expeditions they had survived in ruins, cliffs, and ravines.
Edena climbed with calm focus, fingers testing each hold before committing her weight.
Nora moved smoothly, hips close to the stone, legs doing most of the work.
Anna and Lina exchanged brief nods whenever one found a stable route.
Elin and Tara kept a steady pace, neither fast nor slow.
There was even conversation.
"This isn't so bad," Nora muttered between breaths.
Edena nodded. "I thought it would be worse already."
Graham climbed ahead of them all, shoulders relaxed, movements confident. He did not waste time testing holds—he trusted his strength and pulled himself upward decisively. From below, he looked every bit the S+ adventurer he claimed to be.
For a while, it almost felt as if the instructors had exaggerated.
Time passed.
An hour became two.
Then the mountain began to rise more sharply.
(Mid-Mountain — The Mountain Pushes Back
The angle changed subtly at first.)
The shelves narrowed. The rises steepened. The rock face no longer welcomed careless hands. Smooth stone replaced jagged grip. Cracks grew thinner. Loose gravel collected where feet wanted certainty.
The air thinned—not enough to suffocate, but enough to demand attention.
Breathing grew louder.
By the third hour, sweat soaked clothing. Arms began to burn—not sharply yet, but with a deep, spreading heat that refused to fade.
Anna was the first to slip.
Her foot slid on a layer of shale, sending her skidding downward several meters before she slammed chest-first into the wall. She caught herself with a panicked grab, lungs emptying in a startled yelp.
"YAA—HA—WAIT—WAIT—WAIT—OW—OW—OW!"
She hung there for several seconds, gasping, arms trembling, before forcing herself upward again.
No one laughed.
They all felt it.
Lina misjudged a reach and slammed her side against a jutting edge.
"HUUUGH—!"
She sucked in air, coughing. "My ribs… gods, my ribs…"
Elin's legs began to shake uncontrollably on a long traverse. She pressed her forehead against the stone, eyes squeezed shut.
"My legs are… they're laughing at me," she muttered weakly. "Please stop laughing…"
Nora clenched her jaw and kept moving, but her breathing turned ragged.
Graham, now on his second ascent, began to feel the difference.
The first climb had drained him more than he expected. His forearms were already tight, fingers stiff. When he slipped on a foothold and scraped skin from his palm, he snarled under his breath.
"Damn it… already?"
He shook his hand once, twice, then kept going.
The mountain did not care.
By the fifth hour, pain was no longer distant.
It lived in their shoulders.
It pulsed in their thighs.
It settled deep in the joints, dull and constant.
No one spoke anymore.
Only breath.
Only scraping stone.
Only the quiet sounds of suffering beginning to surface.
(Upper Reaches & Summit — Dignity Dies Here)
Above the sixth hour, the mountain turned cruel.
The slope steepened into near-vertical stretches broken only by narrow chimneys and wind-scoured ridges. The rock was colder here, sharper, less forgiving. Gusts of wind slammed into their backs without warning, stealing balance and breath alike.
Lysa lost her footing while stemming a wide crack.
Her foot popped free.
She dropped several feet and caught herself by her fingers alone.
Her scream burst out high and panicked, losing all shape.
"EEEE—NO—NO—NO—WAIT—WAIT—WAIT—MY HANDS—THEY'RE SLIPPING—AAACK—!"
Her legs kicked uselessly against empty air. Saliva flew from her mouth as she shrieked, voice cracking into a breathless squeal. By the time she hauled herself back up, her fingers were bleeding and shaking violently.
Edena edged along a knife-thin arête, wind tearing at her hair and clothes. Tears streamed freely down her face as she sobbed between gasps.
"I can't breathe—why is air optional up here—HUH—HUH—!"
Each step was a gamble. One mistake meant death.
Nora's legs finally failed her on a steep slab.
She sat down hard, then began sliding backward uncontrollably, scraping skin and armor as she flailed.
"WAAAA—WAIT—NO—NO—NO—MY BUTT—MY BUTT—WHY IS ROCK SO HARD—!"
She stopped only when she slammed into a ridge, lying there groaning, dignity utterly gone.
Tara tried to mantle a jutting block three times.
Failed.
On the fourth attempt, she collapsed against it and began ugly crying.
"I'M NOT BUILT FOR VERTICAL LIVING—WAAAAH—!"
Anna became wedged inside a narrow chimney, chest compressed, unable to move forward or back. Panic set in immediately.
"I'M STUCK—I'M A HUMAN CORK—GET ME OUT—AAAAH—!"
Graham reached the summit once, legs shaking, hands numb.
He barely paused.
The second ascent destroyed him.
Every step upward felt like dragging his own corpse behind him. His grip failed repeatedly. His breath rasped like torn cloth. When he slipped and slammed chest-first into the rock, the sound he made was not a scream—but a broken, animal groan.
"Hrrrk—no—no—no—why—why again—"
His second descent was worse.
He slid, fell, crawled, and staggered downward, reduced to muttering and low, guttural noises, face gray, eyes unfocused.
"Enough… enough… I'll never climb again… never…"
He reached the base half-dragging himself, collapsing onto his hands and knees.
Exercises — What Was Left Is Taken
They returned between eleven and fourteen hours.
They looked less like adventurers and more like survivors of a massacre.
Hands torn.
Knees bleeding.
Clothes stiff with sweat and dirt.
No rest.
"Push-ups," came the order.
Arms bent.
Then shook.
Then failed.
"NGH—NGH—WHY DO ARMS EXIST—NGH—!"
Edena collapsed face-first into the dirt, vomiting violently.
"BLEEEURGH—EVEN MY SOUL IS COMING UP—!"
Squats followed.
Nora screamed rhythmically, voice cracking with each movement.
"DOWN—AAAH—UP—AAAH—WHY—AAAH—!"
Pull-ups ended all resistance.
Lysa fell from the bar sobbing.
"I HATE GRAVITY—WHO INVENTED IT—WAAAAH—!"
Graham missed a repetition, collapsed, and screamed hoarsely.
"NO—WAIT—I CAN—AAAH—!"
(End of Day One)
By the twenty-first hour, it was over.
Eight broken bodies lay scattered in the dirt.
No praise.
Only numbers.
Only penalties.
They crawled away.
In the dark, the mountain listened as small, broken sounds drifted upward.
Whimpers.
Sniffles.
Low, defeated groans.
Day one had ended.
The breaking had only begun.