Ats immediately began running down the hillside, feeling the seari of the scorched earth beh his bare feet. Even a moment's pse in focus could send him stumbling dangerously close to the magma river below. A fall that would be disastrous.

  [s Bckthorn]

  [Level: 44]

  [Strength: 170 | Agility: 74 | Intelligence: 59 | stitution: 78 | Stamina: 75]

  Ats might have reached level 44, but his total stats were still retively average. By parison, he had 456 stat points in total, while Kurogasa, at level 55, boasted a staggering 788 stat points.

  The difference was stark. Kurogasa’s stats rivaled those of someo level 78, highlighting just hoart they were in terms of raw power.

  It was a clear remihat level alone didn’t define a person’s bat potential. True strength came from the careful bance of stat allocation, unique skills, and personal talents.

  But even with the ideal bination of stats, skills, and talents, that still wouldn’t be enough. One had to truly harheir potential, knowing precisely when to use each skill, when to advance, and when to retreat.

  So many factors came into py. This wasn’t a journey with shortcuts, and with powerful figures surrounding him, Ats was determio absorb every ounce of their knowledge and experiee himself into something greater.

  Imagine! Experience was invaluable. Someone like Kurogasa had faced tless high-grade beasts and endured battles that most couldn’t dream of. His mental fortitude and expertise already surpassed what most Ats’ potential adversaries would bring to the battlefield. Levels and skills created limits, but with the right experiehose limits could be pushed far beyond what anyone would expect.

  Just like what he was experieng now. He ran barefoot over the searing hot terrain, the ground so blistering it felt like his skin was being scorched. His feet—probably bleeding by now—throbbed with stinging pain.

  Each breath was heavy, his lungs burning, while soured off him, as if his body were desperately trying to keep up with the brutal ditions. He had only been running for ten minutes, but it already felt like he might colpse. Yet, this was only the first task, the warm-up, and he had to ehis for a full four hours!

  Kurogasa ran alongside Ats, his expression calm and steady. Every so often, he g Ats with a look that could only be described as a smile.

  Okay, Ats couldn’t actually see this Ninja Rat’s smile—ly. It was hard to expin how someoh a rat’s face could smile, but the subtle movement of his mouth veyed it all. Somehow, he just khat Kurogasa was smiling, likely amused by Ats’s struggle.

  To make it worse, Kurogasa was running effortlessly, occasionally spinning around to jog backward without even gng behind him. One misstep, and he’d be stumbling straight into magma—yet he moved with plete fidence.

  Twenty minutes. Motherf—! His throat arched, and his sweat had stopped flowing—he robably out of bodily fluids at this point. Could he actually die of dehydration?

  But Kurogasa didn’t offer any relief, just kept running alongside him, entirely rexed. The damn rat was running with casual ease, even smiling at him! (Please, let’s not discuss again how a human-rat mao smile.) It was as if watg his Lord struggle this much over a simple run was just proof of his weakness.

  Yet Ats khat, realistically, his body could hahis. At level 44, he’d already surpassed the limits of an ordinary human—several times over, in fact. His real challenge here wasn’t his physical endura was his mental fortitude.

  Imagi like this: physical strength, flexibility, mana capacity—all of that could be enhanced magically with stat points. But mental fortitude? That couldn’t be hardened so easily. Even someone like Ats, already at level 44, still o train his mental resilieo catch up to his level… or even surpass it.

  Take Kurogasa, for example. At level 55 now, who kneerful he’d been before he was summoned? For him, running across blistering terrain like this ractically child’s py. His mental strength had been fed over years, decades—more than a hundred years. That kind of fidend experience allowed him to maximize every aspect of his abilities.

  Mental fortitude! Mental fortitude! Mental fortitude!

  Push! Push! Push! Push!

  Ats forced himself onward, summoning every ounce of willpower to resist the urge to stop. He was strohan this, damn it! He was level 44! This was just running—running across a rough patch of ground. Sure, the magma nearby was dangerous, but as long as he kept his footing on the scorched earth, he’d be fine.

  Oh! Forty minutes! Motherf—! And he wasn’t even a quarter of the way through!

  But no—he remembered Kurogasa had made it clear: if Ats wanted a real challehis was it. Kurogasa was fident his physical capabilities could hahis training. Four hours of running in a pce like this was still within his limits. He just o figure out how to push himself through it.

  Push! Keep going! He was strohan this! Run harder! Run faster!

  Meanwhile, Kurogasa was running backward, casually leaping over streams of magma as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

  Did rats have eyes in the backs of their heads or something?!

  Sure, Kurogasa was barefoot too, but he had tough rat feet! Not thin, human skin like Ats’s.

  An hour and a half in, and he was still going. But he was a bit shocked—why hadn’t he passed out yet? Hadn’t he run out of bodily fluids at least an ho? How was he still managing to run?

  His feet were undoubtedly injured, and he couldn’t even imagine what state the skin on his soles was in by now. Yet somehow, he found he could bear the pain. He kept running, each breath ragged, his lungs straining for air, and his heart pounding furiously… but he was still alive!

  Maybe dying wasn’t as easy as he thought? Or perhaps this was normal for someoh 456 total stat points and a Strength stat of 170?

  He kept pushing forward, running, feeling his skin toughen uhe relentless heat, whio longer felt as intense as before. Astonishingly, he was enduring these brutal ditions, pressing himself harder thahought possible.

  His breathing grew more bored, each gasp sharper, his heartbeat thundering in his chest at an unimaginable pace. But he hadn’t passed out… or died! He kept going.

  Two hours in, and he was still running. Kurogasa stayed right beside him, following at an effortless pace, still smiling. Damn it! Every time Kurogasa gnced his way, Ats couldn’t shake the feeling that the Ninja Rat was smiling at him.

  Three hours. Motherf—! Ats felt like he was on the verge of colpsing, like his soul itself might slip out, but he kept going. He was still surviving. This was what magic could do.

  Three hours and forty minutes. He was still alive?! His movements felt heavy, each step a struggle, his legs barely keeping him upright. But somehow, he hadn’t falle, hadn’t failed. He was astounded by his own resilience.

  Three hours and fifty minutes. Just ten more minutes? Seriously?! He suddenly realized he could probably go another hour if he had to. This strange rush of joy flooded him. He ughed, feeling a wild exhiration, an ued euphoria as he ran, his mouth open with ughter and sheer relief.

  Four hours.

  Wheime hit, Ats finally slowed to a stop, his body feeling light, almost weightless—like even a breeze might lift him. But he stood there, steady, alive, and victorious.

  He looked over at Kurogasa, who bowed with a proud smile. “You did it, My Lord.”

  Ats dropped to the ground, ughing breathlessly, half-gasping as he struggled to catch his breath. Kurogasa k beside him, g a hand on his shoulder.

  “You did it. That wasn’t ordinary endurance. You showed incredible mental fortitude today. You’ve proven to yourself that you’re a true lord. Be proud of yourself.”

  Ats ughed, lifting his face with a wide smile. “Thanks… I’m happy.”

  Kurogasa nodded. “Ten-minute break, theart the sed training exercise.”

  “Alright, Master!” he replied, ready for more.