Gaming Badly in DxD

-Zatren Fumigami-

I let out a breath of air as the hammer in my hand strikes at the cheap iron on the anvil. I’m getting fucking cooked here. Why did I have to get a Blacksmith Skill again?

‘’Come on, you piece of trash…’’ I wheeze out as the temperature in the room gets hotter. My shirt clings to my body like a skinsuit because of the sheer amount of sweat pouring out everywhere. I burned my hands more than once while trying to grab the metal tweezers.

With one more strike, the shape of the iron looks good enough for a rough spear tip. So, I grab the blacksmithing tongs and shove the red-hot metal directly into a bucket of oil.

Fun thing to note: the Gremory’s resort has a fuck ton of space. Enough for more than a few empty rooms, a basement, an attic, and multiple hidden rooms that I haven’t explored yet because I was focusing on more important matters.

I feel like Rias is seriously accommodating, since she just let me turn a storage room into a makeshift forge. Though that may be an apology for knocking me the fuck out yesterday.

I even lined up some racks with shitty pieces of armor and crappy weapons I got from the Zombie Dungeon. You know, to have the aesthetic appeal. That’s where the similarities ended, however. As I take out the spear tip from the oil, I hear a faint crack that’s seriously grating my nerves right now.

Blacksmithing failed…

[Heat Resistance] has leveled up!

‘’Motherfucker!’’ I throw the broken spear tip to the ground with a frustrated sigh. Really, how fucking hard can it be to forge your own shit?

Whatever I’m doing may seem absolutely useless, considering that I could just be training physically and magically –If my spar with Rias was any indicator, I’m going to need a serious dose of both or a whole lot of time to prep–, but this is useful in its own way.

I could be using Boosted Gear to adapt to the forge’s heat, and make the blacksmithing easier, but a not-so-fun fact is that when I’m ‘adapting’ to something that does damage, I do not get any levels or new skills relating to resistances. Taking this into account, it’s very probable that I can’t get skills by adapting offensively either.

As for why I’m practicing Blacksmithing, creating my own, super-overpowered spear sounded cool as hell. That, and every spear that I successfully make, counts as a spear I can copy for myself.

Free stat bonuses, if you will.

So, I’m actually preparing the best that I can. Getting bonuses to my Stats, making Jinzui stronger, making myself more resistant to fire… or heat, in this case, and investing in my super-powerful, late-game spear. Maybe one that shoots a kilometric ‘fuck you’ laser.

…

Yes! I want to make the freaking EA. Sue me! I’m ripping off every anime that I know and like, and if Big G doesn’t like it, may as well come back from the dead and smite me!

I let out a cough as I look at the System screen in frustration, already taking another water bottle from my inventory as the heat in the room becomes worse by a landslide.

The moisture in the air and your body has decreased drastically due to constant exposure to heat!

Debuff: Dry Body I has been applied.

‘’Yeah, yeah. I know!’’ I quickly drained the bottle, saved some to drop on top of my head, and got back to work.

Now, where did I throw those tweezers…

-X-x-X-

Well, I did get a few more spear forms. Variations of Iron Spears, mostly. Also, some levels of heat resistance. So that was neat.

As I walk into the woods, I follow the familiar bond with Rei. She really prefers staying outside, or at least likes it a lot. I’m starting to worry about the ecosystem, though. She’s bound to run out of things to eat at this rate. Maybe I should cook her an entire deer—

Suddenly, I pick up sounds of rustling and quick steps. A small check with magic sense tells me it’s Rei… sparring with someone?

A few more steps and pulling aside some bushes, and indeed it is.

Rei jumps and lands vertically on the tree bark to dodge a stray rock the size of my head. A grunt of exertion escapes the girl who created the rock with Demonic Power, none other than the ex-nun herself.

I’m… quite surprised, actually. Didn’t expect Asia to be already sparring. Much less so with my familiar. Maybe Akeno was busy?

I pay rapt attention as Rei suddenly disappears into thin air, but my bond and senses are more than enough to tell that she’s using an advanced form of my ‘Stealth’ to make herself invisible. Then, she swings around several tree branches so as not to alert the blonde girl.

Asia looks around with concentration. By the sweat running down her face and the bruises around her hands, I believe that they’ve been at this for at least a while.

Yet, the invisibility of my familiar doesn’t deter the young girl as she closes her eyes. Suddenly, a pulse of magic expands in a wave from her, making my eyes widen in surprise. Not because of the wave itself, but because it reverts, going directly back to her after covering the entire clearing with it.

As if it were clear as day, Asia zeroes in on Rei’s location, and a gust of wind blows in her direction. The magic attack is not especially strong, but it makes Rei lose enough concentration for her invisibility to go out. The currently small-dog-sized spider clicks her mandibles in what I know is satisfaction.

Huh. So Rei was actually training Asia, then? Kind of cool, actually.

Asia looks at my familiar with a big smile that makes me remember the ball of sunshine that this girl is. Memories or not, that didn’t seem to change… much. I still remember that indifferent look she had on her face when we turned Viser into insect paste. Other than that, she seemed normal enough.

I take the moment to come out into the clearing proper while clapping my hands. ‘’That was a really nice ability, Asia.’’ My sudden interruption made the girl’s eyes widen as she turned to me, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

‘’Ah! F-Fumigami-kun! Were you watching the whole time?’’ She asks with a nervous little smile.

‘’Eh, I just caught the last part of it. I was searching for Rei, actually. Since I wanted to see how her growth was doing.’’ I shrugged while nodding my head to the spider. ‘’That magic pulse. It was a sonar, right? Like what bats do to orient themselves?’’

At my sudden interest, the nervousness in Asia’s face seemed to melt slightly and change to a big, excited smile. Surprisingly enough, Rei got even smaller, as big as an open hand, and climbed up Asia’s green and white tracksuit. The little arachnid nuzzled the blonde girl’s face once she managed to reach her shoulder. At the least, it seems that Rei got herself a new friend.

‘’Y-yes! I just thought that maybe sensing out people like you do would be very useful, Zatren-san!’’ She started excitedly, but suddenly her face fell slightly, the little light in her eyes dulling as she frowned. ‘’I… The only thing that makes me stand out is my Sacred Gear… and yet, my healing is very bland and limited compared to yours. So, I’m trying to learn everything I can. If I can’t have something unique to myself, then it’s better to know a bit of everything!’’

The determination that suddenly blazed on the usually shy girl made my eyes widen. I didn’t know that she felt like this so strongly, but it made sense. Just as she said, she really didn’t stand out. Kiba was the only swordsman. Koneko was a little menace that was incredibly fast for a Rook –That’s without mentioning her spiritual abilities–. Then, you had Akeno, who specialized in full-on AoE attacks with devastating force.

I’m… not even going to count myself. I’m just bullshit like that.

Then, Rias had arguably the most firepower with the same bloodline trait as the Strongest Devil. Lastly, at the bottom of the ladder were Asia herself and Sachi. The latter demonstrates a ton of dedication and hard work to become an unstoppable frontline.

Asia’s only real advantage was her Sacred Gear, which I covered with long-range healing… kinda. And her aptitude with magic, which quite a few people have already covered. So, she wanted to become the ‘Jack of all Trades, master of none,’ even if I already covered that position.

Still, who’s to say that more than one person cannot cover that?

I’m not going to always be on the scene. So, if I can get my companions to my level, or at least close enough, I’ll be able to rest easier knowing that when I’m not available, there’s someone who can put on my shoes.

‘’I see.’’ I nod to the girl, an eager smile on my face. And by the sudden look of horror on the girl, I’m using that ‘terrifying smile’ that Sachi keeps muttering about. ‘’I’m going to help you out! Let’s start by seeing if you have truly mastered the use of every elemental magic!’’

‘’E-ehhhhhhhhh?!’’ Asia exclaimed.

‘’No sitting around. Come on! Earth wall, right now, as tall as you can!’’ I shouted excitedly, looking at the girl rushing to gather up Demonic Power.

‘’Y-yes!’’ Was her only response as I started the tortu— The training! Do you want to be the Jack of All Trades? Then you better work for it, Asia Argento!

Jack of All Trades; Master of None, but oftentimes better than master of one. That’s exactly what I’m turning you into!

-X-x-X-

-Koneko Toujou-

I breathe out harshly as the life-energy around me dissipates. My teeth clench together as all sorts of emotions fill my body. Equals part rage and serenity. The feeling of using Senjutsu is almost disgusting and comforting at the same time.

‘’Again…’’ I rise to my feet with a groan, cleaning the sweat off my face with the pink and white tracksuit uncomfortably clinging to my body. ‘’I’m not falling behind… that idiot.’’

With renewed determination, I take a deep breath and align my senses. Anger twitched inside me as I remembered the one who taught me how to concentrate on the life energy in the ambient in the first place. Even if remembering her brings nothing but pain, it’s a necessary step to actually use life energy.

It sounds stupidly philosophical. It’s simpler than that.

Everything in the world has life. Just take away a meaningless portion. It’s not even harmful. As long as the respective being is alive and you don’t purposely search to kill them, then it’s like taking a sip of chocolate from a mug the size of my entire body.

…Mmm, chocolate.

Focus! I can think of treats later; I need to actually get this done! There’s only… 12 more days for the Rating Game, and I’m sure as hell not wasting time.

The life energy coalesces around my fist. One of the easiest methods of using Senjutsu is empowering your body with it. Touki, basically.

A bright, white glow appears on my hands as I remain concentrated. Then, I dash and ram my fist against a nearby tree. Normally, a punch of mine would be enough to break it down, but with Senjutsu…

The impact makes the tree practically come off the ground and slam against the flora nearby. More than one other tree, bush, and other plants suffered the ire of the tree I punched. The result was one punch managing to fuck up around 10 meters of wildlife in front of me.

The Senjutsu dissipates once more, and I take a sigh of exhaustion. It felt like I was trying to fight myself for control over my own actions. It didn’t help that one specific date was awfully close…

Shaking the heat off my face, I go sit in the clearing once more. I need to keep meditating. A clearer mind would help much more than just punching trees like a fucking idiot.

‘’I’ll leave that to Senpai…’’ I snort at the mental image of the idiot trying to punch down trees without understanding his Touki either. Once I can manage this down, I can just teach him how to properly use it.

…

Now I have to fight off other types of mental images now that I’m thinking about him.

‘’…fuck.’’

-X-x-X-

-Zatren Fumigami-

‘’Alright, girl. Show me the results of all that training you did in the forest.’’ I nod at Rei. The forest around the resort has gotten darker as the sun started to set.

Poor Asia couldn’t keep up with much more training after sparring with Rei, but since she left with a big smile and in high spirits, I believe that it was a fruitful training for her. Is weather magic a thing around here? Maybe with enough training and power, she could create her own mini natural disasters.

That aside, the reason I was searching for Rei earlier is to check on her progress. I’ve been reading the provided Rating Game Manual for beginners. The very first pages talked about the general rules. There are some things like not being able to switch peerage members with a fellow Devil unless a valid excuse is given, like some kind of medical issue, or the limit of outsider items you’re allowed to bring.

The limit is two, and I remember Riser’s Queen, Yubelluna, carrying around a vial of Phenex Tears. With a search around the Devilnet, I caught a few glimpses of Riser’s rating games, in which those same tears were used. One is always carried by his Queen, while the other remains on either his hand or his sister’s. So, it’s pretty sure that in this case, it would be the same.

Ah, right, my point.

Basically, there’s one nifty and mostly useless rule that allows familiars to be used in the Rating Game. Yes, familiars as in plural. Every devil inside the Rating Game has the right to use one familiar each. This seems pretty good overall. It seems broken, considering the amount of OP bullshit that this world and many others have to offer.

The catch is, Devils don’t really have combat-oriented familiars. Trust me, I fucking checked.

Especially those with peerages. You see, familiars are mostly obtained from the ‘Familiar Forest’ –Never been there, but I know there’s a guy who parodies Ash Ketchum or something– and while there are some fearsome fuckers out there, most people prefer useful familiars. Ones that can deliver messages, do chores, etc.

Combat familiars are rare and deemed unnecessary. If you were a High-Class Devil, you already have a peerage, and you’re supposed to be plenty strong yourself. I, of course, don’t give a shit about what Devil Society says, because there are some very dumb societal ‘norms’.

‘’Yes…’’ Rei’s mandibles crack as she answers my command, and suddenly, I can see the stats on her page rising considerably.

Her body grew as her exoskeleton broke, as if she was instantly molding, the once cutesy and adorable parts changed and transformed to turn into those of an actual nightmare crawler. Her legs and thorax, sleek as always, take on a jagged appearance. The tips of her legs, where I know there are diminutive hairs that allow her to cling to almost any material, become sharp enough to make holes through the ground, and probably a whole ass tree.

‘’Holy fuck.’’ A shiver goes down my spine as I stare directly into one of my worst fears, an honest to god gigantic spider.

She’s big. Taller than me and certainly many times as wide. Her eyes, simple dark orbs that barely reflect a small amount of light, stare directly at me. Her mandibles are also huge, with two fangs as big as my entire forearm.

The scariest thing must be how silent she is. Even while being this big, her legs, organs, and mandibles barely make any sound. With my heightened senses, I can probably hear someone breathing slowly if they’re, like, five meters ahead of me, but Rei is as silent as a mouse.

Well, she is a nighttime predator. Being silent and staying undetected are things that spiders do, along with hiding so as to catch their prey.

‘’Aren’t you a big girl! Yes, you are! Yes, you are!’’ Yet, I can’t help but give a big smile as I come close to Rei, giving the side of her body an awkward hug, now that I can’t really envelop her in my arms. In response, I can now clearly hear Rei’s mandibles and one of her legs tapping the floor. ‘’Ha! Well, that doesn’t seem to change, huh?’’

I take a look at her stats with [Observe], and my eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Rei.

Race: Obscuring-Redback-Arachnid (Giant).

A magical Redback-Spider familiar. Thanks to her own progress, combined with the additional growth granted by being bonded to a Hero, she has become much more than her original, weaker form.

Conditions not met for Evolution.

‘Rei loves the Pathriatch’s warmth.’

Stats:

STR: D+ (C-)

DEX: D+ (C-)

CON: D (D+)

MAG: D

SPI: E+

LCK: F+

Her physical stats are actually incredible. The letters are a bit deceiving, considering that her species is not equal to, say, a Devil, but if I’m not mistaken… She must be at the breaking point of Middle-Class. With an evolution? She would probably land squarely in the middle… Maybe even stronger than Akeno?

That is, if Akeno makes absolutely no progress on this trip.

Also, this is the second time that Rei was able to relay a message through my System screens. Yet...

‘’Patriarch?’’ I raise an eyebrow at the suddenly shy, gigantic spider, which makes for a slightly terrifying and amusing image.

I mean… I have referred to my pride for her as ‘fatherly pride’, but…

I’ll think about it later.

Stepping away from the cute, nightmare-fuel familiar, I bring forth the Legendary Spear. With a flick of my wrist, the weapon spins in my hand in a twirling motion. A breath in; I set a foot facing up front, while the other stayed back, pointing sideways. One of my hands grips the Demonic Water Spear loosely, near the tip, while the other grabs more tightly at the very end. Overall, making the weapon point slightly downwards. A common, yet effective stance.

I don’t need to share any more words with Rei. Our bond is more than enough to know the other is ready.

In a flash of movement, my eyes glow as I block to my side. Rei moved incredibly fast, from being directly in front of me to dashing at my side. Two of her front legs clash against my raised weapon, making my eyes widen as I actually struggle for a moment.

I’m physically stronger than her, but our body types are completely different. The exoskeleton on her legs is hard. Just as much as steel, or even harder. Not only that, but she’s big, and more mass equals more weight. That same thing she’s pressing against my smaller form.

‘’You’ll have to try harder than that!’’ I scream excitedly as an orange glow covers my entire body. My superior strength being augmented by [Reinforcement] is more than enough to push back and send Rei flying away into the tree line.

I don’t give any time to rest, as I make a hand-sign, middle and index finger pointing upwards, ring and pinky finger downwards, and the thumb pointing at myself. Instantly, my mana and Demonic Power hum in unison. ‘’Lacerate!’’

Countless blades of water tear at where I sent Rei flying, but my eyes narrow at the lack of her presence. Once the sawdust and dirt cleared, there’s no spider, only a bunch of messed-up trees, bushes, roots, and mud.

Looking around doesn’t help either. Night has completely taken the forest, and while I perfectly see in the dark, there’s no way eyesight alone is enough to detect my sneaky familiar.

Yet, a smirk blooms on my face as I see something.

I may not be able to see her, but I sure as hell can see the sudden displacement of dirt or small patches of grass getting crushed under a sudden weight. ‘’Gotcha!’’ At the same time, I shout, Rei reveals herself with what appears to be a giant ball of sticky, white thread.

As she throws the cocoon-like attack, it expands into a 5x5 web. In response, the watery currents that represent this spear form start to boil and steam as sparks of fire surround the entire weapon.

‘’[Combustion Burst V]!’’ The Hero Skill responds to my call instantly in the form of an immense torrent of fire. Swear drips down my face as the entirety of Rei’s web –along with some of the floor around- catches on fire and turns to ash almost instantly.

I even hear a horrifying screech, one that indicates annoyance more than actual pain, and I turn to look at the side, where Rei is nursing one of her legs with a purple, saliva-like substance coming from her open mandibles.

Once applied, she stands on the slightly scorched limb like nothing changed, making me give an ample smirk.

‘’First blood goes for me, girl! Better not hold anything back unless you want a SCORCHING defeat!’’ I chortle at my own pun, and by the way, Rei’s legs tap against the floor forcefully; she didn’t like the joke.

‘’Yes… Patriarch…’’ She conveys that another round of squaring up starts.

No, I did not get distracted by her calling me the equivalent of ‘father’ in the middle of the fight, which allowed her the second point. Whoever tells you otherwise is a liar and should be given a pointy hat that says ‘LIAR’ in messed-up cursive.

-X-x-X-

-Akeno Himejima-

I breathed out as sparks fired wildly around my form. The tingle of electricity felt divine all over my body. Almost good enough to make me squirm in my Miko outfit, but not quite. It needed a bit more firepower for that.

‘’Fufufu~ You’re way too much of a tease, Zatren-kun~’’ I licked my lips as I looked down from the sky. Wings at the ready to evade the lightning storm that my Kouhai has been throwing around for the past hour. I won’t usually go this far. Just a few touches, some double-meaning words here and there, but the way the ‘Half-Mermaid’ boy returned my teasing and even doubled down made it all the better! ‘’You’re not getting tired, are you? I want to keep going all night long~!’’

Also, the fact that he was already an item with lil’ Koneko and Rias… I won’t be ashamed to say that the role of ‘the other woman’ doesn’t interest me~

‘’Don’t you worry, Senpai. I have more than enough in the tank to satisfy you!’’ Zatren chuckled and played along with me until suddenly the training room sparked up with blue light. ‘’How’s this for size, Queen? Lightningbolt!’’

My eyes widen as I barely manage to barrel roll in the air to dodge the utterly massive bolt of lightning, and even so, the sheer speed managed to catch one of my wings before the brunt of the attack smashed against the training room’s wall, making the entirety of it shake while trying to absorb the attack.

When I tried to flap my wings to fly again, a wince and a moan escaped past my lips as I smirked down at the man.

Sadly enough, with a scorched wing, I’ll be a lot easier as a target, and even if a more playful part of me liked that stinging sensation from barely a graze of Zatren’s lightning, I know that going on the ground would be a lot better. This is a spar, after all.

A part of my mind went back to the reason for this training. I would never really understand devil politics, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let a bunch of old fossils decide the destiny of my best friend. Even if that meant going against that same friend’s family.

Ahh… Happy thoughts, Akeno. Where were we…?

I turned to the side, blocking a water blade with a magic circle. The recoil made me take a step back as I looked around for my target… ‘’Playing hide and seek, Kouhai-kun? Don’t worry, big sister will find you~’’

In response to my teasing, a sudden typhoon of water blew from my side at the uttering of the words ‘Water Surge!’. I could barely register the feeling of the floor at my feet getting wet as I answered in kind with a dose of yellow lightning. Sparks and water flew and blew themselves apart in equal measure, and sweat dripped down my neck.

I love a man with stamina, really, but this boy is getting ridiculous.

That same man came out of hiding in a show of blazing electricity once again. A glint of steel is all I managed to see before my eyes widened. At the same time, I rushed to put on a barrier. The red dome of light encompassed my entire form and then some. Not only that, but I made sure to put a few little seals as a second layer. Ones that were made to sap up electricity to reinforce the barrier itself.

It was exhausting, in a good way. Like actually being able to stretch my limbs properly after a long day, being stiff. Yet…

I heard the cackling of thunder, and Zatren’s shout late— No, not late. The attack was just that fast. One moment, my barrier stood mightily, ready to defend and absorb the electricity from the man’s attack. Next, a sound of glass shattering resounded in my ears.

‘’[Thunder Spear]!’’ Resounded Zatren’s scream as that cheating weapon of his pierces not only through her best barrier, but the wards made especially to absorb electricity. Of course, the wards didn’t mean anything if the barrier was instantly shattered on contact.

I blinked, wondering when I had fallen on my back, since I was clearly looking at the roof of the room. The light coming from the panels above made me realize that it was my loss… again.

The clunky-looking metal spear disappeared from the place where it pierced the ground. Conveniently at the side of my head, I sat down with a wince that didn’t feel good at all. I may like a little shock play, but fried muscles and tendons were not that fun.

Zatren appeared in my field of vision, offering a hand glowing in orange colors. With a bit of strain, I took it and sighed in relief as I was helped to my feet. The healing magic, so rare in Devils as it were, flooded my body and fixed the damage made by the electricity, slowly but surely. That didn’t stop me from pouting at the man.

‘’Moou… You do know you’re supposed to be gentle with a lady, don’t you, Zatren-kun?’’ I tried the fake pouting along with a little tease, only to get a deadpan that made me remember the one Koneko always makes. ‘’What?’’

‘’Senpai. You asked me, and I quote, to give you ‘some real punishment. Until I can’t stand!’ around twenty minutes ago.’’ He stated, which only made me pout harder.

‘’You’re no fun…’’ I couldn’t help it and chuckled. Which in turn, made Zatren give his own grin while shaking his head.

As I looked at the young man up and down for a moment, a dark thought came to mind. I already thought about it before, with him and I being… half-breeds. Yet, I did not bother. It wasn’t the same in any way.

But he did seem to have a liking for crows… considering the one residing on his home…

‘’So, want another match to see if you can hope to keep up, or did you have enough, Senpai~?’’ His teasing tone made me blink and let the previous thought fly away.

A smirk took my face as I spread my wings, now fully healed. I’m not one for liking this type of activity, but one doesn’t expect to win by half-assing things, right? Oh no. I was going all out for sure…~

‘’Bring it on, little fish~’’ I winked as the match started anew, with the roaring of thunder from both sides.

-X-x-X-

Bonus Scene: Sachi’s Torture.

I gritted my teeth, not for the first time today. Uh… I actually think I cracked them a few times, and if the blood running down my mouth is any indication, I think it happened again. Still, that didn’t compare to the sheer burn that my arms were experiencing…

‘’Come on, maggot! Who told you to stop?! You still have thirty more push-ups out of the one hundred I gave you!’’ Zatre— I mean, Boss’s voice cut through my mental and physical suffering as I managed one more push-up. The feeling of my body lowering to the ground, only to painfully go up, was horrible.

Even so…

‘’Sir! Yes, Sir!’’ I screamed out. The Vritra fragment in my hand is doing its weird absorption thingy, sucking energy from Boss’ arm and directly into my veins. In a moment, I felt reinvigorated, and the sheer weight of the boulders resting on my back felt a lot lighter. Those boulders are the particular reason why these hundred push-ups felt like they were tearing apart my arms and chest in the first place.

Well, that, and… the binders made breathing pretty hard.

One more push-up, another fragment of energy drained. I couldn’t ‘speak’ to the Sacred Gear like Boss asked me to. I don’t really know what he expected from a gauntlet, but speaking wasn’t particularly what I had in mind.

Why was I pushing myself so hard again?

Right. The Boss-Lady is getting unwillingly married off. That same woman who not only gave me back my life, as my legs were a bit more than dysfunctional at the time, but also guaranteed the well-being and future of my little brother and sister.

‘’You’re slowing down! Do you want me to add another fifty?! No, I know! I’ll make you run laps around the MOUNTAIN while carrying all of this weight. How’s that?!’’ Boss screamed at the top of his lungs. The few glances I could catch of his face told me he wasn’t really used to the act.

Yet, I couldn’t help the big smile on my face. It made me remember… home. Before the accident with Dad.

‘’Sir! No, Sir!’’ I shouted back, twice as enthusiastic now with my priorities straight!

If Boss and Boss-Lady needed the strongest pawn, then I’d gladly comply! What are a few measly boulders and some dainty push-ups?! Mere warm-up. THAT’S WHAT THEY ARE!

Without missing a beat, I managed to get off the last push-up and even doubled down by suddenly getting up, making the five boulders fall off my back and smashing against the dirt floor. A scream of victory ripped directly from my lungs.

‘’Piece of… cake…’’ I breathed out and suddenly, the patches of grass around the floor felt like a really nice pillow.