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nAfter being hit by the lashes 100 times, Alex stood up without an expression of pain rather he was quite satisfied seeing his soldiers admiring looks.

nNot a single scream nor yell escaped from Alex’s mouth during the whole torture session and the smile that hung on his face when the lashes began was still lingering on his lips.

nRiya walked slowly toward Alex and wanted to wipe the blood on his back but Alex forbade her.

nRiya’s heart ached to see Alex wounded back. His clothes had been torn and shredded with many cuts and wounds appeared on his back with blood trickling down from the wounds.

nAlex smiled and patted Riya’s head while soldiers averted their gaze seeing the public display of affections.

nCough…Cough…

nAlex coughed and shouted, “Hey, stop wasting time and get over the test quickly with it.”

nOn Alex’s calls, soldiers started to climb up and tried to test their tolerance level.

nThe first one was knocked out in three lashes while the second one was knocked out in ten

nOf the first fifty soldiers, only two were able to tolerate it but they lost their consciousness as soon as it was over.

nSome screamed, some howled, some gritted their teeth to endure but all failed.

nMordek looked at the scene and thought about himself.

nHe didn’t know if he would be able to tolerate it if he was in their place.

n“Tolerating the pain depends on one’s willpower and determination. There may be some people who are born with a high pain tolerance capacity but suppressing the pain and getting up after being beaten is not something anyone could do.”

n“Even strong warriors who are on the apex of the chain fail to get up after being beaten and lose their will.”

n“This is the test of their will and determination.”

nAfter everyone went through it, only 70 were able to go through it but it didn’t mean that others were disqualified.

nEveryone will have to take all the tests.

nIn the next round, it was a test of courage.

nOne will stand at a spot and arrows will be fired at him and there are chances of arrows hitting him.

nIf one gives up before three arrows were fired, he would be disqualified.

nAlex was the first one to take the test.

nHe stood motionless as the first arrows went past him brushing his cheeks but he was unlucky in the second time as the second arrow hit his shoulder and the third arrow hit his thigh.

nEven though blood spurted from his wound and arrows struck him, he stood firm and steady and immovable like a mountain.

nHe didn’t even move an inch from his place.

nAlex pulled the arrow and ordered the test to resume.

nRiya’s eyes moistened as he saw that Alex was being too hard on himself.

nBeforehand, Alex had ordered to hit his shoulder and thigh so that people knew that he wasn’t bluffing and there was a real risk of losing his life.

nSimilarly, many were hit after Alex and many forfeited due to fear.

nAlex had arranged some of them by providing sufficient compensation and a vacation from before.

nOf every 30 people, he had placed one in the group to get hit by the arrow at a non-lethal spot and those places where arrows were supposed to be hit, were sufficiently guarded where only a small wound would appeared, unlike Alex who took the arrow for real.

nMany decided to opt out while many even wet their pants in fear but they still tried to hold on. Many screamed and ran away after the first arrow was drawn and shot at them which passed brushing their skin.

nNext and the last round was sparring, in this round Mordek, Ben and Max would spar with these individuals by rotating their shifts.

nIf they were unable to hold on or became exhausted, Alex would take the charge.

nAs Mordek started to fight, he just blew them away with his simple swings or striking at their opening.

nSince, all people have started recently they weren’t covering their tracks and every time they attack, they leave their defences wide open for their enemies to exploit.

nAlex was amused at one of the soldiers who tried to exchange blows by taking blows. Since he knew he couldn’t defeat Mordek, he tried to drag him down with him.

nHost, you shouldn’t laugh at them. You also use that technique

n“Huh!” Alex exclaimed in shock on hearing the system’s words.

n“I know, I just laughed seeing a version of myself in them. Every time I see them,I start to compare them and think about what they could have achieved if they would be trained by Goddess instead of me.”

n“Maybe some of them would have done better than me.” Alex spoke with a sigh.

nHost, you shouldn’t underestimate yourself. I don’t think many can go through that kind of nightmare without going insane.

nEven a strong metal when beaten repeatedly gets broken or crushed. But you didn’t break, rather you became a metal that tried to hold on grinding itself and lasted long enough that the hammer hitting the metal instead of breaking you, the repeated strikes heated the metal and refined it and moulded it into what you are today.

nAlex was both stupefied and embarrassed on hearing the system’s sudden praises.

nTalking about it made him remember his training.

nThe Goddess of War would put him in a desert simulation and order him to run till the end of the desert barefooted on hot sizing sands with weight carrying on his shoulder.

nHis skin under his feet would peel off and footprints of blood would appear by the end.

nIn the training, all his pain receptors were enabled and he would even feel hunger and thirst but there would be no food nor any water and he would reach the end while feeling deep pain and thirst. I

nIn another scenario, while they were in the spar, at each strike she would break a limb and bones of him but he didn’t give in and even when each one of his body is broken he would just crawl and use his mouth to bite her feet and the Goddess instead of being angry for biting her would laugh and praise at me.

nEvery time Alex thinks about it, his soul starts to tremble in fear. Since he was in a soul state he wouldn’t die even after being repeatedly killed.

n1000…10000….10000000.

nAlex couldn’t even remember how many times he died and then became alive again only to restart the hellish nightmare and all the time his fate would remain the same, he didn’t know if another one could do that but Alex knew that he will be never same after going through that and his personality had become that of a madman and a maniac demon was lurking inside him that can crawl out anytime if he didn’t keep himself check.

nAlex felt a warm sensation and he looked down to see Leo licking his wounds.

n“Hey, you like my blood so much?”

nAlex had already made an equal contract with Leo while each one of them will benefit from each other.

nIf Alex got stronger, Leo would get a part of their strengths and if Leo got stronger, he would get a part of his strength.

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