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The difference between a hero and an ordinary person is like the difference between a dragon and a human.

No matter how many ordinary people claim to have exceptional abilities, none can defeat a hero.

However, the World of Muscles is different.

Without a hero’s power, and by excluding magic, anyone can compete against a hero using only physical strength.

Especially if the conditions are the same.

If everyone competes on equal terms, even an ordinary person may have the chance to challenge a hero.

“Next.”

Moreover, if the hero has a ‘penalty’ to contend with, the challenge becomes even more tempting.

“Number 69. Disqualified.”

My body sinks down.

Steadily, as if I were descending while casting Levitation Magic.

“Phew.”

I can feel a slight tremor from below.

It’s not from exhaustion, but my body quivers as I catch my breath.

“Oh ho, number 89. Your groin guard touched the ground, right? Disqualified.”

“Ah, no…!”

“What do you mean no? The moment it touched, you were disqualified. The magic circle below you reacted. Step back.”

“Ugh…!”

Number 89 stood up submissively and retreated.

“Next.”

My body rises once more.

I am perched on Lucius’s back, cross-legged and staff in hand, scanning the audience.

“Currently, 70 push-ups. Excluding those who were disqualified for breaking the rules… there are still quite a few left.”

Out of 300 people, only 30 had been eliminated.

Even those who were disqualified did so due to poor form, bad condition, or having their groin guard touch the ground; otherwise, they could have completed 70 push-ups with ease.

“This is unfair!”

“What’s unfair?”

“My groin guard is larger than others! It can’t be helped!”

“And that’s why I provided you with a metal bar to hold instead of touching the ground.”

Doing push-ups against the ground is fine, but the groin guard tends to easily touch the floor.

So I had to come up with a clever solution and conjured a metal bar of suitable height for everyone.

Using earth attribute magic, it rose up from the ground of the Mobile Fortress Mamon.

“Eliminated individuals can try again later, so please wait over there. Or would you prefer to do it without that?”

“Th-that’s…”

“Go over there and wait. Next.”

I descend once again.

The warriors’ hands are beginning to shake, and more are holding their breath deeply.

But Lucius remains strong.

He doesn’t just do squats in the early morning; he consistently does 100 push-ups every day to build muscle.

Even though I’m sitting on his back, Lucius won’t crumble that easily.

“Next.”

“Uraah!”

Someone screams and starts to rise, a muscular man, but he seems unable to hold on any longer, gasping for breath.

“Cough! This…!”

“I acknowledge your spirit. But is losing form due to heavy breathing your responsibility?”

“Umm…!”

“Next.”

As soon as I uttered ‘next’—

“Uwaah!”

“Hah, hah, hah…!”

“Ugh! Hah!”

…An incomprehensible array of breaths began to erupt.

I can’t tell if it’s breathing or moaning, but they’re increasingly approaching a limit.

One down, one up.

Repeating that posture for about 10 seconds has brought us to 80 reps.

If it were a sprint, no one would be eliminated after quickly going up and down 80 times.

But enduring it until muscles are taut naturally causes agony, even for warriors.

‘Practical muscles are different from gym muscles.’

These warriors are all about practical muscles.

What I value, however, is their visible form.

By proudly showcasing these solid muscles to Satan, I can stab him in the back while making him deal with something other than just orc pigs and trolls.

– Is this what they call muscle!? This right here is true muscle, ‘muscle’!

Flexing.

I provoke his ego by flaunting the impressive bulk hidden beneath that strange orange robe.

If he doesn’t show up…

“Uh, when are we changing positions again!”

“Oh. My bad. Next.”

Slowly.

And leisurely move.

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched those challenging their limits without resorting to tricks.

100 push-ups.

It seems easy for the warriors who fight alongside heroes.

Of course, it is.

But what about mixing in something else?

“Alright, last 100! So, those who survive…”

Beep beep.

“10 additional Bel points each.”

The markings engraved on the magic circle beneath everyone’s feet began to shine.

Some were already complete, while others had barely accomplished half.

“You’ve strained your arms with push-ups, so take a 5-minute break, and then we’ll move on to the next exercise.”

“Wait a minute…!”

“What’s the matter?”

“Are you sure the hero isn’t using the Power of the Holy Sword?!”

Ah, as expected.

So many are questioning Lucius’s muscles.

“Yes. Are you suspecting me?”

“Of course! How can you maintain perfect breathing while doing that alone?!”

“Because I do it every day.”

“Ev-every day?!”

“Yes. Every morning, I wake up and train for about an hour before starting my day. Why don’t you give it a try?”

These individuals are already seasoned warriors.

So, the need for actual combat training is… just a little bit.

“I think strength training is fine like that… Good. One-hour break. After the break, we’ll do ‘Real Battle Training.’”

“Real Battle Training means…?”

“Of course, it’s sparring. Ah, just to clarify, you won’t be fighting each other.”

Nod, nod.

“The hero won’t need to step in; I’ll handle everything myself.”

The most certain way to establish hierarchy.

That is to show overwhelming strength.

“I bet—let’s see how many of the 300 will still be standing in five hours. Heh heh.”

*

“Master, you mean a spar, right…?”

“Exactly. I’ll be sparring with each of you one by one.”

During a brief rest, I stepped outside Mamon with Lucius.

Thud, thud, thud.

With its eight legs advancing, Mamon moves forward toward the Empire.

“Lucius, sparring with you will help you grow, but others will be filled with a sense of defeat. They’ll feel defeated without even being able to land a hit on a hero. That’s a bit concerning, don’t you think?”

“But Master sparring alone is…”

“Don’t worry. Even I wouldn’t face 300 people in a row.”

“Oh?”

“I’ll face them all at once.”

300:1.

Not a hero, but defeated in close combat by the sorceress of the Hero Party.

With 300 charging at 1.

“Why? Do you think I’ll lose?”

“…But there are 300 of them. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“Of course, I’m fine. I faced even more enemies than this once. And that was in actual battle.”

That was the story of my encounter with the United Human Alliance.

“Compared to that, this is far easier. Thanks to the shield, I won’t die, and as long as I’m careful down below, I won’t get hurt no matter how many hits I take, right?”

“Is your mana okay, Master?”

“Yep. I’ve arranged support from Endymion. After all, these guys are warriors from the Anari Principality, so we agreed to use the Anari Principality’s resources. You’ve been busy cleaning up the monsters in this country and farming, right? We’ll use that here.”

“…….”

“What’s wrong?”

Lucius’s expression darkened.

It seems he has something to say but lacks the courage.

“Why?”

“…I aimed to prepare that for you, so it feels a bit off.”

“Ah, is that what you’re worried about? Come on.”

I punched Lucius lightly in the solar plexus.

“Thanks. And sorry. I didn’t think about it. I was just lying around while you provided me with the magic stones and used them as if they were mine without consulting you.”

“Th-that’s not what I meant. The magic stones are intended for you, so it only makes sense for you to use them. It’s just that if your mana runs out…”

“I won’t be using much mana. I’ll operate at extreme efficiency.”

I’ll fight using martial arts, combat skills, and staff techniques.

“If you’re really worried, do you want to watch from the side? Or you could use surveillance magic to observe from a hidden place. Honestly, I would prefer if you took care of Rosmas and the others instead of watching my sparring…”

“Instead of?”

“I wish you would pacify Rosmas and the others.”

“…….”

Lucius’s expression grew even darker.

What’s up with that?

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“…No. It feels strange that they’re still bright and cheery even when heading off to fight the Demon King’s army.”

“They seem confident because they believe they’re fine. And Lucius, you know, human fertility tends to surge right before extinction, right?”

“Eh?”

“History proves it. After the Demon King perished, humanity’s numbers exploded within a year, even during the war against the Demon King’s army.”

“…Is that so?”

“Indeed. Oh, before going down, I should change something real quick.”

Swish.

I took off my robe.

The shirt and shorts I wore underneath felt a bit inadequate for facing 300 people.

Snap.

I snapped my fingers and altered my outfit shape with mana.

In an instant, the clothing clung to my body and transformed, while Lucius could not take his eyes off this mysterious transformation magic.

“Ma-master, what is that…?”

“Oh, this?”

I just changed my clothes for easier movement.

“Workout tights.”

In Belselphia, they referred to these as leggings.

“Wow! A magical transformation that completely changes the attire! How cool, right?”

“…….”

“What’s wrong, why no reaction?”

“M-master, why is your belly exposed….?”

“Well, that’s…”

Of course.

“It’s only natural for Celsius to wear it this way, right? Look at my abs.”

Even undead can gain some definition after more than half a year of strength training.

“Wanna touch them?”

“…….”

 

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