"I can't believe you haven't figured it out yet."
Jabari, who had been lying on his back, enduring non-stop shocks for the better part of six hours, slowly turned his head to glare at Aziz.
His patience was gone. His nerves were frayed. His entire body twitched at regular intervals as electricity coursed through him.
At this point, he was convinced Aziz was lying.
There was no trick.
No secret method.
No solution.
His sadistic mentor had simply set him up for failure, forcing him to suffer relentlessly.
Although the shocks didn't hurt much, they were impossible to ignore. It was torture.
The worst part?
Aziz had already told him that lying flat was the easiest position. If he couldn't even figure this out, he could forget about mastering muscle efficiency in any other stance.
And then there was the deal.
Aziz had given him a way out.
All he had to do was say the words, "I can't do it."
If he did, Aziz would remove the needle and even give him a hint.
But Jabari knew what this was.
Reverse psychology.
His mentor was baiting him.
And it was working.
This was the first challenge given to him by the mentor he had fought so hard to choose. There was no way he was giving up.
Aziz had been closely observing Jabari's emotions since the moment this ordeal began.
At first, he had been confident.
After two hours, that confidence had turned into doubt.
At six hours, it became frustration.
And by ten, Aziz saw the creeping shadow of self-doubt settling in.
'I guess figuring it out in one session was too much, even for him,' Aziz thought, watching as Jabari's resolve began to fray.
After twelve hours, he finally spoke.
"Alright, we'll carry on tomorrow." Aziz reached for the needle.
The instant he did-
Jabari's hand shot up, catching Aziz's wrist.
Aziz blinked.
Jabari's grip was tight.
He turned his gaze downward, meeting the boy's dark brown eyes, which blazed with raw defiance.
Jabari's body was still spasming from the shocks, but his voice was steady, unwavering.
"Is it…
Possible?" he grunted through gritted teeth.
Aziz didn't answer immediately.
For almost a full minute, he simply stared back.
Then-
"Yes," he said simply.
The shocks crackled between them as Jabari continued to stare at him.
Then-
"I…
Will…
Do it!"
With a final grunt, Jabari released Aziz's wrist and turned his focus inward, ignoring his mentor entirely.
Aziz exhaled, shaking his head.
"Stubborn brat."
He moved back, sitting against the wall with his arms crossed, watching as Jabari continued to struggle futilely.
Jabari barely acknowledged him.
Instead, he simply closed his eyes.
Aziz's smirk widened.
'Those eyes…'
A flicker of pride stirred within him.
'I guess hisrecord-breakingscore on theTest of Willwasn't just forshow.'
Truthfully, Aziz had wanted Jabari to create a miracle and figure it out in one session. But he had known from the start that it was virtually impossible.
Even the most talented warriors took at least a week to succeed. And that was only for a genius – the kind of genius born once every hundred years.
His original plan had been to stop the session at the twelve-hour mark just to let Jabari understand how difficult this truly was.
But then-
He saw it.
That look in his eyes.
The look of someone who didn't know the meaning of giving up.
A look of indomitable will.
Aziz smirked, leaning his head back against the wall.
'Let's see where your limits truly lie, Jabari.'
Jabari's stomach had been grumbling on and off since the six-hour mark.
By eighteen hours, it was less of a grumble and more of a roaring beast.
Still, after a lifetime in the slums, hunger was nothing new. He had survived far worse.
What was truly breaking him wasn't the hunger, but the relentless shocks.
His brain worked overtime, desperately searching for a solution. But nothing he tried seemed to work. Every three seconds, without fail, his body twitched violently under another jolt of electricity.
By thirty hours, his mind was sluggish.
Exhaustion gnawed at his body. Hunger burned in his gut. The constant shocks disrupted his focus, making even the simplest thoughts feel like an uphill battle.
Then-
A scent drifted through the air.
An incredible scent.
His body reacted instinctively, trying to sit up-
BZZT!
Pain reminded him of his reality, slamming him back down.
Gritting his teeth, he turned his head to the side and-
His eyes narrowed.
Aziz was sitting nearby, eating a plate of vibrant orange rice and golden, succulent meat.
The smell alone was heavenly.
"It's called Jollof Rice," Aziz said casually, chewing with satisfaction. Then, with a smirk, he added, "I'll fix you a plate…
If you say those four magic words."
Jabari's hands twitched with the overwhelming urge to punch his mentor square in the mouth.
But even if he were at his best, landing a hit on Aziz was near impossible. In his current state? It wasn't even worth entertaining.
Still-
The food smelled too good.
And the problem was, his mind couldn't focus on anything else.
That was when an idea struck him.
'My bloodline ability can enhance my senses…
What if it can suppress them too?'
With nothing to lose, he put the theory to the test.
Instead of infusing his spirit into his nose to enhance his smell, he attempted to use it as a plug – an internal barrier.
And sure enough-
His sense of smell vanished.
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
Aziz, who had been watching, raised a brow. "Why are you smiling?"
Jabari, still enduring the persistent shocks, answered proudly, "I just figured out that my bloodline ability can block my senses as well as enhance them."
Aziz's smirk flickered.
"Oh? So you're still no closer to stopping the shocks?" He gave a mocking shrug. "Ooh well, that's good too, I guess…"
Jabari's entire face twitched in fury-
Before another shock ripped through his body, making everything twitch alongside it.
With a snort, he forced himself to focus back on the task at hand.
Meanwhile, Aziz – who had hidden his true reaction perfectly – was deep in thought.
'Suppressing senses…?'
The implications of such an ability were vast.
Aziz began re-evaluating Jabari's potential, already considering how to tailor his future training.
The hours stretched on.
Jabari had only been able to block his sense of smell for about twenty minutes before he felt his spirit reserves nearing empty.
He had no choice but to stop.
Luckily, Aziz had long since finished his meal.
But that brief victory meant little.
Jabari's second wind quickly faded, exhaustion crashing down on him like a tidal wave.
His eyes glazed over, his body growing limp – yet in the depths of his soulless gaze, Aziz could still see it.
The fire.
The relentless will.
At forty hours, Jabari had long since stopped actively thinking about the task at hand. His mind drifted in and out of a delirious state, mumbling words that Aziz had to strain to hear.
"Inayah…
Vassal…
Get back…
Oluwa…"
Aziz frowned slightly, his own thoughts momentarily distracted.
Then-
At sixty hours, Jabari was barely conscious.
But Aziz still didn't stop the challenge.
Because despite the state of his body-
Jabari's eyes still burned with fight.
It wasn't until sixty-seven and a half hours in that a change occurred.
Jabari fell asleep.
Aziz watched carefully, expecting to see his body twitch from another shock-
But it didn't.
For the first time in almost three days, Jabari was completely still. No trembling. No spasms.
It meant that, in his unconscious state, his body had finally mastered how to "lie down."
Aziz's lips curled into an amused smile.
"It hasn't even been three days…
I wonder what that little girl would say if she knew someone beat her time."
…
"Uhh…
What happened?"
Jabari's voice was groggy as he slowly woke from his slumber. His head throbbed with a dull, pounding ache, and his vision blurred as his eyes struggled to regain focus.
That was when he noticed it.
He was submerged neck-deep in a tub of red, bubbling liquid.
His sluggish mind failed to process what was happening.
Everything before losing consciousness felt like a hazy dream. The last thing he could clearly remember was Aziz flicking that damned needle in his head.
After that – nothing but fragments. He was still too tired to think properly.
"Well, look who's finally awake."
Jabari tilted his head, blinking blearily at the blurry figure standing nearby. He recognised the voice instantly – playful, teasing.
"Where… are we?" Jabari muttered, still trying – and failing – to piece things together. His headache worsened the harder he tried to remember.
And as if that wasn't bad enough, his stomach roared like a starved beast.
Aziz smirked. "Open your mouth."
Before Jabari could question it, a straw was gently placed between his lips.
"Drink up," Aziz said. "It'll help wi-"
SLUUUUURP!
Jabari didn't even wait for the rest of the sentence.
The moment he caught the divine aroma drifting from the cup, he instinctively latched onto the straw like a drowning man to a raft.
And the instant the thick liquid touched his tongue-
His eyes widened.
His body shuddered.
It was like he had died and gone to heaven.
It was the same Ile Aziz had introduced him to before, but somehow, it tasted ten times better.
Was it because he was starving? Or was this batch just that good?
Jabari didn't care.
He gulped it down, barely stopping to breathe.
Aziz watched in amusement as the boy drained the cup within seconds.
Only when Jabari finally pulled away – breathless, satisfied – did Aziz smirk.
"Now that you've eaten," he said, waving a hand, "go and wash up. You stink."
Jabari blinked, his senses finally sharpening.
It was then that he smelt it. The putrid stench clinging to his body.
His face twisted in disgust.
"What is this stuff?" he asked, looking down at the red liquid he had been soaking in.
Aziz chuckled. "A special concoction to help with muscle fatigue." He nodded toward the shower. "Hurry up and get clean. You've already slept for almost 30 hours. How much more time do you intend to waste?"
Jabari froze.
"Thirty hours?!"
Aziz simply smirked and said nothing.
Still shocked by how long he had been out, Jabari hurried into the shower.
And as the warm water cascaded over him-
The memories came flooding back.
The needle. The endless shocks. The hunger. The desperation.
The moment when his body finally stopped spasming…
And then-
Darkness.
After his shower, Jabari dried off and changed into a fresh uniform – which, to his mild surprise, had been washed and dried by his mentor.
Refreshed and alert, he made his way back to the training hall – only to find Aziz waiting with another steaming plate of food.
"This," Aziz said, gesturing at the meal, "is another one of Ulo's incredible delicacies. Rice and peas with oxtail."
Jabari's mouth watered.
Despite having just downed a full bowl of Ile, his hunger had barely been satisfied.
He barely managed a quick "thank you" before devouring the plate in front of him.
This time, he activated his bloodline ability, enhancing his taste buds to savour every bite.
He had never tasted anything so rich, so flavourful.
"This meat…" he mumbled between chews, his eyes shining. "It's the best I've ever tasted!"
Aziz chuckled. "I'd never tried it before coming to Ulo," he admitted. "But even I have to say – it's one of my favourites now."
Jabari barely heard him, too focused on demolishing his plate.
As soon as he finished, he looked up at Aziz-
A silent plea in his eyes.
More.
Aziz smirked knowingly.
"You can satisfy your greed later," he said. "For now, let's focus on your training."
He crossed his arms. "Did you learn anything from 60+ hours under the influence of my little needle?"
Jabari swallowed, gathering his thoughts.
He thought back to those final moments-
The way his body had stilled just before he lost consciousness.
His lips parted.
"I think…
I figured it out just before I passed out."
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