22 No Pain No Gain

The mistle in the home base flashed with a white light as golden particles shoot from it. Slowly expanding in size before molding into multiple human outlines.

"Oh, finally." Rin saw the team's arrival, a sight that usually made her worried as the assembly process was similar to when one is killed and reformed.

But given that it was the whole party, she didn't believe that they were all killed at the same time.

'It took them just a little bit less than two days.' She remembered the last time Yakumo and Louis came from the futile expedition as the blood spring was dried once they reached it.

The mission took both revenants three whole months, granted that was their first expedition to the Dried Up Trenches. But now, with a group of six instead of two, they were making quick work of such excruciating voyages.

Despite their superior efficiency compared to before when it was just Yakumo and Louis, the new team members needed plenty of training.

'Especially Adam.' She saw the team fully materialize.

Rin was quite young when the collapse happened, just a sixteen-year-old teen when she was turned into a revenant to fight off the queen and her army of lost. She earned a name for herself and her wild fighting style, one developed by her Olympic-level gymnastics and a lack of self-preservation, consequently, making her a fighting machine.

Setting records on monsters slain by a lone individual wherever she went, being one step above the 'wonder boy' in that aspect. Given that she received training from the best of the best when it comes to training and building her body in her Olympic activities, adding onto the fact that she trained with the most elite revenants during the Queenslayer operation, she was more than qualified to transform the new members into fighting machines.

As for why she isn't on the front lines if she is strong? That is something she only knows… or she wished to know, she can't bring herself to step back out into the battlefield. Even if she is scared deep down about the reason, she wasn't about to back out from regaining her memories.

One more reason to train Adam.

'Oh well, at least I still had enough time to fix and adjust the new equipment that Davis delivered.' It was time to put that bas- Adam through a-

"YESSS!!!" Yami cried as soon as he set foot in the base, kneeling and hugging the tiled foundation of the old cathedral. Tears of joy welled up in his eyes like a person tasting ice cream after years of a strict diet.

Oliver set down his hammer on the ground, supporting himself on it to maintain his balance. Just looking down, not uttering a word.

Rin waved at Yakumo and Louis who nodded back. They didn't show it much, but they were just as happy to return. She remembered the grim faces the duo had when they came back from that place.

"Dude, if I didn't go to hell for loving a man, I would kiss you!!" Yami, almost drowning in his snot and tears, hugged Adam as if they were childhood friends.

"You still are." The latter got him off before looking at Io. "How are you feeling?"

The girl lightly exhaled, "Relieved…"

Adam raised an eyebrow at what could be Io's first genuine expression of her mood. Even if it's one of tiredness.

"Stop just standing there letting your stench fill the hall!!" Rin yelled from the counter with towels and bottles of body wash ready.

"Sorry sorry," Yakumo and the group quickly went to the hot springs. Adam and Io going to their room.

Rin immediately got to work on their equipment, barely standing their reeking smell of death. One that she was used to, but disliked more than anything else.

Not many revenants have the luxury to worry about hygiene. But they do worry about the smell. Coco and other merchants have made some deals with Cerberus to get such 'body wash' products.

They not only get rid of smell quickly but will let you quickly blend in the environment. Almost as if absorbing the new scent around you. The Gaol of the Mist is a big place. And that place became more varied as the collapse ended up mixing or just making new environments.

A zone of never-ending fire that has been blazing for years, a small mountain that was elevated to heights beyond the clouds, making it hard to navigate with unending snow storms, and not to mention the depths that have never seen caverns that go from dry deserts to being partly underwater.

If a traveling revenant doesn't want to be snuffed out by the lost inhibiting these different environments, they would need a reliable way to hide their scent, which means that merchants will need them more than anyone. However, blood codes with specific tracking gifts or lost with sharp senses will still be able to detect the odd scent that the body produces.

But better avoid most confrontations than none at all.

Unless they have the strength to plow through the challenges possessed by their new surroundings, it's better to stay in one.

"Hope this bottle is enough." Adam shook the half-empty container of body wash before spilling half of its contents on top of Io's head.

Yes… they were showering together. He couldn't really stand the smell any longer and decided to just shower together with Io.

However, any lewd thoughts that could formulate in Adam's mind were prematurely interrupted by an involuntary gag at the smell still sticking to their bodies.

And even then, it's not like Adam had the time to be horny.

Adam believed he had things figured out when he thought 'This isn't a game anymore.' as if it would aid him in adapting to his new reality.

He was wrong.

The world was bigger than he thought it would be.

Its inhabitants were more complex than he could predict.

The disasters were worse than he could imagine.

Monsters were fiercer than he could handle.

He thought he was being proactive.

That his mind was prepared.

But he kept getting surprised by the world around him.

He wasn't ready.

'So I just need to grow stronger. It's that simple.' And difficult problems oftentimes are made harder by trying to approach them with complexity.

A strong enemy?

Hit it harder. Become stronger and deadlier. There shouldn't be an 'honorable' way to kill an enemy. They will die just the same. Just another corpse.

They are faster?

React faster. Anticipate their movements, and analyze their rhythm. He was given the tools to do so. His senses are much sharper than before.

Does the enemy have too many numbers?

Get more allies. Act and be strong enough to inspire confidence, even if you have to pretend, few can tell the difference when under pressure. Make them feel safe standing by you and fighting at your side.

Focus on a goal and advance. To not die another meaningless death…

The young man might've not had the life experience that his old man had to tackle life's adversities with a smile on his face no matter the circumstances, but he had his teachings engraved in his heart.

"Adam, are you alright?" Io turned around, slipping from his grasp, and looked at Adam.

Both of them were sitting down on small stalls. The showerhead rained on them. Droplets of water fell on Io, washing away the foam made by the body wash.

She leaned forward and stared into his eyes. So close that they could feel each other's breath.

"...I."

"Adam?" Her amber eyes shook for a moment, "are you not feeling well?"

"I'm not. But that is no excuse to stop…" He responded truthfully, oddly collected.

Her lips curved slightly upwards and held his face, "then I will make sure you keep moving forward."

"However, I don't like it that you aren't feeling well. So, if I can alleviate your burden, let me take care of you." Her hands moved to his hair and helped him get rid of the smell.

"Thank you."

He wasn't in a game.

There was such a huge disparity between the game and reality that it wasn't even funny. Revenants don't grow tired from running 30 seconds with hundreds of pounds of equipment. They aren't by any means slow and can jump buildings. Normal rounds do nothing to them. They can mold concrete as if it was dirt.

Who is to say that Mido hasn't discovered some bullshit way to create black holes in the palm of his hands with some gravity or polarity-manipulating ability?

Adam has to try harder if he doesn't want to be swallowed by the world he was thrown into.

'Because this isn't a game anymore.' Thoughts are thoughts. Just as words are words. Only experience can make them have conviction, a belief ingrained into one's heart.

Two days were spent in the Dried Up Trenches, fighting every waking moment he was there, yet he felt lighter and clearer of mind. Ready to take on what the world has for him.

He knew his next step and didn't hesitate to take it.

Not sure if it was the shower with a pretty lady now that he thought about it, but it was a welcomed feeling.

"Damn, tiger!" Rin was surprised once Adam came to her for training as soon he got out of the shower with Io.

"Already?" She sized up the couple with a raised eyebrow as if wanting to make an innuendo of sorts…

"Yes," Adam spoke with a no-nonsense tone.

"Oh…" Her bright brown eyes stared at his face. She recognized that gaze.

Rin's expression softened.

She had seen such stares from many soldiers that fought alongside her. A man ready for war…

Regardless, as strong as his resolve was, his body certainly didn't match it. Something she has to work on.

"Fine then!" She guided them to the training room.

"But you better remember that you walked here on your own will!" She gave the duo one last look before continuing to lead the way.

…

Meanwhile!

~Four dudes chillin' in a hot spring, 5 feet apart because they're not gay~

"Man, I think that I might grow spoiled because of this…" Yakumo enjoyed the hot spring water, almost melting on the spot. But he quickly regained his composure before undoing his hair and washing it.

The commodity that he enjoyed once a week or month became a daily routine. Seriously, Adam's teleportation ability was a God-sent to them.

"There is nothing bad about caring for your hygiene even if we can't get sick or infections," Oliver responded, washing his body with a sponge with a bit too much force. Since he was at the front most alongside Adam, he was the one who smelled the worst.

"Huh…" Yami looked at Yakumo whose dark orange hair falling to his shoulders.

They all had simple towels to hide their privates, so their bodies were completely exposed. The numerous scars around Yakumo's body were clear for everyone to see. It's not like they haven't seen them or they found new ones in his body.

But Yami had just become curious about something.

"Hey Louis-" He looked at the researcher whose foamed hair looked like it belonged to a dollar store sasuke, Yami held in a chuckle and continued, "-ehem, do you know why Tarzan still looks like that?"

He pointed at Yakumo, "I mean, we heal eyes and limbs when we transform into revenants, right?"

"Tarzan?"

The rest ignored the confused ex-mercenary and looked at Louis.

"That… has no conclusive evidence, actually." Louis found himself stuck.

"It is true that we heal all wounds when revived as revenants. I haven't seen scars that hinder an individual whatsoever. There are people who have died by fire, yet once revived, they have no burn injuries while retaining some scars they had once alive."

"Woah… Does that mean I can't get back my foreski-" Yami couldn't finish his question as Oliver's meaty hand slammed on his head, submerging the black-haired dumbass underwater. It gave some silent restful seconds for everyone's sanity.

"So, we actually forget mentally scarring memories, but getting rid of actual scars is asking too much?" Yakumo didn't really seem to mind his scars still carrying on unto his life as a revenant, but the fact that memories don't have him irritated.

Bad memories or not, he didn't want them gone.

"*cough* it- chuek- it was a genuine *cough* question!" Yami resurfaced from the hot spring.

"Scars are memories as well," Oliver added.

It was Yami's turn to be ignored by the rest.

"... Fair enough." Yakumo somewhat agreed.

"Scars can be an indication of resilience, so it's not so bad." Louis simply saw it from another angle. "It usually helps your presence in being more imposing and remarkable at times as well."

"Yeah, but it's not like we can get any more of them, so what's the use? We are all buffed-up versions of ourselves adding in some crazy powers on top, judging someone from looks doesn't help much anymore. That sort of stuff is for when we were humans" Yami stated after he stopped drowning with the water stuck in his nose.

"Like, we pretty much have an example right here in the base, Adam's eyes made my heart feel cold as it had been submerged in a bucket of ice, but it turned out all he had to show was reflexes and dodging ability… well, that was at the start but you know what I mean."

"Oh, that's why he wears glasses and a tainted mask…" Oliver felt some sense of guilt, he was probably the first person to make Adam conscious of it, or at least that's what he thinks.

"That's not wrong, but a thing still has remained the same in some cases. A revenant with a big build means immense physical strength. I've yet to meet people with swimmer build to show me otherwise. Unless they use their blood code with wit, they aren't doing much with just their hands." Yakumo gazed at Yami.

"... I know what you are thinking, I've done it and my ichor hits rock bottom in seconds, I will stick with using it on my weapons. Detection is already costly enough as well." Yami threw his hands in the air in defeat at Yakumo's insinuation.

Yakumo took a deep breath before standing up, "Enough with erasing scars or getting back memories, the first thing I have to do is get back some of the muscles I lost since my last death."

Revenants do leave vestiges upon death, but they tend to leave Haze more likely than not. Which are just BOR Parasite particles dissociating from the body for better dispersing and reassembly efficiency.

Only revenants who gain significant muscle mass and improved physique through training after their revival, which can be considered their base state, will probably leave Haze when dying.

It might not be much, but consequential deaths can weaken a revenant until they frenzy.

Louis nodded as he stood up "Rin should've fixed the equipment already, besides, Davis came here to deliver some new machines as well."

But what they saw when they came to the training room… they didn't want to be part of it.

"Aghfvbkhfsdkf." Adam gritted his teeth to the point that their creaking could be heard in the training area.

A tortu- training machine for revenants is for sure something abnormal.

Tons of weight were pushed onto his back as he sat down on the ground with his legs open in front of him. Some kind of levers made sure that he couldn't close them, in fact, they seemed to apply pressure to increase their separation, slowly and very surely tearing him apart.

Many other mechanisms had pinned down most of his lower joints and muscles as if wanting to stretch him like gum.

The machine was precise and cruel as it slowly stretched his legs. It could easily dislocate his joints in the position that he was in, but its purpose apparently was to slowly expand his limits involving joint rotations and tendon tensile strength.

Revenants aren't human no matter how similar they look. As long as the heart isn't destroyed, they are virtually immortal. Thus, a humane design for the exercise equipment is thrown out of the window. Replaced by a ruthless and efficient approach that scared even its creators.

"I… I'm pretty sure that those things weren't like that." Yakumo saw the old training equipment that he used to exercise with before.

"Well, you know. Since Mr. Tough guy over there," she pointed at the sobbing Adam, "will have the blood codes of the strongest revenants I know, I figured that we would need to up a notch on the machines."

"So I took some 'liberties' and did you all a favor." She glanced at the pale faces of Oliver and Yami who saw their very close future training unfold in front of them. "You're welcome."

"These are the machines used by the elites. Don't you want to be the very best?" She smiled sweetly as the two new recruits didn't have the words to respond.

"Why are you taking so long back there? I made that machine just for you!!" Rin snapped at Adam who was near to tears.

"Do your best!" Even Io's cheer didn't do much for him. Her wobbly legs allowed her to only sit beside him as she wasn't done healing.

However, considering Adam's regeneration ability and his absorption of strength blood codes that affected stamina and muscle quality, Rin wasn't exactly sure how much pressure she should put on him for the most optimal gains…

Yes, Adam was a guinea pig for her new machine. And that is a fact that she will keep to herself.

"Io is already done with her set! And you call yourself a man!!" She screamed.

"...You se- huFFkcg- men and women are different- ughrn-" Adam huffed as he felt his legs being ripped apart, his regeneration doing its best to prevent it from happening, "we can't stretch a lot -ufgk- cuz we hav-e this thing between our l-legs that-"

"La lala lala~ Sounds like a skill issue to me~" She cheerily skipped her way to the torture device as Adam's retort meant that he still had a useless excess of oxygen in his lungs.

Consequently, she added more pressure… So much for 'keeping his mouth shut.'

The gear and valves in the machine turned and lowered as a metallic *TUNK* spread through the training area, failing to drown his scream of agony.

____________________________________________________________________________

Word Count: 3,119

Isn't that little girl the sweetest? Making sure that MC gets stronger by any means necessary.

Also, the thing of Mido making black holes and stuff is an exaggerated remark of a snarky MC. But a mad scientist who cares none for humanity in his experiments can achieve some wacky stuff if they are given a substance as miraculous as Ichor…