Chapter 26: The Death Of Alex.

’So this is what I am now capable of,’ he thought in awe. ’To think I achieved this much in just two days.’

Three days ago, he would be wheezing and coughing in a mine. But now he had just stopped being boiled alive; his skin was still hot, and he was hanging on to the burning pot like Spider-Man while the pot was still burning his palm.

Right from the moment he saw her, he knew that Tessa wasn’t human anymore. He also knew that, as an Apostle following in her footsteps, he was no longer human.

It was clear he wasn’t human from the way he healed his injuries almost instantly. But it was at this point that he truly understood the gap between his current body and his previous one, especially in physical capabilities.

As he marveled at his newfound strength, he thought, ’Yes, the old Alex is dead. He died figuratively and literally in that mine two days ago.’

’From now on, I am no longer Alex. I will be Alexander the Apostle.’

While he was reassessing his identity, he let go of the pot and leaped to the ground.

Upon landing, he straightened himself. Then he didn’t hesitate to bring the arm he was holding to his lips and took a bite out of it.

He bit into the arm with his teeth, but it was his tongue that did most of the work. The first head of the tongue turned into a drill, piercing into the flesh. Then the second head turned into a shredder, shredding the flesh to bits.

Finally, the third head acted as a vacuum, pulling the shredded meat into his gullet. The three heads took turns doing what they were good at, ensuring only bone remained when he was done with the arm.

As the meat melted in his mouth, he looked directly at Barnabas. His mouth didn’t say anything, but his eyes did a lot of talking, teasing Barnabas.

Barnabas also didn’t talk. But the fierce glare he was giving Alex and the way he was grinding his teeth told Alex all that he needed to know.

Tessa rolled her eyes when she saw this. Then she asked, "How do you feel?"

He put the arm away to free his mouth to say, "I feel good. I’ve never felt better."

He was smiling when he said that. There was blood all over his mouth, and his tongue was working with tentacles to wipe the blood clean, making him look weird.

But Tessa also noticed that he had stopped himself in the middle of eating. He couldn’t do that earlier today. Usually, he would be too lost in the pleasure of eating even to register her question, much less stop eating to answer.

So she nodded and said, "It seems this big fool isn’t the only one who has changed."

"Whether it is a good change or a bad one, only time will tell. But for now, the training has officially ended, and you win."

"I give you, the little one, 50%. The medium one gets 30%. As for the big log of foolish wood, I give him 10%," she said as she pointed at him, Robert, and Barnabas in turn.

Hearing how she addressed them, he remembered she didn’t know their names. He also didn’t like being called little, small, or pipsqueak.

So he offered, saying, "I am Alexander, not the little one."

"I didn’t ask for your name," she said as she swung her baton at him.

But even before she moved, he was already dodging. He knew speaking when he wasn’t asked was likely to bring punishment, so he moved to evade it before she could begin.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t fast enough. Despite the advantage of distance and the head start, her baton still found him. Specifically, it found his skull and bashed it in.

After beating him, she said, "There is no use knowing your name now. If you survive this week of training, I’ll learn your name."

"Heck, I’ll use it. Until then, you’re the little one."

Alexander was rubbing his head in pain as he grinned and thought, ’At least I tried.’

Just then, he remembered what Tessa had said about not feeling regret even if he failed. So his eyes lit up as he thought, ’It would seem Tessa was right again. The greatest source of regret is not trying and failing.’

Meanwhile, some of the Apostles, who had been watching from the side, immediately cheered when they heard the verdict. But many more Apostles became downcast. Only Barnabas took things too far and was angry about the outcome of today’s training.

After evaluating their performance, Tessa finally let them go. But this was only the second day of the prepared seven-day training.

Over the next few days, she kept them on their toes, pushing their mental resilience to new heights. Every day, during the training, hunger was usually the last thing on their minds. Avoiding her baton became their highest priority.

Against all odds, the pain and hunger they endured during the training motivated them to endure even longer. Somehow, being boiled alive helped them to hone their determination and restraint in direct proportion to their hunger.

By the time she was done with them, the hungrier they were, the more willing they were to hold out for a bigger reward. Of course, the reward was more food.

Finally, on the last day, she said to them, "Today is the last day of restraint training. It doesn’t matter how well you’ve performed this week. If you fail today, you’ll surely die."

Her voice was stern as she spoke. To prove how serious she was, she even showed them the club in her head.

She was no longer holding a baton. She was now holding a spiked metallic club.

The club was black, making it difficult to see in the darkness of the Obsidian Maw. But even with poor visibility, he could catch the edges of the spikes reflecting the light of the lamps.