Chapter 23: Hell 2.0
James bit into the raw dragon tail. His master had not even bothered to drain the blood from the beast. The blood poured down his throat and dribbled down his chin. He took one bite after another and soon there was only a tail bone and some scales left on the plate.
One dish after another was placed in front of James. He ate raw pheasant, centipede, cattle, spider, dragon, and cockroach dire-beast flesh. James was rather surprised at himself. 'It seems the body of a knight can eat quite a lot…' As he finished the food more came out from the kitchen in a never-ending stream.
"Urghh" James moaned while rubbing his bloated stomach. With his feminine looks and big stomach, he looked like a young pregnant woman. "Master, I can't eat anymore. I'll explode!"
"Nonsense!" Skeleton yelled. "This is just the start. You've only been eating for an hour. We still have an hour of dishes to go!" He clapped his hands and called one of the maids. Then he whispered into her ears. She nodded and walked away, a slight hint of disgust on her face. A minute later four maids exited the kitchen. They carried a bowl bigger than the four of them combined!
*Bang!* They placed it on the table in front of James. A gross mud-like substance filled the entire bowl. It had some bubbles at the top as if it was being boiled. A strong putrid odor made James cover his mouth and gag. He looked to his master with questioning eyes.
"I know, I know." Skeleton waved his hands. "It looks and smells awful. However, this is top class medicine. Not even money can buy it! You need to eat the whole bowl. It actually tastes good! I promise!"
James looked at the bowl and grimaced. He picked up a large ladle and dug in. A goopy, muddy brown substance filled the ladle. He plugged his nose with his other hand and took a bite. "Mm?!" James eyes widened in surprise. He quickly ate another bite. It was delicious! 'How can this be hellish training?!' James thought to himself.
"Bwhahahaha!" Skeleton's whole body shook in his chair. "Didn't I tell you it was delicious! Have I, your master, ever lied to you?"
James nodded and continued to eat. His body was becoming rounder and rounder. He started to look like a large bowling ball. He occasionally glanced at his master who was chuckling to the side. 'What's he up to…?' James felt worried but continued to eat. It took him nearly an hour to finish the entire bowl.
A creaking sound rang out. *Bang!* James fell to the floor as his wooden chair broke apart. He laid flat on the ground. 'How fat did I get?' James tried to stand up but had no success. He had to lift his legs and arms into the air and wave them back and forth until he flipped off his back to his stomach. Then he managed to lift himself from the ground. "Huff! Huff!" He stood there while breathing heavily. Even with his strong body he struggled to carry so much extra weight.
"Bwhahahaha!" Master pointed at James and laughed. "You look like a whale! I might mistake you for a dire-beast if we were out in the woods!"
James frowned. "You've been laughing at me for the last hour. What's your deal? I followed your instructions exactly." He held a fat fist to his chest and rose his chest confidently, "I've decided to become a good disciple from now on!"
"Mm." Skeleton nodded. "I'm glad to hear that. I was afraid you wouldn't eat the elephant-whale's shit. Since you've decided to become serious, I can rest easy for the future training."
James's eyes widened, and his body trembled. "Elephant-whale shit?!" He questioned.
"Right. Skeleton smiled. "It is a very rare delicacy you know! You must travel the seas until you find a pod of elephant-whales. Then follow them until they let loose! Their excrement is filled to the brim with mana. It's hard to get since sea beasts go crazy for it. The waves also quickly take it away. It's very dangerous too. Elephant-whales are usually 7th grade dire-beasts! That bowl of excrement was worth at least as much as a 7th grade magic-core!"
James entire body was shaking. He pointed at Skeleton. "You! You made your disciple eat whale shit?!" His face turned red with anger. He looked at has master and back to the bowl. He wanted to kill him! To scream and vent his anger! But he just stood there… shaking. He knew there was nothing he could do…
"Bwhahahaha! That's right!" Skeleton laughed. He wiped tears from his eyes as his face turned red from the laughter. "I got to watch you eat shit for an hour and you smiled happily the entire time! I told you I'd make your life hell for screwing me over boy! Let's go. This was only phase 1 of your new training regimen!"
Skeleton exited the room. James waddled after him slowly. His fat trembled and shook wherever he walked. He even got stuck in the doorway for a moment before forcing his way through. He looked at his master with lifeless eyes. He looked like a man that had seen some shit…
Skeleton led James to the castle basement. James looked around and saw a large furnace and a couple of maids who were acting as blacksmiths. "Master!" They both stood up and bowed.
"Mm." Skeleton nodded. "Is it ready?"
"Yes, master." One maid spoke. "But are you really going to use that?"
"Of course!" Skeleton smiled. "It's for my precious disciple after all! No expense shall be spared for his training. Otherwise, how could I call myself his master!"
"Okay…" The maid nodded. She gave James a look of pity.
The two maids walked towards a back room. Then they carried a large cauldron out. It was completely black and big enough to fit three people inside. There were a number of large holes on the bottom of the cauldron, which made it appear unusable. The maids set the cauldron over a large hole in the ground.
"Get naked." Skeleton looked towards James. "You'll be spending the next eight hours in that thing."
"You're going to burn me, aren't you?" James questioned.
"What?!" Skeleton's eyes widened in surprise. "Can it be? Has my disciple gained an ounce of common sense?!" Skeleton rubbed his chin. "No, that can't be… He's too stupid after all! Maybe I should take him to a doctor soon…"
"Enough!" James yelled. "Enough with the sarcasm. Let's get started." James took off his clothes. Then he climbed into the cauldron and sat down in the lotus position. "Hmph!" James snorted. "As if I'm scared of some fire. It can't be as bad as the venom from before."
"Glad you're confident." Skeleton smiled. He turned towards the maids. "Ladies, go ahead and start."
"Yes, master!" They grabbed a large lid. It took both of them to lift the heavy lid and place it atop the cauldron. They took a step back and one yelled towards the hole in the ground, "Little Red! Little Blue! We're starting now!"
"Okay!" Two voices rang back. Little Red and Little Blue were currently in a large room a few meters below the surface. Little Red spoke, "Remember, we have to be careful not to kill him."
Little Blue nodded. "You go first."
Little Red took off her clothes. Her naked body was like a beautiful work of art, but only for a moment… Her body started to make creaking sounds as it grew. Feathers sprouted all over her body. A beak slowly manifested from her face. Large claws appeared in place of her feet. Her two slender arms turned into two large wings. Then, her entire body caught on fire! She transformed into a fire phoenix! Her reddish-orange feathers glimmered as the flames danced all over her body.
Little blue went next. The same process repeated itself, only she was a water phoenix! Her feathers were a beautiful mix of blue and white. Traces of water and ice swirled around her like a storm.
"It's been so long since we've transformed into our magic-beast forms…" Little Blue sighed.
"Mm." Little Red nodded. "Ever since master caught me 200 years ago I've only gotten the opportunity to transform a few times. You're lucky. You haven't been with us as long."
"Ooo!" Little Blue murmured. "That's not true! You've been with master for so much longer than me! You're the lucky one!"
"Okay, okay. Let's get started!" Little Red looked up towards the hole in the ground. Red flames gathered into a large ball in front of her. Then it blasted upwards in a continuous stream!"
…
James was sitting in the cauldron. It was completely dark. 'What's taking so long…? Weren't we getting started?" He tried to lift the lid, but it was too heavy. Suddenly, a large stream of flames entered the cauldron!
"Aghhh!" James screamed in pain. The flames covered the entire cauldron. It scorched his skin black and burned his hair into nothing. The flames entered his lungs and stomach when he tried to breath! His fat body shook heavily as he withstood the flames. This continued for several minutes until he slowly calmed down. 'Heheh, master. Is that all you've got?! I can withstand this no problem!"
Suddenly, the flames stopped. A large stream of water with shards of ice slammed into James! "Gahh! It's fucking freezing!" James screamed in pain. Frost appeared on his body. His eyebrows that had been burned off looked like they returned in a frosty white color. The cold water also entered his lungs and stomach. He had to breath whenever he got a chance! But the timing was difficult, and it often led to the water filling his lungs!
The fire and water continued to alternate. It filled the cauldron with steam. James entire body was covered in blood, frost, and burns. His weight was rapidly decreasing as his body used mana to defend against the fire and water. The massive amount of food he ate was quickly converted into mana within his stomach. It naturally spread throughout his internal organs as the flames heated his body. When the cold water hit him the mana would stop spreading and sink into his organs.
Several hours passed. James body had changed to a new extreme! He now looked just like his master! A bald head and no eyebrows. His fat body had shrunken in on itself until it looked like a skeleton. The only difference between him and his master's appearance was their height and the fact that James had no skin on his entire body!
"Little Red! Little Blue!" Skeleton's voice rang out. "I don't think it's enough yet. Little Red, increase the temperature of the fire. Little Blue, decrease the temperature of the water."
"Yes Master!" Two screams rang out. The fire became hotter! The water became colder and now consisted of more ice than water! James agonized screams continued to ring out. Eventually the screams stopped altogether. He no longer had the energy to speak.
The torture finally stopped after a total of eight hours. The lid was lifted from the cauldron. A skeleton covered in reddish-black flesh could be seen curled up inside.
"Mm." Skeleton nodded. "Good. He's still alive." He turned towards the two blacksmith maids from before. "It's time for the final phase. Go call Little Green for me."
"Yes, master!" They bowed and left the room.
…
One hour later. James slowly woke up. "Guerghh!" He struggled to breathe, but only felt a thick snotty liquid enter his lungs. He grabbed his throat while trying to breathe. His legs flailed around, but he felt like he was sinking in quicksand. He slowly calmed down and looked at his surroundings. They were entirely green. It was slightly transparent, but he couldn't see the way out.
The green liquid continuously flowed into James body. It entered through his nose, mouth, and several other places that shall not be mentioned. It was an extremely uncomfortable feeling. He tried to escape but made no progress. The green goo slowly healed his skin, hair, and internal organs. An hour after James had awoken his entire body was completely healed!
James felt the liquid shift around him. It squeezed against him as he was pushed forward. His head popped out from the body. "Huff! Huff!" He desperately gasped for air. He saw his master staring at him while chuckling. His body was slowly squeezed out from the thick liquid. He felt like he was a newborn baby that a mother had just given birth to.
James stood up and shook off the slimy substance. He turned to look at the liquid he had been encased in. He saw a big square shaped slime. After spitting out James it slowly shrunk down. It transformed into a naked woman with green hair. She put on a maid outfit and went to stand next to Little Red and Little Blue who were standing nearby.
"Hahaha!" Skeleton laughed. "Felt great right? I don't just let anyone inside my precious Little Green! She's awakened many fetishes within me!"
James looked at his master in disgust. He glanced at Little Green and saw her smiling happily towards him. His entire body shivered when thinking about what he just went through. He looked down at his body and it felt entirely normal. 'No, wait? I feel much stronger?'
"So, you've finally noticed?" Skeleton smiled. "The raw food in your stomach was converted to mana by the flames. It spread through your internal organs. Then, the cold water forced the mana to settle down in your organs instead of exiting your body. Your body was a mess afterwards so Little Green healed you. Congratulations, you're already a 2nd grade knight."
James could feel the mana coursing through his body. He felt ecstatic at his new strength. He looked at his master with hopeful eyes. "Since I already broke through then we're done with this training, right?!"
"Ha!" Skeleton grabbed his stomach and laughed. "You wish! We'll keep going until you reach the peak of 2nd grade knights. Then, we'll stop there until your breakthrough to a 2nd grade magus." Skeleton stopped laughing and sighed, "It's too bad I can't train you straight through the 3rd grade. I know you're just going to love the 3rd grade training…"
James stared at his master with fear evident in his eyes. He secretly made a promise to himself. 'I'm leaving as soon as I become a 2nd grade magus! I'll flee as far as I can!'
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
SnoozySloth
SnoozySloth I said I would introduce a slime eventually! Who wants to join the Skeleton sect?
Fun fact: Virgil was named after and loosely inspired by my favorite superhero.
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