A small pit that normally wouldn't even affect Oscar's walking had now become the last straw that broke his endurance.
As his right foot stepped into the pit, Oscar lost his balance and fell heavily to the right.
If he really fell this time, there was a high chance the bones in his right foot would fracture.
Because right now, Oscar had completely exhausted his strength — once he fell, his full body weight would crush down on the ankle stuck in the small pit.
Fortunately, Cohen — who had long noticed Oscar's worsening physical condition — rushed up in time to support his body.
Even so, Oscar still felt a sharp pain shoot through his right ankle — it was likely sprained.
Actually, such a small sprain was nothing serious for a Soul Master. As long as one circulated soul power repeatedly over the injury for a while, it would almost completely heal.
For Oscar under normal circumstances, handling it would be even easier.
He could simply ask his brother Oscar (Oskan) for one of his first soul skill's Recovery Sausages, and that would fully heal the not-so-severe sprain.
But the situation now was special — Oscar was carrying out Zhao Wuji's punishment task, during which the use of soul power or soul skills was strictly forbidden.
That meant Oscar had to drag his injured foot and finish the last lap with his strength completely drained.
His vision began to darken, his entire outfit soaked in sweat, his hands resting on his knees, and his trembling thighs barely holding up his body.
If not for Cohen's support, Oscar felt that his legs would have already lost all ability to support his weight.
"Damn it," Oscar cursed inwardly, "Did I overestimate my physical endurance and willpower again?"
If I'd known it would turn out like this, I should've asked for help earlier. Now my foot's injured. If I let Oscar and the others support me, I'd only drag them down too.
Forget it… I know I shouldn't rest right now, but I'll catch my breath before moving again. Anyway, I'll miss dinner no matter what. Better that I miss it alone than drag everyone down with me."
With that thought, Oscar slowly straightened up, preparing to walk forward bit by bit.
After intense physical exertion, one mustn't stop and rest immediately — especially not sit down. Once you sit, you might not have the strength to stand again for quite a while.
And you can't let your muscles cool down too quickly either, or it could cause muscle strain — something that, under these conditions, could be fatal.
As for why no one noticed Oscar's injury, the main reason lay with Oscar himself.
During the run earlier, Oscar's speed had gradually decreased due to fatigue.
Without realizing it, he had fallen quite far behind Oscar, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun.
That distance meant that when Oscar got injured, the commotion wasn't noticed by the others ahead.
When he finally stopped, Oscar, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun had already run out of his line of sight.
Oscar didn't blame them, though.
After all, running five laps under triple weight, over a hundred kilometers, without using soul power — that was no easy task.
Every time he completed this kind of training, Oscar felt like half his life was gone.
Under such circumstances, not to mention others — even he himself wouldn't have the energy to pay attention to the teammate behind him.
Patting the head of Cohen — whose height reached up to Oscar's waist — Oscar focused on adjusting his breathing, regaining stamina, and walking slowly to adapt to the pain from his twisted ankle.
About half an hour later, Oscar, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun finally passed the village gate for the fifth time.
Seeing that the task was almost over, the three of them, as usual, shouted together, "One more lap!" to encourage themselves.
But this time, something was wrong — there were only three voices.
They turned around and realized that Oscar, who had been silently following them since the beginning, had fallen behind without anyone noticing.
The three froze in shock — Oscar's physical fitness had always been excellent. Among them, only he and Dai Mubai could complete the five-lap weighted run with relative ease.
Ma Hongjun and Oscar usually struggled to compete in such physical training.
Although Oscar had been behind them since the start today, they didn't pay much attention — assuming he was simply tired from the morning training and wanted to conserve some strength.
They didn't mind leading the way, thinking they were helping him by creating an easier running pace.
Only now, realizing that Oscar had fallen behind without notice, did they finally understand — his exhaustion that morning must've been far worse than they thought.
Suddenly, Oscar (the food-type soul master) seemed to recall something. He shouted to Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, "You two go ahead! Don't wait for me!" Then he turned and sprinted back the way they came.
Ma Hongjun froze, not understanding, but Dai Mubai reacted instantly — he grabbed Ma Hongjun and ran back with him.
Seeing Ma Hongjun, who had instinctively followed but clearly hadn't caught on yet, Dai Mubai spoke with effort between breaths:
"We've all been studying together for three years now — and you've known those two brothers even longer.
You know what kind of person little Ao (Oscar) is. Whenever anyone needs help, he never refuses.
And let's be honest — without his Soul Skill: Sausage supporting us, how could we have improved our soul power so fast while also learning Soul Tool Crafting?
From the first day I entered school, Oscar accepted me without hesitation. From the moment he handed me that first sausage, he became my brother.
If little Ao's in trouble and I, as the eldest, ignore him just to finish the task myself — then I, Dai Mubai, am not that kind of man."
Hearing Dai Mubai's words, Ma Hongjun's face filled with regret. "What was I even thinking?
When I first enrolled — I was younger, broke, and it was the Oscar brothers who took care of me the most.
And now, when Oscar's clearly in trouble, my first reaction wasn't to help, but to finish the task so I could eat dinner?"
Ma Hongjun prided himself on being loyal — he could never be that kind of heartless person. He immediately quickened his pace, running back down the road they came from.
At that moment, Oscar — who had started running back earlier — ignored all his exhaustion and poured all his remaining strength into sprinting back.
He had just remembered what happened at noon in the dorm.
When he brought food back earlier, no matter how he called, Oscar wouldn't wake up. He had to leave the food on the table.
But even when he left for afternoon training, Oscar hadn't woken up — and the food was still untouched.
The only explanation was mental energy exhaustion caused by using their Martial Soul Fusion Skill that morning.
At the time, he assumed Oscar's fatigue was just due to depleted soul power and stamina — a natural result.
But mental exhaustion doesn't recover just from a noon nap. And since Oscar hadn't eaten lunch, his physical recovery must have been far from adequate.
Now that he'd fallen behind, it could only be due to both spiritual and physical depletion.
If he didn't hurry back, Oscar — whose body was likely too exhausted to even feel pain properly — might get injured.
And once injured, completing Zhao Wuji's punishment task would be almost impossible — the strain would multiply, worsening everything.
As for not completing the task — that was absolutely impossible. A task was a task; unless one passed out, it had to be completed.
When Oscar finally caught up to his brother five minutes later, he saw Oscar jogging forward — his right ankle clearly swollen, his movement labored.
But Oscar still insisted on running. "It hurts to walk anyway," he muttered. "Might as well run — at least it'll end sooner."
Seeing his elder brother sprinting toward him, Oscar raised an eyebrow and said dryly, "Hmm. Confirmation complete — definitely my real brother."
.....
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