Some collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, while others leaned against the stone pile to rest.
"Don't lie down!" Fang shouted angrily when he saw them slumping. "You have to stay standing after running; lying down can be dangerous."
Blowing his whistle sharply, he hurried through the crowd, making noise until everyone stood up again.
"This Fang," Ron muttered weakly as he leaned against a broken wall, "morning exercise is over, and he still can't let us rest."
But Neville, though sweating heavily, nodded in agreement.
"He's right. Lying down or squatting after running isn't good for relaxing your muscles. Uncle Wilson always scolds me if I lie down when I'm tired."
Ron stretched out with a sigh.
"Well, at least morning exercise is done. But thinking about having to do this every day? That's a real headache."
"Don't be so negative," Neville said, trying to encourage Harry. "You'll basically get used to it after running for about a week."
He glanced over at Harry, who was soaked from sweat.
"How are you holding up?"
"I'm okay," Harry replied, taking a deep breath. "I'm tired, but I actually feel good after sweating it out."
Suddenly, Harry pointed toward the south side of the circular stone pile with surprise.
"Hey, look over there! What's that?"
Everyone followed his gaze, and the little wizards resting nearby soon noticed a pretty large playground in that direction.
It was filled with various pieces of equipment.
Right by the ring of stones, there was an open area with floating targets, kind of like a shooting range from the Muggle world.
Beyond that, a long runway stretched out, dotted with obstacles like mud puddles, water pools, barbed wire, and low walls.
There were also several other facilities that were harder to make out, including a few mysterious buildings in the distance.
Hermione, standing close to Harry, gasped with wide eyes.
"Isn't that where we'll be doing our tactical training? I think the afternoon sessions are near the ring of stones."
"Ugh, I'm almost dreading the tactical training already!" Ron groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Just looking at all that equipment is intimidating."
"But didn't the professor say that if we want to improve our skills, especially our intelligence, we have to push ourselves with tactical training?" Harry admitted, though he still felt a bit hesitant about what lay ahead.
Despite their worries, the group slowly made their way back from the stone ring toward the castle.
Maybe because they'd been exercising, everyone had an unexpectedly good appetite at breakfast.
Even Harry noticed he was hungrier than usual. His appetite had more than doubled.
Still, the effects of the tough training showed up during morning classes.
Whether senior or junior, most students looked drained and found it hard to focus.
Fortunately, the professors had already been warned by Alex beforehand, so they didn't seem too concerned.
They deliberately slowed down the teaching pace as much as possible, squeezing what would normally take half a class into just one session.
In the afternoon, despite everyone dragging their feet and feeling reluctant, they still had to trudge over to the playground south of the ring stone pile.
Hermione arrived there a step ahead of the others and couldn't help but complain when she saw Harry, Ron, and Neville standing empty-handed.
"You guys didn't even bring your textbooks to class?" she asked, clearly annoyed.
Ron pointed to a six or seven-meter-high contraption with two hemp ropes hanging from it and said, "Can't you see those scary things over there?"
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"That doesn't mean we don't need textbooks today. Tactical training isn't just about practical stuff."
Harry and the others scratched their heads, feeling a bit embarrassed at being scolded.
From what they'd seen so far, Alex's class was almost like a gym class.
The first two days were all physical exams or running drills, and if they didn't know better, they might have thought they were at a sports camp instead of Hogwarts.
The new students arrived one after another, eyeing the equipment on the playground with a mix of fear and curiosity. Some braver ones even reached out to touch it.
Just as class was about to start, a familiar figure rushed out from the side.
"Why is it you again, Fang? Are you teaching tactical training now?" Ron asked, clearly annoyed as he looked at the dog standing in front of them.
'What was Alex up to? Why wasn't he showing up to class?' he wondered.
Fang walked up to the group and gave Ron a blank look.
"What are you worried about? I haven't even started talking yet," he said. "The freshmen's classes aren't here. Follow me!"
With that, Fang turned and led them toward Hagrid's cabin.
It turned out the playground Alex had set up was huge, and what Harry and the others saw so far was just the outer edge.
There were actually several buildings nearby, something they hadn't expected because they assumed all the classes would take place right here.
Seeing all this, Hermione couldn't help but give Harry and the others a knowing look, as if to say, "I told you to bring your textbooks."
Right after, the crowd followed Fang on a short one-minute walk and entered a small building that looked a bit like a tiny factory.
The moment they stepped inside, everyone
They felt a strange blur before their eyes.
Suddenly, a huge indoor space appeared, like a big hall.
The furnishings reminded them of a playground, but unlike the rough, outdoor obstacle courses they were used to, this place looked more like a neat, well-organized indoor gym.
"Look, Ron, there's a swimming pool!" Harry called out, pointing excitedly to the side.
Everyone, including Ron, looked around and saw that Harry was right.
A standard-sized pool sat nearby, complete with a high diving platform.
As they took a closer look, they noticed the whole area was divided into four large sections, almost like mats.
One section was the swimming pool, while another looked like a martial arts dojo, filled with racks of rattan swords and sticks.
In a different area, dozens, maybe even hundreds, of sandbags swung back and forth on a big shelf.
But these bags weren't set up for boxing practice.
They were packed so tightly that even a slight movement made them bump into each other.
The last section was the indoor gymnastics room they saw right when they came in.
And standing in the middle of that gym, waiting with a friendly smile, was Alex.
When everyone arrived, Alex gestured toward the tidy surroundings and said, "Just find a seat when you come in, you're welcome."
He then casually sat down on a wooden bench, his relaxed attitude easing the tension in the room.
Gradually, everyone settled around him, feeling more at ease.
Hermione looked around, clearly impressed by the vast space, and asked, "Professor, why is this place so big? Did you build it yourself?"
Alex nodded.
"Yes, this is the lowest-risk training room in the No. [-] series. Once it's fully completed, I'm planning to open it up to the entire school," he explained, raising his hand to emphasize his point. "That way, you'll have a place to practice freely in the future."
He then pointed to various areas around the room for the new students.
"Over there is the swimming pool for swim training, the area full of sandbags is for reaction drills, and the section with all the rattan swords is the fighting training ground. Right now, you're all in the comprehensive physical fitness training area."
Although it looked like all the training grounds were connected, Alex explained that he had separated them using invisible barriers, and only authorized personnel could enter each section.
Ron's eyes lit up.
"Wow, will we have classes here from now on? This place is way better than the dirty playground outside," he said with obvious enthusiasm.
Alex smiled and confirmed, "Yes, most of your first-year courses will take place here."
He continued, "You've just started school, so you haven't even learned spells yet. Plus, you're not ready for intense physical training.
Long-distance running can be really exhausting, right?"
The younger students nodded immediately, still feeling sore from earlier sessions.
Many of them were dreading the afternoon training.
Noticing this, Alex said calmly, "So during your first month, I won't push you too hard. Overexertion will only set you back.
For now, your main goal is to stick with the morning runs and meals, build up your stamina, and be ready to complete the full morning exercises before we start the official training."
One student then asked, "So what are we doing now? Is this a theory class?"
Hermione quickly noticed Alex's kind attitude and decided to speak up without waiting to be called on.
"The theory behind tactical training is just too complicated for you," he said.