The night was getting colder.
Vaelorian walked along a deserted road, his backpack hanging from one shoulder. Behind him, the abandoned palace had gradually disappeared into the darkness.
He had spent several hours testing his newly awakened abilities.
His physical strength had improved considerably, and his perception of energy had opened an entirely unfamiliar world to him. However, controlling that energy remained beyond his ability.
He glanced at his hands.
"Three stages in one breakthrough..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
He still couldn't believe it.
But the excitement was mixed with exhaustion. His body needed rest, and he had no intention of pushing himself further tonight.
He adjusted his backpack and continued walking.
Then he heard something.
A woman's voice.
"Please, leave me alone!"
Vaelorian stopped.
The sound came from a narrow road beside an abandoned building.
He looked towards it.
Several young men were surrounding a girl. One stood directly in front of her, while another had blocked the way behind her. Their expressions and behaviour made their intentions obvious.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" one of them said, laughing.
"Just talk to us for a little while."
"I said leave me alone!"
One of the men grabbed her wrist.
She tried to pull away.
"Let go!"
Vaelorian watched for a moment.
His expression gradually changed.
He remembered Sundar.
He remembered how helpless he had been when someone needed him.
His fingers tightened around the strap of his backpack.
Then he walked towards them.
"Hey."
The young men turned.
Vaelorian stopped a few steps away.
"She asked you to leave her alone. Didn't you hear her?"
The man holding her wrist looked him up and down.
"What?"
"I said, let her go."
For a second, nobody spoke.
Then one of them laughed.
"Look at this hero."
Another stepped forward.
"Mind your own business, kid."
Vaelorian looked at the girl's wrist.
"Let her go first."
The man released her, but his expression turned hostile.
"You think you're somebody?"
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Vaelorian placed his backpack on the ground.
"No."
He looked directly at him.
"But you should probably leave."
The laughter stopped.
One of the young men approached and shoved Vaelorian's shoulder.
"Who the hell do you think you are?"
Vaelorian barely moved.
The young man frowned.
He pushed him again, harder.
"Are you deaf?"
Vaelorian looked down at the hand on his shoulder.
Then slowly raised his eyes.
"Move your hand."
Something in his expression made the young man hesitate.
But only for a moment.
He swung his fist.
Vaelorian moved instinctively.
The punch passed beside his face.
His eyes widened slightly.
He hadn't even thought about moving.
His body had simply reacted. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Before the attacker could recover, Vaelorian struck him in the stomach.
The young man stumbled backwards and collapsed against the roadside wall, struggling to catch his breath.
The others froze.
"What the hell?"
Vaelorian looked at his own fist.
He hadn't expected the impact to be that strong.
One of the remaining men charged at him.
Vaelorian turned, but his reaction came slightly late. A punch grazed his cheek.
He stepped back.
The man tried to follow up.
This time, Vaelorian caught his wrist.
For a brief instant, he felt the movement of the man's muscles and the direction of his force with unusual clarity.
He shifted his weight.
The attack lost its balance.
Vaelorian pushed him away, sending him stumbling across the ground.
Two more came forward together.
Vaelorian's expression hardened.
He was no trained fighter. He knew that.
But his body was no longer responding the way it used to.
He ducked beneath one swing, moved around the second attacker and delivered a sharp strike to his ribs.
The man groaned and fell to one knee.
The other tried to grab him from behind.
Vaelorian twisted, broke free and shoved him away.
A few seconds later, the road fell silent.
Three young men were on the ground.
The remaining one stood several steps away, his confidence completely gone.
He looked at his companions.
Then at Vaelorian.
"What are you?"
Vaelorian wiped the small amount of blood near his lip.
"Someone who told you to leave."
The young man hesitated.
Then he hurried towards his fallen companions.
"Come on! Get up!"
They struggled to stand.
One of them looked back with anger in his eyes.
"This isn't over!"
Vaelorian took one step forward.
"Then next time, remember what happened tonight."
The young man immediately turned away.
Within moments, they had disappeared into the darkness.
The girl remained near the wall.
She was visibly shaken.
Vaelorian turned towards her.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded, although her hands were still trembling.
"Y-yes..."
He picked up his backpack.
"Are you hurt?"
"No. I don't think so."
She looked at him carefully.
"Thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come."
Vaelorian glanced towards the road where the young men had disappeared.
"Just be careful going home."
He paused.
"Do you have someone you can call?"
She nodded and took out her phone.
Vaelorian waited until she had contacted someone.
Then he stepped away.
"Take care."
"Wait!"
He turned.
The girl looked at him.
"What's your name?"
Vaelorian hesitated briefly.
"Vaelorian."
She repeated the name quietly, as if trying to remember it.
"Thank you, Vaelorian."
He gave a small nod and continued walking. This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
A few minutes later, Vaelorian stopped beneath a streetlight.
He touched his cheek.
It hurt.
He looked at his knuckles.
There was a slight redness across them.
Then he remembered the fight.
The speed of the attacks.
The movements he had managed to perceive.
The strength behind his own strikes.
A quiet expression of disbelief crossed his face.
"That was..."
He looked at his hand again.
"...unexpected."
A small smile appeared.
But it disappeared almost immediately.
He remembered that he hadn't controlled any energy during the confrontation.
Everything had come from his physical abilities and instinctive reactions.
He still had so much to learn.
He started walking again.
Inside an ancient chamber, a circular formation suddenly illuminated.
The elderly cultivator who had previously examined the readings approached it.
A younger man stood beside him.
"Another fluctuation?"
The elderly cultivator examined the formation.
"No. Something else."
The younger man looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
"The individual has engaged in physical combat."
He studied the faint readings.
"His physical responses are already showing unusual improvement."
The younger cultivator frowned.
"Can he manipulate energy?"
"No."
The elderly man shook his head.
"His perception has awakened, but his control remains undeveloped."
He paused.
"Yet his physical foundation is responding faster than expected."
A voice came from behind them.
"How interesting."
The black-robed man had arrived.
He examined the formation.
"Has he encountered anyone?"
"Several ordinary individuals. There was a confrontation."
The black-robed man remained silent.
Then he spoke.
"Good."
The younger cultivator looked at him.
"Good?"
The black-robed man's gaze remained on the formation.
"Strength means little if its owner cannot use it when necessary."
He turned away.
"Let us see whether he learns to control it."
Vaelorian finally reached home.
He entered quietly, placed his backpack beside his desk and looked at himself in the mirror.
A small mark had appeared near his cheek.
He touched it and winced.
"Definitely need to work on my fighting skills."
He sat down and opened his notebook.
After a moment of thought, he wrote:
My body is stronger than before.
My reactions have changed, but I still lack control.
Strength alone isn't enough. I need to understand how to use it.
He paused.
Then added another sentence.
Today, I was able to step forward.
He closed the notebook.
Outside, the night continued as usual.
But Vaelorian's understanding of strength had changed once again.
And somewhere in the darkness, the consequences of his actions were already beginning to spread.