The final bell echoed throughout New Horizon Academy.
Students poured into the hallways, their conversations filled with excitement.
"Three months..."
"I can't wait for the Awakening Ceremony."
"My dad said he'll hire a Rank Three instructor to prepare me."
"I've already reached Mid Rank One in Body Cultivation."
Kyle walked past them in silence.
Their voices faded into the background.
His mind remained occupied by Mrs. Campbell's lesson.
Nine ranks...
Mana Cultivation...
Body Cultivation...
The images of Brandon effortlessly lifting the steel desk replayed over and over in his head.
"So that's what true strength looks like..."
Kyle clenched his fists.
Compared to a Rank One Awakener...
He wasn't even worth mentioning.
Yet he didn't feel discouraged.
For the first time in weeks...
He had found a direction.
Power wasn't something impossible.
It had a path.
A path he intended to walk.
...
The afternoon sun bathed the streets of Sector 8 in a warm orange glow.
Kyle walked through the bustling market before entering the Ash District.
Street vendors shouted for customers.
Children chased each other through narrow alleys.
Workers dragged themselves home after another exhausting day.
Everything looked the same.
Yet Kyle saw the world differently.
As he passed an old intersection, his footsteps gradually slowed.
Across the street stood a weathered wooden building.
Its faded sign swayed gently in the wind.
THORN DOJO
The paint had nearly peeled away.
The walls were cracked.
Hardly anyone entered anymore.
Kyle had walked past the dojo hundreds of times.
He had never once stepped inside.
Today...
He pushed the door open.
The small bell above the entrance chimed softly.
Ding...
The dojo was surprisingly clean.
Simple wooden training dummies lined the walls.
Old practice weapons rested neatly on racks.
A faint scent of polished wood filled the room.
Only one person was inside.
A man in his late fifties swept the floor with slow, steady movements.
Without looking up, he spoke.
"We're closed."
Kyle remained where he stood.
"I... want to learn."
The sweeping stopped.
The man finally raised his head.
His sharp gray eyes studied Kyle from head to toe.
He noticed the worn uniform.
The patched shoes.
The bruises that had yet to heal.
Most of all...
He noticed the boy's eyes.
Eyes that held far more than someone his age should.
"What do you want to learn?" the man asked calmly.
"How to fight."
The man rested the broom against the wall.
"There are hundreds of places that teach fighting."
"Why come here?"
Kyle answered without hesitation.
"I need power."
The old man looked at him for several seconds.
People often came asking for strength.
Some wanted fame.
Others wanted money.
A few wanted glory.
This boy...
Wanted none of those.
His desire felt different.
It was quieter.
Colder.
"What happened to you?" the man asked.
Kyle lowered his head.
"My mother..."
"They killed her."
Silence filled the dojo.
The old man didn't ask who.
He didn't ask why.
He simply nodded.
"I see."
He walked toward Kyle.
"My name is Elias Thorn."
"I own this dojo."
Kyle bowed respectfully.
"My name is Kyle Veyron."
Elias folded his arms.
"You're around the age of Awakening."
Kyle nodded.
"Three months."
"So that's why you've come."
"Yes."
"I don't want to stay weak anymore."
Elias remained silent for a long moment before speaking.
"Many people believe Awakening is purely a matter of talent."
"They're wrong."
"No one can guarantee an Awakening."
"But after decades of watching young people grow..."
"I've noticed something."
He stepped closer.
"Those with stronger bodies tend to have a far greater chance of successfully awakening."
Kyle's eyes widened.
"A weak body struggles to bear the burden of mana."
"A strong body welcomes it."
"So before you dream about supernatural power..."
"You must build the body capable of carrying it."
A spark ignited in Kyle's eyes.
"Then teach me."
Elias smiled faintly.
"You haven't even asked the price."
"I'll pay."
"With what?"
Kyle fell silent.
He barely had enough Credits to eat.
Elias chuckled.
"I wasn't talking about money."
He looked Kyle straight in the eye.
"The price of strength..."
"...is suffering."
Kyle didn't hesitate.
"I'll pay it."
For the first time...
Elias Thorn smiled.
Kyle followed Elias down the narrow stone staircase.
The further they descended, the colder the air became.
The sounds of the Ash District gradually disappeared until only their footsteps echoed through the darkness.
Tap… Tap… Tap…
At the bottom of the staircase stood a massive steel door.
Elias placed his palm against a small crystal embedded in the wall.
The crystal glowed faintly.
Click… Hiss…
The heavy door slowly slid open.
Kyle’s eyes widened.
The underground chamber was far larger than he had imagined.
Training dummies, heavy iron weights, wooden pillars scarred by countless strikes, and strange metallic machines filled the room.
Some of the equipment looked decades old.
Others looked far more advanced than anything Kyle had ever seen.
“This…”
Kyle muttered.
“I never knew this place existed.”
Elias smiled faintly.
“Very few do.”
He walked toward the center of the room.
“This dojo wasn’t always this quiet.”
“There was a time when students filled every corner.”
Kyle looked around.
“What happened?”
“The world changed.”
“People began chasing shortcuts.”
“They wanted talent.”
“They wanted powerful abilities.”
“They forgot that the body is the foundation of everything.”
He stopped before an enormous black boulder resting in the middle of the room.
Its surface was covered with countless cracks.
“Touch it.”
Kyle obeyed.
The moment his palm rested against the stone…
Nothing happened.
Elias nodded.
“As expected.”
“What is it?”
“A Body Assessment Stone.”
“It measures the condition of your physique.”
Kyle withdrew his hand.
“So…”
“How am I?”
Elias looked him straight in the eye.
“Terrible.”
Kyle wasn’t surprised.
“Your muscles are underdeveloped.”
“Your endurance is poor.”
“Your balance is unstable.”
“Your breathing is inefficient.”
“Against an ordinary adult, you might stand a chance.”
“But against even the weakest Rank One Awakener…”
Elias shook his head.
“You wouldn’t survive five seconds.”
Kyle slowly clenched his fists.
He already knew.
He had experienced it firsthand.
The image of the Void Serpents flashed through his mind.
The ease with which they had thrown him aside…
The knife…
His mother’s final smile…
Hatred surged through his chest.
“I’ll change.”
His voice was calm.
“But I need your help.”
Elias studied him carefully.
Then he pointed toward a row of iron chains hanging from the ceiling.
“Pick one.”
Kyle walked over and grabbed the nearest chain.
The instant he lifted it…
His arms dropped.
The chain crashed onto the floor with a deafening clang.
CLANG!
Kyle stared in disbelief.
“It…”
“It’s this heavy?”
“Twenty kilograms,” Elias replied.
“You couldn’t even hold it.”
Kyle bit his lip.
Elias continued.
“Strength isn’t gained by wishing.”
“It’s earned.”
“Every drop of sweat.”
“Every torn muscle.”
“Every sleepless night.”
“They all become part of your strength.”
He walked toward a nearby wall where several handwritten rules were carved into the stone.
Kyle read them aloud.
Discipline before talent.
Endurance before power.
The body is the first weapon.
Elias nodded.
“Remember those words.”
“They’ll save your life one day.”
He tossed Kyle a pair of worn training gloves.
“Put them on.”
Kyle did.
“They’re old…”
“They belonged to one of my former students.”
Kyle looked at the gloves for a moment.
“What happened to him?”
Elias remained silent.
Finally…
“He died.”
The room fell quiet.
Kyle slowly tightened the straps around his wrists.
“I won’t.”
A faint smile appeared on Elias’ face.
“We’ll see.”
The old instructor walked to the center of the room.
“From today onward…”
“I won’t treat you like a child.”
“I won’t go easy on you.”
“If your body reaches its limit…”
“I’ll push it further.”
“If your mind tells you to quit…”
“I’ll ignore it.”
“If you collapse…”
“I’ll make you stand.”
Kyle met his gaze without fear.
“That’s exactly what I want.”
For the first time in many years…
Elias laughed.
A genuine laugh.
“Good.”
He pointed toward the far end of the chamber.
“Your first task.”
Kyle turned.
There was nothing there.
Or so he thought.
As his eyes adjusted, he noticed dozens of enormous stones arranged in a straight line.
Each one looked heavier than the last.
“You’ll carry those.”
Kyle blinked.
“All of them?”
“One by one.”
“Across this room.”
“And back.”
Kyle swallowed.
Even the smallest stone looked impossible to lift.
Elias folded his arms.
“What?”
“Thinking of giving up already?”
Kyle shook his head.
“No.”
He walked toward the first stone.
He crouched.
Wrapped both arms around it.
And lifted.
Every muscle in his body screamed.
Veins bulged across his arms.
His legs trembled violently.
For a moment…
The stone didn’t move.
Then—
It rose.
Only a few centimeters.
But it rose.
Kyle took one shaky step forward.
Then another.
His breathing became ragged.
His vision blurred.
Halfway across the room…
His legs gave out.
BOOM!
The stone crashed onto the ground.
Kyle fell beside it, gasping for breath.
Elias looked down at him.
“Get up.”
Kyle didn’t move.
“Get up.”
His arms refused to obey.
His entire body burned.
“GET UP!”
Kyle gritted his teeth.
With every ounce of strength left in his exhausted body…
He forced himself back onto his feet.
Blood trickled from his palms where the rough stone had torn away his skin.
His muscles screamed in agony.
Yet…
He smiled.
For the first time since his mother’s death…
He felt alive.
Elias watched silently.
Deep within those determined eyes…
He saw something that couldn’t be taught.
An unbreakable will.
Perhaps…
Just perhaps…
This broken boy from the Ash District might accomplish the impossible.