Darkness.
Kyle couldn’t remember when he had fallen asleep.
The last thing he remembered was lifting the massive stone for what felt like the hundredth time before his legs finally gave out.
After that…
Nothing.
…
A rich aroma suddenly drifted into his nose.
Fresh bread.
Grilled meat.
Hot soup.
His stomach growled violently.
Kyle slowly opened his eyes.
His entire body ached.
Even lifting a finger felt difficult.
“What…”
He groaned as he sat up.
“Where am I?”
He rubbed his eyes and looked around.
The underground training room.
The enormous stones.
The wooden training dummies.
The steel pillars.
Then it all came rushing back.
“I… fell asleep?”
A burst of laughter echoed through the room.
“Hahaha!”
Kyle turned.
Elias Thorn stood near a wooden table, placing bowls of steaming soup onto it.
“So, the dead finally woke up.”
Kyle scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Master Elias…”
“I…”
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
Elias waved a hand dismissively.
“You collapsed before you could.”
“You trained until your body completely shut down.”
Kyle blinked.
“So…”
“How long was I asleep?”
Elias calmly took a sip of tea.
“Nearly twelve hours.”
“Twelve hours?!”
Kyle sprang to his feet.
The sudden movement sent a sharp pain through every muscle in his body.
“Ah!”
He nearly collapsed again.
Elias chuckled.
“Now you know what it means to reach your limit.”
Kyle lowered his head.
Yesterday…
For the first time in his life…
He had truly understood exhaustion.
His muscles had been pushed beyond anything he thought possible.
He hadn’t even known his body possessed that much strength to give.
Elias placed a bowl in front of him.
“Eat.”
“You’ll recover faster.”
Kyle hesitated.
The food looked far better than anything he had eaten in months.
The aroma alone made his mouth water.
“…Thank you.”
He picked up the spoon.
The first bite nearly brought tears to his eyes.
It was warm.
Rich.
Delicious.
For a brief moment…
He remembered the meals his mother used to make.
His movements gradually slowed.
Elias noticed the sadness in the boy’s eyes but chose not to speak.
Some wounds…
Needed silence more than words.
After finishing every last drop of soup, Kyle suddenly froze.
His eyes widened.
“The academy!”
“What time is it?”
Elias glanced at the clock.
“You still have enough time.”
Kyle immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Then another thought struck him.
“My uniform!”
He looked down at his training clothes.
“I have to go home first.”
He hurried toward the staircase.
“I’m sorry, Master Elias!”
“I’ll be back after school!”
Before Elias could reply…
Kyle had already disappeared upstairs.
…
Nearly twenty minutes later…
The dojo door burst open once again.
Kyle stood there, breathing heavily.
His faded academy uniform had been washed so many times that its original color had almost disappeared.
Several patches had been sewn onto the sleeves.
Even his shoes had been repaired with rough stitching.
Elias quietly observed him.
“So…”
“This is what you wear every day?”
Kyle looked down at his clothes.
“They’re still usable.”
“They’ll last a little longer.”
Elias sighed inwardly.
The boy wasn’t embarrassed.
He genuinely believed there was nothing wrong with them.
“Come here.”
Kyle walked over.
“Take out your communicator.”
Kyle obeyed.
Elias held out his own wrist communicator.
“Send me your account ID.”
Kyle looked confused.
“…Why?”
“Just do it.”
A few seconds later…
Both communicators connected.
Beep.
Elias tapped the screen.
Kyle’s communicator vibrated almost instantly.
Ding!
+300 Credits received.
Kyle froze.
His eyes remained fixed on the glowing notification.
Three hundred…
Credits?
He looked up in disbelief.
“M-Master…”
“There must be a mistake.”
“There isn’t.”
Kyle swallowed.
“This is too much.”
“I can’t accept this.”
Elias folded his arms.
“Who said it was free?”
Kyle blinked.
“It’s an advance.”
“You’ll repay every single Credit.”
“After school, you’ll clean this dojo.”
“You’ll organize the equipment.”
“You’ll help with maintenance.”
“And you’ll continue your training.”
Kyle stared silently at the notification.
Three hundred Credits.
That was more than a week’s worth of wages at the repair shop.
Slowly…
His vision became blurry.
No one besides his mother had ever shown him such kindness.
He bowed deeply.
“Thank you…”
“No.”
“Thank you very much.”
“I won’t waste a single Credit.”
“I promise.”
Elias simply nodded.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Kyle tightened his backpack straps.
A smile—small, but genuine—appeared on his face for the first time in weeks.
“I’ll see you after school, Master.”
Without waiting another second, he dashed out of the dojo toward New Horizon Academy.
The room became silent once more.
Elias remained standing where he was.
His eyes drifted toward an old photograph hanging on the wall.
Dust covered its edges.
The image showed a much younger Elias standing beside a teenage boy whose smile was bright and full of confidence.
The boy’s face had been damaged by time, but his determined eyes were still visible.
Elias gently wiped the dust away with his thumb.
“You had those same eyes…”
His voice was barely above a whisper.
A trace of sadness crossed his weathered face.
“This time…”
“I won’t let history repeat itself.”
Outside…
Kyle continued running toward the academy.
Completely unaware…
That the old man who had accepted him as a student carried scars every bit as deep as his own.
Kyle arrived at New Horizon Academy just as the first bell rang.
He let out a long breath.
“…Made it.”
He straightened his patched uniform and hurried into the classroom.
As he stepped through the door, several students glanced in his direction.
“There he is.”
“The Ash District rat.”
One of the boys smirked.
“I thought you finally dropped out.”
Kyle ignored them and quietly took his seat.
His thoughts weren’t on the insults.
They were on the underground training room beneath Thorn Dojo.
For the first time, he felt like he was walking toward something instead of running away from everything.
A few moments later, Mrs. Campbell entered the classroom.
The chatter immediately died down.
“Good morning, class.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Campbell!”
She placed her tablet on the desk and smiled.
“Yesterday, we covered the Awakener ranks and the two primary cultivation paths.”
“Today, we’ll discuss the dangers every Awakener must face.”
With a tap on the smart board, a map of the world appeared.
Kyle frowned.
The map looked nothing like the history books he had read.
Massive red zones covered large portions of the continents.
“Two hundred years ago,” Mrs. Campbell began, “humanity ruled nearly every corner of the world.”
“Today…”
She pointed toward the glowing red regions.
“…that is no longer the case.”
“These areas are known as the Wild Zones.”
“They are territories overrun by monsters.”
The room fell silent.
“Monsters are classified into the same nine-rank system used for Awakeners.”
“A Rank One monster is dangerous to ordinary humans.”
“A Rank Two monster can wipe out an unprepared squad of Rank One Awakeners.”
“The higher the rank…”
“…the greater the threat.”
A student raised his hand.
“So humanity is losing?”
Mrs. Campbell shook her head.
“No.”
“We survive because Awakeners continue to grow stronger.”
“But every year…”
“Many never return from the Wild Zones.”
Kyle listened carefully.
He had never realized just how dangerous the world truly was.
The Void Serpents had been terrifying.
Yet compared to the creatures outside humanity’s walls…
They might not even be the greatest threat.
Mrs. Campbell continued.
“Your Artificial Awakening is not a guarantee of power.”
“Some of you will awaken extraordinary talents.”
“Others may awaken ordinary abilities.”
“And some…”
She paused.
“…may not awaken at all.”
A heavy silence settled over the classroom.
Every student understood what those words meant.
Failure.
Kyle slowly tightened his fist beneath the desk.
I will awaken.
I have to.
There is no other choice.
The lesson continued for another hour before the bell finally rang.
As students poured out of the classroom, Kyle remained seated for a moment.
Mrs. Campbell noticed.
“You seem more focused than before.”
Kyle stood.
“I have a reason to become stronger now.”
She studied his expression.
Whatever that reason was…
It had changed him completely.
“Then don’t waste these next three months,” she said.
“They may decide the rest of your life.”
Kyle gave a respectful nod.
“I won’t.”
…
That afternoon, he didn’t stop at the repair shop.
Instead, he went straight to Thorn Dojo.
The moment he stepped inside, Elias tossed him a broom.
“Start with the front hall.”
Kyle caught it.
Without complaint, he began sweeping.
Dust disappeared from the wooden floor.
Training weapons were arranged neatly.
Broken equipment was repaired.
By the time he finished, sweat covered his forehead.
Elias walked through the dojo, silently inspecting everything.
Finally, he nodded.
“Not bad.”
Kyle smiled faintly.
“Now…”
Elias said, walking toward the hidden staircase.
“…your real work begins.”
The underground chamber felt even colder than before.
Without saying a word, Elias pointed toward the same twenty-kilogram chain Kyle had failed to lift yesterday.
“Again.”
Kyle took a deep breath.
This time…
He wrapped the chain around his shoulders.
His legs immediately shook.
Pain shot through every muscle.
“Walk.”
Kyle gritted his teeth.
One step.
Then another.
Each movement felt as though his body was being crushed beneath a mountain.
Halfway across the room, his vision blurred.
His knees buckled.
But before he could fall—
Elias’ voice echoed through the chamber.
“Stand.”
Kyle forced his legs straight.
Another step.
Another.
His breathing became ragged.
Sweat dripped from his chin onto the stone floor.
By the time he reached the end of the room…
His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
He had done it.
Barely.
Elias gave a small nod.
“Good.”
“Tomorrow…”
“The chain gets heavier.”
Kyle looked at the chain around his shoulders.
Then at Elias.
A smile slowly spread across his exhausted face.
“Then…”
“I’ll become stronger tomorrow.”
Elias couldn’t help but smile.
For the first time in many years…
The old dojo no longer felt empty.