“Help!” Screams echoed across the fields as a massive wild boar tore through the village crops, charging toward a terrified group of children.
“Lily, take everyone inside!” Father Orsi yelled, scrambling to board his broom.
Before the priest could react, Yuno dashed past him, wind swirling around his body.
Gliding across the grass, Yuno extended his hand, channeling a concentrated burst of air.
“Wind Magic: Crescent Storm!” Violent gusts wrapped tightly around the boar’s massive legs, knocking the three-ton beast off balance and slamming it helplessly into the dirt.
While the boar lay trapped and thrashing, a shadow leaped high into the air above it.
“Fresh boar meat!” Asta shouted, his mouth watering.
Gathering his full physical power, Asta plummeted downward and delivered a devastating axe-kick straight to the beast’s skull, killing the wild boar instantly.
The silence across the fields was broken by the children’s joyful shouts.
“Asta and Yuno saved us!”
The villagers cheered, praising the two boys for rescuing the village.
After making sure Father Orsi claimed a large portion of the meat for the church, Asta waved off the crowd and headed off to rest—eager to prepare for tomorrow’s work.
The next morning, following their hearty boar-meat breakfast, Asta led Nash up the mountain toward the skull of the ancient Demon God.
“Asta…
I’m really ready,” Nash said, his voice trembling slightly as he looked inside the cavernous skull.
“Good!
A real man backs up his words with actions,” Asta said, dropping into a handstand against the stone wall.
“Start with ten wall-supported handstands!”
Nash gasped in shock.
“Ten?!
My arms will collapse!”
“If you want to stop feeling helpless, you have to push past your limits!” Asta barked sternly.
“You have one hour.”
Gritting his teeth, Nash threw himself against the stone wall.
He crashed down repeatedly, his arms shaking and sweat stinging his eyes.
But every time he looked over at Asta effortlessly executing single-finger pushups, Nash forced himself back up until he finally completed his tenth rep.
“Good,” Asta grinned, jumping to his feet.
“Now fifty sit-ups, fifty squats, and a lap around the village!”
By sunset, Nash was completely exhausted, but as he walked back to the church beside Asta, his heart felt lighter than ever.
For the first time in his life, he was moving forward.
True to their word, Asta and Yuno didn’t waste any time starting the church renovations.
Over the next few days, the yard was filled with the rhythmic sounds of sawing timber and steady hammering.
Asta handled the heavy lifting—harvesting massive logs from the forest, carving precise mortise and tenon joints, and tearing down the old, drafty wooden walls room by room.
Yuno worked right alongside him.
Using his Wind Magic, Yuno effortlessly lifted heavy roof beams into place, held timber walls steady while Asta fitted the interlocking joints, and cleared away dust and debris with gentle gusts of wind.
With their seamless teamwork, what would have taken ordinary carpenters months was finished in just a few days.
One by one, the cramped, cold living quarters were transformed into sturdy, warm rooms with leak-proof roofs and proper insulation.
Every child in the church finally had a comfortable space to sleep in, and Father Orsi couldn’t stop tearing up with pride every time he walked down the new hallway.
By the time the final room was finished, Asta stood back with Yuno, dusting off his hands with a satisfied grin.
“Not bad,” Yuno said, a rare, subtle smile appearing on his face.
“We actually pulled it off.”
“Of course we did!” Asta laughed, slinging an arm around Yuno’s shoulder.
“Now that home is taken care of, all that’s left is to prepare for the big day!”
Time flew by, and soon, March arrived.
Today was the most important day of the year for fifteen-year-olds across the Clover Kingdom—the day they gathered at the local Grimoire Tower to receive their magic books.
Asta and Yuno arrived early alongside Father Orsi, Sister Lily, and the church kids.
Months of grueling physical conditioning, heavy construction work, and proper nutrition had completely transformed both boys.
Yuno was tall, lean, and possessed a cool, refined elegance.
Asta had also grown significantly taller—nearly reaching Yuno’s eyebrow line—with a broad, powerfully built frame and sharp, serious eyes.
As they walked toward the entrance of the massive stone tower, several young girls in the gathering crowd began whispering excitedly to one another.
“Look over there!” one girl gasped, nudging her friend.
“Who is that handsome dude?”
“And look at the muscular dude next to him!” her friend whispered back, blushing as she watched Asta walk past.
“He looks so strong!”
Their admiring whispers quickly drew annoyed looks from a few arrogant youths nearby.
“Hmph, what’s so great about them?” one noble-looking boy scoffed loudly, curling his lip in disgust.
“The tall one might have magic, but the muscular guy is just an orphan from the church.
Word is he doesn’t have a single drop of mana!”
“Unbelievable,” his friend agreed with a chuckle.
“What good are big muscles in a world where magic is everything?”
Hearing the loud mockings, Father Orsi and Nash clenched their fists angrily, but Asta and Yuno didn’t even slow their pace.
Asta didn’t glance back, and Yuno kept his cool gaze fixed straight ahead.
To both of them, the taunts of nameless bystanders meant absolutely nothing.
They simply walked side by side, completely ignoring the crowd as they stepped through the heavy archway into the grand hall of the Grimoire Tower.
High above them, thousands of ancient books rested on towering wooden shelves, glowing faintly with magical energy.
Suddenly, a warm aura filled the air as an elderly man in reddish-brown robes descended smoothly from the upper balcony on a floating magic carpet.
His voice, amplified by magic, resounded clearly across the entire hall.
“Welcome, young applicants!
May all of you who stand here today embark on your journey filled with honesty, hope, and love—just like the three leaves of the clover!”