Time passed differently in Kaelrith.
At first, Kaelen counted every single day.
Every sunrise.
Every cold night.
Every meal he barely managed to secure.
But eventually…
the days blurred together.
Survival became routine.
Then routine became growth.
And growth became strength.
The weak starving child who had first arrived on the continent slowly disappeared.
In his place— something far more dangerous was being forged.
________________________________________
The sound of steel echoed through the forest.
CLANG!
Kaelen’s sword sliced cleanly through the air before crashing into a thick wooden training post.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Sweat rolled down his body while his muscles burned beneath the cold morning wind.
His movements were sharp.
Fast.
Precise.
Nothing like the clumsy swings from four years ago.
Kaelen exhaled slowly and lowered the sword.
Steam rose from his body in the freezing air.
He looked toward the nearby stream and smirked faintly at his reflection.
He had changed tremendously.
At twelve years old, he had been nothing more than a starving orphan barely able to lift an axe.
Now— four years later— his body had transformed completely.
Tall.
Lean.
Powerful.
Years of hunting, labor, and brutal training had built solid muscle across his frame.
The survival lifestyle of Kaelrith had forced his body to evolve quickly.
Even his face looked sharper now.
More mature.
Harder.
“I’m around six feet already…” Kaelen muttered.
His growth was honestly ridiculous.
But considering the amount of meat he consumed daily— especially from the giant beasts of Kaelrith— perhaps it wasn’t impossible.
Kaelen chuckled softly.
“Maybe eating monster wolves actually helps.”
Nearby, several enormous wolf pelts dried beneath sunlight.
One of them was larger than a horse.
Back then…
a single direwolf had nearly killed him.
Now?
He could hunt them alone.
The difference between his old self and current self was overwhelming.
Kaelen sheathed his sword before walking toward his home.
Calling it a “house” almost felt wrong now.
It was more like a small wooden fortress.
Built on a wide open plain near the edge of a forest, the structure stood proudly behind tall wooden fences surrounding nearly an acre of land.
Kaelen had chosen the location carefully.
The nearby forest provided wood and hunting grounds.
A freshwater stream flowed close to the settlement.
The open land also made it easier to detect approaching beasts.
At the center stood his two-story wooden house.
Using advanced joint construction techniques from the survival knowledge granted by the system, Kaelen had managed to create something surprisingly stable and durable.
The house contained:
• storage rooms
• sleeping quarters
• cooking area
• workspaces
• weapon racks
Primitive.
But comfortable.
And most importantly— safe.
Kaelen opened the wooden gate and entered the fenced area.
Small farming fields stretched around the house.
Wheat.
Vegetables.
Medicinal herbs.
Years ago, Kaelen realized hunting alone was unreliable long-term.
So he learned farming.
It had not been easy.
Kaelrith’s climate was harsh.
Storms frequently destroyed crops while wild animals constantly tried invading the fields.
Still— little by little— the land began providing food.
Kaelen grabbed a bucket of water and watered the smaller plants carefully.
As he worked, his thoughts drifted.
Four years.
Four entire years had passed since arriving in this world.
And during those years…
Kaelen had done three things repeatedly.
Hunt.
Train.
Explore.
Every single day.
Morning hunts sharpened his instincts.
Afternoon labor strengthened his body.
Night training refined his combat skills.
And thanks to Peak Talent…
his growth speed became terrifying.
At first, he only practiced basic sword swings.
Simple repetition.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Thousands upon thousands of swings.
Over time, the movements became natural.
Then instinctive.
Eventually—
Kaelen began creating techniques himself.
Not flashy fantasy moves.
Real combat methods.
Fast strikes.
Efficient footwork.
Deadly counters.
The wilderness of Kaelrith became his teacher.
Fighting beasts taught him more than any knight ever could.
One mistake meant death.
That pressure forced rapid improvement.
Swordsmanship.
Archery.
Tracking.
Survival.
Spearmanship.
Kaelen learned everything he could.
A wooden spear leaned near the fence nearby.
At first it had only been a sharpened stick.
Now it resembled a true hunting weapon.
He had also crafted bows using flexible wood and beast tendons.
His archery had improved drastically over the years.
Not perfect.
But dangerous enough.
Kaelen walked toward a nearby target placed near the edge of the field.
Without hesitation, he grabbed his bow and nocked an arrow.
His eyes narrowed.
The world became silent.
Then—
FWIP!
The arrow flew across the field and struck directly into the center of the target.
Kaelen nodded in satisfaction.
“Not bad.”
A sudden distant roar echoed from deep within the forest.
Kaelen instantly turned serious.
That roar was massive.
Far larger than ordinary predators.
His hand naturally moved toward his sword.
Even after four years…
Kaelrith still terrified him.
Because the deeper he explored— the more dangerous the continent became.
The outer forests contained wolves and bears.
But farther inside?
Things changed.
Gigantic reptilian creatures.
Massive horned beasts.
Predators larger than elephants.
Several times, Kaelen had nearly died during exploration.
Once, he encountered a creature resembling a giant black panther with six glowing eyes.
Another time, he saw something enormous moving beneath a lake.
He never approached that lake again.
Kaelrith was ancient.
And its wilderness belonged to monsters.
Kaelen slowly relaxed after the roar faded.
Then he walked inside the house and approached a rough map spread across a wooden table.
The map was incomplete.
Hand-drawn using years of exploration.
Mountains.
Forests.
Rivers.
Danger zones.
Resource locations.
Kaelen’s eyes focused on several marked mountains.
Iron ore.
Coal.
Copper.
Silver.
And most importantly— gold.
During his explorations, he had discovered enormous mineral deposits hidden throughout Kaelrith.
Some mountains practically overflowed with resources.
Enough to support kingdoms.
Empires even.
Kaelen smiled faintly.
“This continent really is insane…”
Back on Earth, nations fought wars over resources like these.
Yet here…
they sat untouched.
Because nobody controlled Kaelrith.
No civilization.
No empire.
No organized kingdom.
Only scattered primitive tribes hidden throughout the continent.
Kaelen had seen signs of them many times.
Smoke rising from forests.
Footprints.
Primitive hunting camps.
Small villages hidden in valleys.
But he never approached them.
Not yet.
He was still alone.
Still weak compared to what he wanted to become.
One accident could destroy everything.
“No rush,” Kaelen muttered calmly.
“I have time.”
And that was true.
By his estimates, the events of Robert’s Rebellion were still years away or already happened in these 4 years.
The chaos of Westeros had not begun yet.
Which meant Kaelen had time to prepare.
Time to grow stronger.
Time to build.
Time to become something this world had never seen before.
Kaelen looked outside toward the massive wilderness beyond his fences.
His peaceful farm suddenly felt very small compared to the endless continent surrounding him.
For four years, he had survived.
Now— he wanted more.
More knowledge.
More power.
More territory.
His gaze slowly drifted toward the dark mountains visible far in the distance.
Those mountains marked unexplored territory.
Dangerous territory.
And Kaelen smiled.
Because for the first time since arriving in Kaelrith— he finally felt ready.
He picked up his sword.
Then his bow.
Then his wooden spear.
The weapons felt familiar in his hands.
Comforting.
Reliable.
Kaelen walked toward the gate slowly before stopping briefly.
The wind swept across the plains while dark clouds gathered far above the distant mountains.
Adventure waited beyond those lands.
Danger too.
But Kaelen’s eyes only burned brighter.
“I survived four years alone…”
“Now let’s see what truly exists in Kaelrith.”
Author’s note: