Damon woke up early the next morning.
The moment he opened his eyes, he felt refreshed.
Not because he had suddenly become stronger overnight.
But because he finally had something to work toward.
The Birthground.
A week ago, he would have spent his free time gaming and complaining about bad luck.
Now he had an actual chance to change his future.
That alone was enough motivation.
After washing up, he finished the breakfast the servants brought him.
The treatment was still cold.
The food arrived on time, but nobody lingered.
Nobody smiled.
Nobody tried starting conversations anymore.
Damon didn’t care.
Less attention meant fewer distractions.
As soon as breakfast was over, he headed outside.
Today, he wasn’t planning to cultivate immediately.
Instead, he wanted to train his body.
The previous owner’s memories contained plenty of combat drills and conditioning exercises. Noble families placed great importance on physical foundations, especially before reaching higher ranks.
So Damon started there.
Running.
Footwork drills.
Balance training.
Body conditioning.
Then he mixed in a few things he remembered from Earth.
Simple exercises.
Efficient movements.
Anything that could push his body harder.
Sweat quickly covered his forehead.
His breathing grew heavier.
Yet he didn’t stop.
Soon he began incorporating Aether reinforcement.
The moment Aether flowed through his body, everything changed.
His muscles felt lighter.
His movements became faster.
His reactions sharpened.
The difference was obvious.
A punch reinforced with Aether felt several times stronger than a normal one.
A sprint became noticeably faster.
Even jumping felt easier.
Damon finally understood why physical strength alone wasn’t respected in this world.
Aether changed everything.
Still, maintaining reinforcement wasn’t easy.
Every movement consumed energy.
Every burst of speed drained his reserves.
And unlike physical stamina, Aether didn’t recover quickly.
So Damon kept pushing.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Until his body finally reached its limit.
His legs trembled.
His arms felt heavy.
His lungs burned.
Then he collapsed onto the training field.
"Okay..."
He stared at the sky while gasping for breath.
"That hurts more than expected."
For several minutes he simply lay there.
His entire body ached.
Yet a smile slowly appeared on his face.
Because he could feel the results.
Not huge results.
But results.
His control over Aether felt smoother.
His veins seemed more responsive.
The energy moved through his body with less resistance.
It was progress.
Slow progress.
But progress nonetheless.
After catching his breath, Damon sat up.
His expression became thoughtful.
He had learned another important thing.
Without an element, his combat ability would always be limited.
Elemental abilities weren’t simply stronger attacks.
They changed battles completely.
Even an Initiate with basic elemental control could threaten someone physically stronger.
That was the reality of this world.
Elements were king.
Knowing that made his situation worse.
Yet strangely enough, it didn’t discourage him.
Instead, it only made him focus harder.
If he lacked one advantage, he would improve everything else.
That had always been his way of doing things.
So after exhausting his Aether reserves, he returned to his room.
And started cultivating.
The moment he entered his cultivation state, he immediately noticed the difference.
The surrounding Aether felt clearer.
Closer.
Easier to draw in.
His eyes remained closed, but a smile appeared.
The morning training had worked.
His Aether veins were adapting.
The repeated strain from reinforcement seemed to have strengthened them.
Now they carried Aether more smoothly.
Which naturally improved cultivation.
The energy flowed toward him faster than before.
Not by a huge amount.
But enough for Damon to notice.
And that was all that mattered.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
The familiar cycle continued.
Absorb.
Refine.
Store.
Repeat.
The giant White Core greedily swallowed everything he gathered.
Like always.
It still felt endless.
Still felt ridiculous.
Yet compared to his first day, there was obvious improvement.
And that improvement kept him motivated.
By evening, he finally finished.
After dinner, he spent some time reviewing memories about the Birthground before heading to bed.
The next day followed almost the same routine.
Breakfast.
Physical training.
Aether reinforcement.
Exhaustion.
Cultivation.
Sleep.
Then the next day.
And the next.
The routine became his entire world.
Even the servants began noticing.
Whenever they passed by, they saw the same thing.
Training.
Cultivating.
Training again.
One maid shook her head.
"He’s still doing it."
Another sighed.
"Why bother?"
"He doesn’t even have an element."
The first maid looked toward the training grounds.
Damon was currently pushing through another drill despite being drenched in sweat.
"...Still."
"What?"
"He works harder than anyone Noble around here."
The second maid stayed silent.
Because she couldn’t deny it.
Meanwhile, Damon remained completely unaware.
He didn’t care what people thought anymore.
Praise didn’t make him stronger.
Neither did pity. Only effort did.
So he kept going.
Day after day.
Slowly improving.
Slowly adapting.
Slowly growing.
Until eventually the final day arrived.
Tomorrow was the opening of the Birthground.
Yet Damon wasn’t nervous.
If anything, he felt confident.
Not because he expected miracles.
But because he knew he had improved.
His cultivation speed was far better now.
His Aether veins had become noticeably stronger.
His control had improved.
Even his reinforcement lasted longer than before.
The growth wasn’t dramatic.
But it was real.
And real progress was all he cared about.
Over the last two days, he had even reached a point where he could exhaust his reserves, recover them, and repeat the process again.
That alone showed how much he had changed.
Then, during his final cultivation session before the Birthground opened...
It happened.
At first, it was subtle.
A small pressure.
A slight sensation deep within his core.
Damon immediately focused.
The feeling grew stronger.
His Aether began moving faster.
The flow through his veins became smoother.
Then—
Something clicked.
Not explosively.
Not dramatically.
Just a clean, natural breakthrough.
Like a door quietly opening.
A wave of energy spread through his body.
His core expanded slightly.
His veins strengthened. His control sharpened.
Everything felt clearer.
Lighter.
More responsive.
Damon slowly opened his eyes.
A smile appeared on his face.
He could feel the difference immediately.
He had advanced.
Officially stepping into the Resonant Rank.
The first true cultivation rank.
It wasn’t a huge breakthrough.
But it was his.
A result earned through effort.
Damon clenched his fist.
Aether flowed more smoothly than ever before.
His body felt stronger.
His reinforcement felt cleaner.
And for the first time since arriving in this world...
He felt ready.
Tomorrow.
The Birthground would open.
And whatever waited for him there...
He intended to make the most of it.
A/N:
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