The next morning, Ryuzen woke before sunrise.
For a few seconds, he remained still.
His body was sore.
His arms felt heavy.
His legs felt like they had been filled with stones.
Even his fingers hurt.
But he smiled.
He had survived another day.
Ryuzen pushed himself out of bed and reached for the door.
He pulled.
Nothing happened.
He frowned.
He pulled harder.
The door moved only slightly.
“Seriously?”
From the other side came Eldran’s voice.
“You’re late.”
Ryuzen’s eyes widened.
“I’m not late! The door is too heavy!”
There was silence.
Then Eldran replied calmly.
“The door has not changed.”
Ryuzen stared at it.
“You made it heavier, didn’t you?”
“No.”
“You’re lying.”
“Perhaps.”
Ryuzen sighed.
He placed both hands against the door.
“Fine.”
He pushed with everything he had.
His muscles tightened.
His teeth clenched.
Slowly…
The door opened.
Ryuzen stumbled forward and nearly fell.
Eldran stood outside with his arms folded.
“Good.”
Ryuzen looked at him in disbelief.
“Good?”
“You opened the door.”
“I almost broke my shoulder!”
“And yet you opened it.”
Ryuzen rubbed his shoulder.
“This place is insane.”
Eldran turned around.
“You have not seen anything yet.”
Ryuzen’s expression changed.
“What does that mean?”
Eldran continued walking.
“You will find out.”
The first task of the day was simple.
At least, Eldran called it simple.
Ryuzen had to carry a large wooden bucket filled with water from the river to the house.
The river was almost half a kilometer away.
The bucket itself was heavy.
The water made it worse.
Ryuzen lifted it.
His arms immediately trembled.
“Why is this so heavy?”
“Because it contains water.”
“I know that!”
“Then stop complaining.”
Ryuzen gritted his teeth.
He began walking.
One step.
Then another.
Water splashed over the side.
His arms shook harder.
After a few minutes, his breathing became rough.
He stopped.
The bucket touched the ground.
Eldran, who was sitting beneath a tree, opened one eye.
“Why did you stop?”
“Because my arms are dying.”
“They are not.”
“They feel dead.”
“That is different.”
Ryuzen stared at him.
“Do you ever say anything normally?”
“Rarely.”
Ryuzen sighed and picked up the bucket again.
He continued.
By the time he reached the house, his arms were burning.
He dropped the bucket.
Water spilled onto the ground.
Ryuzen collapsed beside it.
Eldran looked at the nearly empty bucket.
“You spilled half.”
Ryuzen looked up.
“Then carry it yourself!”
Eldran raised an eyebrow.
Ryuzen immediately looked away.
“…I didn’t mean that.”
“I know.”
Eldran stood.
“Again.”
Ryuzen’s head snapped toward him.
“What?”
“Fill it.”
“You want me to do it again?”
“Yes.”
“I just carried it here!”
“And now you will carry it back.”
Ryuzen stared at the old wizard.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Ryuzen smiled.
“Fine.”
He stood.
“If I have to do this a hundred times, I’ll do it.”
Eldran watched him walk away.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“That’s the answer I wanted.”
Days passed.
Then weeks.
Ryuzen’s routine became brutal.
He woke before sunrise.
He carried the heavy water bucket.
He chopped heavy firewood.
He cleaned the house.
He opened the heavy doors.
He carried books from one room to another.
He trained with weighted clothes.
He ate.
Then he trained again.
Every object in Eldran’s home had a purpose.
The cup strengthened his grip.
The plates strengthened his wrists.
The chairs strengthened his legs.
The doors strengthened his arms.
The books strengthened his shoulders.
The water bucket strengthened his entire body.
Even sleeping became part of his training.
His blanket had weights sewn into it.
At first, Ryuzen hated every second.
But something began to change.
His body became stronger.
His movements became faster.
His breathing became steadier.
And most importantly…
His thunder stopped hurting as much.
One evening, Ryuzen sat outside the house.
His legs were crossed.
His eyes were closed.
Blue sparks moved around his fingers.
Normally, whenever he released thunder, pain followed.
But this time…
Nothing.
Ryuzen opened his eyes.
He stared at his hand.
A thin stream of blue lightning moved between his fingers.
He smiled.
“I didn’t feel it.”
Eldran stood behind him.
“You did.”
Ryuzen turned.
“What?”
“You felt it.”
“I mean the pain.”
“I know.”
Eldran walked closer.
“The thunder is still moving through your body. The difference is that your body is beginning to withstand it.”
Ryuzen looked at his hand again.
“So I’m getting stronger?”
“Yes.”
Ryuzen smiled.
“Finally.”
Eldran shook his head.
“Don’t celebrate yet.”
Ryuzen’s smile disappeared.
“Why?”
“Because you are still weak.”
“…You really know how to ruin a moment.”
Eldran ignored him.
“Your body has improved, but your control has not caught up.”
Ryuzen looked at the blue sparks.
“What should I do?”
“Tomorrow, we begin the second stage.”
Ryuzen’s eyes widened.
“Second stage?”
Eldran nodded.
“You have trained your body.”
He raised one finger.
“Now you will train your soul.”
The next morning, Eldran took Ryuzen deeper into the forest.
They walked for almost an hour.
Eventually, they reached a large clearing surrounded by ancient trees.
At the center stood several stone pillars.
Each pillar was covered in strange symbols.
Ryuzen looked around.
“What is this place?”
“A training ground.”
Ryuzen examined the pillars.
“It doesn’t look like one.”
“That is because you don’t know what you’re looking at.”
Eldran placed his hand on the nearest pillar.
The symbols began glowing faintly.
Ryuzen stepped backward.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
The ground suddenly shook.
Ryuzen’s eyes widened.
Blue light appeared beneath his feet.
A circular pattern formed around him.
“What is this?”
“A Soul Ring.”
Ryuzen looked down.
The moment he stepped into its center, his body became heavy.
He dropped to one knee.
“What—”
His breathing became difficult.
It felt as though something enormous was pressing down on his soul.
Eldran watched calmly.
“Stand.”
Ryuzen tried.
His arms shook.
He pushed against the invisible pressure.
He rose halfway.
Then fell again.
“This is impossible!”
“No.”
Eldran’s voice remained calm.
“You are simply not strong enough yet.”
Ryuzen clenched his fists.
Blue thunder began crackling around his body.
The pressure increased.
His muscles trembled.
His heartbeat became louder.
He could feel his Inner Beast reacting inside his soul.
The Electric Eel.
It was restless.
Powerful.
Desperate to escape.
Ryuzen gritted his teeth.
“Calm down…”
The thunder grew stronger.
“Calm down!”
A bolt of lightning exploded from his arm.
Ryuzen cried out.
Pain rushed through his body.
He fell to the ground.
Eldran did not move.
“Again.”
Ryuzen lifted his head.
“What?”
“Again.”
“I failed!”
“Yes.”
Ryuzen stared at him.
“You’re supposed to encourage me!”
“I am.”
“By giving you another chance.”
Ryuzen was silent.
Then he slowly stood.
He stepped back into the Soul Ring.
The pressure returned.
His knees bent.
His breathing became rough.
But this time…
He did not release the thunder.
He closed his eyes.
He remembered the first day he awakened.
The laughter.
The insults.
Kaizen calling him weak.
His father’s cold expression.
The royal crest being removed from his clothes.
The palace gates closing behind him.
He remembered how alone he had felt.
His fists tightened.
“I won’t go back.”
The Electric Eel stirred inside him.
Ryuzen felt its thunder.
Instead of fighting it…
He listened.
The pressure remained.
The pain remained.
But something was different.
The thunder no longer felt like an enemy.
It felt like a voice.
A distant heartbeat.
Ryuzen breathed slowly.
“Move with me.”
The blue lightning around his body became calmer.
Eldran’s eyes narrowed.
For the first time, he looked genuinely surprised.
Ryuzen opened his eyes.
The blue sparks around him were no longer wild.
They moved smoothly across his arms.
His breathing stabilized.
His knees stopped shaking.
He stood.
Fully.
Eldran said nothing.
Ryuzen looked at him.
“I did it.”
Eldran nodded.
“You did.”
Ryuzen smiled.
Then his legs gave out.
He fell face-first into the dirt.
Eldran sighed.
“Your soul improved.”
Ryuzen groaned from the ground.
“But your stamina remains terrible.”
Ryuzen lifted one hand.
“Give me five minutes.”
“You have two.”
“Three.”
“Two.”
“Fine.”
That evening, Ryuzen returned to the house.
He was exhausted.
But he felt different.
For the first time, he could feel his Inner Beast clearly.
Not just its power.
Its presence.
Something lived inside his soul.
Something ancient.
Something that had been with him since birth.
He sat beside the fire.
“Electric Eel…”
Blue sparks moved across his fingers.
“I used to think you were the reason everyone hated me.”
The sparks flickered.
“But maybe you aren’t.”
He smiled.
“Maybe I just didn’t understand you.”
Behind him, Eldran quietly watched.
Ryuzen didn’t notice.
The old wizard’s eyes briefly glowed.
A vision flashed through his mind.
A young boy.
Blue thunder.
A battlefield covered in darkness.
A sword.
Then—
Golden light.
The vision disappeared.
Eldran closed his eyes.
“Not yet.”
He looked at Ryuzen.
“You still have a long road ahead.”
Ryuzen suddenly turned.
“Eldran?”
“Yes?”
“What’s the next training?”
Eldran pointed toward the house.
Ryuzen followed his finger.
His eyes widened.
A whip beside the wall was enormous.
Ryuzen had never touched it before.
“How heavy is that?”
Eldran smiled.
“Tomorrow, you will find out.”
Ryuzen stared at the whip
Then he looked at his trembling arms.
“I’m beginning to hate this place.”
Eldran turned away.
“You said that three weeks ago.”
“I mean it this time.”
Eldran smiled.
“You’ll say it again tomorrow.”
Ryuzen looked at the whip
Then he smiled.
“Fine.”
He stood.
“I’ll lift it.”
For the first time, Eldran’s expression became serious.
Because he knew something Ryuzen didn’t.
The training whip was not merely heavy.
It had been created for warriors whose bodies were already strong enough to withstand their Inner Beasts.
Ryuzen was nowhere near that level.
If he failed…
He would learn why Eldran had warned him that becoming strong was not simply about power.
It was about surviving the power within him.
And tomorrow, the real test would begin.