The warmth of Iron Body Foundation spread quietly through Aster's limbs.
It wasn't overwhelming.
There was no explosive surge of strength, nor did his muscles suddenly swell with power. If anything, the skill was almost disappointingly subtle.
His breathing became steadier.
His footsteps lighter.
Even standing still somehow required less effort.
Yet the notification hovering before his eyes reminded him of one unavoidable fact.
Iron Body Foundation (Uncommon)
Temporary Skill
Remaining Duration: 29:42
Comprehension: 0%
"...Zero."
Aster frowned.
"I can use it..."
"But I don't understand it."
He watched the old instructor continue teaching the beginners.
The elderly man never spoke about damage.
He never demonstrated flashy attacks.
Instead, every lesson revolved around posture.
Breathing.
Balance.
Control.
Aster decided to imitate him.
He stood several meters away, feet shoulder-width apart, shoulders relaxed, and inhaled exactly as the instructor had done.
Deep through the nose.
Slowly filling the abdomen.
Exhaling through the mouth.
Again.
And again.
Minutes passed.
Nothing changed.
The comprehension remained at **0%**.
"...What am I missing?"
He repeated every movement perfectly.
Every breath.
Every stance.
Every shift of weight.
Yet the Codex remained silent.
The temporary skill continued counting down.
25:16
Aster scratched his head.
"So copying isn't enough."
He sat beneath the shade of a nearby tree overlooking the training grounds.
Around him, other players enthusiastically practiced sword swings and beginner spells.
Some laughed after failing.
Others proudly celebrated tiny improvements.
Meanwhile, Aster found himself stuck on a single question.
"What is... truth?"
He whispered the words aloud.
"What does it even mean to comprehend the truth of a skill?"
No answer came.
Only the breeze stirred the leaves overhead.
He closed his eyes.
Perhaps he had misunderstood everything.
Maybe the Primal Codex expected something impossible.
"...Status."
The familiar blue panel appeared.
His gaze shifted toward the temporary skill.
Nothing had changed.
Then another interface emerged.
Unlike the polished system windows, this one appeared upon aged parchment.
The Primal Codex.
New words slowly engraved themselves across its pages.
The bearer misunderstands.
Truth is not memorization.
Truth is not imitation.
ATruth is not repetition.
The words disappeared.
Another sentence appeared.
Ask not...
"How does this skill move?"
Ask instead...
"Why must it move this way?"
Aster stared at the parchment.
"...Why?"
The Codex continued.
Every skill is born from a principle.
Every principle reflects a Truth.
Only by understanding the principle may the Truth be inherited.
The pages slowly closed.
Silence returned.
Aster remained motionless.
"...A principle..."
His eyes drifted back toward the elderly instructor.
This time...
He stopped watching the movements.
Instead...
He watched the students.
One eager young swordsman swung too hard.
His shoulders tensed.
His footing shifted.
The instructor immediately corrected him.
"No."
"Relax."
"Your strength is fighting itself."
Another student held his breath while lifting a training shield.
Again, the instructor stopped him.
"Breathe."
"If your breathing collapses..."
"...your body follows."
Another overextended during a lunge.
The instructor gently pushed him with one finger.
The student stumbled instantly.
"Balance."
"If your center is unstable..."
"...everything else becomes unstable."
Aster's eyes widened.
The instructor wasn't teaching a skill.
He was teaching the body itself.
The breathing.
The posture.
The balance.
The coordination of muscles.
Each correction wasn't separate.
They were connected.
"...Connected..."
He stood up.
The temporary timer continued counting downward.
14:53
Aster slowly assumed the breathing stance once more.
This time...
He ignored the skill.
Instead...
He focused on himself.
His heartbeat.
The rise and fall of his chest.
The slight tension in his shoulders.
The pressure beneath his feet.
He noticed things he had overlooked.
When his breathing became shallow...
His shoulders unconsciously stiffened.
When his shoulders stiffened...
His arms became slower.
When his posture leaned forward...
His balance weakened.
Everything affected everything else.
Nothing existed alone.
"...So that's it."
He inhaled deeply.
Not to activate the skill.
But to understand his own body.
Every breath supplied oxygen.
Every muscle relied upon it.
Every joint relied upon proper alignment.
Every movement depended upon balance.
Strength wasn't created by muscles alone.
Agility wasn't created by speed alone.
Even endurance wasn't simply stubbornness.
The body was one complete system.
Improve the foundation...
Everything built upon it improved as well.
His thoughts drifted back to his own life.
Years spent confined to a hospital bed.
His illness had weakened more than his legs.
His muscles had shrunk.
His lungs struggled.
Even standing had exhausted him.
One weakness had dragged down every other part of him.
The opposite...
...must also be true.
If the body's foundation became stronger...
Every aspect would rise together.
His breathing naturally synchronized.
The warmth of Iron Body Foundation changed.
It no longer flowed randomly.
It circulated through every muscle with quiet purpose.
The timer reached...
**09:58**
Suddenly—
A soft chime echoed within his mind.
The Primal Codex opened by itself.
Golden words carved themselves across the ancient parchment.
Comprehension Detected.
Truth Identified.
Aster watched as new lines slowly appeared.
Truth of Iron Body Foundation
The body is not a collection of separate parts.
It is one complete vessel.
Strength supports speed.
Speed protects strength.
Breath sustains both.
Balance governs all.
To strengthen the body is not merely to increase muscle.
It is to understand the harmony of every function working together.
Only a complete foundation can bear limitless growth.
The temporary skill disappeared.
For a brief moment...
Aster felt its warmth vanish.
Then...
The pages of the Primal Codex turned once more.
Ancient runes engraved themselves into the first blank page.
Not copied.
Recorded.
Made his own.
Skill Permanently Recorded
Iron Body Foundation (Uncommon)
Mastery: Beginner
Through understanding the body's fundamental principles, the bearer permanently improves overall physical constitution.
Effects:
• Slight increase to Strength Growth
• Slight increase to Agility Growth
• Slight increase to Vitality Growth
• Improved stamina efficiency
• Enhanced physical recovery
This skill will continue to evolve as deeper truths are comprehended.
The notification slowly faded.
Aster remained standing beneath the tree, his breathing calm and effortless.
A smile slowly appeared.
"So that's what the Codex meant..."
"It never wanted me to steal another person's skill."
"It wanted me to inherit the reason that skill existed."
He looked toward the elderly instructor, who continued patiently guiding beginners without realizing that one of his students had just learned far more than a breathing technique.
The Primal Codex had shown Aster a path unlike any other.
Others collected skills.
He would collect truths.
And if every skill in the world possessed a truth waiting to be understood...
Then his journey had only just begun.