---
Three months passed like quiet wind over the hills of Rainforest.
Ryu's days remained the same on the surface—labour, family, training. But within, his body and movements changed. Every breath became more controlled, each motion more fluid. The Body Strengthening Art tempered his muscles like iron smelted through effort. The Flash Step technique, once clumsy and energy-draining, became second nature. His sword no longer wavered—only flowed.
And perhaps most importantly… Ryu was beginning to understand something deeper.
One morning, on his way back from the quarry trail, Ryu passed through the old market district. The place was worn, tired, like the rest of Rainforest. Broken awnings. Dusty fruit carts. Wooden stalls barely held together.
Then he saw it—
A boy, no older than Mina, clutching a half-eaten loaf of bread and running.
Behind him, an old vendor chased, yelling, "Thief! Stop him!"
Ryu sighed and stepped into the path. The boy collided with his waist and fell back.
"I didn't mean to," the boy said quickly, eyes wide. "I was just… hungry."
The vendor arrived, panting and angry.
Ryu handed him a silver ounce. "For the bread."
The man blinked, then muttered thanks and walked off, confused but content.
Ryu looked at the boy. "What's your name?"
"Cera."
He pointed toward the west alley.
"I stay with my sister there. We haven't eaten in two days."
Ryu nodded.
He didn't say anything noble. Just quietly dropped a pouch with a few bronze ounces and a bundle of dried rice and vegetables into the boy's arms.
Then walked away.
It was Mina's twelfth birthday.
They had no parents to bake a cake or throw a party. But Ryu took the day off from work, the first time in a year. He brought her to the riverside, where the lilies bloomed during late spring.
She ran barefoot on the grass. Laughed louder than usual. And sat beside him weaving paper into clumsy flower shapes.
"Are you gonna be the strongest someday?" she asked suddenly.
Ryu didn't answer.
"I think you can be," she smiled. "But even if you're not, you're already strong enough for me."
He didn't know what to say to that. So he just tied one of the paper flowers into her hair.
On his way back from a long shift, Ryu saw a merchant's cart turned sideways in a muddy road. Two oxen were panicking. The man was shouting.
"Back wheels are stuck! I can't lift it alone!"
Ryu didn't plan to help. But something tugged at him.
He walked over, placed his hands under the corner of the cart, and with a deep breath—lifted.
The merchant stared.
"You— You alone?"
Ryu shrugged.
"I train."
---
Advancement
It was on the 89th day of his routine, during a particularly long sword session, that Ryu felt it.
His movements—
His breathing—
His senses—
Everything had grown beyond Trained Class.
It wasn't a burst of power.
No lightning.
No glow.
Just… clarity.
Every swing of his sword landed where it was meant to.
Flash Step required only half the energy now.
His limbs obeyed him without strain.
Later that night, he tested his power by lifting a full stone boulder used in quarry haul training.
It was something even two Amateur Class Mobs together couldn't shift.
He moved it six feet with ease.
Ryu stood there, silent. Not smiling. Just breathing.
---
> Mob Rank: Expert Class (Stage 3)
---
He didn't rush to report it. There was no one in the village who could even confirm it anyway. But he knew what he had become.
The scrolls were now too basic for him.
His sword style—still effective—began to feel shallow. He started improvising new stances, adapting to real movement.
He used Flash Step in close-quarter training, chaining short bursts together.
His strikes grew sharper. Not just in strength, but intention.
He was starting to feel something unusual.
Not passion. Not hunger.
But…
Talent.
He had never considered it before.
He was never ambitious, nor did he crave the spotlight.
He just wanted to survive. To support Mina. To work.
But now, deep in his bones, he could feel it.
> He was good at this.
Not good in the way people flatter others.
Not like the boys who trained for fun or impressed others in sword games.
Ryu absorbed techniques fast.
He understood movement deeply.
His energy flow was clean, stable, and unusually efficient.
Maybe he didn't have rare lineage.
Maybe he wasn't gifted in some flashy ability.
But his foundation—his body, mind, and control—were exceptional.
And he was only 14.
---
He never spoke of it to Mina.
Or anyone.
Instead, he bought better rice. A few more scrolls.
He helped repair the neighbor's roof.
He continued to train behind the house, even on rainy nights.
Because while he didn't seek a big future...
He wanted to be ready.
Ready in case something ever threatened the quiet life he had built.
---
To be continued...