The next morning, Ren woke up to a bamboo stick smacking him in the ribs.
"Rise and cry, princess," Uncle Jin barked. "It's training day."
Ren groaned and rolled off the futon, crashing face-first into the floorboards. "You ever heard of alarm clocks? Or compassion?"
"Compassion is for cats and cult leaders. You want power? Get up."
"Can I shower first?"
"You won't need it where you're going."
"…Where am I going? Hell?"
"Worse. The basement."
Five minutes later, Ren stood in front of the infamous basement door, wearing a tracksuit that probably belonged to a dead man and shoes with holes in them.
"Is this even legal?" he asked.
Jin unlocked the door with a key shaped like a dragon's fang. "Definitely not."
They descended into darkness.
The air smelled like old soy sauce, sweat, and… was that blood?
Ren nearly slipped on the last step — the floor was concrete, cracked, and covered in strange symbols drawn in red ink. Or possibly ketchup. (He prayed for ketchup.)
Uncle Jin flicked on a hanging bulb.
A dusty punching dummy stared at Ren with lifeless eyes.
Chains hung from the walls.
A floor mat had a literal claw mark in it.
"Okay, so this is hell."
Jin cracked his knuckles. "Lesson one: You don't win fights by crying. You win fights by outlasting your enemy, outthinking them, and — when all else fails — breaking their nose with confidence."
"Is that a real martial art?"
"It is now. I call it Pain-Fu."
Ren blinked. "That's… kind of dope."
"You'll regret saying that in five minutes."
THE TRAINING MONTAGE (but sadder)
What followed was an hour of:
Ren getting kicked into a pile of old noodles
Failing to hold a horse stance for more than 30 seconds
Screaming when a spider touched his ear mid-push-up
Getting slapped with a wooden spoon for "emotional weakness"
By the end, he was drenched in sweat, bruised, and possibly hallucinating a ramen bowl cheering him on.
He collapsed on the mat, groaning. "I hate this. My bones hate this. My soul hates this."
Uncle Jin handed him a bottle of water and grinned. "Good. That means you're learning."
Later, after a bath that felt more like a resurrection, Ren slumped at the ramen shop counter, nibbling burnt gyoza like a broken man.
"…Hey," he asked softly, "was my dad strong?"
Jin paused, mid-sip of tea.
"Your father could split stone with a punch. But he was strongest when he protected the weak — especially your mom. He never fought for glory. He fought for peace."
"…So why'd he lose?"
The silence that followed was heavy.
Jin didn't answer.
Meanwhile: School is Hell Too
Ren arrived late to class the next day, limping slightly, with a bandage over his eyebrow and his hair somehow burnt on one side.
"Nice look, ramen boy," said Rika — the class queen bee and black belt in sarcasm.
Ren flopped into his chair, ignoring the snickers. "If I die from exhaustion, tell my uncle it was his fault."
"Your uncle's the ramen dude who screams at pigeons?"
"Yeah. But also, apparently, a retired secret assassin."
Rika blinked. "What?"
"Nothing. Sleep talking. Ignore me."
Ren's life was now a blender set to chaos.
Wake up.
Train.
Survive school.
Hide the bruises.
Repeat.
But that night, something new happened.
As Ren lay on his futon, still sore from training, a sudden glow filled the room.
A faint voice whispered:
> [Bloodline Unlocked: Skybound Legacy - Lv. 1]
He who was marked by the Broken Sky shall rise again.
— Martial Aspect: "Heaven-Piercing Fist" (Sealed)
> [New Objective: Survive the First Awakening]
Ren sat up so fast he hit his head on the wall.
"What the hell was that?!"
A glowing symbol pulsed on his palm — a small, broken circle with lines shooting outward like lightning cracks.
Back downstairs, Uncle Jin paused mid-beer.
His eyes narrowed.
"…So. It's starting."
⚡ Chapter 3 Teaser:
Ren's first awakening isn't peaceful. It's loud. Violent. And involves exploding furniture. Oh — and someone's watching him from the rooftops…
Bloodline System (So Far):
Skybound Legacy Lv.1
Martial Aspect: Heaven-Piercing Fist (currently sealed)
Unlocked by pain + training + emotional trigger
Will evolve every major arc (planned: Lv. 5 = god-tier)