The pain the next morning wasn’t a surprise.
Ren expected it.
That didn’t make it any less real.
He lay still for a few seconds after opening his eyes, staring at the cracked ceiling of his apartment while his body slowly registered the overall situation.
Thighs.
Shoulders.
Right side.
Ribs.
Forearms.
Each area sent its own signal.
Not sharp pain. More like a dense accumulation of muscle fatigue, as if every fiber was protesting the excessive use it had endured the day before.
Ren inhaled deeply.
Then exhaled slowly.
“…Okay.”
His voice was low, still slightly rough from sleep.
He turned his head toward the window.
The gray light of Eidryss filtered through the curtains.
Normal morning.
Normal city.
Normal world.
Except none of it really was.
Because over the past few days, his life had shifted onto a different trajectory.
And he could feel it.
In his body.
In his habits.
In the way his mind woke up now.
Before, he probably would have ignored the fatigue, stayed in bed longer, maybe checked his phone.
Now…
His gaze drifted instinctively toward the center of the living room.
The spot where he did his exercises.
Part of him sighed internally.
The other already knew what was about to happen.
The window appeared.
Calm.
Precise.
Inevitable.
[Daily Mission]
Objective: stabilize host body
— 10 squats
— 10 push-ups
— 10 sit-ups
Status: pending
Ren stared at the lines for a few seconds.
There was no pressure in the system’s tone.
No direct threat.
No countdown.
No alarm.
But there was something even more effective:
Consistency.
The protocol didn’t change.
It didn’t disappear.
It stayed.
Every day.
Ren exhaled through his nose.
“…Yeah.”
He sat up.
More slowly than usual.
His muscles protested immediately.
A clear signal that they weren’t ready.
Ren ignored it.
He placed his feet on the floor.
Then stood.
The first squat was difficult.
His thighs trembled instantly.
Yesterday’s fatigue hadn’t vanished.
It had simply settled in.
Second squat.
His back complained slightly.
Third.
His breathing grew heavier.
Ren kept the rhythm.
Not fast.
Not elegant.
But steady.
By the tenth, his legs were trembling enough that balance became unstable.
He remained crouched for a second.
Then stood.
“…Okay.”
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The push-ups were more brutal.
By the third, his arms clearly showed they hadn’t recovered.
By the sixth, his speed dropped.
By the ninth, he hovered above the floor for a second before finishing.
When he lay down for the sit-ups, his chest was already burning.
He did them anyway.
When he finally finished, his breathing was fast but stable.
The window reappeared.
[Daily Mission — completed]
Echo Compatibility: +0.2%
Current Compatibility: 7.3%
Ren stared at the number.
Still small.
Still slow.
But now…
He understood something that his former self might not have understood.
Progress wasn’t spectacular.
It was cumulative.
Every session.
Every decision.
Every hit absorbed.
Every correction.
Every day.
Everything stacked up.
Little by little.
Ren closed his eyes for a second.
Then stood.
Morning at Astraeus felt different.
He might not have noticed the week before.
But now he was paying attention.
Gazes slid toward him.
More often.
Longer.
Not openly hostile.
Not friendly either.
More like…
Curious.
Ren crossed the main hall in silence.
The holographic screens still displayed the rankings.
His name was still at the bottom.
Rank F.
Terrible score.
Humiliating statistics.
Nothing had changed there.
But something else had.
The murmurs.
— That’s him…
— Yeah.
— The one training with Dross.
Ren kept walking.
As if he hadn’t heard.
But his fingers tightened slightly on the strap of his bag.
Information spread quickly.
Faster than he expected.
He entered the classroom.
The conversations softened slightly.
Not completely.
Just enough for the difference to be noticeable.
He took his seat.
Pulled out his materials.
Then lifted his eyes.
At the back of the room.
Still there.
The dark-haired prodigy.
Same posture.
Same calm.
Same analytical gaze.
But now…
He knew.
She was watching.
Not constantly.
But enough.
And today again…
Her gaze briefly passed over him before returning to the board.
Ren looked away.
Not out of embarrassment.
Out of calculation.
Drawing the attention of an S-Class was probably not a good idea.
Not yet.
By the end of the day, the bell rang sooner than expected.
Ren noticed something interesting.
His concentration had changed.
Before, he endured the classes.
Now…
He analyzed them.
Every physical concept.
Every biomechanical explanation.
Every detail about muscular efficiency.
Everything suddenly became useful.
Applicable.
When the bell rang, Ren calmly packed his things.
Then stood.
His steps naturally turned toward the sports wing.
This time, he didn’t hesitate.
Inside the boxing room, the sound of punching bags already echoed through the space.
Ren stepped in.
Several students were training.
Some turned toward him.
The murmurs resumed.
But this time…
Someone spoke directly.
“Hey.”
Ren stopped.
A boy leaning against the ring was looking at him.
Not hostile.
But clearly curious.
“Is it true you’re training with Dross?”
The room seemed to listen.
Ren stayed silent for a second.
Then answered simply.
“Yes.”
The boy raised his eyebrows.
“Seriously…”
Another student added,
“Why would he do that?”
Ren answered without thinking.
“Because I asked him.”
A short silence fell.
Then someone muttered,
“…You’re insane.”
Ren didn’t get the chance to respond.
A familiar voice sounded behind him.
“You done with the interview?”
Ren turned.
Kellan.
Towel around his neck.
Already annoyed.
The other students quickly dispersed.
Kellan looked at Ren.
For a long moment.
Then nodded slightly toward the ring.
“Get up.”
The session was about to begin again.
The ring creaked slightly as Ren stepped between the ropes.
The sound was familiar now.
Yesterday, this space had felt hostile to him. A territory ruled by people faster, stronger, more experienced.
Today…
He wasn’t stronger.
But he understood better what he was facing.
Kellan placed his towel on the corner of the ring and stepped up as well.
His gaze quickly swept over Ren’s posture.
Arms raised.
Footing slightly more stable than before.
Breathing still uneven, but less chaotic.
The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
“You worked this morning.”
It wasn’t a question.
Ren didn’t answer.
He simply adjusted his guard.
Kellan gave a slight nod.
“Good.”
Then he cracked his neck.
“Let’s go again.”
The first movement was brutal.
Not a punch.
A step.
Kellan crossed the distance in half a second.
Ren moved immediately.
His foot pivoted.
His torso followed.
The first straight passed a few centimeters from his guard.
Not a perfect dodge.
But clean enough to avoid the impact.
Kellan followed up.
Short hook.
Feint.
Return to center.
The tempo rose instantly.
Ren tried to keep up.
His eyes stayed fixed on Kellan’s shoulders.
Not the hands.
Not the punches.
The shoulders.
The beginning of the movement.
That was the first thing Kellan had told him.
“Read the body, not the fist.”
Ren moved.
Pivot.
Guard.
Partial block.
Impact absorbed.
The shock ran through his arms but didn’t unbalance him.
Kellan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
…
Then he accelerated.
The pressure rose another level.
The punches came faster.
The combinations grew shorter.
Sharper.
Ren tried to maintain the rhythm.
For a few seconds…
…it worked.
His body moved.
Awkwardly.
But in the right direction.
The Echo pulsed softly behind his temples.
[Echo Compatibility: activity increasing]
The world didn’t slow down.
But the trajectories became clearer.
A punch came.
Ren pivoted.
Evasion.
Another followed immediately.
He raised his guard.
Impact.
His arms trembled but held.
Around the ring, silent spectators exchanged glances.
Someone murmured:
“He’s holding better…”
Kellan heard it.
Of course he heard it.
And he accelerated again.
The difference became brutal.
High feint.
Short hook.
Straight return.
Ren tried to follow.
His foot slipped slightly.
Mistake.
The punch slipped past his guard.
Full chest impact.
— GH—!
The air left his lungs.
His body staggered backward violently.
But he didn’t fall.
His legs trembled.
His muscles protested.
But he stayed standing.
Kellan stared at him.
One second.
Then two.
“Better.”
The word landed simply.
Then he moved again.
This time, fatigue came faster.
The rhythm was too high.
Ren could already feel his arms getting heavy.
His footing less precise.
His timing slipping by a fraction.
The Echo pulsed.
Stronger.
[Compatibility: 7.4%]
A fragmented image crossed his mind.
Sand.
Crushing sunlight.
A line of soldiers advancing through dust.
Then—
A brutal return to the ring.
Ren moved.
Instinct.
Pivot.
Barely-there dodge.
The punch passed centimeters from his cheek.
A real silence fell around the ring.
Even Kellan stopped for a fraction of a second.
…
Then he smiled slightly.
Not mocking.
More like… interested.
“Okay.”
He reset his guard.
“We’re pushing a bit.”
Ren’s heart beat faster.
Not fear.
Tension.
He nodded slightly.
And they went again.
This time the pressure was constant.
No pause.
No slowing down.
Kellan struck.
Corrected.
Struck again.
“Too stiff.”
Impact.
“Your feet.”
Feint.
“Breathe.”
Hook.
Ren endured.
Learned.
Adjusted.
His body was already screaming.
His muscles burned.
But he continued.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Until the limit arrived.
Brutally.
His timing slipped.
His legs shook.
The punch got through.
Full side impact.
— KH—!
Ren folded.
His knees nearly hit the floor.
Nausea surged.
Violent.
His vision swam.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Kellan didn’t move.
He watched.
Then spoke calmly.
“Breathe.”
Ren inhaled with difficulty.
The air burned his lungs.
But he forced it.
Again.
His arms were shaking.
His legs protested.
But he stood up.
Still standing.
Kellan’s eyes gleamed with a new interest.
Then he stepped back.
“That’s enough.”
The tension dropped instantly.
[Training session — recorded]
Echo Compatibility: 7.6%
Ren remained standing for a few seconds.
Just long enough to stabilize his breathing.
Then he relaxed his shoulders slightly.
Around the ring, the murmurs returned.
But they weren’t the same as before.
— He’s actually holding…
— Dross is seriously training him?
— What’s wrong with that guy…
Kellan grabbed his towel.
Then said without looking at Ren:
“Tomorrow.”
Just one word.
But clear.
Ren nodded slightly.
“Yes.”
He stepped down from the ring.
His legs were still trembling.
His body was exhausted.
But inside his chest…
Something burned.
Not pride.
Not yet.
But certainty.
The gap still existed.
Huge.
But for the first time…
…he had started to close it.
