Akira was trying to push his exhausted body to stand on the sands of the arena. Every muscle in his body was screaming, begging for a stop, while Hakuro stood before him, raising the bamboo branch in preparation to increase his speed to 15%.
Akira braced himself to receive a strike that might actually break his ribs this time...
But suddenly... BOOM!
A mighty atmospheric gale struck the dirt arena, uprooting small bamboo trees and sending Akira flying several meters back before he slammed into the back of the wooden dojo. Even Hakuro, who was never shaken, had to drive his bamboo branch into the ground to maintain his balance, letting out a deep sigh filled with psychological exhaustion.
From the midst of the swirling dust, a massive figure emerged. Bulging muscles, tanned skin, and blonde hair that stood up like golden spikes.
"Gwahahahahaha! I have finally found you, human boy!"
It was Veldora Tempest. The Storm Dragon, the entity at whose name entire continents trembled... standing there now with a tattered manga volume in his hand.
Veldora completely ignored Hakuro and lunged toward Akira, who was still trying to process what was happening. The dragon grabbed Akira by the collar with one hand, lifting him into the air like a small puppy, and brought him close until their noses nearly touched.
"Listen to me carefully, boy of Japan!" Veldora roared, his golden eyes burning with a terrifying seriousness as if he were facing a Demon Lord. "I tried to wait! I resisted the urge all night! But I can take it no longer! Tell me immediately... in the forty-second volume, when the 'Black Knight' faces the Evil Emperor after losing his sword... does he use the 'Dark Dragon' technique, or does he die?! Answer me before I fly to your world and burn it to the ground searching for the answer!"
[Warning: True Dragon aura is compressing your lungs.] [Risk of suffocation.]
Akira's face turned blue under Veldora's grip. Manga? Akira screamed in his mind. He almost killed me just to ask about a manga plot?!
"Veldora-sama..." Hakuro spoke in a calm voice that carried a slight tone of reprimand. "We are in the middle of a lethal training session. I ask that you release my disciple."
"Silence, Hakuro! This is a matter of life and death!" Veldora turned to the old man with a scowl, then snapped his gaze back to Akira and shook him violently. "Speak, boy!"
Akira realized that if he didn't give a convincing answer, this obsessed dragon would either knock him unconscious or accidentally snap his neck. Akira didn't know this specific manga—it was perhaps very old or even fictional—but as a Japanese youth... he knew the rules of Shonen clichés very well!
Taking a jagged breath, Akira blurted out quickly: "No... he doesn't die! He remembers... he remembers his master's words at the very last second! The hidden blood in his veins awakens, and he gathers the energy of his friends from all around him... and releases a new technique that surpasses the Dark Dragon!"
Veldora stopped shaking him. His golden eyes widened, and his jaw dropped in sheer awe. Silence reigned for two seconds. Then...
"YES!! Gwahahaha! I knew it!! The power of friendship and hidden blood! This is true Shonen!"
Veldora dropped Akira, who fell to the ground coughing violently. The dragon raised his hands toward the sky in a rapturous victory, imaginary tears welling in his eyes.
"Thank you, Akira! You have put my great heart at ease! I shall go now to practice this new technique in the cave! Gwahahaha!"
In a flash of black and yellow lightning, Veldora vanished, leaving behind utter chaos and a cloud of dust. Akira remained on the ground, panting and staring at the sky in shock. I just tricked a legendary dragon... if he ever finds out I made up that ending, he'll erase me from existence.
Hakuro approached slowly, looking down at the boy sprawled on the dirt.
"You possess a clever tongue and quick wits to survive critical situations. That is good." The old man sighed and tucked the bamboo branch into his belt. "Your body has reached its absolute limit for today. If I strike you again, your muscles will tear permanently, and even 'Pain Memory' won't save you."
Akira raised his head hopefully. "Does that mean... we're done?"
"The physical combat is over," Hakuro said coldly. "But the real training begins now. Follow me."
Akira didn't dare refuse. Leaning on his wooden sword, he followed the old man. They left the arena area and headed deep into the Jura Forest. The further they went, the denser the trees became, blocking out the sunlight until it felt like night despite being mid-day. The air here was heavy and viscous due to the high density of magicules scattered everywhere.
Hakuro stopped in a completely dark clearing. There was nothing but a flat rock surrounded by giant trees with twisted roots. The sounds in this area were terrifying: low growls, unnatural rustling of leaves, and red eyes gleaming in the darkness every now and then.
"Sit on that rock in the meditation (lotus) position," Hakuro commanded. Akira obeyed with difficulty.
"Are we going to practice sensing magicules here?" he asked anxiously.
"You have no magicules to sense, boy," Hakuro replied, stepping back two paces into the darkness. "Today's training is 'Stillness in the Heart of Chaos'."
Akira closed his eyes to listen to the explanation.
"Your eyes deceive you, and your body trembles with fear. For the past two days, you have relied on the 'System' to endure pain, but your soul is still as fragile as that of a human child. In this forest live A-rank and B-rank monsters. They have already been drawn by the scent of your blood."
Akira opened his eyes in terror. "What?!"
"The rule is simple," Hakuro interrupted sternly. "Close your eyes. Spread your 'Soul Shards' as a sensory web around you. You will feel the monsters approaching; you will feel their breath and their intent to tear you apart. But... you are forbidden from moving. Forbidden from opening your eyes. And forbidden from defending yourself."
Akira gulped, cold sweat pouring from his forehead. "And if I move? Or if I'm attacked?"
"If you move out of fear, you have failed, and I will break your legs. And if a monster attacks you..." Hakuro's voice faded into the shadows, his whisper echoing in Akira's ear from thin air: "...pray that it doesn't. I will return at sunset. Good luck."
Hakuro vanished completely. Even the System couldn't pick up a trace of him. Akira was alone. In the heart of the dark forest. Surrounded by hungry monsters.
Akira squeezed his eyes shut, his hands trembling on his knees.
[Activation: Void Perception Eye + Soul Shards.]
The moment he extended his spiritual web, his mind exploded with information. The forest was not quiet. It was filled with killing auras!
Through his Void Perception, he saw hideous wolves the size of tanks approaching slowly, giant spiders dangling from the trees above his head, and venomous snakes slithering toward the rock. He could feel the terrifying breath of a wolf hitting his face. He could feel the spider's drool dripping near his shoulder.
The survival instinct was screaming in his mind to jump, to run, to scream. Every cell in his human body ordered him to move.
[Warning: Focused killing intent detected at a range of 1 meter!] [Heart Rate: 180 BPM.] [Risk of nervous breakdown is imminent.]
Don't move... don't move... Akira repeated in his mind like a mantra. He clenched his fists until his nails dug into his flesh.
In the pitch blackness, a few meters away on a tree branch, Hakuro sat silently, watching the boy who was surrounded by death on all sides, waiting to see if this human would break, or if he would tame fear to forge it into an invincible shield.