Jin woke up the next day brimming with excitement, having acquired a mysterious and seemingly powerful force. He wasn't entirely sure of the nature of his new power, but he was convinced it would transform his life, making him a different person.
A smile graced his face as he said, "What a beautiful morning." He rose from his bed, stretching his arms.
"Hehe, well, I think I'll skip Morgan's training today. I have some experiments I want to conduct," he said with a mischievous grin.
Leaving the residential compound, he approached one of the soldiers, asking, "Hello, I want to leave the castle for a bit. Can you show me the way?"
The soldier replied, "Of course, you can go through the main gate," and pointed him in the right direction.
Jin headed to the main gate, where he found two guards standing watch.
"Hello, I'd like to step out for a while."
The guards responded, "Sure, but don't be late because we close the gate at sunset every day."
They added, "Also, avoid heading north as there might be chaos creatures moving there."
Jin smiled and said, "Alright, thank you."
The lands surrounding the castle walls were breathtakingly beautiful, bordered by paths and roads leading to other towns.
Between each path were many vibrant trees with pleasant fragrances wafting through the air. The scenery was naturally picturesque, peaceful, and pleasing to the eye.
Encircling the castle was a shimmering moat, its clear and still waters mirroring the castle's stunning structure.
The high towers and sturdy walls appeared even more captivating when reflected in the water, lending an aura of beauty to the scene.
Behind the castle stretched a dense forest, extending to the horizon. This forest comprised a tangled web of oak and pine trees.
The air was filled with the scent of pine and earth, creating a tranquil and serene atmosphere.
Leaves rustled gently with every breeze, and the sounds of birds chirping among the high branches added life and charm to the place.
Jin moved towards the forest, whistling and smiling, eager to test his new abilities. He looked around to ensure no one was watching, then stood still and said, "Alright, let's give this a try."
Taking a deep breath, he said, "Summon Blood Sword."
Nothing happened after that ...
Jin sighed, scratching his head. "Did I do it wrong or what?"
He kept trying over and over, but nothing changed.
Jin felt sad, "fuck, was it just a dream after all?"
then he sat on the ground, pondering. "I don't think it was a dream, but why isn't it working? Hmm."
Then a thought occurred to him. "Maybe I need some blood first."
He broke a branch from a nearby tree and tried to cut himself. "Well, no harm in a simple attempt, right?"
Jin wounded his hand, letting a bit of blood flow. "Ouch, that hurts."
Then he said loudly this time, "Summon Blood Weapon!"
Suddenly, the blood seeping from his hand transformed into a small blood dagger.
Jin smiled. "Wow, this is really amazing."
He waved it around a bit and said, "I need to test this."
Jin struck a tree with the blood weapon, and astonishingly, it sliced through the tree effortlessly!
"My God, this is really powerful. Hehehe," Jin laughed, feeling an immense sense of accomplishment.
But suddenly, Jin felt dizzy and exhausted, beginning to stagger. "Wh-what's happening?"
A burnt-looking paper appeared out of nowhere, with writing on it: "Mana is about to run out."
"Mana- what's that?" Jin muttered, collapsing to the ground, unable to move. "ah shit."
Jin remained conscious but unable to move or speak. Hours passed until nearly sunset.
"Damn, damn, damn, the gate will close. Move, you idiot," he cursed at himself.
He tried to stand but could barely move his legs. "fuck that deceitful paper."
Several hours passed, and night had fallen. Jin finally managed to stand. "Shit, the gates are closed now for sure. What should I do?"
Jin's stomach growled with hunger. "Ugh, I'm hungry too."
He wandered around the forest, looking for something to eat but only found some berries. "Is this even safe to eat?"
Sighing in frustration, Jin ate them anyway.
He then sat, gazing at the blue sky, thinking.
"That stupid sword drained all my energy. What a worthless power, fuck it."
He cursed for a while before saying, "Summon Statistics."
[ Statistics ]
─────────────────────────
*Title: ....
*Rank: Fateless
*Artifacts: 0/1
*Weapons: 0/1
*Summons: 0/1
*Kills: 0 / 500
*Ancient Souls: 0/ ????
─────────────────────────
Jin rubbed his head and said, "Why don't I see this mana thing here?"
Then he asked the paper sprite, "O guardian of Amun, what is mana?"
The writing on the paper changed to respond, "Stats of the Awakened are currently closed. Awaken first."
Jin replied, "How do I achieve that?"
The writing on the paper changed again to say, "Awakening occurs upon fulfilling the required awakening conditions."
Jin's brows furrowed in annoyance. "Huh? What a stupid answer," he muttered.
Then he asked, "What are these conditions?"
The writing on the paper changed to reply, "Unknown."
Jin placed his hand on his head, sighing. "what a useless answer."
He then said, "Exit stats," and the paper burned before him, disappearing.
Jin sighed, "What will I do now? The gates are closed, and I can't return to the castle."
Then he climbed onto a tree branch and said, "I guess I'll sleep here tonight."
Meanwhile, Morgan sat alone in the training ground, cursing. "That little brat is skipping my training. I'll make you taste the horrors of hell, you stupid little kid ."
Jin woke up, scratching his back. "Ah, my back," he groaned, then descended from the tree branch towards the city, where guards spotted him.
"Boy, where were you, damn it? Didn't you say you'd be back before sunset?"
Jin nervously laughed, "Haha, well, things happened and I got a bit lost," he said, running his hand through his hair.
"You've really landed yourself in big trouble, young man. Captain Morgan is truly furious."
Jin's expression turned pale. "Oh shit, I forgot about that."
Then he asked, "Oh, yeah, I think so. Hmm, can I come in? I'm really hungry." He gave them an innocent smile.
The guards looked at each other, then one replied, "Yes, come in, but I think you should avoid Captain Morgan for a while."
Jin looked to his left, whistling nervously. "Ah, haha, yeah, I'll keep my distance. Of course, definitely."
Then Jin headed towards the residential complex to eat at the restaurant, really hungry. He took grilled fish with rice and sauce.
"What a delicious smell," Jin sniffed the food, smiling contentedly.
He began eating, savoring and relishing the food, but suddenly silence filled the entire place.
"Hmm, what's happening?" Jin said, then a voice behind him said,
"It's quite tasty, isn't it?"
Jin looked back to see Captain Morgan smiling angrily, gripping his hand.
Jin's expression turned blue. "Would you like some fish? It's really delicious."
Morgan replied, "Ah, of course."
"Haha, ha ha yeah i am fucked" Jin smiled with a crooked smile.
Afterward, Jin went to the medical complex to treat the bruises he got from Morgan's beating.
"Ah shit, this hurts so much, you fucking bastard."
After that, Jin trained with Morgan for several weeks.
The training was more intense and harsh than before. For example, Morgan would deprive Jin of breakfast every morning and then force him to run for several hours.
By noon, they would train with swords to the extent that Jin would get bruises almost every day.
In the evening, Jin would meditate and do body strengthening exercises, lifting weights or carrying heavy bags of rice back and forth towards the castle's storage.
Sometimes, Jin also learned from Elena, participating in sparring matches with her, but he couldn't even scratch her once.
His routine became harsh, revolving around training every day, ending his day utterly exhausted, throwing himself onto his bed like a lifeless body.
On the morning of the eleventh week, Morgan received an acceptance letter. "Looks like that brat will finally leave," he remarked.
Then He called Sai and said, "Sai, tell that boy to pack his things. He's leaving for Locaria the day after tomorrow."
Sai nodded and replied, "Alright, I'll tell him." Then Sai went to inform Jin.
Meanwhile, Jin was training with Elena, receiving sword blows from her.
" damn you so fast " Jin tried to avoid her sword
" No it is just you slow " Elena smiled
"Jin, there's good news for you," Sai called out to him.
Jin looked at Sai. "What news?" At that moment, he received a strong blow to his head with a wooden sword.
"Ouch! Why did you do that?" he exclaimed.
Elena chuckled. "You shouldn't take your eyes off the fight."
Sai approached them with joy. "Your acceptance letter has arrived, Jin. You're finally going to Locaria."
Elena smiled and added, "Congratulations, Jin. You're finally going there."
Jin looked at Sai, his expression slightly conflicted. "When am I going?"
Sai answered, "You'll leave the day after tomorrow, so prepare your things for the journey."
Jin then looked up at the sky, sighing softly. "huh Finally, I'll go there..."