Kazuki woke up early, his body aching from the bed in the Aldoria inn, but he paid it no mind. Pain had become as natural to him as breathing. After a brief moment of reflection, he began his morning with a "simple" training regimen, though it was far from simple by most people's standards. Sweat poured down his brow as he muttered to himself, "Even if I don't have a proper home, my body must always be ready... what if a stronger enemy appears?"
He pushed through his intense workout, each movement precise and powerful. The echoes of his strikes and the sounds of his exertion filled the small room.
BAM! BAM! His fists collided with the stone floor, shaking the room slightly.
After finishing his training, Kazuki wiped the sweat from his face and geared up. His mind drifted to the previous day, wondering if he had gone too far with Sako and Taro. Though, in truth, he couldn't find it in himself to care. They were weak, and he had no time for weakness.
Kazuki made his way to the guild hall. Upon arrival, he scanned the room. To his surprise, neither Sako nor Taro were present.
"Maybe I did go a little far," he thought briefly, but the idea quickly left his mind as he approached the quest board. His gaze fell on a particularly dangerous-looking quest: "Conquer the dungeon and report any findings. Reward: 3,000 gold coins." The task was meant for high-ranked adventurers, but Kazuki didn't hesitate. "This should be enough of a challenge", he mused.
Just as he reached for the quest slip, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Hey!" Aiko's voice rang out with an unexpected cheer. She stood there with a wide smile, her companion Yuki beside her. Yuki's expression was less enthusiastic, but there was no mistaking her strength. Her eyes gleamed with confidence, an aura of danger surrounding her.
Kazuki tensed. "Aiko... and Yuki..."
"Wanna take on this quest together?" Aiko continued, her eyes twinkling. Yuki added, "You can really help us, you know?"
Kazuki remained silent for a moment, contemplating. He knew joining forces with them could be risky, but at the same time, it would give him a chance to gauge their power. "This is the perfect opportunity to figure out how strong they are. I can't pass this up."
After a few seconds, Aiko interrupted his thoughts again. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"
Kazuki's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't reveal his real name to her—not yet. Thinking quickly, he answered, "Zuki."
Yuki's voice broke the tension. "Come on! We promise not to hold you back."
After a moment of hesitation, Kazuki nodded. "Alright, let's do this together." Inside, though, his thoughts churned. "I'll take this chance to observe them... and if they're weak, I'll handle it all myself."
The trio accepted the quest, heading toward the dungeon. When they arrived, it was exactly as Kazuki had imagined: a massive stone structure guarded by monstrous creatures. As Kazuki prepared to strike, Yuki stepped forward, her eyes glowing crimson as she muttered an incantation.
SPLASH! Blood magic swirled around her, controlling the monsters like puppets on strings. Within moments, the beasts turned on each other, tearing themselves apart.
But Yuki's face paled as her mana dropped significantly. "We need to move fast," she said breathlessly.
Kazuki noted the strain in her voice. "Half her mana gone already..." Aiko quickly suggested, "Let's split up. I'll handle things solo, while you two stick together. That way, if Yuki runs out of mana, someone can support her."
Kazuki agreed, though he would have preferred to go alone. As the group parted ways, Kazuki and Yuki moved deeper into the dungeon. They passed through dark, narrow corridors, coming across ancient cells that seemed to have housed prisoners. Oddly enough, there were no remains.
"Strange," Yuki muttered as they searched the area. Kazuki nodded, but his focus was elsewhere. "This place feels off."
Meanwhile, Aiko had found her own path, stumbling upon a room covered in ancient writing. As her fingers traced the symbols on the wall, a hidden mechanism activated, revealing a throne room. And seated upon the throne was a massive stone figure, its eyes glowing with eerie light.
"I am Ragnor, the Shattered Guardian of Ancient Stone," the figure boomed, rising from its seat.
Aiko instinctively prepared a spell, but Ragnor moved faster. CRACK! The dungeon's very walls responded to his will, trapping Aiko in an instant. With another wave of his hand, Kazuki and Yuki were dragged from their position and thrown into the throne room, trapped within a stone arena.
BANG! The walls of the arena shifted, turning the room into a colosseum. Ragnor's voice echoed ominously, "Which of you dares to rob my domain?"
Without a second thought, Kazuki sprang into action, his body moving at blinding speed. No time for hesitation, he thought coldly. He darted toward Ragnor, lightning magic crackling around his legs and dark magic enveloping his fists. He aimed for Ragnor's legs, BOOM!, smashing one apart with a single hit.
But Ragnor barely flinched. With a simple motion, he regrew the shattered stone. "A cheap trick, mortal," he sneered.
Kazuki's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't aiming to break you," he muttered, his voice icy. "I was giving her time."
From the corner of the arena, Aiko was gathering her strength. She raised her hand, channeling both solar magic and gravity magic into one devastating attack. "Full Force of the Sun!" she cried.
WHOOOOSH! The arena was bathed in a blinding light as Aiko's spell exploded, releasing the searing power of the sun itself. The heat was unbearable, even for Kazuki. Ragnor screamed in pain as the spell obliterated his right arm, melting the stone so thoroughly that he could no longer regenerate it.
But the attack had cost Aiko dearly. She collapsed to the ground, unable to stand.
Ragnor roared in fury, raising his remaining arm to strike down the defenseless Aiko and Yuki. But before his blow could land, Kazuki appeared before him in a blur of motion.
"I've seen their ultimate attacks now. It's time to end this."
He crouched low, his feet crackling with lightning magic as he prepared for a final strike. ZAP! He shot into the air, his fist charged with dark and lightning magic.
As Kazuki soared towards Ragnor's head, he muttered coldly, "Disappear."
CRASH! His fist connected with Ragnor's skull, shattering the ancient guardian into dust. The sheer force of the attack obliterated Ragnor completely, leaving nothing but remnants of his feet.
As the dust settled, Aiko and Yuki stared in disbelief. Kazuki stood still, his body tense, his fist trembling from the pain. His knuckles were raw and bleeding, a result of the brutal training he had undergone.
Yuki's eyes widened. "Zuki... you..." But the words failed her. All she could do was stare at him, awestruck by the monstrous strength he had displayed.
Kazuki clenched his fist, ignoring the pain as he whispered, "These hands... they are meant to destroy." He turned away, his voice colder than ever. "Let's leave. There's nothing left here."
As they walked out of the ruined dungeon, Kazuki's thoughts drifted to Aiko and Yuki. "They're strong", he admitted to himself. "But not strong enough."
And as they continued through the dark corridors, one thought lingered in Kazuki's mind: "I will surpass them all... even if it means destroying everything in my path."
"THUD, THUD" His footsteps echoed through the halls, a reminder of the weight he carried—both the burden of his past and the unrelenting drive toward his future.