The cold air hung thick with the stench of blood and damp earth. Kale's ragged breaths formed little clouds of mist as he stumbled backward, narrowly dodging the sharp claws of the monstrous rat. The creature's gleaming red eyes locked onto him, filled with primal hunger.
Kale's thoughts spiralled into panic. Why me? Why does my fate always turn out like this? What have I ever done wrong to deserve this? The rat lunged again, its claws slashing at the air just inches from his face. Am I going to die here? His mind raced. Does my sister even know I'm dying here in the middle of nowhere?
He tripped on a loose rock, falling hard onto his back. The rat snarled, crouching to pounce. Kale raised his trembling arms, bracing for the end.
Suddenly, a loud thwack! echoed through the clearing. The rat let out a squeal as it was sent flying, crashing into a rock before collapsing.
Kale blinked, struggling to process what had just happened. A figure stepped into the dim moonlight—a man, or at least he seemed to be. Draped in tattered robes, his white hair cascaded like a waterfall down his back. His eyes, sharp and piercing, held a strange mix of calm and chaos. The aura around him was unsettling, almost otherworldly, as though he didn't belong to this realm.
The remaining rats froze, their primal instincts seeming to warn them of danger. They hesitated, shifting uneasily on their haunches.
The old man turned to Kale, his voice gravelly yet laced with an air of riddles. "A leaf dances not in the wind but for the tree that lets it fall. Tell me, young one—what are you doing here, so close to the edge of oblivion?"
Kale tried to speak, but his voice caught in his throat. Before he could answer, the rats launched themselves at the hermit.
With a speed that seemed impossible for his frail appearance, the hermit sidestepped the first attacker, his movements fluid like water. A sharp jab sent one rat flying; a sweep of his leg toppled another. In a blur of precise strikes, each rodent was subdued. Their limp forms littered the ground as silence fell once more.
Kale started, slack-jawed. This man, who looked as though a stiff breeze could knock him over, had just defeated a pack of E-ranked rats without breaking a sweat.
The old man turned to him again, his sharp gaze softening slightly. "Now, child, the question remains. Who are you, and why does fate find you here?"
Kale scrambled to his feet, brushing dirt from his clothes. "I… I'm Kale. I was—" He hesitated, glancing nervously at the unconscious rats. "I was trying to find a safe place. I didn't mean to stumble into their den. They just… attacked me."
The hermit nodded, his expression unreadable. "And what of your story, Kale? The path you've walked to this very moment?"
For the first time in a while, Kale felt compelled to share. Perhaps it was the hermit's enigmatic presence, or the sheer relief of being saved, but words spilled from him. He spoke of his struggles, his blank potential, the ridicule he endured, and his desperate attempt to find some meaning in a world that had already dismissed him.
The hermit listened silently, his face a mask of quiet contemplation. When Kale finally finished, he leaned forward slightly. "Show me," he said.
"Show you what?" Kale asked, confused.
"Your window," the hermit replied.
Kale hesitated before summoning his status window. The familiar display appeared in the air before him:
Name: Kale
Strength: F
Speed: F
Endurance: F
Intelligence: E
Potential: -------
The hermit stared at it for a long moment before breaking into a sudden, booming laugh.
Kale flinched. "W-What's so funny?"
"Ah, the irony," the hermit said, his laughter tapering into a chuckle. "Those fools—they fear what they do not understand. Spineless cowards, every one of them. Have they ever questioned their own freedom? Their supposed free will? The rules of this system they cling to so desperately? No. They bow their heads like sheep to the gods and nobles who hold their chains."
Kale blinked, his mind struggling to keep up. Who is this man? he thought, watching the hermit pace as he ran.
"They cast you aside because you are different," the hermit continued. "Because your potential does not fit within their neat little boxes. But tell me, Kale, who defines worth? The system? The nobles? Or…" He turned, his gaze boring into Kale. "You?"
Kale hesitated, unsure of how to respond. "I don't know," he admitted. "I've never thought about it like that."
The hermit chuckled again, softer this time. "Perhaps it is time you did."
Kale gathered his courage. "Who are you?" he asked. "Why did you save me?"
The hermit waved a dismissive hand. "I am no one of importance. Merely an old man who prefers solitude. As for saving you…" He shrugged. "Call it curiosity."
Kale frowned. "You don't seem ordinary to me."
The hermit smirked. "And you, child, are not as weak as you think."
"That's easy for you to say," Kale muttered. "You were probably born strong. You can't understand what it's like for someone like me."
At that, the hermit's expression darkened. Without a word, he summoned his own status window.
Name: Unknown
Strength: E+
Speed: E-
Endurance: E
Intelligence: A+
Potential: E
Kale's jaw dropped. "That's impossible. There's no way you could beat those rats with stats like that!"
The hermit raised an eyebrow. "Is it?"
"How did you do it?" Kale demanded.
The hermit's smirk returned. "Techniques," he said simply.
"Techniques?" Kale echoed.
"They are tools," the hermit explained. "Methods to harness one's true potential. The academies teach watered-down versions, suitable only for the privileged few. But the techniques I use…" He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "They are far superior."
Kale's mind raced. He had heard of techniques before,that these techniques can increase individual states temporarily but never imagined they could be so powerful. "Can you teach me?" he asked, his voice trembling with desperation. "I want to be stronger. I need to be stronger."
The hermit studied him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he nodded.
"Very well," he said. "But know this, Kale: the path you seek is not an easy one. It will break you before it builds you."
"I don't care," Kale said firmly. "I'll do whatever it takes."
The hermit's lips curved into a small smile. "Then let us begin."
And so, the journey of a blank potential and an enigmatic hermit began.