The boy hesitated before speaking again, his voice quieter this time. "Um… what's your name?" His mouth opened, but no words came out. My name…? It had been a long time since anyone asked him that. So long, in fact, that it almost felt unfamiliar to say it aloud. After a brief pause, his hollow voice finally answered.
" Li Vrak." The boy's face lit up. "Whoa! That's such a cool name!" Li didn't respond. He simply kept walking, hoping the boy would drop the conversation. But the kid smiled, stepping forward beside him. "My name's Arin! Arin Faye!" He grinned, his eyes still filled with admiration. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Li!"
"Don't call me that," Li muttered, his tone cold. "Just Li." "O-Oh! Okay… Just Li then!" Li didn't reply. He just kept walking, his mind once again trying to suppress the unfamiliar warmth beginning to gnaw at his chest.
The next morning, the guild was bustling as usual. Adventurers gathered around the quest board, discussing upcoming missions, laughing, and sharing stories. But something felt… off.
"Hey… has anyone seen Li today?" one adventurer asked, frowning. "Nah. Weird, right?" another replied. "He's always here first thing in the morning taking a quest." "Maybe he finally took a break?" someone joked.
A brief silence. Then collective laughter. "Yeah, right! That guy's like a damn ghost. No way he's resting." But still… the absence of Li Vrak the man who never missed a day gnawed at the back of their minds.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest…
"Again." Arin gasped for air, his body drenched in sweat. His legs ached, his hands trembled, and his lungs screamed for oxygen. Yet, the cold, unyielding voice of Li Vrak pierced through his exhaustion.
"No breaks. Again." Arin gritted his teeth, forcing himself to his feet. In his trembling hands was a wooden sword, cracked from the relentless training. Li stood in front of him, his katana sheathed, arms crossed, his dead eyes watching. This is hell… Arin thought.
"Why… aren't you… holding back?" Arin panted, his knees buckling. "I-I thought… you were gonna train me…" "I am." Li's voice was cold. "You said you wanted to be strong. I'm not going easy on you." Arin bit his lip. I wanted this… I asked for this…
"Pick up your sword." Arin staggered but obeyed, lifting his broken wooden sword. His entire body ached, but he refused to quit. "Again."
Arin collapsed to his knees, his body screaming in agony. His arms were sore, his lungs burned, and his vision blurred from exhaustion. Yet, Li's cold, unrelenting voice echoed once more. "Get up."
Arin gasped for air, his fingers digging into the dirt. I can't… my body's gonna break… "GET. UP." Li's voice was sharp like a blade cutting through Arin's resolve. Trembling, Arin forced himself back onto his feet, his wooden sword splintered from repeated impact. His muscles were screaming, his head spinning.
"Again."
"W-why…?" Arin croaked, his throat dry. "W-why are you… so harsh…?" Li's dead eyes stared at him. "You said you wanted to be strong." His voice was void of empathy. "I'm not here to coddle you. If you want strength, you'll have to earn it." Arin's fists clenched around his broken wooden sword. His teeth gritted. I wanted this… I asked for this… I can't complain now.
He lunged forward, attempting a strike — only for Li to sidestep effortlessly and slam the blunt side of his sheathed katana into Arin's gut.
"GhAH–!!" Arin collapsed again, coughing violently. His vision blurred, his stomach churned, and his head spun. "Too slow," Li said coldly. "Again."
Arin's mind screamed for him to quit but something inside him refused. With pure grit, he pushed himself back up. "…You're… not even going easy on me…" Arin panted. "I told you I wouldn't," Li responded flatly. "You think monsters will show mercy?"
Arin swallowed the lump in his throat and gripped his broken sword tighter. I won't give up… I can't…
Hours passed.
Arin's legs buckled for the seventh time, and his sword fell from his hand. His breathing was ragged, his body screamed in protest, and his entire existence felt like it was crumbling. "Enough," Li said, finally halting the training.
Arin collapsed face-first into the dirt, gasping. Finally… "Stand up." "…W-what…?" Arin's voice cracked. "I-I can't… I… can't feel my legs…" Li's eyes narrowed. "If you can talk, you can stand." Arin bit his lip hard — so hard that it bled. Trembling, his arms pushed against the dirt. His body screamed NO, but his will screamed YES. Slowly, painfully, Arin stood up wobbling on weak legs.
I did it… I stood up… Li stared at him and for the briefest moment, something flickered in his hollow eyes. A faint… hint of recognition. …He's still standing? After all that? "…Tomorrow morning," Li finally spoke. "Same place. No excuses." Arin's throat was too dry to respond, so he just nodded weakly.
"…Go home. Rest." Without another word, Li turned and walked away. Arin collapsed again, clutching his chest. He's… a monster… but I'm not giving up…
The next day.
Arin showed up. Barely able to stand. "Again," Li ordered.
Arin didn't hesitate. He charged only to be slammed to the ground once more. "Too slow. Again." This continued for three days straight. No mercy. No rest. No sympathy. Every time Arin fell Li demanded he get up. Every time Arin gasped for air Li told him to keep moving. Every time Arin wanted to quit Li's cold voice forced him back up. On the fourth day, something changed.
"Again." Arin charged, his wooden sword raised. Li sidestepped, preparing to slam his sheathed katana into Arin's side but Arin anticipated it. He shifted his weight and ducked, narrowly avoiding the strike.
…He adapted? Li's eyes narrowed slightly. Arin didn't stop. With a burst of adrenaline, he swung his wooden sword toward Li's legs. Li lifted his leg to avoid it only for Arin to pivot mid-swing and go for his shoulder. …! Li had to actually block with his sheath. The force of the impact surprised him. He's improving faster than I expected…
"AGHHH!!" Arin roared, pouring all his remaining strength into his next strike. But it was still too slow. Li effortlessly caught the blade with his hand and twisted it, sending Arin crashing into the ground.
"Better," Li muttered, his voice colder than ever. "But not enough." Arin lay on the ground, his body spasming from pain — but his lips curled into a smile. "…Did… I just make you block…?" he gasped.
…Tch. Without answering, Li turned his back and walked away. "Tomorrow. Same time." As Li left, his fingers subconsciously clenched.
The new routine was brutal.
The first task was endurance. Li made Arin run laps around the clearing without rest. "You're slow. If you can't outrun a beast, you're already dead," Li remarked harshly. By the tenth lap, Arin's legs were screaming. But he didn't stop. The next task was strength. Li made Arin push large boulders, climb uneven trees, and carry heavy logs across distances. "Your strikes lack force. Build your strength or your blade will never kill anything," Li said coldly.
By sunset, Arin's arms were like jelly. But he didn't stop. The third task was survival. Li threw Arin into the wild no weapons, no help. "If you can't survive in the forest for a night, you're not worth training," Li said, leaving him behind. The night was harsh. Wild animals lurked, hunger gnawed at Arin, and exhaustion threatened to consume him. Yet Arin endured. Every morning, Li expected Arin to quit. But the boy always returned.
Every day, Li saw something that made his dead heart stir. Arin's body was pitiful, but his mind… his mind was something else. Every mistake he made, he corrected the next day. Every task that overwhelmed him, he learned how to overcome it. His body still lagged behind, but his adaptability was almost inhuman.
...He's improving too fast, Li thought. No normal kid should be able to adjust this quickly. And without realizing it Li started to push Arin harder.
When Arin finished his laps, Li increased the distance. When Arin completed his strength training, Li doubled the weight. When Arin adapted to surviving a night, Li made him last three.
Li told himself it was because he wanted the boy to quit. But deep down… he was invested. One night, after another brutal day, Arin collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. His muscles burned, his vision spun, and his body refused to move. Yet his spirit never wavered.
Li watched from a distance. He should've given up by now… why is he still… "...You're too soft," Li muttered as he approached. Arin forced a smile. "S-Sorry… I'll get stronger…"
Li stared down at him, his grip on his katana tightening. His own voice, once filled with life, echoed in his mind. I'll get stronger… I'll protect them… I'll never lose them again…
His chest tightened painfully.
"...Tch." Without thinking, Li walked over and crouched beside Arin. Without a word, he grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him up. "On your feet. We're not done." Arin's eyes widened. "Y-You're not sending me home?" Li turned away, his voice quieter this time. "...If you're serious about protecting someone, then I have no right to stop you."
And for the first time Arin saw it. A flicker of something buried deep within Li Vrak's hollow, empty eyes.
Li led Arin deeper into the forest, the silence between them heavy. Eventually, he stopped, setting Arin down. The boy looked up, confused until he saw it. A monstrous alpha wolf, its fur matted and its fangs bared, growling with pure malice. Arin froze. "W-What the hell…?"
Li's voice was cold. "Beat it. Show me your progress." Arin snapped his head toward him. "What?! I-I don't even have a weapon!" Li didn't flinch. "You got your weapon right there your fists."
The alpha wolf lunged. "Fight or die," Li said flatly. "Your choice."
The alpha wolf's snarl cut through the air as it pounced. Arin barely reacted in time, rolling to the side, feeling the beast's claws scrape his arm. "Are you serious?!" he shouted. "I can't fight that thing with my bare hands!" "Then die," Li said coldly, not moving an inch.
Arin's heart pounded. "Damn it…" He turned his gaze back to the wolf only to find it already charging him again. "Move!" his mind screamed. He ducked, barely avoiding a fatal bite, but the beast's claws raked his shoulder, drawing blood. Pain flared, and he stumbled back. "I'm gonna die…!"
"Stop hesitating," Li's voice cut through. "Fight." The wolf lunged again. This time, Arin gritted his teeth and threw a punch his fist connected with the beast's snout. It barely did anything, but it gave him a split second of breathing room. I can't win. I can't win. I can't win…
But his feet didn't stop moving. Then die, Li's cold words echoed in his head. "No…" Arin growled. "I don't wanna die!"
The wolf swiped again. Arin tried to dodge but he was too slow. Its claws slashed across his chest, sending him crashing into the dirt. Pain exploded in his body.
"Aghhh!" Blood dripped from his mouth. His vision blurred. His body screamed in agony. I'm gonna die… I'm gonna die… I'm— And then… something snapped inside him. The pain didn't subside no, it burned fiercer. But something else flooded his veins.
Stand up.
His body trembled, but he gritted his teeth, pushing himself off the ground. "I… said… I'm not dying here!" The wolf rushed him again, claws poised to end his life. And this time Arin moved.