Chapter 7 –
Huff... huff... huff...
Kaden was on his knees.
His chest heaved in erratic bursts, sweat dripping down his face, soaking through his training shirt. His lungs burned with each inhale, his body screaming in protest.
Five laps. Just five laps around the Warborn training grounds.
He had massively underestimated what that meant.
"...Fuck," he muttered between gasps.
There was no time to wallow. He glanced at the countdown hovering in his vision.
A little over one hour left.
And the rest of the quest still awaited him.
Kaden forced himself to his feet. He had made a vow—to stop complaining. No matter how hard the path got, he would walk it.
Crawl if he had to.
It's painful, yes. But this was pain he chose. And that... that made all the difference.
"Pull-ups, then push-ups... sit-ups after. End with the plank."
He laid out his plan in a whisper and stepped up to the pull-up bar.
One.
Two.
Three...
Five...
Twenty—
His arms trembled. His grip slipped. His muscles screamed.
Only twenty.
Not even halfway.
Kaden's jaw clenched. His red eyes flickered, glowing faintly, like blood swirling in a glass of water.
"Not yet."
I'm not done.
He pushed on.
Twenty-one. Twenty-two.
Each rep was agony, but he refused to stop.
...
Not far away, someone was watching him.
Daela Warborn stood in silence, her gaze fixed on her younger brother.
Expressionless, as always. Her posture perfect. Her crimson eyes unreadable.
But inside, thoughts churned.
'Why is he pushing himself so hard?'
'Is he afraid of Fokay's trials?'
'...Will he hurt himself?'
She hesitated. A flicker of concern crossed her mind.
Should I stop him?
"Are you worried about the young master, my lady?"
The voice came from behind her. Her maid—short blue hair, eyes to match, and a face far too kind to belong in the Warborn estate.
"No," Daela said, coldly.
But Sana knew her mistress.
She had served Daela since childhood. She knew how carefully she hid her concern behind that perfect mask.
"I can help him... if you like."
A pause.
Then—
"...Go."
Sana smiled softly to herself and walked off.
...
Back on the bar, Kaden was pushing through the sixties.
Sixty-eight. Sixty-nine. Seventy.
His body hurt.
But that pain? He welcomed it.
'It's the price to pay to grow.'
It's temporary. It's a reminder I'm alive.
Kaden repeated these words again and again.
That was his coping mechanism.
Then—
"Young Master Kaden."
A voice interrupted his thoughts.
Startled, Kaden lost his grip. His body dropped—
But a pair of soft, steady arms caught him before he hit the ground.
He looked up.
Sana.
"Please be careful, young master," she said gently.
From afar, Daela's eyes narrowed.
She saw Sana holding her brother and felt something flare inside her.
'How dare she...?'
Already, she was mentally calculating a dozen punishments for her "overfamiliar" maid.
Kaden, meanwhile, quickly stood, brushing Sana off.
"What do you want?" he snapped, irritation sharp in his voice. "Can't you see I'm busy?"
"I only came because I was worried. You looked like you were pushing too hard—"
"I'm fine," Kaden cut her off, voice firmer this time. "Thanks for your concern. But don't distract me again."
He then ignored her. He didn't have time to waste, his quest was still going on.
He turned his back and resumed his training without another word.
Sana stood there, unsure if she should leave—but stayed nonetheless.
...
Kaden pushed on.
Pull-ups.
Push-ups.
Sit-ups.
And finally, the plank.
He gritted his teeth through every second of the five-minute hold. His muscles shook. His vision blurred.
But he didn't stop.
When the final second ticked away—
[Time Remaining: 00:00:34]
DING!
[Quest Complete.]
[Reward: 50 Death Coins. 5 Stat Points Earned.]
Kaden collapsed.
His body hit the ground with a dull thud. His breathing ragged, arms limp at his sides.
Everything hurt.
Every inch of him screamed.
And yet...He smiled. Just a small one.
But it was real one.
Because he had endured. Because he did what he said.
Because he hadn't quit midway because of the pain. Not a small thing, considering how Kaden had lived his past life.
And that—
That determination to not quit.
That was the first step.
A small one, sure.
But every journey, every legend, every king—
Begins the same way.
Kaden's eyes fluttered closed at that thought. He slipped into unconsciousness, his body spent.
Sana looked at him in slight surprise, 'Was the young master always like this?' She wondered inwardly.
Then footsteps approached from behind.
Daela.
She knelt down, picked up her brother without a word, and cradled him in her arms. As if he weighed nothing at all.
Sana stepped back instinctively.
As Daela walked toward his room, she glanced down at the sleeping Kaden.
A faint smile lingered on his lips.
And seeing this smile...
Daela smiled, too.
"Cute," she murmured.
Sana's eyes widened. Stunned.
Not by Kaden's will this time.
But by one of the rare thing in the Warborn estate—
A smile from Daela.
—End of Chapter 7—