CHAPTER 03: Bandit Ambush
Adam's grind was going well. He was nearing the end of his ten-day cycle, his Haki levels nearing the hundred-use mark. He was a machine, a robot of pure willpower, punching trees, sensing auras, and intimidating animals. He was getting stronger, better, faster. He felt the change in his body, in his mind, in his soul. He was becoming a hero. A sarcastic, nerdy, Stiles-like hero, but a hero nonetheless.
He was in the middle of a clearing, trying to use his Armament Haki on a large, dead log, when he felt it. Not one, but five new presences. Five new auras. They were human. They were close. They were hostile. He used his Observation Haki, a single use, to get a read on them. They were bandits. A small, ragged group of them, all in mismatched armor and wielding rusty swords and axes. They were a threat, but not a big one. They were fodder. Fodder for the isekai protagonist.
"Okay, so five bandits. Fodder. Untrained, probably hungry. This is my chance. My chance to level up. My chance to reach the one hundred uses. My chance to get to Beginner Haki. I have to be smart. I have to use my Haki strategically. I have to be the OP king. It's showtime."
He let them get closer, his mind racing, his plan forming. He had a few uses left of each Haki type for the day. He had to use them all. He had to go all out. He had to reach the goal. He was a man with a mission, a man on a grind.
The bandits emerged from the trees, their faces a mixture of surprise and greed. They saw him, a young man in strange clothes, standing in a clearing, his back to them. He was a perfect target. A perfect victim. A perfect opportunity for a quick score. They drew their weapons, their eyes gleaming with malice.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" one of them, a stout man with a beard and a missing tooth, said with a sneer. "Looks like we found a traveler. A rich one, by the looks of him. Hand over your money, boy, and we might just let you live."
Adam just turned around, a smirk on his face. "Funny," he said, his voice calm and steady. "I was just about to say the same thing to you."
The bandits just stared at him, their faces a mask of confusion. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. The victim was supposed to beg, to plead, to offer up his gold. This one was... mocking them.
"What did you say, boy?" the stout man said, his voice low and dangerous.
"I said," Adam said, a grin on his face. "Give me your money, or I might just let you live. But I doubt it. You guys look like you've been skipping leg day. I'm guessing you're not a very good loot drop."
The bandits, now filled with a mixture of rage and confusion, charged at him. They were a wave of rusty metal and ragged clothes. They were a blur of motion and sound. They were fodder.
Adam took a deep breath, channeling all his remaining daily uses of Armament Haki into his hands and feet. The system messages were a blur in the corner of his eye. He didn't care. He was in the zone. He was in the fight. He was the hero.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[ARMAMENT: PRE-BEGINNER (100/100)]
[ARMAMENT USES TODAY: 10/10]
He dodged the first swing of a rusty axe, his body moving with a speed and grace he didn't know he had. He countered with a hard, blackened fist, a single, powerful punch that sent the man flying backwards, his body a broken heap on the ground. He dodged another swing, this time from a sword, and countered with a kick, his foot as hard as iron, that sent the man's weapon flying into the trees. He was a whirlwind of motion, a blur of power and speed. He was the OP king.
The bandits were in a state of chaos. They were a mess of rusty metal and ragged clothes, all lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Adam had used his Armament Haki to defeat them non-lethally, just as he had planned. He had broken bones, he had shattered teeth, but he hadn't killed them. He was a hero, not a murderer. He was inspired by Ned's honor, and he would not kill unless he had to.
He had won. He had won the fight. He had reached his goal. He had reached the one hundred uses. He had reached the Beginner Haki level.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[HAKI MILESTONE: BEGINNER LEVEL UNLOCKED - ALL TYPES.]
[ARMAMENT: BEGINNER (0/100,000)]
[OBSERVATION: BEGINNER (0/100,000)]
[CONQUEROR'S: BEGINNER (0/100,000)]
[DAILY HAKI LIMIT INCREASED TO 20 USES PER TYPE. GET STRONGER, HERO. PERISH OR SURVIVE.]
Adam just smiled, a wide, triumphant grin on his face. He was a Beginner Haki user. He was a god in this world. He was a force of nature. The bandits, now a whimpering mess on the ground, just stared at him in terror. They had never seen anything like it. They had never seen a man move so fast, hit so hard, and stand so tall.
"I told you," Adam said, his voice a low, confident rumble. "I'm untouchable, scrubs! This isn't a game for you. This is my game. And I am the hero."
He took their money, all eight silver stags, and then, feeling a familiar wave of exhaustion, he collapsed. He had used all his Haki for the day, and his body was screaming at him in protest. He was a Beginner now, but he was still a human, with human limitations. The grind was over, for now. The next grind, the one to Intermediate Haki, was just beginning. He had to get stronger. He had to be ready for the inevitable. He had to be ready for Westeros.