Ryo, shocked, said:
"I don't have anything."
The bully sneered:
"Give us everything willingly, or we'll take it by force."
Ryo insisted again that he had nothing. They beat him badly, but seeing he had nothing, they threw him into a corner.
The master, passing by, suddenly noticed his disciple lying there.
"What happened? Did they hit you?"
Ryo replied:
"Yeah. They wanted my money. I didn't have any, so they beat me like a dog and tossed me aside."
The master said:
"It's fine. Next time you see those bullies, make them pay. Now, let's go."
They went to the nearest inn—a shabby, old place, since the master hardly had any money himself. After some bargaining and groaning, the master managed to get a room at half the price. That night, they went to sleep there.
Ryo asked his master:
"Master, when will you actually train me? I don't want to keep being bullied like this."
The master said:
"Not yet, but I'll teach you something so you can defend yourself. I'll awaken your inner energy."
Ryo asked:
"Inner energy? What's that?"
The master explained:
"It's the core force within your body. With training, you can awaken it and do things ordinary humans can't."
The master instructed:
"Take off your clothes."
Ryo blushed and stammered:
"W-why, Master!?"
The master barked:
"Come here, you brat! I said take them off."
Ryo asked hesitantly:
"Just my clothes? Is that enough?"
The master said:
"Everything you're wearing."
Ryo jumped to a corner, embarrassed:
"I can't do this."
Using his power, the master removed Ryo's clothes.
"I told you to come here, dummy," he said.
Finally, they sat down. The master placed both hands on Ryo's waist.
"I'll give you my energy, and you awaken your core," he said.
Ryo asked:
"How?"
The master said:
"You must free yourself from everything and focus. When you concentrate, you'll feel my energy entering your body. Direct that energy to your stomach—your core is there. Move it and circulate it."
Ryo focused:
"Okay… huff…"
As he concentrated, he felt a sense of freedom, as if his soul had detached from his body. Suddenly, a bright energy flowed into him.
"This must be Master's energy… I need to guide it to my core," he thought.
He managed to direct the energy to his stomach, but there was a problem—he couldn't sense any core inside him. He quickly stopped concentrating and said to the master:
"Did it work?"
Ryo said:
"No. I couldn't feel or see a core. Is something wrong, Master?"
The master examined him and realized that Ryo was born without a core.
"You don't have a core, which means you can't use energy," he said.
Ryo was devastated:
"How unlucky am I? Every time I think I can get stronger, another problem appears. Master, there's no way? Please… please, just tell me a way. I'll do anything."
The master thought for a moment:
"Hmm… there might be a way."
Ryo brightened:
"What? Anything! I'll do it, just tell me!"
The master said:
"I can create a core for you using my own power. Your strength will be similar to mine, but you can't handle it… you'll die instantly."
Ryo said:
"But… maybe I can survive. We can try."
The master scoffed:
"You fool! Do you think this is something simple to experiment with?"
Ryo fell silent, disappointed.
The master continued:
"There might be another way. I can create a core for you, but not from my power—from nature's energy. It's extremely dangerous, and you might not survive it."
Ryo asked:
"You mean… there's a chance I can survive?"
The master said:
"You truly are my disciple."
He told Ryo:
"Go lie down on the bed."
Ryo laid down and asked:
"Now what, Master?"
The master knocked him unconscious.
"Hah… never thought I'd make an energy core one day. Let's begin."
He gathered the universe's energy in his hands, forming a massive orb. Compressing it, he infused a tiny fraction of his own power—less than one hundred-thousandth of his strength—and said:
"Once you are strong enough, you can convert this core into your own energy."
He inserted the core into Ryo's body. Ryo endured the immense heat and pressure as his body nearly exploded, but he survived—the energy core was successfully formed.
---
The next day, Ryo woke up, sensing something new in his body. It didn't hurt; it felt like he had been freed from chains. Seeing the master still asleep, snoring, he whispered:
"Master… thank you so much. I don't know how to repay you, but I promise I'll become the strongest one day and make you feel alive again."
The master snored on.
Ryo sat and focused, entering the state the master had taught him. This time, there was no darkness—inside him was a universe of stars and galaxies, as if the entire world existed within his body.
Ryo said:
"Now, what about this energy? Let me transfer some to my hand."
As he tried, the veins in his body nearly burst from the pressure. He jumped out of the state, panting:
"Huff… huff… What just happened? I thought my body would explode. How can I use this energy?"
The master, half asleep, replied:
"You can't use it yet. The core isn't simple. If you misuse it, it will explode and kill you."
Ryo, terrified, muttered:
"Then why did you put it in my body? It's so strong… what am I supposed to do?"
The master said:
"Train."
Ryo asked:
"Huh?"
The master explained:
"Didn't you hear me? You have to train. Your body must get used to the energy so you can circulate it yourself. First, your energy channels need to open so you can control it."
Ryo asked:
"How can I open them?"
The master said:
"I can open them for you."
Ryo smiled:
"Maste…"
The master interrupted:
"But there's a condition."
Ryo asked:
"What condition?"
The master said:
"Work hard like a donkey and earn a week's worth of food and expenses. Then I'll teach you."
Ryo clenched his teeth:
"Am I a slave? Why should I do this?! What about you!?"
The master replied:
"Me? I sleep. Now go find work and bring some food."
Ryo left the inn, thinking how he could find work. Remembering he was a farmer, he decided to help with farming for money. Being a stranger in the city, he worried no one would hire him. "Doesn't matter… I'll find someone," he thought.
Walking through the city, he saw an old man with a cart full of vegetables. Ryo approached:
"Um… sir, can I help you? I just arrived and want to find work. I used to be a farmer."
The old man, seeing a kind face, assumed Ryo was the boy he had seen during the monster attack.
"Alright, come with me. First, we'll sell these vegetables, then I'll give you work on the farm."
Ryo was happy:
"Okay!"
After a few hours, they sold the produce and went to the farm—a large, barren field with soil as hard as stone. The old man said:
"If you plow this land every day, I'll give you ten coins."
Ryo calculated—the inn cost five coins daily, and with food, eight coins total. He was thrilled and agreed immediately.
The old man handed him the tools:
"You can start now."
An hour passed. Ryo, already exhausted, muttered with a poker face:
"This is so hard…"
---
End of Chapter 4