Inside the temple, a teary-eyed boy stood before the Grandmaster, his face bruised.
"What happened?" Shu asked softly.
"The other kids… they said I'm weak. That I'll be forgotten. That my parents left me here because I wasn't worth keeping." The boy sobbed, fists clenched. "You all only pity me. You all hate me. You all think I'm weak!"
Shu was taken aback. For a long moment he sat in silence, then lowered himself beside the boy.
"Do you seek to be strong?" he asked.
The boy lifted his head slowly.
"Do you seek to be admired? To be remembered?" Shu pressed.
The boy nodded, tears still streaming.
"Then what you seek," Shu said, his gaze steady, "is glory. To be remembered for the difference you make. That is true glory." His eyes locked with the boy's. "Then seek it."
The boy sat stunned, then smiled through his tears. "Then I will find glory! I'll be great, and everyone will love me!"
Shu chuckled softly. "Settle down. For now, just survive until the chance comes, understood?"
The boy nodded. Shu's lips curved into a faint smile. "Promise me you'll live long enough to remember me, alright?"
"…Okay."
The vision faded.
---
Shen's eyes shot open. Energy coursed through his veins. One phrase burned in his mind, over and over:
"I will find glory, no matter what!"
With a roar, he slammed the stone against his leg one final time. Crack! The bone slid into place.
Sweat drenched him, but he acted quickly. He splinted the leg with a stick, tied it with torn cloth, then muttered healing magic to stop the bleeding. It wasn't much, but it bought him time.
He conjured a small orb of light to push back the darkness. That was when he heard it: a whisper curling from the shadows.
[Come to me, child. Come, and you will find what you seek.]
The voice pulled at him. Shen staggered to his feet, one hand braced on the wall, limping through a narrow passage. Every step brought the whisper closer, stronger.
The tunnel widened into a cavernous ruin — an ancient city of stone, its crumbling pillars and broken arches stretching into the dark. At the far end, a catacomb yawned open.
And there, hovering before it, glowed a small blue orb. Strange etchings crawled across its surface, flickering with light.
[Grasp me… and all you desire will be yours. Power. Wealth. Glory. Take me.]
Shen's hand shook as he reached forward. The orb vibrated, then liquefied, seeping through his skin and flooding his veins.
"AGHHHHHHH!" He collapsed, writhing. His body burned as if flayed alive. Every nerve screamed until, suddenly—silence.
He lay gasping on the cold stone. Slowly, he pushed himself up… and froze.
His leg was whole. No scar, no wound, no pain — as though it had never been broken. His vision pierced the darkness clearly, sharper than ever before.
"…What the hell?" he muttered.
A calm voice echoed inside his mind:
[Assimilation complete. Subject survived. Enhancements applied: magical affinity, body reinforcement, regenerative ability. Commencing introduction. I am Prototype #1. Please state your name.]
Shen whipped around, panicked. "Where the f*ck is that coming from!?"
[I am Prototype #1. I am connected to your cerebral cortex. Please state your name.]
Shen's heart pounded. Was he insane? Hallucinating? But the proof was there — he was healed, stronger, changed. He swallowed hard. "…Tanda Shen."
[Name registered. Tanda Shen is now in the database. Beginning information exchange.]
The voice continued: [I was created to enhance human capabilities beyond natural limits, to forge better warriors. I have integrated with your body. We are now linked.]
Shen's mind reeled. "So… this isn't a dream…" He flexed his fingers, his body humming with new vitality. "…I actually hit the jackpot."
"What did you do to me?" he demanded.
[Enhancements applied: heightened vision, increased musculature, cognitive acceleration. Your mind will continue to adapt over time.]
"My mind?" Shen muttered. The thought unsettled him, but he pushed it aside. For now, survival came first.
"Alright… so what can I do now?"
[Testing is advised.]