Chapter 10 - Flow of Power
The first day passes in a haze of rest and healing.
Leon wakes late, sunlight already streaming through the basement window. His body aches everywhere—muscles protesting, wounds throbbing, exhaustion settled deep in his bones. He tries to sit up and his ribs scream in protest.
"Don't move!"
Hestia's voice comes from the doorway. She rushes down the stairs with a tray of food—bread, soup, water. Her eyes are puffy, like she didn't sleep much.
"How long was I asleep?" Leon asks.
"All night and half the morning. It's almost noon." She sets the tray on the small table. "You need to eat. And you're not going anywhere today. Or tomorrow. That's an order."
"Hestia—"
"No arguments!" Her voice cracks slightly. "You almost died, Leon. You came back covered in blood with no weapons and... and..." She takes a shaky breath. "Two days. You're staying home for two days minimum. Let your body heal."
Leon looks at his goddess. The fear in her eyes is real. She genuinely thought she might lose him.
"Alright," he says quietly. "Two days."
Hestia's shoulders sag with relief. "Thank you." She helps him sit up carefully, wincing when he winces. "Eat slowly. I made the soup myself. It's... probably edible."
Leon takes a sip. It's bland and watery, but warm and made with care. "It's good."
"Liar." But she smiles. "I'll get better at cooking. Eventually."
They sit in comfortable silence while Leon eats. His appetite returns with the first few bites—his body demanding fuel to heal. Hestia watches him carefully, like she's afraid he'll disappear if she looks away.
"What happened down there?" she asks softly. "In the Dungeon."
Leon considers how to explain. "Floor five spawns monsters faster than the upper floors. I encountered a Monster Party—multiple dungeon lizards and other creatures spawning simultaneously. My equipment failed. I had to fight without weapons."
"And that's when you discovered... that power? The energy thing?"
"Yes."
Hestia fidgets with her dress. "When I update your status tonight, we'll see if anything changed. Sometimes big moments create new skills or abilities." She looks up at him. "But Leon, promise me you won't push that hard again. Not without better equipment. Not alone."
"I promise to be more careful."
"Good." She stands. "Finish eating, then rest more. Your body needs time to heal properly."
Leon nods and continues eating while Hestia climbs the stairs. He can hear her moving around upstairs, cleaning or organizing. Keeping herself busy.
*Two days of rest.*
He's never been good at resting. But his body is demanding it, and Hestia's fear was genuine. He'll use the time to heal and think about what he discovered.
That energy. That power flowing through his body, amplifying his strikes beyond what his stats should allow.
He needs to understand it. Control it. Master it.
But first—rest.
Leon finishes his meal and lies back down. Sleep comes quickly, pulling him under into dreamless darkness.
---
The second morning arrives with Leon feeling significantly better.
His wounds are healing—the cuts scabbed over, the bruises fading from purple to yellow-green. His ribs still ache but no longer scream with every breath. He can move without wanting to collapse.
He performs light stretches in his room, testing his range of motion. Everything hurts, but it's manageable pain. Healing pain, not injury pain.
Good enough.
Leon climbs the stairs to find Hestia already awake, sitting at the kitchen table with a worried expression.
"Morning," he says.
She looks up, relief flooding her face. "You look better. How do you feel?"
"Sore. But functional."
"That's... better than yesterday." She stands. "I'll make breakfast. Something simple so I don't burn it."
"I can cook—"
"No. You're still recovering. Sit."
Leon sits. Hestia moves to the kitchen area and begins preparing food with intense concentration. Eggs, bread, some fruit. Simple ingredients handled carefully.
Ten minutes later, she sets plates on the table. The eggs are slightly overdone but not burnt. The toast is crispy but not charcoal. Significant improvement.
"You're getting better at this," Leon says.
Hestia beams. "Really? You're not just being nice?"
"Really."
They eat together peacefully. The morning sun streams through the stained-glass windows, painting colorful patterns across the floor. It's quiet, comfortable, domestic.
"After breakfast," Hestia says, "I want to update your status. See what changed after... everything."
Leon nods. He's curious too. That energy he used—it felt connected to his Falna somehow, but also separate. Like it was always there, waiting to be awakened.
After eating, they head to his basement room. Leon removes his shirt and lies face-down on the bed. Hestia sits beside him, her finger already glowing with divine light.
She places it against his back, activating the Falna.
The divine script appears, glowing in the dim room.
Hestia gasps. "Leon..."
"What is it?"
"You have a new skill." Her voice trembles with excitement. "And your stats increased significantly!"
She grabs her paper and begins writing quickly:
**Leon Fury - Level 1**
**Strength: D-587**
**Endurance: C-673**
**Dexterity: C-698**
**Agility: C-681**
**Magic: I-0**
**Skills:**
**[Enlightened Spirit]**
**[Battle Clarity]**
**[Unwavering Foundation]**
**[Flow Control]**
*Manipulation of internal energy. Enhances physical abilities and weapon strikes. Can be channeled for offense, defense, or recovery. Efficiency increases with practice and understanding.*
Hestia reads it twice, then looks at Leon with wide eyes. "Flow Control. It's a skill that manifested from what you did in the Dungeon. The energy manipulation—it's real. It's part of your Falna now."
Leon sits up carefully, looking at the status sheet. His stats jumped dramatically—Strength up by thirty-one points, Endurance breaking into C rank, Dexterity nearly at 700. And the new skill...
"It says it can be used for recovery too," Hestia notes. "Not just combat. That's rare. Most combat skills are purely offensive."
Leon reads the description again. *Manipulation of internal energy.* That's exactly what he did—channeled the energy he'd spent decades learning to perceive in his past life, now amplified and formalized by the Falna system.
"You're almost ready to level up," Hestia says quietly. "Your stats are high enough. You just need an achievement—defeating something significantly stronger than you, or accomplishing something exceptional."
"Fighting those dungeon lizards without weapons while exhausted wasn't enough?"
"It was impressive, but not quite exceptional enough for the Falna to recognize it as a level-up achievement. You survived through skill and discovery, which is why you gained the new skill instead." She smiles. "But you're close. Very close."
Leon nods slowly. Level 2 will come. But first, he needs to master this new ability. Understanding it, controlling it, making it as natural as breathing.
"Can I train today?" he asks.
"Light training only. No dungeon diving. Your body still needs rest." Hestia's tone is firm. "You can practice this Flow Control thing here, safely. But nothing strenuous."
"Understood."
---
Afternoon finds Leon in the small courtyard behind the church.
The space is private, enclosed by old stone walls. Perfect for training without drawing attention. Leon stands in the center, eyes closed, breathing slowly.
First—he needs to feel it again. That energy.
In his past life, this was called qi, prana, life force. Different names for the same fundamental truth—there's an energy that flows through all living things, and consciousness can learn to direct it.
He spent decades mastering the perception of this energy. Feeling it, sensing it, understanding its flow. But he never achieved active manipulation—that remained theoretical, philosophical, just beyond his grasp.
Until the Dungeon forced him to.
Leon focuses inward. His heartbeat. His breathing. The blood flowing through his veins. And beneath all that...
*There.*
A warmth in his core, just below his navel. The lower dantian, as the old texts called it. Energy pooling, circulating, waiting.
Leon breathes deeply, guiding his awareness to that warmth. It responds to his attention, pulsing gently. Not physical, not quite mental, but something in between.
He visualizes it flowing. Up through his torso, down his arms, into his hands.
His palms grow warm.
Leon opens his eyes and looks at his hands. They're glowing faintly, barely visible in the afternoon sun. The energy manifests as a soft golden light around his skin.
*It's working.*
He tries channeling more. The glow intensifies. His hands feel stronger, more solid, like they could punch through stone.
Leon strikes at the air. The movement creates a small shockwave, air rippling outward. Not as powerful as when he fought in the Dungeon—his body isn't in combat state, adrenaline pumping—but it's there. Controllable.
He practices the flow. Channeling energy to different body parts—hands, feet, arms, legs. Each time, that body part grows warmer, stronger, faster. The enhancement is significant but draining. He can feel the energy depleting with each use.
*Limited resource. Can't use it constantly. Need to be efficient.*
Leon shifts focus. Instead of full-body enhancement, he tries partial. Just his right hand. Just his left foot. Minimizing energy use while maintaining effectiveness.
Better. More sustainable.
Hours pass. The sun moves across the sky. Leon practices continuously, refining his control.
He discovers he can hold the energy in reserve, ready to deploy instantly when needed. He learns the difference between a quick burst—powerful but brief—and a sustained flow—weaker but longer-lasting.
Then he tries something new.
Leon picks up a stick from the ground—just a broken branch, nothing special. He channels energy into it while holding it.
The wood glows faintly. When he swings it at a stone wall, the impact is significantly harder than it should be. The stick doesn't break—the energy reinforces its structure.
*Weapon enhancement. The skill description mentioned this.*
Leon tries it with different objects. A stone. A piece of metal. Even just his training knife. Each time, channeling energy into the object makes it stronger, more effective.
This changes everything. If he can enhance weapons, he doesn't need expensive magical equipment. He can make ordinary gear perform at higher levels through sheer energy manipulation.
The sun is setting when Leon hears footsteps behind him.
"You've been out here for hours," Hestia says. She's carrying a cup of water. "You need to rest."
"I'm fine."
"You're sweating and look exhausted." She hands him the water. "Drink. And tell me what you learned."
Leon drinks gratefully. The water is cool, refreshing. "Flow Control works like I thought. I can enhance my body or weapons by channeling energy through them. It's draining, but controllable. I can adjust the output—full power for brief moments or sustained enhancement at lower levels."
Hestia watches him carefully. "Can you heal with it? The skill said recovery."
"I haven't tried yet."
"Try now. You've still got some bruises."
Leon focuses on his ribs—still sore, still aching. He channels energy there, gentle and warm. The energy flows differently this time, not enhancing strength but promoting healing. He can feel his body responding, cells working faster, damage repairing incrementally.
After a minute, he stops. The ache is lessened—not gone, but noticeably better.
"It works," Leon says. "Slowly, but it works. More efficient than potions for minor injuries."
Hestia smiles. "That's amazing, Leon. You discovered a completely new way to use Falna." She sits beside him on the ground. "Most adventurers just rely on their stats and skills passively. But you're actively manipulating the energy system itself. That's... that's master-level stuff."
"It's not that impressive. I just applied what I knew from my past life."
"Don't downplay it." Hestia bumps his shoulder gently. "You're special, Leon. Not just because of your past life, but because you never stop learning, never stop improving. That's what makes you incredible."
Leon looks at his goddess. The setting sun paints her hair golden, her eyes bright with genuine pride and affection.
"Thank you, Hestia."
"You're welcome." She stands and offers her hand. "Come on. I made dinner. Well, I assembled dinner from things I bought. Same difference."
Leon takes her hand and lets her pull him up. His body protests—the training was intense—but it's the good kind of tired. The kind that comes from productive work, not destructive struggle.
They walk back inside together. The church feels warmer somehow, more like home. Hestia chatters about her day while Leon listens, both of them comfortable in the small domestic routine they've built.
Over dinner—bread, cheese, olives, sliced meat that Hestia definitely didn't cook—they talk about the future.
"When will you dive again?" Hestia asks.
"Tomorrow, if my body's ready. Floor four to practice Flow Control in actual combat. Get used to the drain, the timing, the applications."
"Not floor five?"
"Not yet. I need to master the basics first. Build muscle memory. Make it instinctive." Leon pauses. "And I need better equipment. My sword and dagger are destroyed. My bow is fine, but I need backup weapons."
"I can ask Hephaestus about getting you better gear. She might offer a discount since we're friends."
"That would help."
Hestia nods. "I'll visit her tomorrow morning while you're preparing." She smiles. "Look at us. Planning like a real Familia."
"We are a real Familia."
"I know. It just still feels amazing to say it." She reaches across the table and squeezes his hand. "Thank you, Leon. For choosing me. For staying. For being my first child."
"Thank you for accepting me. For taking care of me. For being my family."
They sit in comfortable silence, hands clasped, the evening settling around them peacefully.
Later, after Hestia goes to bed, Leon returns to his basement room. He lies down but doesn't sleep immediately. Instead, he practices internal circulation—moving energy through his channels without manifesting it externally. Building the pathways, strengthening the flow, making it natural.
This is just the beginning. Flow Control is powerful, but it's raw, unrefined. With practice, he can make it seamless. With mastery, he can integrate it into every aspect of his fighting style.
In his past life, he reached the peak of mortal capability. In this life, with Falna and Flow Control, he's building toward something beyond that peak.
The journey continues. One careful step at a time, building toward something greater.
Leon closes his eyes and lets sleep take him, his body already healing, already growing stronger, already preparing for tomorrow's challenges.