The cave was silent except for Sol Jin's ragged breaths. The glow from the mysterious man's energy still pulsed faintly in the shadows. Pain surged through his ribs, but the boy clenched his teeth, forcing his body to obey.
> "Endure. Every weakness is a seed," the man had said.
He had no name, no words of comfort. Only presence. And yet, that presence burned through Sol Jin's veins, reshaping bone and muscle, igniting something primal.
---
By the third night, Sol Jin could stand. Not fully, not yet gracefully, but he moved without collapsing. His first trial came unexpectedly — a Dire Wolf, exiled from its pack, slipped into the cave, its eyes glinting with hunger.
Sol Jin froze. Heart pounding, instinct screaming to run. But something inside whispered: "Observe. Think. Survive."
The wolf lunged. Sol Jin rolled aside, barely escaping the teeth snapping where his head had been seconds ago. Pain spiked through his shoulder, but he noticed the wolf's pattern — it favored the left, hesitated for the right.
> "So predictable," he muttered, voice hoarse.
He grabbed a jagged stone. Timing, precision, misdirection — everything the mysterious man had shown him in that brief, wordless training came to life. He dodged, feinted, and struck. The wolf howled and fled, wounded but alive. Sol Jin's chest heaved. Victory was small, but it burned like fire.
---
The man stepped from the shadows, silent. For the first time, Sol Jin felt a weight of judgment. The pulse of the cave synced with his own heartbeat, and the boy realized: he was being tested, not just in strength, but in wit, observation, and cunning.
> "Good. You survived. But survival is nothing without understanding," the man said, voice calm yet sharp.
Sol Jin bowed instinctively. Pain, fear, exhaustion — all mixed into determination. He gritted his teeth.
> "I'll understand. I'll surpass. I won't be humiliated again."
The man said nothing. He simply observed as Sol Jin began training rigorously: dodging, striking, running, observing every detail. Every flinch, every strike, every heartbeat became a lesson.
---
Days passed. The forest outside whispered with beasts of all tiers, sensing the boy's awakening pulse. Sol Jin learned to track, anticipate, and manipulate, his body growing stronger, his mind sharper. Every scar, every bruise, every ache became a tool. He laughed quietly to himself at the thought:
> "Let them mock me… I'll show them a storm they can't weather."
High above, the cosmic presence leaned closer, threads of fate vibrating in excitement.
> "Yes… the boy begins to scheme. Soon, he will laugh while the world trembles."
And deep in the cave, Sol Jin's eyes glimmered, not with innocence, but with the first sparks of the Schemer who would rewrite destiny.