— My God... — Kai groaned, — What was that just now, am I still alive?!
Kai felt incredible pain throughout his body, and his head was throbbing intensely. It was even difficult for him to think. He began checking the sensations in his body and suddenly felt a faint, almost elusive aura. It was the same one he had felt from the dark sphere, only now it was emanating from himself! But the next moment, it began to fade and then disappeared completely...
— So it wasn't a dream?! — Kai exclaimed in shock.
*"I don't know what happened to me, but if I survive, I must keep this a secret... No one should ever find out about this... It was like I was speaking with the Universe itself! If I tell anyone, they'll think I'm insane."* Kai thought, utterly bewildered.
*"In any case, I must remember those laws forever... What I experienced during the touch with the sphere cannot be described in words. It's definitely something that shouldn't exist in our world. Moreover, I'm sure I just felt the aura of that sphere enter my body..."* Kai pondered.
After thinking about it a little, he decided to focus on more immediate problems. If he died now, the mysteries and enigmas of existence would hardly concern him. First, he needed to survive...
Kai began to look around and tried to slowly stand up. Next to him was a forest and a rocky shore. On the other side was a fast-flowing mountain river.
— I need to get rid of my upper clothes quickly and find some Healing Herb. My blood could attract wild beasts... Surviving the wound is only the beginning of staying alive. — Kai uttered with difficulty.
The Healing Herb grew in many places; it wasn't rare. At the orphanage, when someone got hurt, they would grind it in a mortar and apply it to wounds. Although it smelled terrible, it stopped bleeding well and numbed the pain. Also, wounds didn't fester after using it, especially if the poultice was changed regularly.
Kai quickly took off his shirt and threw it into the river. Then, wearing only his pants, he slowly hobbled towards the forest. He was very careful as he moved forward, constantly looking around and watching his step. He didn't dare go deep into the forest and walked only along the river. After a grueling half-hour, he suddenly saw a clearing where the Healing Herb was growing.
— The heavens are blessing me today! — He quickened his pace as much as he could towards his medicine.
The grass was thin and about two palm-lengths long. Kai quickly began picking it and gathering it into a pile. After about fifteen minutes, he had gathered enough, tying it all together with a vine he found on a nearby tree. He also made a smaller bundle to use right away.
Returning to the riverside, Kai sat down near a large boulder. Taking a smaller stone in his hand, he began to crush the herb against another stone in front of him. He needed to make a paste to smear generously on his wounds.
— Phew! It stinks so much, damn it! — He cursed. Although Kai was a young boy, he'd already picked up some choice words at the town market...
— Though, this is very good... Such a smell will definitely overpower any trace of blood, and the beasts won't scent me. — Kai said to himself.
— This is taking so long, I need to be faster... — Saying this, Kai stuffed some herb into his mouth and started chewing it simultaneously. He wanted to finish as quickly as possible.
After crushing the herb, he went to the river... Grimacing and wincing, he rinsed his wound once more, then began smearing the paste onto the gash on his chest, not forgetting the area around it.
Just in case, he wiped his whole body with the stinky herb juice. He understood this was another layer of insurance against possible pursuit by wild beasts. After all, he was in the forest now, and a completely unfamiliar one at that...
Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, he finally relaxed a little and wanted to rest. Kai immediately went to the shade of a tree and sat down, leaning against the trunk.
Kai closed his eyes and began to feel his wound going numb and his body gradually ceasing to ache. He realized the juice of the Healing Herb was penetrating the wounds and numbing them. Sitting quietly and breathing, he focused on the sounds and the sensation of the wind blowing soothingly against him. Small rays of sunlight broke through the foliage, occasionally touching his body, bringing a slight feeling of warmth.
But suddenly!
Kai felt as if there was something around him. As if there was something off about the wind and the sunlight! As if they contained some tiny particles... He hadn't noticed this strangeness before because he was so preoccupied with his survival. But now, sitting down to rest, he understood that something strange was happening...
*"Energy! This is energy!"* Kai realized suddenly.
*"This is the energy that only Warriors begin to feel?! What kind of miracle is this?!"* Kai exclaimed, shocked, in his mind.
Thoughts immediately flooded his head about what could have caused such drastic changes... That sphere and those experiences before waking up were definitely not ordinary... If anything could have affected him like this, it was only that!
Kai didn't know what to do with this energy or how Warriors used it. Before this, he had only heard about it in fairy tales... They said their Village Chief had begun to sense it, but no one knew if it was true. He slowly began trying to interact with it somehow. In this moment, Kai was incredibly exhilarated!
***
Intrigued, Kai began experimenting, trying to touch the particles with his hand. Then he strained, as if trying to move them with the force of thought, but it was all in vain. So he closed his eyes and concentrated... Kai felt the energy moving with the wind, and a simple idea came to his mind.
*"What if I try to breathe it in?"* Kai thought, doubtful.
Kai calmed down and took a deep breath, then exhaled... Doing this, he tried to maintain a steady rhythm, and after half an hour…
He beamed with happiness!
Kai felt tiny particles of energy beginning to be absorbed into his body, so he continued his practice. He sat like this for almost half a day, until the sun began to set. It would be dark in a few hours, and only now did he realize it...
Inspecting his body, Kai felt a strong itch on his chest. He went to the river and quickly began washing off the herb paste, his eyes opening wide in surprise. Although the terrifying gash was still there, he saw that it looked much better. Even his overall well-being had become much more stable...
*"Did the herb work that well? Strange, it never helped this quickly before..."* he muttered mentally.
*"That's it! The energy! It's having this miraculous effect on me! This is incredible! At this rate, I'll be back to normal in a week... Before, it would have taken me a month, if not two. Energy truly is something!"* he shouted in his head.
Snapping out of his dreams, Kai realized he needed to find a place to spend the night. Staying in the forest at night wasn't a good idea, and he definitely needed to sleep. Due to everything he had been through recently, he felt incredibly tired. He also needed to find something to eat. Unfortunately or fortunately, he hadn't eaten that often at the orphanage. So, going hungry for a day or two wasn't a problem for him.
Kai continued moving along the river, chewing more herb and reapplying it to his wound as he went. Along the way, he even found some fruit. He had seen such fruits at the market, so he knew they were edible. They turned out to be very filling! Only after eating a whole dozen did Kai finally feel satisfied…
Suddenly, he noticed a cave in the cliff to the left of the river and quickly moved towards it. It was the perfect place to spend the night, considering the sun would soon dip below the horizon. If he didn't find anything else, he would have to rely solely on luck...
Climbing up the rocks to the cliff, Kai gritted his teeth tightly, as he sometimes brushed his chest against their sharp edges. This, in turn, caused him great pain! But understanding the situation, he didn't utter a single cry.
Reaching the top of the cliff, Kai was so exhausted that he literally crawled towards the cave. All he wanted was to crawl deep inside. Using the last of his strength to stay conscious, he managed to get about ten meters into the cave. But immediately after, he began to lose consciousness… His head spun, and his vision darkened... One more second and he was out completely...
He didn't know how long he slept… But then he felt something near him shouting!
— Hey, you! Stinking pup! Get up, you're ruining the atmosphere! Why do you smell so disgusting?! — A strange voice rang out. It seemed to belong to a pompous old man...
Opening his eyes, Kai saw a disheveled, gray-haired old man with a displeased face and an open shirt before him. Although he looked like an old man, his chest revealed he was in very good physical shape. His muscles seemed to be made of steel, but his slightly hunched back betrayed his old age. Turning his head, Kai saw that the sun was already shining at the cave entrance.
It was already daytime!
— Uhhhh… — Kai uttered with a stupid expression.
Turning back to the old man, Kai realized he needed to be on his guard. This old man was an enigma… What was he even doing in a cave in the middle of the forest?
— Forgive me, Elder. I was fleeing the slaughter committed by the Ghostly Halberd Empire in my village. The river carried me here, several kilometers away. I don't even know how long I floated with the current or where I am now. The stench is from the Healing Herb I used. I needed to mask the smell of blood… — Trying to kneel, Kai clasped his fist in his palm and bowed slightly, enduring the pain. He had seen people greet the village chief like this before...
— The Ghostly Halberd Empire? Pfft. — The old man snorted contemptuously.
But when Kai rose for the greeting, the old man saw the terrible wound on his chest and raised an eyebrow in surprise.
— How old are you, kid? You survived a wound like that and even managed to get here?
Kai felt a strange sensation. It was as if, by looking at him, the old man could see his insides... It sent shivers down his spine! This old man's eyes seemed to peer right into his essence.
— I'll be eight soon. — Kai replied quickly. He didn't want to anger or provoke such an old man, so he didn't dare delay.
— Whaaaaat? — the old man foolishly exclaimed, — Inconceivable! I thought you might be some kind of dwarf with a small body... But you really are just a boy! — The old man was very straightforward.
— Is there something wrong with me, Elder? — Kai said, not understanding.
— Wrong? Hehe, I wish I had such 'problems'. You're eight years old, but there are already traces of energy in your body. That means you, in some godforsaken backwater, have independently completed the first stage of masters—the Body Training stage! Everyone thinks this stage is about muscles, bones, and strength. But in reality, the most important thing is to temper your reflexes, instincts, and mind! Tempering the body is just a side effect. — The old man suddenly began to explain.
— You're almost at the Warrior stage... You even figured out how to absorb energy on your own? I've never seen a kid like you in my life. Simply inconceivable! Now I understand how you survived such a wound... — The old man muttered, carefully examining Kai's body.
— But I'll tell you this. Although you're almost at the Warrior stage, you need to properly finish tempering your body. Your body hasn't fully developed yet; you can't rush cultivation. — He continued.
— Without a solid foundation, you'll just get stuck one day… — The old man said somewhat melancholically.
— Body Training? Warrior? — Kai asked, not fully understanding.
— Boy, do you want to learn from me? Just become my disciple and I will help you! Although I'm already at the sunset of my life and won't see new stages of development, I still have some ambitions! If my disciple can carry my knowledge to higher realms... — the old man paused briefly before continuing, — It will also partially fulfill my desires. — The old man chattered nonstop.
*"It seems he lacks company..."* Kai thought to himself.
— Think about it, boy. In the past, kings came to me, just so I would take their offspring as disciples! — The old man boasted.
At that moment, Kai fell deep into thought… A series of events had led him to a master who could teach him to be a Warrior. He even remembered the Law of Luck, one of the laws imprinted on his mind. But suspicion and caution prevented him from immediately accepting the offer. He had been thoughtful and kept a certain distance from everyone since childhood.
— What will be required in return? — Kai asked, looking suspiciously at the old man.
— Hehe, you have brains... That's the kind of disciple this old man should have! — he said, laughing. — Nothing, just endure my training! — The old man grinned wickedly, — I retreated to these mountains long ago, leaving society behind... I thought I could break through to a new stage, but it seems it's already impossible...
— So why not take you on as a student? I still need to relieve the boredom somehow. — The old man said casually.
But Kai could see that he couldn't hide the gleam in his eyes...
Thinking and weighing the pros and cons, Kai decided to rely on luck. It had already brought him here, so why refuse? He needed strength, and he had dreamed of it since childhood. Kai couldn't even imagine that he would actually use energy in the future. Until recently, it seemed like just a fairy tale...
— Alright! I accept you as my teacher! — The boy said firmly and made a low bow to the ground. In the legends he'd heard, the ceremony of accepting a disciple was roughly like this.
— Disciple Kai greets Master... Uhh… — At that moment, he realized he didn't even know the old man's name.
— Mo! You can call me Master Mo! — The old man replied proudly.
— So, Old Man Mo... Alright! — Kai said with a wide smile.
— Who are you calling 'old man'?! I'm your master, you pup! — The old man shouted and kicked Kai in the backside!
Although he pretended to be angry, joy was evident in his eyes. It seemed he liked Kai's cheekiness and character.