Arisa entered Zeno's room with a fresh cream cake in her hands. A small smile rested on her lips—but when her eyes fell on the empty bed, her expression darkened.
"Zeno… where did he go again?"
She stepped toward the window beside the bed and pulled the curtain aside.
"What a nice day…"
The green garden shimmered beneath the golden sunlight. The stone-paved path stretched like a bright ribbon across the grass. A gentle breeze swayed the branches, and everything looked almost too peaceful…
Then suddenly, Arisa's gaze froze.
Her pupils widened.
A drop of sweat slid down her forehead.
"Th-That huge rock… why is it moving?"
In the middle of the infirmary yard, a gigantic boulder—large enough to be the size of a small room—was moving back and forth along the stone path. It wasn't rolling… it wasn't falling…
It was being carried.
Arisa's heart pounded. Without thinking, she set the cake down on the table and rushed out of the room, taking the stairs two at a time.
In the hallway, she nearly collided with Vale.
Vale raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"What happened? Why are you so nervous?"
Arisa, breathless, replied,
"I saw a huge moving rock! I don't know what's going on!"
Vale was about to say something, but when he saw the genuine fear on her face, he grew serious.
"Let's go."
The two hurried toward the infirmary yard.
When they reached the open space…
They both froze.
Their mouths fell open.
Their eyes widened.
In broken voices, they said at the same time:
"Z-Zeno?!"
Zeno stood beneath the enormous stone.
No—
The stone was on his back.
His muscles were swollen and fully flexed. Veins bulged along his arms and neck like snakes about to burst. Sweat dripped from his temples and splashed onto the ground.
He had the massive boulder balanced across his shoulders and back… and as he walked several meters back and forth along the path, he was performing squats—counting loudly.
Each time he went down, the ground trembled slightly.
Each time he rose, the stone shifted with a heavy grinding sound.
"Ninety-eight… ninety-nine… one hundred!"
He took a deep breath and, without even glancing at them, continued.
Arisa muttered under her breath,
"Has he… gone crazy?"
Vale whispered calmly,
"No… he's just training."
Zeno went down again.
The sound of compressed stone echoed beneath his feet.
This wasn't normal training anymore…
This was the resolve of a monster determined to grow stronger than himself.
After dozens of passes and hundreds of exhausting squats, Zeno finally stopped.
For several seconds, he simply breathed—deep… heavy… steaming.
Then—
With a sudden movement, he threw the gigantic stone off his back.
The boulder slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash.
BOOOOM!
A wave of vibration rippled through the infirmary yard. The stone pavement cracked noisily. Leaves fell from branches. Wooden chairs rattled.
Arisa and Vale, who had been sitting down moments earlier, felt the tremor beneath them and jumped up instinctively.
In one swift motion, Vale drew his sword.
His eyes sharpened.
"What was that?! Did an enemy attack?!"
Arisa stood frozen, staring ahead.
But when Vale's gaze fell upon Zeno's back—
He, too, went still.
Zeno stood facing the sky.
His eyes were closed.
His breaths were deep.
With every exhale, white steam left his mouth, as if his body were a blazing forge.
The muscles on his back…
They were no longer ordinary.
Every line, every curve, every contraction was precise and symmetrical—as if a god had spent hours sculpting them without a single flaw.
His back looked like living armor.
Muscles hard as iron.
Ordinary swords wouldn't even be able to cut such a body.
But something else caught Vale's attention—
The mark of ram horns.
A symbol carved into Zeno's skin.
And then… the scars.
Deep lines stretching from shoulder to waist.
As if someone had mercilessly beaten him for years.
His body was covered in scars… remnants of that battle when Zeno had reached his limits and every one of his muscles had been torn apart.
Vale's vision blurred for a moment.
He slowly lowered his sword.
He stepped forward, closer, and with a calm smile said,
"Good work, my athletic friend."
Zeno slowly turned.
His eyes sparkled—that familiar shine of rivalry and friendship.
A wide grin spread across his face.
In a loud, energetic voice, he shouted:
"My friend! It's been a long time!"
The air was no longer heavy.
The trembling ground had been replaced by the warmth of reunion.
But beneath that smile…
There slept a power that, if ever unleashed, might shake the very earth again.
Zeno laughed excitedly and pulled away from Vale's embrace.
His body still radiated heat from training. Steam rose from his skin, and the veins along his muscular arm stood out like thick ropes over his lean frame.
He extended his hand—a hand that looked forged from steel.
"I'm looking forward to fighting you, my friend."
Vale didn't step back. He took his hand. Their fingers locked.
"Me too… friend. Maybe we'll face each other in the second round."
Zeno's eyes gleamed.
A broad grin formed on his face.
"I'm counting the seconds until that day!"
And then—
The pressure began.
Zeno squeezed Vale's hand slightly.
Then a little more.
A faint cracking sound echoed between their fingers.
The veins in Zeno's arm bulged further.
His grip unconsciously tightened.
Vale maintained his smile.
But inside…
Pain surged like a burning wave from his palm to his wrist and forearm.
"Heh…" was all that escaped his throat.
He didn't want to look weak in front of Zeno.
He didn't want their first reunion to end with a cry of pain.
But Zeno still didn't let go.
Sweat slid down Vale's temple.
Zeno looked at him curiously.
"Why are you sweating so much?"
Vale forced a smile.
"It's hot."
But inside, he was screaming:
Please let go already…!
The pressure increased.
The color of Vale's hand slowly began to change.
At that exact moment—
BOOM attaching to the face.
Arisa's fist landed squarely on Zeno's face.
The impact sounded like a hammer striking armor.
Zeno suddenly lost his balance, and Vale's hand was released.
Vale quickly stepped back, clutching his hand.
It had turned slightly purple. His fingers trembled.
Zeno stared at Arisa with wide eyes.
"Huh?!"
Arisa shouted angrily:
"Why did you leave your room again without telling anyone?! You're supposed to be resting! Why don't you understand, you blockhead?!"
Still dizzy from the punch, Zeno blinked.
"But I was just training—"
"Training?!"
Meanwhile, a few steps back, Vale stood gripping his hand tightly, tears gathering at the corner of his eye.
Under his breath, in a strained voice, he muttered:
"My hand feels like it's exploding… it hurts so much…"
But he tried to stand straight.
Finally, he took a deep breath.
A bitter smile crossed his face.
"That idiot… he's strong like a monster."