The night in Greyhaven was still.
No alarms. No emergency broadcasts. No distant shockwaves from Void Raider incursions. The low-tier city slept peacefully beneath a pale moon, its modest defenses humming quietly in the background.
Arthur sat alone in the underground training room of his apartment complex.
The space was small but reinforced—thick flooring, shock-resistant walls, and faint energy-absorbing lines etched into the corners. It wasn't luxurious, but it was enough. Enough to train. Enough to grow.
Enough to change.
Arthur inhaled slowly.
Then exhaled.
The rhythm of his breathing synchronized perfectly with the circulation of energy inside his body. Every muscle responded instantly. Every joint moved without friction. His Rank 1 body had reached absolute completion—nothing lacking, nothing excessive.
And yet…
He could feel it clearly now.
The ceiling.
Not a physical barrier, but an invisible limit woven into his bones, muscles, and energy pathways. No matter how perfectly he moved, no matter how refined his circulation became, his body refused to go further.
Rank 1 was complete.
Arthur opened the system interface.
[Adaptive Attribute System]
[Host: Arthur]
[Current Rank: Martial Artist Rank 1 – Peak Condition]
[Stored Energy: Stable]
[Breakthrough Readiness: High]
He did not initiate the breakthrough immediately.
Instead, he stood.
Arthur began with the basics.
Slow punches. Controlled steps. Rotations of the waist. He executed each movement with precision, paying attention not to strength, but to waste.
Where did energy leak?
Where did tension form unnecessarily?
Where did motion lag behind intent?
These were questions most martial artists never asked. They trained until exhaustion and assumed that pain equaled progress. Arthur knew better. Pain only meant stress. Growth came from understanding.
He practiced halting a punch an instant before impact.
Again.
And again.
The force behind the strike was fully present—100 kilograms of Rank 1 punching power—but perfectly restrained. His arm didn't tremble. His balance didn't shift.
That was control.
This was where the difference between martial artists was born.
A Rank 2 martial artist would be stronger than him. Faster. Capable of heavier blows.
But if that strength was wasted through inefficient movement, Arthur could exploit it.
He transitioned into short-range drills.
Compact strikes. Minimal movement.
Energy compression without release.
This was not something taught in basic training manuals. It required patience, discipline, and an understanding of how force behaved inside the body. Arthur practiced until sweat soaked his clothes and his breathing deepened—not from fatigue, but from focus.
Finally, he stopped.
His body felt light.
Stable.
Ready.
Arthur sat down, crossed his legs, and opened the interface again.
[Rank Advancement Available]
[Rank 1 → Rank 2]
[Warning: Breakthrough will restructure body and energy circulation]
Arthur closed his eyes.
He did not hesitate.
"Yes."
The moment he confirmed, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Energy surged through his body—not violently, but decisively. The stored energy he had accumulated over days activated under the system's guidance. His muscles tightened and compressed, becoming denser without growing bulky. His bones vibrated faintly as microscopic fractures formed and healed instantly, reinforcing their structure.
His meridians expanded.
Energy circulation doubled.
Arthur clenched his fists, focusing on maintaining balance. This was not a battle—it was an adjustment. A recalibration of everything his body had already perfected.
There was no scream.
No explosion.
Just… completion.
[Breakthrough Successful]
[Martial Artist Rank: 2]
Arthur opened his eyes.
The difference was immediate.
The training room felt clearer, sharper. He could sense subtle vibrations in the reinforced walls, the faint hum of energy from the city's defenses above, even the rhythm of his own heartbeat resonating through his strengthened body.
He stood slowly.
The interface updated.
[Current Rank: Martial Artist Rank 2]
[Total Stat Capacity: 200]
[Current Utilization: Partial]
[Punching Force: 200 kg]
Arthur clenched his fist.
He threw a controlled punch.
The air cracked.
The reinforced wall several meters away shuddered, dust drifting down from the ceiling.
Arthur exhaled slowly.
This was Rank 2.
Why Arthur Was Different.
Most martial artists, after breaking through to a new rank, followed instinct.
They trained harder. Hit heavier. Moved faster.
They chased what they could feel immediately—stronger muscles, faster steps, heavier blows. Those improvements were obvious. Tangible. Each session ended in exhaustion, reinforcing the belief that they were growing correctly.
Few had the patience to refine what could not be easily seen.
Energy circulation that wasted nothing.
Reactions that occurred before conscious thought.
Control that allowed power to be released at the exact moment it was needed—and not a fraction sooner.
Those forms of growth were slow. Subtle. And offered no immediate sense of dominance.
As a result, many Rank 2 martial artists possessed impressive raw strength or speed, but wasted much of it in battle.
Their attacks were powerful yet predictable. Their movements fast but inefficient.
Arthur had built his foundation differently.
He did not chase power.
He refined it.
The following days were spent in relentless refinement.
Arthur did not rush to maximize his new strength. Instead, he trained his body to handle Rank 2 power without excess. He practiced releasing only part of his strength, then escalating instantly. He trained sudden directional changes, stopping and accelerating without hesitation.
He learned how to fight below his maximum.
That was crucial.
Cross-rank combat wasn't about overpowering an opponent—it was about forcing them to waste energy while you didn't.
Arthur sparred again with Master Kael.
This time, the difference was unmistakable.
Arthur moved calmly, absorbing pressure, redirecting force, striking with precision. Master Kael still had greater experience—but Arthur controlled the pace. Every exchange favored efficiency.
After the session, Master Kael stared at him for a long moment.
"You're Rank 2," he said slowly. "But you don't fight like one."
Arthur wiped sweat from his face. "Is that a problem?"
Master Kael shook his head.
"No. It's a warning—to anyone who underestimates you."
Two days later, Arthur stood inside the Martial Artist Association branch of Greyhaven.
The building was plain but authoritative. Reinforced walls. Energy scanners lining the hall. This was where ranks were verified and recorded under World Government authority.
Arthur placed his hand on the testing platform.
Energy surged.
The scanner hummed.
[Verification Complete]
[Martial Artist Rank: 2]
The clerk looked up, surprised.
"Eighteen years old," he muttered. "Rank 2 already…"
He updated the registry.
Arthur received his new identification badge.
Martial Artist Rank 2 – Arthur
It wasn't glamorous.
But it mattered.
This rank meant access to better resources. Better missions. Better training facilities.
And it marked the moment Arthur stepped onto a different path.
He exited the building into the calm streets of Greyhaven.
He felt no arrogance.
No impatience.
Only certainty.
He had passed the first gate.
And beyond it lay real challenges.
Not yet.
Soon.