Unburdened

The biting wind of winter, a constant companion for months, seemed to whisper farewell as Kai reached for the weighted bands. His fingers, numb from the cold despite the constant exertion, fumbled with the buckles, the familiar weight of the stones pressing into his flesh for the last time.

He paused, his hands hovering over the final strap, a strange stillness settling over him. Months. Months of relentless training, of brutal self-discipline, of pushing his body and will to their absolute limits, all under the crushing burden of these weights. They were more than just training tools; they were anchors, grounding him to the earth, forcing him to forge strength from sheer, unadulterated effort.

Now… it was time to let go.

With a final, decisive tug, he released the last strap. The weighted bands, and the rocks lashed to them, clattered to the snow-covered ground, the sound echoing in the hushed stillness of the winter forest.

He stood there for a moment, unmoving, allowing the unfamiliar lightness to settle over him. It wasn't just physical lightness; it was a liberation, a shedding of a self-imposed constraint. The air itself seemed to rush into his lungs, filling him with a sense of… freedom.

Then, he moved.

A single step, tentative at first, then another, and another. It was like walking on air. His limbs, accustomed to the constant drag, felt unburdened, almost weightless. He took a breath, and then he ran.

Speed. It was an intoxicating rush, a sensation he hadn't experienced in what felt like an eternity. His legs moved with an unnatural swiftness, the snow blurring beneath his feet, the wind whipping past his face. The forest, once a challenging obstacle course under the weights, now seemed to open up before him, a playground for his newfound agility.

He leaped.

Not a jump, but a launch. He sprang upwards, and the ground fell away beneath him with startling speed. He soared through the air, higher, higher than he had ever imagined possible, the treetops rushing past below. For a breathtaking moment, he was airborne, weightless, truly free.

He landed, lightly, gracefully, his feet barely disturbing the pristine snow. Fifteen meters? Perhaps even more. He had no way to measure it precisely, but the sheer distance, the effortless height, was undeniable.

Power. It wasn't just lightness and speed; it was a surge of raw, untamed power coursing through his veins. His movements, honed by months of weighted training, were now sharper, more precise, imbued with a terrifying lethality.

He drew his katana, the familiar weight now feeling almost… insignificant in his hand. He swung it, River's Flow, and the blade sliced through the air with a whisper, leaving a faint, shimmering afterimage in its wake. The force behind the strike, even without consciously channeling Qi, was palpable, dangerous.

He was unleashed. Unburdened. Ready.

He returned to his shelter, the small space now feeling almost… confining after his newfound freedom of movement. Inside, folded neatly, lay the black suit, a gift from the Underworld Judges, a symbol of his ascension, his transformation.

He picked it up, the fabric cool and smooth against his skin, woven from shadows, imbued with an otherworldly power. It was time. Time to shed the remnants of his past, to embrace his new reality.

First, though… a cleansing.

He found a partially frozen stream, chipped away the ice with the hilt of his katana, and plunged into the frigid water. The shock was immediate, breathtaking, stealing his breath and numbing his skin. But he endured, immersing himself fully, washing away the grime and sweat of months of relentless training, cleansing himself, body and soul, for what was to come.

Emerging from the icy water, he felt reborn. Refreshed. Renewed. He donned the black suit, the fabric molding to his form like a second skin, enhancing his movements, amplifying his presence. He was no longer just Kai, the boy from Blackthorn Village. He was… something else. Something more.

He stood before his meager shelter, clad in black, katana at his side, the winter forest stretching out before him, a vast, silent hunting ground.

"A thousand," he murmured, his voice low, cold, decisive. "A thousand kills."

A test. A measure of his newfound power. A baptism by blood. He would hunt, not for sustenance, but for… validation. He would carve a path through the monsters of the forest, a path paved with death and steel, until he reached his self-imposed quota. One thousand low to mid-rank monsters. It would be… efficient.

He moved, a shadow amongst shadows, melting into the winter landscape, his katana eager for its first taste of unburdened battle.

Days blurred into a relentless cycle of hunting and killing. Low-rank monsters, beasts of fang and claw, fell before his blade like wheat before a scythe. Mid-rank creatures, stronger, more cunning, posed a slightly greater challenge, but still succumbed to his speed, his precision, his dream-honed techniques.

The kill count climbed. One hundred. Three hundred. Five hundred. Each fallen monster, each precise strike, each effortless victory, solidified his confidence, sharpened his edge. He was a force of nature now, a predator unleashed, moving through the forest like a phantom of death.

Seven hundred. Seven hundred and fifty. Seven hundred and eighty… six.

He stood in a snow-dusted clearing, katana dripping crimson, the lifeless form of a mid-rank snow wolf at his feet. Seven hundred and eighty-six kills. He was nearing his goal. Nearing… something.

A low growl, deeper, more resonant than any he had heard before, echoed through the trees. Not the snarl of a wolf, not the bellow of a boar. Something… different. Something… ancient.

He turned, katana held ready, his senses sharpening, his instincts screaming a silent warning. Emerging from the shadows of the trees, a creature unlike any he had faced before stepped into the clearing.

Massive. Imposing. Wreathed in an aura of palpable power. It was vaguely reptilian, scaled and armored, with eyes that burned with an eerie, intelligent light. Qi radiated from it in waves, a dense, suffocating pressure that pressed down on Kai, a force far beyond anything he had encountered in the mortal realm.

High-rank. Undeniably, terrifyingly high-rank. This was no mere beast. This was… something else.

Nascent Soul, his instincts whispered, recognizing the sheer density of the creature's Qi. Nascent Soul level power, contained within a monstrous form. But… something was off.

He focused, his gaze piercing through the creature's imposing aura, and he saw it. A subtle flicker in its eyes, a slight hesitation in its movements. The Qi was there, vast and potent, but the mind… the mind was… weaker.

Core Formation V. His mental calculations, honed by years of survival, clicked into place. The creature's mental strength, its cognitive abilities, were not on par with its raw power. Core Formation V. Still stronger than his own current Core Formation stage, but… manageable.

Manageable, perhaps, for someone wielding Qi. But Kai… Kai fought differently now.

The high-rank monster, sensing his gaze, its intelligence flickering within its reptilian eyes, let out a deafening roar, a challenge, a declaration of dominance.

And Kai, clad in black, katana held ready, a predator facing a predator, a force of nature confronting a force of nature, merely smiled. A cold, chillingly determined smile.

"Seven hundred and eighty-seven," he murmured, his voice barely audible above the monster's roar, but carrying a chilling certainty. "Let's make it seven hundred and eighty-seven."

The battle was about to begin. And Kai, unburdened, unleashed, and ready to test the true extent of his dream-forged power, was finally facing an opponent worthy of his steel.