Three Rings

[Two Days Later]

Sollivan opened the wooden door of his house and watched the heavy droplets of water falling. He smelled the damp soil with a relaxed expression, while the wind sneaking through the door slightly ruffled his long hair. However, he didn't feel cold and continued to enjoy the beautiful rainy weather. He looked at the few passersby running quickly and awkwardly jumping to avoid the many puddles filling the narrow alley with a small smile. After a long period of peaceful calm, he sighed.

"I can't go to work in this weather." He slowly closed the door and wheeled his chair toward his usual table to the sound of the ringing rain. After sitting in his comfortable spot, he looked at the five ceramic bottles arranged on the table.

He thought carefully for a few minutes before picking up one of the bottles and taking out a brown pill the size of a thumbnail. The pill wasn't made with precision, so its circular shape wasn't symmetrical and appeared oval. Some faint bumps and dents could also be seen.

He played with the pill using his healthy fingers, which looked strong and smooth at the same time, and muttered, "The effect of the strengthening pills was very good. I hope the new batch I bought will help me break through the second level and approach the third level of body strengthening. However, these pills are really expensive. Another gold coin wasted, and I'm left with little money." He silently lamented his poverty and began to seriously think of effective ways to earn a lot of money.

"If my financial situation worsens too much, I'll only have Noctis to rely on." He placed the pill on the table and scratched his chin as he thought.

'Wait, even if Noctis can sneak into the secret vaults and private rooms of the wealthy, can he take out valuable items and hide them in the shadows like he does with his body?' He frowned in confusion, but he didn't continue to wonder aimlessly. Instead, he immediately took out some silver coins and placed them on the table.

"Appear."

Noctis emerged from his chair and stood beside him.

"Take these coins and hide in the shadows as you always do."

Noctis extended his dark hand and picked up the silver coins. The shadows in his hand began to cover the coins, and within a second, the coins disappeared, leaving only his hand. Sollivan was surprised when he saw this and exclaimed, "You can do this too?!"

He paused for a moment and shook his head. 'I should have expected this given the unique nature of your body. Speaking of which, you're very strange and different from the other beasts I know.'

Noctis had a mysterious and strange body structure, with no vital organs inside. He seemed like nothing more than smoke taking on a human form, capable of hiding in shadows and turning his body into liquid or solid at will. His body's nature was highly adaptable, allowing him to easily adjust to his surroundings. The only constant in his body was his red, gem-like eyes, which made Sollivan believe they were the only vital organs in his body.

He stopped his thoughts and gestured to him. "Come on, hide and do it slowly so I can observe you clearly."

Without any delay, Noctis began to blend into the shadow of the table starting from his feet. To onlookers, it looked as if his body was sinking into the ground and disappearing bit by bit, making him shorter. After a few seconds, most of his body had disappeared, leaving only the top of his head. At that moment, Sollivan saw a strange distortion. The shadows rippled, and the coins emerged. Noctis disappeared into the shadows of the ground, and the coins remained on the surface.

Sollivan stared at the protruding coins with great disappointment before leaning back in his chair, looking at the damp ceiling, and sighing. "It didn't work."

"Huh, it seems my plans to easily steal money won't succeed." A few drops of water seeped through a small hole in the ceiling and fell to the ground. When he noticed this, he watched the droplets aimlessly for a few minutes before exhaling a long breath, emptying his internal chaos. For a moment, some crazy ideas crossed his mind, but he didn't dwell on them and smiled sarcastically at himself and his irrationality.

He gestured to Noctis and ordered him to return the silver coins to the table and place some containers under the leaking spots to prevent the floor from being ruined.

After organizing his affairs, he stimulated his blood and enjoyed the faint warmth that accompanied it. Then he regulated his breathing and placed the strengthening pill in his mouth. He closely monitored the digestion process, feeling the faint progress and vitality that nourished his muscles and organs, making him feel a bit more energetic.

After about half an hour, the pill's effect wore off, and all its energy was digested. Then he took another pill. But this time, he didn't closely monitor the digestion process. Instead, he took out a worn-out book and a new one from his bag, picked up his improved pen, and began carefully copying the contents of the old book. However, he maintained his breathing rhythm and continued to stimulate his blood, not completely neglecting the digestion process.

After returning to work and ending his short break, he resumed his usual routine. Although he had procrastinated a bit and hadn't started copying books until now, he somewhat enjoyed doing it because books were like friends. Inside them, he saw wisdom and numerous experiences that enriched his insight and knowledge. Even if everything he read remained theoretical and unattainable in reality, his small experiences, especially his transition to the other world, made him realize the value of knowledge, no matter how seemingly useless.

His body relaxed, and his consciousness immersed itself in the process of writing and digestion. After half an hour, he suddenly raised his head with a slightly puzzled expression. "Time passed so quickly. But this is truly amazing."

He gently flipped through the pages he had written and marveled at his unusually fast writing speed. "My speed has increased, and my focus has improved. At this rate, I won't have any problems copying books anymore. Also, the digestion process went smoothly even though I divided my focus."

*Huff.* He exhaled excitedly. 'Now I can balance work and training without wasting any time.'

He took another pill and directed his focus back to writing and digestion. And so, time passed quickly and quietly. The sound of the rain outside lessened, and after a slightly longer period, it was noon.

...

Sollivan's hand stopped writing, and he froze in his position for a moment before exhaling a strangely dark, misty breath.

Huff.

With shock and joy, he asked with certainty, "Did I break through?!"

"This is much faster than I expected?!" Only three days had passed since his last breakthrough, and here he was breaking through again. Although the world of body strengthening wasn't difficult, the speed of his breakthroughs was still astonishing and unbelievable. He enjoyed the sense of accomplishment before looking at the two empty bottles with happiness. "I only consumed eight pills. With what I have left, I might be able to reach half of the second level."

After each breakthrough, the body needed a short rest period of a day or more to readjust and adapt to the improvements. Although he had ignored this during his first breakthrough due to excitement and only rested for a few hours, he now decided to take it slow. So, he stopped regulating his breathing and relaxed his body. However, he didn't stop stimulating his blood.

He tossed the pen aside, but without realizing it, he did so with a bit more force, causing the pen to fly a considerable distance, fall off the table, roll a bit, and stop near the wall.

"Hmm." He watched this with curiosity, then leaned back in his chair, unwilling to do anything. Suddenly, an old memory came to mind, making him relax and close his eyes involuntarily.

...

A young boy around thirteen years old, with slightly long black hair covering his ears, bright brown eyes, slightly rosy white cheeks, and moist lips, made his childish features stand out on his face.

In front of the young boy stood a man in his early thirties, with long, smooth hair reaching his neck. His face was sculpted with overwhelming masculinity, and his short, well-groomed beard and mustache added to his handsome, manly appearance. His features were very ordinary, but his brown eyes looked sharp and had a beautiful glow. His eyebrows weren't sharp like drawn swords. However, his majestic posture, along with his beautiful silver armor, made him look noble.

The noble man held an egg in his hand and challenged happily, "You've truly broken through. Your talent surpasses mine."

"Hehe." Young Sollivan laughed proudly and pointed at himself, showing a bit of arrogance. "What do you expect? I'm the best talent in the city. Reaching the fifth level in one year isn't something I should boast about." Despite his words, his facial expressions betrayed his true feelings.

"Yes, you're right. Now you need to train and reach the eighth level before opening your meridians. This is good for you."

"That's what I intended." Sollivan quickly nodded, showing eager agreement.

His father handed him the egg and said, "You've just broken through. Let's test your focus. Hold the egg."

Young Sollivan understood his father's intention and hesitantly extended his hand without hiding his anticipation. He held the egg with his fingers.

Crack!

His small, strong fingers crushed the egg without him realizing it. The sticky egg white flowed through the cracks and stained his fingers. At that moment, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and he felt a bit of embarrassment and discomfort.

"Let's try it again."

A mocking look appeared on his father's face, and he laughed loudly. "You failed again. This is the fifth time you've lost control of your strength after a breakthrough."

The sound of laughter echoed in his head and gradually faded, as if returning to the distant past with his memories. He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling hazily. He exhaled a breath heavy with sadness as he fondly remembered his father's features, but he didn't continue to dive into his memories and stored them back in the corners of his mind.

When he regained clarity, he realized he was sweating strangely. He raised his hand, touched his forehead, and felt its high temperature. "It's happening again."

He sent orders to Noctis, who quickly went to the narrow bathroom on the other side of the room and brought an old bucket meant for water. He placed it beside the chair and stood there, waiting silently.

The minutes passed slowly, and Sollivan began to feel increasingly ill. His body trembled, and he felt cold. Quickly, Noctis brought him his blanket and wrapped it around him to keep him warm. And so, like the last time, his stomach began to stab him with severe pain, and his vision became blurry while his ears rang.

He writhed in unbearable pain on his chair for a full hour before the wave of changes in his body subsided. When he felt his intestines wanting to come out of his mouth, he sent orders to Noctis, who immediately lifted the bucket and placed it in front of his face.

He opened his mouth and emptied the contents of his stomach and intestines, which were sticky and dirty like mud. Unlike the first time, his vomit this time was more clotted and bloody, as if he had reached the bottom of a tank filled with sediment. Small red flesh chunks and blood clots, whose origin he didn't understand, came out. All the impurities and damage that had been stagnant and hidden inside his body for all these years began to come out. He continued vomiting for about ten minutes before his condition began to improve.

He set the bucket aside and wiped his lips with a cloth Noctis handed him. Then he leaned back in his chair, panting from exhaustion. He didn't vomit as much impurity as the first time. Although his body hadn't fully calmed down yet, he began to feel a great lightness and slight relief.

After sitting for about an hour until his condition stabilized, he drank water, cleaned himself, and disposed of the waste. Then he prepared his late lunch and filled his empty stomach.

He looked at the faint light seeping through the small windows and estimated that sunset was still a bit away. So, he picked up his pen from the floor, played with it a bit, and scribbled some random drawings and meaningless words to get used to his slightly increased strength.

After fully regaining control of his hand, he returned to the copying process. He had already copied dozens of pages, so he decided to continue and finish them as quickly as possible to get the money he desperately needed.

Time passed quietly, and as he immersed himself in writing and reading, he heard a loud, familiar ringing sound.

Ding!

However, he didn't pay attention and continued his work.

Ding!

The bell rang again, louder than before. But this time, his hand stopped in place, and he raised his head in confusion. He looked at the light seeping through the windows. "It's not night yet, and the bell has rung twice. Did someone important come to the city? I wonder who this greedy bastard is, since there is a high chance he was tempted by the treasury? It must be one of the failed princes who haven't found support yet." He mocked aloud, yet his eyes gleamed with a dark light.

Ding!

His mouth, open in mockery, froze, and his eyes widened in astonishment upon hearing the third ring. He threw the pen from his hand and quickly ordered Noctis to merge with his chair and guide it to a spot on the floor. Quickly, he bent over and reached out to grab a protruding wooden piece from the floor.

He pulled it hard, causing it to come out of place, and at that moment, a small square space appeared, containing a bulging leather bag. Without any delay, he pulled out the bag, which rubbed against the remaining wooden pieces. Immediately, he went to the table and took all the money, pills, and valuable books he had arranged in a specific order for easy access. He stuffed his important belongings into the already full bag, and in his haste, he did so with too much force, causing many items to dent.

After gathering everything important, he wheeled his chair, opened his door, and quickly locked it without looking back. Although the rain had stopped, the ground was full of mud and puddles. But he didn't care and wheeled his chair with frantic speed—or rather, Noctis wheeled the chair, as Sollivan only moved his hands and pretended to push the wheels.