A New Power

It had been a week since training with his father, and Rashan finally understood why his brothers had always beaten him. Those bastards had been using Will the entire time. Not like their father, not in the overwhelming bursts of speed and power that could cut through a dummy in a single strike, but just enough. Just enough to make themselves a little faster, a little sharper, a little harder to hit. They had been doing it so naturally, so seamlessly, that he had never noticed.

Now that he was using it too, everything had changed. He could actually spar with them. He still lost, of course—he wasn't stupid. His eldest brother was too strong, too experienced, and trying to fight him was like trying to stop a charging warhorse with his bare hands. But his second and third brothers? He was getting hits in. Real, solid hits. He could see the moment they realized it too, the moment they had to start actually trying instead of just humoring their youngest sibling.

After one particularly good match, his second brother laughed, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "Wolverine has discovered Will now, huh?"

Rashan rolled his eyes but couldn't stop the small smirk that tugged at his lips. The nickname had stuck for years. He never gave up, never stayed down, and now, for the first time, it was actually paying off. He was still behind them, still weaker, still smaller, but they couldn't just toy with him anymore. He made them work for their victories.

But Will came at a cost. He had quickly realized that using it drained his stamina fast. He could recover it like in the game, but the more he pushed himself, the slower it came back. If he emptied himself too many times in a short span, his body resisted. His recovery slowed, his limbs grew heavier, and it took real rest, real food, and real time to get back to full strength. But that wasn't a bad thing. Every time he pushed his limits, his body adapted. His stamina lasted longer, recovered faster, and even if the growth was gradual, it was there.

And then, just like the day of his birth, his HUD flickered.

The world around him seemed to dull, everything else fading into the background as glowing golden text appeared before his eyes. Unlike the normal notifications he had seen before, this one carried weight. He could feel it, a presence behind the words, something unseen yet undeniable.

[Congratulations. The Host has unlocked a basic understanding of Will.]

A rush of warmth spread through his body, like an ember catching fire deep in his chest. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was there—a subtle shift, a recognition. The system had acknowledged his growth.

[Reward Unlocked: Rush of the Ra Gada]

A deeper warmth pulsed through his limbs, like the surge of energy that came at the peak of battle, that moment of clarity when instincts took over and limits were forgotten.

[Rush of the Ra Gada: The blood of your warrior ancestors flows strong within you. When activated, stamina regeneration increases tenfold for two minutes, allowing for relentless movement and combat. (Limit: Once per day.)]

His breath hitched. That was it. That was the Redguard racial ability from the game. Two full minutes of unrelenting stamina. No exhaustion, no slowing down, no limit except how hard he could push himself in that time. That wasn't just a short burst—it was a game-changer. Two minutes was an eternity in a fight.

In single combat, it meant overwhelming his opponent, outlasting them while they tired. In a group battle? It was even better. He could keep moving, repositioning, flanking while others slowed. He could charge through gaps in an enemy line, keep fighting while others caught their breath, press an advantage while the enemy struggled to keep up.

This was why Redguards were feared warriors. Why their elite could fight waves of enemies without slowing.

His fingers curled into fists as he exhaled slowly, his mind already racing with possibilities.

This changed everything.