Training in a forest and treasure

The night had draped the sky in pitch darkness, like an abyss about to swallow the world whole. In the forest, the air was terrifyingly silent—occasionally broken by the distant roar of beasts, the whistling of winds swirling through the branches, and the rustle of leaves dancing overhead. It was a place steeped in the scent of damp soil and wet wood.

But on the horizon, there was a small light, like a candle flickering in the wind. If you came closer, you'd find it was a campfire, its flames dancing with the cold night breeze. Sitting there was a young man with a stern face, his thick black hair cascading backward, while his blood-red eyes reflected the fire's glow, adding a layer of mystery to the darkness of night.

He was holding a skewer of meat, slowly turning it over the fire, while in his other hand he held another skewer already half-devoured by his teeth. As he turned the meat, his chest rose and fell slowly with breaths carrying the smoky aroma of sizzling fat.

And if you drew even closer, you'd see that the young man's mind was elsewhere, his thoughts racing at lightning speed.

This was Kyle, replaying in his mind what had happened that day—how he'd been ambushed by bandits.

"If only I had more strength, I wouldn't have wasted so much time," he muttered under his breath, his eyes fixed on the flames as if they were burning his thoughts along with the wood.

Kyle knew he lacked strength. Even though he had defeated his enemies, the way he did it was unworthy of a knight—it was more akin to the methods of an assassin or an archer, not a knight who understood the meaning of honor.

When he thought of knights and their honor, he let out a scornful smile and shook his head slowly, mocking himself.

"Honor, huh… Does this world truly value honor?"

In this world, every knight and noble swore an oath bound by seven virtues: courage, honesty, loyalty, compassion, honor, justice, and humility or respect. These were the seven virtues sworn before representatives of rulers in any land, no matter who ruled it.

"I don't know if the people of this world truly live by that oath… But for me, my life comes first, and my goal comes above all else. As long as no one stands in my way or threatens my plans, we can live by the seven virtues… But if someone does stand in my way—or even poses a risk to me in the future—I'll make them taste their seven sins in hell."

At that very moment, the sky grew darker still, scattered clouds forming shapes like eyes silently staring down at the world. No one noticed those unseen gazes, but some did sense a sudden change in the weather—a cold wind swept through the trees, shaking the branches and scattering dry leaves onto the damp ground, releasing the scent of wet grass and dew.

But what could they do except raise their guard or hide their excitement? As for Kyle, he exhaled deeply, lifted the skewer to devour the last piece of meat, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, staring into the dying embers, his black hair dancing with a chill breeze that brushed his neck.

"I have so many things I need to do… and so little time."

He had to intensify the nurturing of the Seed of Life before he reached Dawn Academy. He needed to gain combat experience, train more, sell items, gather new ones to earn money, and explore the ancient map hidden in his leather satchel.

"So many things…" he murmured, then sighed deeply, a small cloud of breath forming in the cold night air.

And so the night passed, until the first rays of sunlight crept across the land, slowly banishing the darkness with warmth. At that time, Kyle stood on the branch of a tall tree, watching the sunrise through the dense canopy, its golden rays touching his cold cheek.

"All right… Where should I start training?"

He whispered to himself, clenching his fist tightly and relaxing his shoulders, ready. Kyle had decided to begin with training—he couldn't keep running around doing this and that. He knew that if he kept moving aimlessly, he'd draw unwanted attention. Strength was his top priority above all else.

His greatest pillar in this world was his own power.

So he chose this desolate forest as his training ground, moving slowly toward his goal: the central capital of Eastern Astalia Kingdom. But his pace would be slower than he had planned.

Kyle leapt down from the branch, a cold wind lifting the ends of his black hair. He bent his knees as his feet touched the damp earth, scattering soil and dry leaves beneath his boots.

And so Kyle's training began. His training was simple: strengthening his body through a series of exercises that pushed it to its limits. Push-ups, squats, long runs, lifting and pushing boulders. Each exercise was meant to hone his body step by step. Then came sword practice—starting with the basics, then advancing to the techniques in his family's sword manual: Flame Lion Sword. After that, he would hunt monsters to serve as sparring partners—and eventually, his meals.

In the evenings, he would drink a special elixir and train in circulating his aura while meditating deeply. This was Kyle's daily routine—his will unwavering for even a moment.

And he didn't stop there. He added poison ingestion to use his Poison and Curse Resistance trait. He knew this trait worked passively, but he needed to build real immunity over time. He collected poisonous plants from the forest or extracted venom from beasts, consuming small amounts, enduring the bitterness and the burning in his throat—aware that one second could decide a crucial battle.

Three weeks passed like this as Kyle carved a path deeper into the forest. The number of monsters increased, and the trees grew taller, like ancient pillars brushing the sky.

By a small lake, Kyle stood staring into its depths, where a faint golden light shimmered beneath the still surface. This was Kyle's favorite kind of sign.

"A golden light means treasure… and a big investment."

What surprised him was that the golden lights were moving slowly in the lake's depths. "Could they be fish?"

Without hesitation, Kyle stripped down to his undergarments and stored everything in his storage ring. His body was sculpted—muscles well-defined and tight under his skin. When he jumped into the cold water, his body shivered for a moment before adjusting to the chill.

He dove quickly into the small lake, no deeper than five meters and about thirty meters across. The place was as dark as a blue abyss, but his eyes stayed locked on the golden lights.

Kyle tried to grab one, but it slipped through his fingers like a slick shadow and vanished into the water plants. He surfaced, gasping for breath, hair plastered to his neck and droplets of water dripping from his chin.

"Haah… Haah… All right, I'll count this as underwater training… And these damned fish—I'll grill them all."

Catching his breath, he dove again—this time moving slowly, mastering his movements so as not to stir the water too much. Without realizing it, his time underwater gradually increased from three minutes to five, then ten, until he reached fifteen minutes thanks to his Adaptation trait. His breathing grew stronger, his movements more fluid among the cold currents.

Each time he emerged from the lake, he carried a golden fish glistening in his hands—or sometimes came out with nothing but pond weed clinging to his arm. When he finally pulled out his first fish and read its description, his crimson eyes widened in silent astonishment.

> [Name: Golden Dragon Fish

Description: A legendary fish. The appearance of even one can cause a bloodbath due to its rarity. Its greatest trait is that if eaten, it raises a person's talent by one whole grade.]

Kyle fully understood what it meant to raise someone's talent by an entire grade. Someone destined to become a Golden Knight could gain a chance to become an Earth Knight!

"All right… This is worth causing a bloodbath for."

Within five hours, Kyle succeeded in catching all the fish in the lake—a total of ten. He lifted one of the fish in his hand with a small smile, droplets of water falling from his hair onto his bare shoulders.

"Honestly… I'd love to see the faces of the world when they find out I found ten Golden Dragon Fish."

But Kyle had no intention of revealing this secret. True, he didn't really need them thanks to his unique Innate Talent trait—but they would help him accelerate the nurturing of the Seed of Life within his body.

And revealing this secret would only put him in danger.

In front of this living treasure, his crimson eyes gleamed with a faint glimmer—like firelight in the night. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of water mixed with the aroma of pond weeds and the lake's freshness.