Chapter 5: Under Master's Eye
Kai's fingers hovered over his status panel as he felt the weight of twenty new stat points settle into his soul. His current stats stood firm from his last growth:
• Strength: 20
• Speed: 21
• Endurance: 26
• Intelligence: 39
• Perception: 46
• Willpower: 51
He could feel the subtle hum of potential awakening within him.
The choice before him was clear: invest these points carefully and decide which skill to unlock.
He considered his options.
1. Fractured Reality Drill Mastery: Deepen his signature technique, sharpening his perception and evasive abilities.
2. False Form: Phantom Reversal
Category: Counter / Disruption Technique
Rank Required: Martial Novice
Ki Cost: 8
Effect: Redirects opponent's attack to partially damage themselves and disrupts their ki control for 2 seconds.
Hidden Effect: Imprints "Reality Rejection" debuff on repeat attackers, causing their techniques to falter in future fights.
3. Ki Efficiency: Reduce ki consumption and increase regeneration speed.
Kai's mind raced but settled quickly.
Phantom Reversal—the perfect blend of defense and disruption—could turn fights around in moments.
He chose to unlock False Form: Phantom Reversal.
With a steady breath, he allocated:
• Strength +5 → 25
• Speed +5 → 26
• Endurance +3 → 29
• Intelligence +3 → 42
• Perception +2 → 48
• Willpower +2 → 53
[Stats Updated]
⸻
Later that morning, the training grounds were silent—too silent.
Most students were recovering from the previous day's group trial, their bodies bruised and pride fractured. But Kai stood alone in the center of a private stone ring.
Instructor Vale watched him from the edge, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
"Come here," she said flatly.
He obeyed.
"You're not like the others. I saw that yesterday," she said. "Your power is low, but your control is unnatural. What style did you use to dodge Daro?"
Kai remained silent.
Vale smirked slightly. "Not answering? That's fine. I wasn't asking permission."
She took a step forward—and in that instant, the pressure changed.
It was like standing in a windless void. No killing intent, no explosive ki—but something deeper. The weight of a thousand battles pressed against his bones.
[Danger Detected – Martial Master Class Opponent]
"Defend yourself," Vale said.
Then she vanished.
Kai barely had time to react. Her palm struck the air where his chest had been a moment ago, the strike carrying the crushing force of a heavyweight's blow. He twisted away with a snap-pivot, riding the kinetic wave, but she was already behind him.
Tap.
A single finger brushed against his spine. The strike was light, but precise—enough to disrupt balance and rattle nerves. If it had been serious, he would've lost consciousness.
"You hesitate," she said, stepping back. "Why?"
Kai steadied his breath. "Because I'm still learning what you're testing."
That made her grin.
Without warning, Vale's movement accelerated, a blur streaking forward with lethal intent. Her footwork was a symphony of precision — each step calculated, each strike a burst of controlled power. A whirlwind of punches and kicks followed, each designed to overwhelm and end the fight in moments.
Kai felt the air snap around him as her fist cut through a space mere centimeters from his face. He bent back, narrowly evading, feeling the gust on his skin. Another strike came in, a low sweeping kick meant to topple him.
He ducked and rolled, instincts sharper than his body. His Fractured Reality Drill ran in tandem with his reflexes—feeding him real-time data about angles, tension, and ki shifts.
With every strike, he read her rhythm—the silent pattern beneath the chaos.
The fight was a dance.
Kai's legs shifted as he absorbed and evaded; he bent with her force rather than resisted it.
Suddenly, he noticed a subtle delay in her left wrist as she redirected a sweeping kick. Not a flaw, but a slight misalignment in her ki flow — a momentary opening.
Kai seized it.
He sidestepped the kick—not just to evade but to counter.
His ki flared sharply, concentrated and focused.
🌀 [False Form: Phantom Reversal – Activated]
He grabbed her heel with a palm strike, twisting her momentum back against her.
A ripple spread through Vale's stance as her own force was redirected inward, shaking her balance and sending her skidding back three steps.
Vale blinked, impressed, eyes narrowing.
"Well now," she said, flexing her fingers. "What was that?"
Kai's chest rose and fell, his breath heavier now. That single move had drained nearly all his remaining ki—8 points—leaving him vulnerable.
Vale circled him slowly, her gaze sharp and analytical.
"That technique… it's not listed in any novice manuals. And with your ki reserves, you couldn't have invented it without thousands of repetitions."
She stopped and fixed him with a piercing look.
"Who taught you?"
"No one," Kai said evenly. "It's something I remembered. From before."
Vale's expression softened slightly, nodding.
"You're a tactician. Not a raw power prodigy, but a master of structure and rhythm. That's rare."
She turned away.
"Effective immediately, you're in my personal training rotation. Dawn sessions, separate from the novices."
🟦 [New Quest Received: "Under Master's Eye"]
Objective: Survive daily training under Instructor Vale for 7 days
Reward: ???
Penalty: Expulsion from Emberlight
Kai exhaled.
That was closer than he liked.
Vale's voice cut through the silence again.
"Rest tonight. Tomorrow, you set the pace."
He bowed shallowly.
As he left, the wind seemed sharper. Every breath heavier.
He wasn't hiding anymore.
He was being watched.
And that meant the real test was only beginning.
⸻
The system chimed as he stepped away.
🟦 [Hidden Quest Completed: "Hold Your Ground"]
Objective: Survive a fight against a Martial Master opponent.
Status: ✅ Success
Reward: +20 Stat Points
🟦 [Bonus Objective Achieved: "Impress the Master"]
Condition: Demonstrate a unique or unknown technique against Instructor Vale.
Bonus Reward: 🎁 [Random Item Box – Tier I]
Kai blinked at the glowing cube in his inventory.
Twenty stat points—earned by surviving and impressing one of the academy's fiercest warriors.
Sitting on a bench, he opened his status panel, staring at the numbers.
Strength? Speed? Endurance? Intelligence? Perception? Willpower?
Every point mattered.
Every choice could mean life or death.
Where to invest?