By the time they finally decided to take a break, everyone was exhausted and more than ready to refuel.
Kei rummaged through his inventory and pulled out food and water. “Here you go, guys. I still have some leftovers from when I was back at my clearing.”
They took the food with grateful nods, their stomachs too empty to resist.
Kai bit into a piece of cooked meat and his eyes widened. “Hmmm… so good. You said you have a PhD in cooking?”
Kei laughed. “Yeah, I’ve been told my mom’s cooking was really good, but I never really got the chance to meet her before she passed. So, since I had the time, I figured I may as well learn to cook.”
The casual way he said it caught them off guard.
He never met his mom?
Talia, Owen, Reese, and Kai exchanged subtle glances, their expressions softening.
Noticing, Kei waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t look so sad for me—it’s okay. It was out of my parents’ control, but I used to hear faint whispers of her voice every so often. I knew she was always around, trying to get close to me, but what happened, happened. No point feeling sad about it.” He grinned and kept eating.
There wasn’t much they could say after that, so they chose to respect his privacy and quietly continued their meal.
After some time, Reese let out a groan, stretching out his legs. “Man, that was a really long run. How far away is this quest location, Owen?”
Owen sighed, rubbing his sore legs. “Honestly? We might still have a while to go.”
Kei stretched his arms, bouncing lightly on his feet as he spoke.
“It gave me some time to train my agility and constitution. I’ve been in the settlement for a while, so I haven’t had a chance to train. Even my constitution and agility went up by a point.”
He glanced at his status screen while lightly hopping around, testing the changes in his body.
[Status Screen]
[Name]: Kei Yuichi
[Title]: He Who Denies Fate | Hidden Title (Yet to be accepted)
[Class]: Locked
[Force Alignment]: Breeze
[Level]: 0
[Attributes]:
- Strength: 17
- Dexterity: 16
- Agility: 18 → 19
- Constitution: 15 → 16
- Intelligence: 20
- Will: 20
- Charisma: 20
[Remaining Stat Points]: 0 + 3 (rewarded for gaining a hidden title)
[Force Progression]: 50%
“What do you mean?” Reese asked, staring at him. “Are you saying your stat points went up?”
Kei blinked. “Yeah? Training raises your stats. That’s how I’ve been improving all this time. Why do you think I don’t mind staying Level 0 for so long?”
Silence.
Talia, Kai, Reese, and Owen froze.
Owen’s voice came out weak. “Wait… so you’re saying physical training actually increases our stats?”
Kei raised an eyebrow. “Uh… yeah. I thought that was obvious?”
It wasn’t.
Not to them.
Not to anyone.
Their expressions twisted as the reality of what they just learned sank in.
They had rushed through levels, carefully allocating their stat points with each level up, never questioning if there was another way.
Talia grabbed Kei by the collar and shook him violently.
“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US THIS SOONER!?”
“GAH—!! STOP—!! YOU NEVER ASKED!!” Kei flailed, his voice strangled.
Kai collapsed to the ground, his hands shaking. “I could’ve had… so much more strength.”
Reese clutched his head. “We’ve been doing this wrong.”
Owen just fell onto his back, his face blank with despair. “I could’ve been faster, stronger, more durable.”
Kei, still being shaken like a ragdoll, threw up his hands in frustration.
“STOP ACTING LIKE THIS IS MY FAULT!!”
After having shaken all the contents out of Kei’s stomach, Talia finally vented all of her frustration.
Reese crossed his arms. “But how did you figure all of this out on your own?”
Kei wiped his mouth, still a little pale from the aggressive shaking. “When we first got here, I noticed my base stat allocation and figured the system was quantifying my body’s physical and mental capabilities.”
He took a breath, still feeling queasy.
“I was curious about stat points and wondered how the body would be affected, so I used them and felt the changes happen.” He clenched and unclenched his fists, remembering. “And from there, I just tried to replicate that same sensation through training.”
The group stared at him.
Talia twitched. “You… just figured it out? Like that?”
Kei shrugged. “I mean… yeah?”
“I have to admit,” he continued, stretching his arms to shake off the dizziness, “I’m not some fitness expert or anything. But I was harassed so much back home to exercise that I remembered a bunch of workouts drilled into me.”
He scratched his head.
“I modified them until I could replicate those same sensations I got from spending stat points. Then, I just kept pushing past my limits.”
A heavy silence followed.
Kai clenched his fists. “So you’re telling me… all we had to do was train, and we could have been stronger naturally?”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Owen stared up at the sky, dead inside. “So you’re saying… I didn’t have to waste all my points on constitution?”
Reese dragged a hand down his face. “And we never knew.”
Talia just stared at Kei like she wanted to strangle him again.
Kei narrowed his eyes. “DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT! I WASN’T HIDING ANYTHING! YOU NEVER ASKED!”
Reese scoffed. “Who the hell asks if running around makes your stats go up?”
“People who think, Reese!” Kei snapped back.
“And also,” Kei continued, crossing his arms, “we just met not too long ago. Everything you guys did? That all happened before you even knew me.”
The group fell silent.
Damn.
They really couldn’t blame him.
Talia sighed, rubbing her temples. “Fine. Fine. But still—”
Kei cut her off. “By the way, don’t you think it’s weird?”
Kai raised a brow. “What’s weird?”
“You allocate a stat point, and suddenly your body changes? Like, where’s the mass increase? The improved density? The neurological rewiring? In physics, matter can’t be created from nothing. So where the hell are these changes coming from?”
That made them pause.
“…Okay, that’s actually a good question,” Owen admitted.
“I’ve thought about this for a long time,” Kei continued, his voice picking up momentum. “Back home, I got into game design in my free time. And…”
He hesitated for a second before sighing. “Okay, I got way too obsessed with this exact topic. It’s easy to program a character getting stronger with stat points, but I started wondering—how would that even work? What’s the actual mechanic behind it?”
Kei’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“Like, in an RPG, you put a point into strength, and suddenly you’re lifting boulders. But if that happened in reality, how does your body physically adapt? Are your muscles reinforced? Is there a change at the cellular level? Does your nervous system evolve to handle the strain?”
Owen blinked. “Kei, you sound like a mad scientist.”
Kei ignored him. “And another thing—why does nobody question it? It’s like everyone just blindly accepts it! No one asks where the hell the power comes from.”
He threw up his hands.
“That bothers me, okay?”
"And that bothered me," Kei continued, shaking his head. "Like, it really bothered me. So I figured—why rely on something I don’t understand?"
He stretched his arms behind his head, sighing.
"That’s why I just trained instead."
The others watched him with mixed expressions—part admiration, part confusion.
"But here’s the weirdest part." Kei’s tone shifted, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Stat points gained from training? They feel way stronger than the ones you get from just allocating points. And I don’t mean a small difference—I mean a lot."
Kai frowned. "What do you mean?"
Kei rolled his shoulder, as if testing something.
"I mean, when I put in actual work and raise my agility or constitution naturally, it feels like my entire body adjusts. Like my reflexes, my endurance—everything shifts with it."
He tapped his chest.
"But when I just add a stat point? It’s more like… a quick upgrade. My body changes, sure, but not in a way that feels integrated. It’s like installing a new software update instead of actually learning how to do something."
Reese crossed his arms, intrigued. "So what? You’re saying training gives better stats than just leveling?"
Kei grinned.
"Exactly."
Kei's grin stayed, but something about it shifted—just slightly.
"And also—" his voice turned light, casual—too casual.
"Don’t go spreading my research."
The air around them changed.
"I don’t like you guys that much."
The grin remained, but now it felt colder. Sharper.
Kai, Reese, Owen, and Talia all tensed—instinctively feeling the shift in atmosphere.
It wasn't a threat.
Not exactly.
But the weight of Kei's words made it clear.
This wasn’t something they should ever repeat.
“Anyway, mind if we make a slight detour? It should be on the way.”
They continued their journey, eventually arriving at Kei’s clearing.
“Hmm… seems like they’re not here,” Kei muttered, gripping his sword. “Wanted to shear Wooloo a bit.”
Talia glanced around, recognizing the area. “This is where you stay?”
“Yeah. Good spot, isn’t it?” Kei said, scanning the surroundings.
But Kai, still thinking about something, folded his arms.
“Speaking of the Fellhorn… your blood.”
Kei looked up, raising an eyebrow.
Kai continued, “You said your force is Breeze Force, but I saw you use Stormwind—just like that Stormwind Fellhorn in the dungeon. Then you used Frost and Fire Forces too.”
The others nodded, remembering the fight with Orin and Kaito.
Reese crossed his arms. “So… the real reason you feed creatures—and I guess in this case, humans—your blood… is because it lets you use their Force?”
Kei let out a small chuckle.
“Basically.”
At their expressions, he shrugged. “At first, when that pup bit me, I noticed it really enjoyed my blood. So I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it some from time to time.”
Then he grew thoughtful.
“Then I started feeling connections forming.”
He tapped his chin.
“After Zeph came close to killing me—and I defeated him—I noticed he was the same way too.”
As if to give them an example, Kei raised his hand, forming it into the shape of a sheep’s head.
Aether surged—Ebb & Flow Force manifested, a spectral image of Wooloo’s horns appearing faintly around his arm.
The ground beneath them shifted.
Small rocks and pebbles trembled, rolling toward Kei as if pulled by an unseen tide.
Talia, Kai, Reese, and Owen watched in stunned silence.
“Through that connection, my aether changes accordingly,” Kei explained, watching the effect closely. “It takes on the characteristics of their forces.”
He flexed his fingers, releasing the energy.
“I don’t know why it works like this. But if it works, then I have nothing to complain about.”
Owen, still staring at the ground, finally spoke. “And the Stormwind Fellhorn—you weren’t using its Force directly, were you?”
Kei shook his head.
“I’m not using the Stormwind Fellhorn’s Force per se. We’re both minor Forces of Wind.”
Seeing their confusion, he elaborated.
“The entire Force of Wind encompasses Breeze and Stormwind. It only makes sense that the more we progress, the more we’ll be able to access other minor forces under the same umbrella.”
Reese muttered, “So, if someone had, let’s say… Flame Force, they could eventually learn other fire-based Forces too?”
“Probably,” Kei admitted. “At least, if they push their progression far enough.”
“Anyway, since they’re not here, we should continue with the quest. Sorry for the detour.” Kei shrugged, motioning for them to keep moving.
As they resumed their journey, Kai spoke up. “So, what exercises are particularly useful for training stats?”
Kei hummed in thought. “I don’t know if there’s a universal method. Each person should be different, I believe. It’s up to you to figure out what’s best for you.”
He kicked a loose pebble along the trail as he continued, “I’m still fine-tuning my own training. Think of it like a diet. Sure, we can all eat the same food, but it affects us differently. At least, that’s my belief. No sound conclusion yet, though.”
They kept running, covering more ground, until—
“We’re here.” Owen came to a stop, gesturing ahead.
Up ahead, a massive creature lumbered through the forest, its powerful form shifting as it dug through the ground in search of food.
Its fur wasn’t normal—it looked like layered plates of hardened earth, flexible yet incredibly durable.
[Boulder Veined Bear]
[Level 7]
Kei muttered under his breath, reading the displayed information.
Owen raised an eyebrow. “Wait… you can see that info too?”
Kei just nodded, brushing the question aside. “So what’s the plan, Owen? That thing is huge.”
Owen grinned, rolling his shoulders. “Heh, you’re not the only one among us that’s strong. Just watch.”
Drawing his Fellhorn Sword and Shield, Owen focused on his connection to the earth.
Aether stirred.
Bastion Force roared.
The ground beneath him seemed to settle, as if recognizing his presence.
Then—
[Skill Name]: Gaia’s Silent Prayer
[Description]:
By channeling Bastion Force, the user attunes themselves to the earth’s natural rhythm, reinforcing their body with the silent resilience of stone. This skill passively strengthens defenses while providing a stable foundation for combat, making the user an unshakable presence on the battlefield.
[Effects]:
- Earthen Fortification – Increases physical defense by 15% while standing on solid ground.
- Rooted Stance – Reduces the impact of knockback and forced displacement effects by 30%.
- Gaia’s Endurance – Gradually restores stamina when remaining in place for extended periods.
- Silent Vigilance – Enemies attacking the user may experience a slight reduction in accuracy due to the stabilizing field of Aether.
- Aether Conduction – When in direct contact with the earth, the user can slowly absorb Aether from the environment to sustain defensive skills longer.
[Additional Notes]:
- This skill is most effective when the user maintains direct contact with the ground.
- It pairs well with counterattacks and defensive techniques, allowing the user to weather enemy assaults before striking back.
- Excessive movement reduces some of the passive benefits, as the skill relies on standing firm.
As Owen activated Gaia’s Silent Prayer, the very air around him shifted.
The earth seemed to recognize him.
Aether rose from below, flowing through his body like a steady current. His stance solidified, his movements measured and rooted.
He walked toward the bear, his heavy footsteps echoing in rhythm with the steady pulse of his Bastion Force.
The Boulder Veined Bear lifted its head, noticing him.
It snorted, stomping its front paws—then let out a deep, guttural roar.
It wasn’t just a warning.
It was an acknowledgment.
The bear saw him as prey.
And it was about to claim its meal.
Kei stood at the back, observing.
“You know…” he mused, glancing at Owen. “You’re both earth-based. You’d probably learn more from the bear than me.”
His grin widened.
“Just pay careful attention.”