Meanwhile, the others stood around the fallen Boulder Veined Bear, contemplating what to do next.
They exchanged glances.
Then—
They looked at Kei.
Then at his beast companions.
Then back at the bear.
Kei, sensing their silent questions, raised a hand.
"Don’t look at me."
He stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders as if physically exhausted.
"I’m feeling bloated from the connections I have already. With the vipers gone, I have some relief, but..."
He waved a hand dismissively.
"I don’t think I’m capable of forming another connection right now."
Silence fell.
They looked at the heavily injured bear, its chest rising and falling weakly.
“So what do we do with it?”
“It’s still alive, but it’s in bad shape.”
“We could try healing potions… but I’m out.” Kei said, patting his belt.
“Would it even be worth it?” Kai muttered. “This thing has been trying to kill us.”
Talia crossed her arms. “We antagonized it first, to be fair.”
That made them pause.
Slowly, they all turned to Owen.
He had been quietly listening, but now he looked up, meeting their gazes.
Kei tilted his head, his golden-orange eyes flickering with interest.
Then—
He stared at Owen’s wrist.
“Your veins are really veiny.”
Owen blinked. “...What?”
Kei grinned.
“Wanna try something?”
The rest of the group immediately froze.
Their minds clicked into place, quickly realizing what Kei meant.
He wasn’t talking about healing the bear.
He was talking about connecting with it.
Using his blood.
Just like he did with Wooloo.
Talia, Reese, and Kai all took a half step back, watching for Owen’s reaction.
The weight of the decision settled in the air.
“Might as well try. If it works, you might get a really powerful tank bear. You saw how it whooped you around, and you struggled to deal with it,” Kei said casually.
There was truth in Kei’s words, which made Owen hesitate for a moment before making his decision.
He was about to slit his wrist when Kei suddenly grabbed his arm.
“Wait, don’t know if you’ll get an infection or not from its mouth. Just pour your blood into this vial,” Kei instructed, handing him a small container.
Owen raised a brow. “You shove your hand into creatures’ mouths all the time.”
Kei shrugged. “Didn’t have a choice the first time. But hey, I seem to be doing okay—no odd diseases or infections yet. And using a vial works just fine, so why risk it?”
Owen sighed, then filled the vial with his blood. Carefully, he approached the wounded bear and held the vial out.
The bear sniffed the air.
Then it leaned in, nose wrinkling, and turned its head away like it had just smelled rotten food.
Owen stared at it.
Then at the vial.
Then back at the bear.
The look on its face was clear:
“I’d rather die than drink that.”
A beat of silence passed.
Owen’s shoulders slumped.
Kei stared.
The others tried—very poorly—to hide their amusement.
Owen wasn’t sure if he should be offended, insulted, or just dig his own grave out of pure embarrassment.
“That’s weird.”
Kei casually slit his wrist and extended his hand toward the bear.
The creature growled, clearly recognizing the person who nearly pierced it through earlier.
But then—
The scent of Kei’s blood reached its nose.
The hostility in its eyes vanished instantly.
Instead, its expression turned almost desperate, its massive jaws parting as if it wanted to consume his entire wrist.
Kei didn’t let it.
Taking advantage of the open mouth, he swiftly grabbed Owen’s vial and poured its contents straight into the bear’s throat.
The bear flinched.
Owen blinked. “Uh—what just happened?”
Kei turned to him expectantly. “So? Do you feel anything?”
Owen hesitated. “What exactly am I supposed to feel?”
Kei tilted his head. “I don’t know. You’d just know. It’s kinda like when your stomach starts feeling weird right before you gotta run to the bathroom.”
Owen waited.
A few seconds passed.
A minute.
Nothing.
He frowned.
“…I got nothing.”
“Really a weird world we live in, but it makes sense when you think about it.” Kei analyzed, tapping his chin.
“What do you mean?” Owen asked, still a little disappointed.
“Well, my body is more suited for wind forces. Kai's hormones probably influence his speed and reaction time. Reese can manipulate vectors, Talia can trick the senses, and you—your connection is with earth. The fact that our bodies are fundamentally different isn’t really surprising, let alone the way our blood interacts with other beings. That’s my best guess.”
“Oh…” Owen sighed. “Kinda a shame I don’t get a tank bear.”
The others patted his back, offering a bit of comfort—
Until Owen suddenly grinned smugly.
“Guess it’s useful that I got this scroll.”
In his hand—
A Beast Companion Scroll.
A rare item that allowed someone to subjugate a defeated creature and form a contract.
“You had help defeating a bear and got a scroll. I suffocated an entire village of goblins and all I got were some needles. That seems unfair,” Kei mumbled, arms crossed, clearly jealous.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
“...You did what?” Talia, Kai, Reese, and Owen all turned to him.
Kei’s eyes darted to the side. “Zeph, buddy! Your new students—train them well for me, okay?” He deflected with complete innocence, ignoring their reactions.
Owen, desperate to change the subject, pulled out another reward from his inventory. “I didn’t just get this scroll. I also got these ores. Says here they’re really suitable for beginner crafters.”
Kei’s eyes immediately locked onto the ores.
“Ooooohhh! That’s my payment for helping you. Thank you!” He snatched the ores without hesitation, examining them with a greedy glint in his eye.
Then, he clapped Owen’s shoulder.
“And Zeph—train him extra well.”
Owen’s face drained of color.
“And the bear too,” Kei added.
Owen used his scroll on the bear, forming a master contract over the creature. With the bond established, he nursed it back to health using the last of his healing potions. The bear groaned lowly but didn't lash out, already adjusting to its new connection.
Kei stretched. “Alright, how about we head back to my clearing? I can make a crucible there and see if there’s anything I can craft. Might even have to set up a blacksmithing forge like the one back in the settlement.”
“You know how to blacksmith?” Reese asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Never done it before,” Kei admitted. “But I’m an engineer. How hard can it be?”
They returned to Kei’s clearing, mentally preparing for the intense training that awaited them under Zeph’s guidance. Meanwhile, Kei went off collecting a few more suitable branches to carve from.
After surveying the land, he nodded to himself.
“The ground here is perfect. Should be able to make a forge.”
And just like that, his next project began.
Using water to soften the earth into clay, Kei shaped the material into a crucible, ensuring it could withstand the high temperatures needed for smelting.
He also began crafting molds for future weapons, carefully designing each one to match the specifications he had in mind.
Testing the ores Owen had given him, Kei experimented to determine their melting points, adjusting the crucible accordingly to ensure the heat produced was sufficient.
Satisfied with his progress, he gathered sand from the nearby bodies of water, intending to create glass instruments—tools that would refine his crafting process even further.
The foundation for his blacksmithing forge was steadily coming together.
Kei used the branches he collected to construct makeshift wooden sleds, securing them with ropes crafted from nearby trees. These sleds were designed for Hachi and Wooloo to pull, allowing them to transport rocks, boulders, and logs with greater efficiency.
Venturing into the forest, Kei cut down a few trees with his sword. However, the sheer effort required quickly drained him. Recognizing the inefficiency, he experimented with coating his blade in wind, refining the technique until it sharpened his strikes, making the process far easier.
With the logs gathered, he processed them into planks, steadily constructing the framework of his blacksmithing station. His makeshift forge slowly took shape, an impressive display of resourcefulness that left the others watching in awe.
"He's weird, but he really works hard," Kai muttered, shaking his head.
Kei, wiping sweat from his brow, stretched. "Whew, I’m gonna clean up."
He pointed to a small pool of water nearby. "Use that to wash up. I'll make a proper bathhouse with a sewage system later, so just don’t think about it too much for now."
He tossed them bundles of rope. "Here, hang your clothes to dry. Also, take some soap—I made it with the plants around here. Smells really nice."
Talia sniffed the soap and blinked in surprise. "How did you even make this?"
"Animal fat and plants. Not too hard," Kei answered casually as he walked off.
Feeling like there were proper amenities in place, the group mentally braced themselves for what was coming.
Because standing before them—was a calamity in the form of a blue-furred monster.
Zeph stared them down, its piercing eyes carrying an almost amused glint, as if deciding how much suffering to put them through.
And then—Kei’s final words echoed in their heads.
"Don’t kill them, buddy. They’re more useful alive. Also, no serious injuries…"
For a brief second, relief washed over them—until Kei kept talking.
"Actually, scratch that—I need to test the efficiency of my healing salves. Maybe even experiment with some other plants too."
A deep, primal dread settled in their stomachs.
And like that—
Their torture began.
They launched their salvo of attacks—arrows whistling through the air, swords slashing, shields bracing, and daggers dancing between flickering mirages.
Without his spear, Kai had no choice but to rely on his hands and feet, his Adrenaline Force roaring to life, fueling his movements.
For what it was worth, they really tried.
They were knocked down, tossed around like ragdolls, but they gritted their teeth, pushing through the exhaustion, standing back up again and again.
But Zeph’s wind was relentless.
It was clear he wasn’t trying to seriously injure them—but that didn’t mean he was holding back either.
Having assessed their capabilities, Zeph eventually gave them a break, already formulating a training regimen in his mind. Like Kei said, they were too weak. The very idea of them standing against an Apex Boss right now would be a joke.
While the others huffed and gasped for air, barely holding themselves together, Kei was off to the side, completely in his own world.
He carefully examined several glass instruments, each resembling something out of a chemistry lab.
"Not made properly, but better than nothing. With this, I can move on from just salves to actual potions… just need to better understand how they work."
His eyes gleamed with anticipation—his next project already in motion.
Having built his makeshift forge, Kei began practicing tempering the ores, carefully feeling out the best method to maximize their potential.
Back in the settlement, he had spent countless hours watching the blacksmiths at work—studying their every move, memorizing the process of tempering metal, hammering it into shape, and quenching it in water to cool.
And now, he reproduced those same steps.
He heated the ores, watching intently as they glowed red-hot, waiting for the perfect moment before pulling them out.
The clang of metal against metal echoed through his clearing as he hammered away, flattening, shaping, and hardening the material.
Each strike was measured, each decision calculated—he wasn't just copying what he saw.
He was experimenting, refining, and adapting the process to suit his own needs.
His mind raced with possibilities.
"What kind of weapons will these ores make? How can I enhance their properties? What forces can be fused into them?"
His forge burned hotter, his hands steadier—his first true step into blacksmithing had begun.
In a twisted yet beautiful scene, the rhythmic hammering of Kei’s forge became the backdrop to the others’ training.
The clang of metal against metal, Thang, Thing, Thag, synchronized with Zeph’s guiding motions—teaching them how to punch properly, adjust their stances, and flow through their movements.
The hiss of steam from Kei’s forge masked their silhouettes, their figures moving in fluid strikes and kicks, learning to strike efficiently and effectively.
Time passed.
Kei failed repeatedly, nearly exhausting the ores Owen had given him.
His muscles ached, his hands were burned from handling hot metal without proper protective gear—but he pressed on.
Eventually, he picked up a wooden sword he had carved—shaped similarly to the one he had won, inspecting its balance.
"Funnily enough, this aether-infused wooden sword has better stats than this actual metal sword."
Curious, he wielded both, one in each hand.
Then, he called out to Wooloo and Hachi—and, while he was at it, he beckoned the bear to join, despite its visible reluctance.
Before starting, Kei glanced at his status screen, observing the results of his work.
[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 → 19
- Dexterity: 16 → 20
- Agility: 19
- Constitution: 16 → 18
- Intelligence: 20
- Will: 20
- Charisma: 20
[Remaining Stat Points]: 0 + 3 (rewarded for gaining a hidden title)
[Force Progression]: 50%
His body ached, but after seeing the results of his hard work, Kei smiled through the pain—as if embracing the agony itself.
"I’m an engineer. How hard can it be?" he muttered, then immediately laughed at himself in regret.
"Sometimes I forget how stupid I am."
But as he stretched his sore limbs, he couldn’t ignore the undeniable progress.
"If this is what blacksmithing does, then those blacksmiths definitely hid the truth of their training. There’s no way they wouldn’t improve from doing this every day."
He recalled how the others had no idea that training could increase stats.
"It must’ve been kept a secret among them… Can’t even blame them for it."
Then—
He raised his weapons, flashing a grin through the pain.
"Alright guys, come at me!"
That was all the invitation they needed.
Hachi launched forward like a cannonball, Lunging Rend activating mid-motion.
Kei quickly raised his left-hand wooden sword, but the sheer force of the strike nearly knocked it out of his grip. He barely had time to counter when—
Wooloo charged in from the other side.
Kei swung his right-hand sword, intercepting just in time—but he felt the lack of balance in his movements.
"Really should have started ambidextrous training sooner," he muttered.
His injuries piled up quickly.
Other than throwing, he wasn’t trained in any weapons. The staff? That was just swinging. And swinging alone would only get him so far.
Then, the bear joined in—its vengeful energy radiating.
Spikes of earth ruptured toward Kei, aiming to skewer him on the spot.
Kei swung out with his left-hand wooden sword, activating the effect of his crafted weapon.
From the thin slit carved through the middle, a compressed wind blade lashed out, cutting through the incoming spikes with precision.
"Hmm?"
For the first time, Kei's eyes gleamed with intrigue.
[Weapon Name]: Gale Fang
[Weapon Type]: Wooden Sword
[Rank]: Bronze
[Crafter]: Kei Yuichi (Infused with Pristine Aether)
[Description]:
A masterfully carved wooden sword designed with a thin slit through its blade, allowing wind to flow and compress. Infused with Pristine Aether, this weapon surpasses ordinary craftsmanship, offering capabilities that rival metal weaponry. Its lightweight nature and force compatibility make it highly effective for fast, precise strikes.
[Effects]:
- Windblade Release – Upon aether infusion, swings generate a compressed blade of wind that extends up to 2 meters, cutting through enemies from a distance.
- Aether Conductivity – Naturally channels Breeze Force and other wind-aligned forces, enhancing the user's force techniques.
- Weightless Precision – The refined wooden structure reduces attack delay, increasing attack speed by 10%.
- Unyielding Wood – Reinforced through expert crafting, durability rivals reinforced iron, allowing it to withstand heavy impacts without breaking.
- Force Resonance – When used by a wielder with high force adaptability, wind-based attacks gain increased sharpness and penetration, amplifying their lethality.
[Additional Notes]:
- The Windblade Release effect strengthens with higher aether infusion.
- Optimized for speed-based combat, making it ideal for agile fighters.
- Potential refinements may unlock additional abilities based on further force mastery.
This wooden sword—crafted almost as an experiment—has unexpectedly become a weapon far more powerful than Kei initially intended.
And like that, two separate groups underwent their own grueling training.
Kei, for the first time, took weapon training seriously, finding himself barraged on all sides. Struggling to grasp the fundamentals of wielding a sword with even one hand, let alone two, he focused on refining his left hand to become ambidextrous. Each misstep was met with punishment—claws, horns, and earthbound attacks forcing him to adapt quickly. His instincts carried him far, but instincts alone weren’t enough to make up for a lack of form.
Meanwhile, the others were drilled relentlessly by Zeph. Punches and strikes became more refined, their movements sharper as the monkey forced them through repetition after repetition. Each mistake was met with swift correction, a firm push, or an unexpected knock to the ground. Their bruises multiplied, but so did their resolve. Complaints were few, and their determination surged as they committed themselves to the training.
They had all realized one simple truth—if they wanted to survive in this world, they had no choice but to get stronger.