I was still catching my breath when I heard laughter from the side.

  Elder Jiro was leaning against a wooden post, arms crossed, shaking his head in amusement.

  “Hey, kid,” he called out, grinning. “You need to toughen up a bit before Ryoji reveals his real training.”

  I frowned, still gripping my sword. “This isn’t real training?!”

  Jiro chuckled. “Oh no, this is just him testing you. The real training hasn’t even started yet.”

  Kaito whistled. “Heh. If you think this is bad, wait till Father gets serious.”

  I turned to Ryoji, who stood there with his arms crossed, watching me like a predator watching prey.

  Jiro’s voice lowered. “Did Kaito tell you his father’s old title?”

  I wiped the sweat off my forehead. “Old title?”

  Jiro smirked. “Ryoji Kazama was once called the Dragon Fire Soldier.”

  My stomach dropped.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Dragon. Fire. Soldier.

  That sounded way too strong.

  Ryoji simply shrugged. “That was a long time ago.”

  Jiro raised an eyebrow. “Maybe. But that title wasn’t just for show. You were feared on the battlefield.”

  Kaito grinned proudly. “Yep! Father was a monster in combat!”

  I gulped. Great. Just great.

  Then a thought hit me.

  Wait… if he was this strong, was he one of the six unrivaled warriors Jiro mentioned before?

  I quickly whispered to Jiro. “So, Ryoji… he’s one of the six strongest humans, right?”

  Jiro snorted. “Hah! Not even close.”

  I blinked. “Wait, what?”

  Jiro shook his head. “Ryoji is strong, but he’s not one of the six. Those six… they’re in a different league.”

  I turned back to Ryoji, who was still standing there like a mountain of muscle and intimidation.

  And he wasn’t even one of the strongest?

  Just how terrifying were those six?!

  My hands trembled a bit. I needed more information.

  I pulled up my system menu and focused on Ryoji Kazama.

  ---

  [Character Profile]

  Name: Ryoji Kazama

  Age: 56

  Stats:

  Strength: Lv. 54

  Agility: Lv. 36

  Stamina: Lv. 65

  Mana Type: Fire

  ---

  I froze.

  “Wait a second…”

  His stats matched Elder Jiro’s.

  I quickly compared the numbers in my head. They were almost the same.

  I looked back at Jiro, who was still smirking at me. “You figured it out, huh?”

  I swallowed hard. “Elder Jiro, you and Ryoji… you’re almost equal in strength.”

  Jiro just chuckled. “I’d say I have a slight edge, but yeah, Ryoji isn’t far behind.”

  I looked at Kaito in shock. “Your father’s this strong?!”

  Kaito beamed. “Of course! He used to be an elite soldier, remember?”

  I turned to Ryoji, still struggling to process the information.

  This guy was a monster.

  But if he wasn’t one of the six unrivaled warriors… then what kind of monsters were they?

  I took a deep breath. No matter what, I had to get stronger.

  Ryoji’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

  “Alright,” he said. “You’re done thinking, right?”

  I blinked. “Huh?”

  A dangerous smirk appeared on his face.

  “Good. Because now, your real training begins.”

  I felt my soul leave my body.

  Elder Jiro laughed harder. “Hahahaha! Good luck, kid! You’ll need it.”

  I gulped.

  I was doomed.