A slim, dark-haired young man was mopping a long corridor in what looked like a lavish building. He had headphones on, probably listing to music. His movemts with the mop were both graceful and slick—almost like he’d be doing this for so long that he’d developed his own technique, a rhythm that was uniquely his.
Suddly, the doors burst op, and a swarm of young m and wom came rushing out of the classrooms, flooding the hallway. The young man quickly stepped to the side, giving them room to pass.
“Damn it, all that work for nothing,” he muttered, glaring at the dirt now streaked across the floor. His twty minutes of careful mopping had be ruined in seconds by the sudd stampede of studts.
“Hey Klaus! What’s the deal? It’s not your birthday; why are you just standing there, keep mopping?” a voice called out from a few meters away, making him frown.
This young man, Klaus, was a soon-to-be 6-year-old dropout working as a janitor to help support his family. He lived with his mother, a frail woman who also worked hard to make ds meet. Klaus’s father had gone missing five years ago, leaving a gaping hole in their lives.
Wh he saw how much his mother was struggling, Klaus made the difficult decision to drop out of school and take on whatever jobs he could find to help keep them afloat.
Together, they managed—barely. Each of them doing their best to support the other in a world that seemed to get harder every day.
Fifty years ago, Earth tered a new phase of evolution. Humans, insects, wild animals, and ev plants began to evolve in ways that seemed straight out of fictional movies. This shift brought about sweeping changes.
In the first decade, the planet underwt a period of adaptation. Although countless lives were lost, many managed to dure. The following t years saw significant advancemts in both power and politics. By the third decade, a new transformation began—one that would shape the future of the next geration.
Wh the spiritual Qi descded 50 years ago, a fortunate few among humanity gained extraordinary abilities that allowed them to battle the evolving monsters. However, thirty years later, this boon ceased for newborns. Instead of inheriting these powers, new humans were born with normal abilities, though they were healthier than their predecessors.
But this status quo didn’t last. Over the past twty years, scitists discovered a special ge prest in all new births. This ge, wh stimulated, could awak latt talts and abilities. Fueled by this breakthrough, doctors and geticists wt to work, and within months, they developed a revolutionary drug.
This drug could activate these hidd ges, unlocking the dormant strgths within individuals.
But this drug only works on 6-year-olds. Because of this, the education system was overhauled to include combat and survival training, prepping these new humans for wh their powers would awak.
Klaus, who’s had a tough time these past five years, has be working tirelessly to save up ough money to buy the Celestial Water before his birthday, which is just a the corner. Ev though life hasn’t be easy for him, he’s determined and hopeful that he’ll make a breakthrough soon.
He quickly re-mopped the area and made his way across the vast campus, skillfully avoiding detection. After a few minutes, he reached a tall wall. Pulling a rope from his side bag, he tied it to a hook and threw it up, securing it on the wall.
With a quiet climb, he made it to the top and lay flat, peering over the edge. “Day #655, what are we learning today?” Klaus muttered to himself as he watched a field where young boys and girls practiced with wood swords.
Klaus pulled out a small notebook from his bag and began scribbling notes, documting what he observed.Klaus watched inttly as the studts practiced with their wood swords below. He muttered softly to himself, making notes and sketches in his small notebook.
“Alright, let’s see… First, it’s all about stance.” Klaus scribbled a quick drawing of a basic fighting stance. “Feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bt. Balance is key.”
He glanced back at the field. “That’s right, keep your weight ctered. It makes it easier to move and strike.” He drew a figure with arrows showing weight distribution.
“Now, the basic strikes. Overhead chop, sideswipe, and thrust.” Klaus sketched out the differt moves, drawing lines to show the paths of each strike. “The overhead chop should be powerful. The side swipe needs to be fast and clean.”
He noted how the studts practiced their strikes in sequce. “Timing is important. You need to be quick but precise.” Klaus made a quick drawing of a studt performing a combo of strikes.
“Breathing. Don’t forget to breathe. It helps with control and focus.” Klaus jotted down a simple diagram showing a breathing pattern alongside the sword strikes.
Klaus looked closely at the way the studts were positioning their hands. “Grip is crucial. A firm grip without being too tight.” He drew a hand holding a sword, showing the correct grip.
“Remember, practice makes perfect. Repetition is how you get better.” He wrote this as a reminder to himself, underlining it for emphasis.
After two hours of observing and taking notes, Klaus climbed down from the wall, packed his equipmt back into his side bag, and headed out. This had become his routine over the past years—sneaking in a bit of learning every day before heading home.
Ev though what he was doing was illegal, it worked best for him. Since no one had caught on yet, he made it a habit to spy on the studts’ training sessions and documt everything. Wh he gets home, he will review his notes and practice with simple and ordinary wood swords.
Despite not having paid the school fees at Ross Academy where he worked, Klaus always came home with fresh new insights. As they say, “Work smart, not hard.”
“Out of the way, scum!” Just as Klaus was feeling a sse of triumph, an arrogant voice echoed in his mind, making him jump to the side instinctively. A speeding bike roared past him, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The rider, clearly a studt, didn’t ev glance back or apologize. He just sped off. “Ah, why bother,” Klaus muttered, brushing the dust off his clothes. “Once I awak, I’ll make sure to put all these self-titled brats in their place.”
Klaus continued walking. After a few minutes, he tered an area that starkly contrasted with the opult buildings and polished roads he had just left behind.
“There’s no place like home,” he mumbled, shaking his head. He lived in a slum where the laws seemed xistt. It was a rundown part of Ross City, a place where society’s outcasts and degerates gathered. Ross City was owned by the powerful Ross Great family, who controlled most of the businesses and had significant influce over the city.
But this particular part of the city was a lawless zone, where the Ross family’s control didn’t reach. It was where Klaus and his mother had ded up three years ago after they were forced to leave their self-contained home following his father’s disappearance, which was presumed to be death.
“Mom, I’m home!” Klaus called out as he stepped into their beat-up apartmt—a small, single-room space with a brok door and cracked walls.
“Come and eat,” a calm and sweet voice replied from inside, making Klaus’s face light up. He walked into the room and saw his mother preparing food. She turned to him with a warm, beautiful smile. Despite the hardships they had faced, her beauty still shone through. Her dark hair framed her slder figure, and though the struggles had tak their toll, she remained graceful.
Klaus dropped his bag and wt over to her. “It smells great, Mom,” he said, his eyes gleaming with appreciation. She reached out and gtly ruffled his hair, her smile never fading.
“You must be tired, Klaus. Sit down and eat while it’s still hot,” she said, setting a plate on the small table they shared. The food was simple, but it was made with care, and Klaus felt his heart warm just looking at it.
As they sat down together, his mother watched him eat with a soft expression. “You’ve be working so hard, Klaus. I’m proud of you,” she said, her voice full of love. Klaus paused, looking up at her, and smiled back.
“It’s nothing, Mom. I’m doing it for us,” he replied, his voice steady but filled with emotion. She reached out, placing a hand on his cheek, her touch gtle and comforting.
“I know, my dear. You’ve grown up so much,” she whispered, her eyes misting over slightly. Klaus swallowed, feeling a lump in his throat, but he didn’t want to show it. Instead, he just nodded and kept eating, the warmth of his mother’s love filling the room.
“Don’t worry, Mom. Once I awak, our living situation will change. I just need to get a hundred more gold coins, and I can buy the Celestial Water,” Klaus said, looking at his mother with determination.
“I know you will, my dear. I know you will,” she replied, gtly ruffling his hair. “Just don’t push yourself too hard. Your health is what matters most to me.”
A few minutes later, Klaus finished eating and had washed the dishes. He th grabbed the wood sword he had made and wt outside to practice what he had learned from spying on the studts.
As Klaus walked out, his mother watched his back with a heavy heart. She couldn’t help but shed a few tears. She quickly wiped them away and glanced at her left hand, focusing on her ring finger. “A mother is supposed to take care of her childr. I’m sorry, my love, but I can’t hold on to this any longer. Klaus needs me, and the only thing I can do is help him.”
She stood up and called out to Klaus, telling him she would be back within the hour. Klaus nodded and continued practicing, swinging his wood sword with all the focus he could muster.
After a while, Klaus wt back inside, took a bath, and quickly fell into a deep, resounding sleep. His body was exhausted, but his mind was at peace, knowing he had done everything he could that day.
A few hours later, his mother returned. She held a small case in her hands, her expression serious yet resolved.
