Arata's pupils contracted.
Without a word, he jogged straight back to his living quarters—just a modest storage hut in the back, separated from the main house by a row of trees.
He pushed open the creaking wooden door to the firewood shed. Inside, in the corner surrounded by stacked logs, sat a rough straw mat. A few changes of clothes hung limply from a thin thread above. This tiny space was his home.
The other disciples lived together in the side room of Master Urokodaki's main house. But Arata, lacking talent and strength, had long been pushed out. No one wanted to room with the one who couldn't wield a blade.
Arata didn't mind. He preferred sleeping without someone kicking him in the face or grabbing him in their sleep, crying for parents long gone. And he definitely didn't miss waking up in damp sheets someone else had wet in the night.
"After twelve years… my system finally activated?"
He shut the shed door behind him. His eyes sparkled with suppressed excitement, chest rising and falling rapidly.
[Heavenly Reward System activated. Every physical action you take will now grant a permanent increase in your body's attributes. No limit. No cap.]
[Skill demonstration:
• Arata picks up a stone → Strength (Stone Lifting) +
• Arata dodges falling bread → Agility (Dodge) +
Actions of the same type stack, though effect decreases slightly each time. Higher-level actions provide greater increases.]
[Warning: Human swordsmen peak physically by age 25, after which decline begins. But you will not stop. You will continue to grow—beyond limits, beyond humanity.]
[Every breath. Every movement. All of it becomes growth. You do not need talent. You do not need comprehension. You need only effort.]
[Innate Skills Acquired:
• Wisteria Chef: Skilled in using wisteria in any food
• Wisteria Physique: Immune to demons' charm. Demons' favorability: ZERO.]
[Alert: The human body cannot withstand the system. Before full activation, your body must undergo total transformation. This change is irreversible. Proceed with transformation?]
Arata didn't hesitate.
Power has limits. But effort doesn't.
"Yes. Do it."
[Transforming host body… initiating system compatibility.]
In the blink of an eye, Arata found himself standing in a vast white void. High above, floating in golden light, hung a plaque with the words:
Heaven Rewards Diligence.
Golden light engulfed his body. Then—darkness.
[Transformation complete.]
He opened his eyes again, the scent of carbon and sawdust still in the air. He was back in the woodshed.
Looking down at his hands, Arata found they were still the same—small, thin, with slight calluses from kitchen work. His body hadn't grown taller, stronger, or bulkier. No bulging muscles. No hardened skin.
Nothing had changed.
In fact, according to the system's panel, his current stats were only one-tenth that of an average adult. Pitiful. And yet, it was also the baseline. The starting point.
"...So even with the system, I still start from zero," he muttered.
But he wasn't surprised. The disciples who trained under Urokodaki weren't normal. They trained with weighted stones, dodged lethal traps, practiced sword forms until their limbs bled. They had breathing techniques that enhanced every aspect of their body. Compared to them, Arata wasn't even on the same level.
Sato, the most talented among them, could split a boulder as tall as a man with one swing. His strength alone exceeded four fully grown men. The others were at least double that. And their agility? Even greater.
Arata sighed. Deep down, a part of him had hoped he'd awaken as some muscle-bound monster, maybe shoot up to 180 centimeters overnight with abs like armor. But no. He still looked like a frail, baby-faced twelve-year-old.
But if there was one thing he now understood—
If you do nothing, nothing changes.
God rewards diligence.
Arata threw a bundle of firewood over his back—about twenty catties' worth—and began hauling it toward the kitchen. The stack was taller than he was, tied together with thick rope. He carried it, then went back for more. Again. And again.
On the fourth trip, he paused.
"Huh… I'm not tired yet."
Before, he'd need to stop and rest after three trips. His back would ache, and his arms would be sore. But now, while his muscles burned slightly, he could keep going. In fact, the firewood felt lighter with each haul.
"So that's what it means to grow stronger… one step at a time."
By the time the sun dipped below the trees, the other disciples began returning from the forest.
Sato and Makoto walked in front, their faces damp with sweat, their uniforms marked with dust and scratches. The group approached the side house, chatting casually.
One of them paused, glancing toward the firewood shed.
"Eh? What's Arata doing?"
"I dunno. Probably testing out more of that weird cooking of his. I swear, if he puts wisteria in our rice again—"
"Let him be. He's not like us. And I'm beat. Shower time."
A small smile tugged at the corner of Sato's lips as he watched Arata trudging back and forth, carrying load after load of firewood. His white tunic clung to his back with sweat, and his soft face was flushed with exertion. But despite it all, he wore a smile.
A tired, content, satisfied smile.
Makoto chuckled softly. "Sato… you really do worry too much."
Makoto teased with a smile on the side and I went to the shower.