The fight with Zeke was a disaster.
Daniel didn't just lose—he was crushed. Flattened. Left in the mud with his jaw rattled and vision swimming. Zeke had come out of nowhere after school, struck him mid-sentence, and showed him what a real Ascendant looked like.
Lightning-fast. Efficient. Unrelenting.
Daniel barely got a hit in.
[Gold System Notification: The path to Ascendency has been unlocked.]
[Current Progress: 10%]
That message burned into his mind. Ten percent. It wasn't a defeat—it was a beginning.
So he rose.
The very next morning, Daniel started climbing.
He hunted Rank 50.
Then 49.
Then 48.
One by one, he tore them apart.
The lower ranks didn't stand a chance. Most hadn't fought a real battle in weeks. Daniel didn't talk. Didn't gloat. He showed up, broke bones, spilled blood, and walked away. He was possessed. Something in him had snapped—and now it refused to be quiet.
From 50 to 26, he slaughtered them all.
In that time, he refined his base style—Taekwondo, Boxing, and Old Taekkyeon—but it didn't stop there. Each new opponent added something else to his arsenal. Muay Thai. Capoeira. Joint locks. Footwork. Timing.
He didn't just fight—he evolved.
By the time he reached Rank 25, the climb turned steep.
These weren't just strong opponents.
They were monsters.
Everyone from Rank 25 upward had achieved mid to peak Ascendency. Their auras crackled with power. Their fists struck like hammers. Their speed left afterimages.
Daniel bled. He staggered. He collapsed more than once.
But he never stopped.
[Ascendency Progress: 45%... 56%... 68%... 81%...]
He wasn't just surviving—he was learning. Every blow he took taught him. Every near-defeat pushed him further. And every time he stood up, he was more dangerous than before.
When he reached Rank 23, people started whispering.
When he reached Rank 21, they began watching.
And by the time he crushed Rank 20 and Rank 19, everyone started fearing.
He never went back to Izel.
He could have. Should have. But Daniel remembered the look in his brother's eyes after that first humiliation—the way his pride shattered. He wasn't worth it.
Daniel didn't waste time on the broken.
He wanted power.
Real power.
And then came Zeke.
Rank 18. The same guy who had humiliated him.
Daniel came in ready.
He was faster. Smarter. More vicious. He had slaughtered his way up the ladder. His fists were refined weapons. His kicks broke ribs. His reactions were nearly supernatural.
But it wasn't enough.
Zeke beat him again.
Not with ease this time. But with dominance.
Daniel stood at the edge of something great—but he hadn't crossed it yet.
[Ascendency Progress: 88%]
Five weeks of blood. Of shattered jaws and fractured egos. Five weeks of clawing through fighters who would've killed anyone else.
And he was still not done.
He looked at his trembling hands.
He didn't feel defeat.
He felt anticipation.
"Next time," he muttered. "I'll bury him."
He wasn't just climbing the ladder—he was tearing it down behind him.
And Zeke was the last rung before it burned.