"Relax… it looks like your eyes are about to pop out," Jake chuckled.
Renzo glanced at him and tried to smile, but there was no humor behind it.
"Tell me everything about Danchi," he said. Right now, he knew almost nothing only that, presumably, he had awakened Fire Danchi. But that thing told him it was Destruction.
Yes, fire breeds destruction… but Destruction is annihilation. Fire can't erase existence itself. So what was missing? He was in the dark.
Jake raised a brow. "Ready to learn? Or afraid to die?" he laughed, noticing Renzo's serious expression.
"Fine, fine…" he added, sitting up straighter.
"Alright, here's the deal. First, what is Danchi?" Jake began. "Danchi is a living energy, awakened through intense emotion. It's not just power, it's alive. It reacts to your thoughts, emotions, even your internal struggles. And it's always trying to consume you. Corrupt you. If you don't master it, it will destroy you from within."
Renzo clenched his fists. "So… awakening is basically a countdown to your own death?"
Jake nodded solemnly. "Exactly. It's a ticking clock, and every time you use your Danchi, you feel yourself inching closer to the end. But here's the messed-up part: you have to use it."
"What do you mean 'have to'?" Renzo asked, narrowing his eyes.
Jake scoffed. "You think this ruined world gives anyone a choice? You either burn out from your Danchi… or get hunted by the Dankii."
"Dankii?"
"Living incarnations of destruction," Jake said darkly. "They hunt anyone with Danchi… but only those who refuse to use their powers. The energy builds up inside you, and to them, that's like a gourmet meal served on a golden plate. Once they sense it, they come for you."
Jake sighed. "Every Danchi user has four days after awakening before the Dankii come. And guess what, today is your fourth day. You've been unconscious for three."
Renzo's eyes widened as he stood up. "So… what would've happened if I hadn't awakened today?"
"You'd be dead," Jake said flatly as he turned and walked away from the training center.
"Wait, where are we going? What do I do now?" Renzo asked quickly, hurrying after him.
"Death?" he whispered to himself. "No… I can't die now. I have to destroy this world first."
Jake glanced back at him, thoughts unreadable.
"Aww… look at the little cub. He wants to live," Jake thought, suppressing the flicker of anger in his chest. "You should've died."
Out loud, he said: "Use your Danchi. This spot's good enough."
They had walked far from the base. The sounds of training were now just faint echoes.
"Fire Danchi is usually tied to anger. Get mad. Let it burn through you. Channel it. That's how you trigger it," Jake said casually, like it was simple.
"Anger… I've got plenty of that," Renzo muttered, trying to follow his lead.
But it wasn't working. His emotions felt clouded. Images of his parents… of his siblings… flashed in his mind and broke his focus.
Over and over again, he tried.
Then, on the tenth attempt, he opened his eyes and saw a fist flying straight at his face.
BOOM!
It felt like a truck hit him. His ears rang. He was airborne for a moment before crashing onto the ground, his back slamming against the earth.
Blood dripped from his nose.
Everything spun.
Jake's face hovered above him, twisted in disdain.
"Worthless. Is it really that hard? Why did Lady Lucy even bother saving you?" Jake muttered.
He bent down and grabbed Renzo by the hair, lifting him with ease.
Renzo wasn't small, he weighed over 80 kg. But Jake lifted him like paper.
BOOM. BOOM.
Agony tore through his body. Punch after punch landed without mercy.
"Why… why is this happening?" Renzo's mind screamed, but Jake didn't give him a second to breathe.
BOOM.
The punches grew stronger. More vicious. And Jake smiled.
"Waste of space. No wonder your whole family died. Guess they couldn't bear to see a failure like you," Jake spat, grinning like a devil.
"Man… this is actually fun," Jake thought, winding up for another strike but something felt off.
His fist no longer struck soft flesh.
It felt like steel.
Jake froze and looked down.
Renzo was staring at him.
His eyes were lifeless.
His body was tensed.
Szzsshhkk… Jake heard something strange escape Renzo's mouth.
He quickly released him and jumped back several meters.
"What…?" Jake whispered.
The air around them grew hotter.
Renzo's eyes burned crimson. A sharp triangle replaced his pupils.
Red cracks of light pulsed beneath his skin, visible through his clothes.
He opened his mouth and smoke escaped.
BOOM.
The ground beneath Renzo's feet cracked and blackened as he launched forward and threw a punch at Jake.
Jake sidestepped effortlessly and struck with a knee.
BOOM.
Renzo spat blood as the heat around them surged. The ground hissed under his body.
Then, just like that, his eyes returned to normal. The red lights faded.
"Relax. You've successfully awakened," Jake said before Renzo could stand and try again.
Renzo froze.
His breathing steadied.
Jake nodded.
"Congratulations. You're now a Danchi user," he said as Renzo slowly got to his feet, clutching his stomach.
He was in pain. But he was standing.
"Thank you," Renzo muttered, looking at Jake. His eyes no longer held fury, but a sliver of hate flickered behind them.
Jake didn't care.
"Now that you've awakened, I can explain more. Take off your clothes," Jake said.
Renzo blinked. "…What?"
"Your shirt, idiot. Relax, I'm not into your body," Jake replied, waving him off.
Renzo nodded slowly and pulled his shirt off.
His torso was lean and muscled clearly strong. But what caught his attention was a dark, thin vein-like mark under the skin of his arm. A few centimeters long. Faint… but visible.
He instinctively covered it with his hand.
Jake's voice cut through the silence.
"That… is your corruption."
Renzo's eyes widened.
"The more you use your Danchi, the more corrupted you become. Each time, a new black line appears on your body shaped exactly like your veins," Jake explained as Renzo listened intently, taking it all in.
"When you activate your Danchi, it flows through your bloodstream. For example, with a Fire Danchi like yours, your veins will light up with blazing red energy. That glow is the Danchi coursing through you. But once you deactivate it…" Jake pointed at Renzo's arm, "…one of your veins will darken. That black line? That's your death countdown."
Renzo stared at the faint black line on his skin again, heart sinking.
"The more black lines you have, the closer you are to death. Once your entire body is covered… you're fully corrupted. And then… you die."
Renzo's throat tightened. His eyes didn't leave the darkened vein.
"So this… is my death clock?" he whispered.
"What about you?" Renzo asked after a moment.
Jake raised both hands casually. "Me? Aside from my face, every inch of my body is covered in black lines."
Renzo's eyes widened as he saw them vein-shaped dark lines running along Jake's arms like ink under his skin.
But then Jake grinned.
"Don't worry. There's a way out."
"And what is it?" Renzo asked sharply. He couldn't die. Not yet. Not while that village still existed. Not while those people still breathed.
Jake turned and began walking back toward the base.
"Use your Danchi more," he said with a smirk, leaving Renzo frozen in disbelief.
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