Akira woke to the sound of dripping water.
A faint, rhythmic tap… tap… tap echoed around him, bouncing off stone walls. The air was cold, damp, and heavy with the smell of earth and moss.
He was lying on rough ground instead of the bed where he usually found himself after passing out. A dim orange glow flickered nearby—a small fire.
"Where am I?" Akira asked, but no reply came.
"HELLOOOO!" he yelled, but his voice only echoed back at him.
A cave.
How did I get here…?
Akira pushed himself up, his limbs stiff and heavy. He winced at the soreness in his legs but managed to get onto his feet. The weak fire cast long shadows across the stone walls.
Something felt wrong.
He scanned the cave carefully… until his eyes landed on it.
A massive boulder sat wedged firmly against the cave opening. It sealed the entrance completely.
Akira's breath hitched.
He stumbled closer, touching the cold stone surface. There was no gap. No airflow. Just solid rock.
"W-What…? Someone blocked it off…" he whispered.
He pushed at it instinctively, but the boulder didn't move even a millimeter. It was like trying to shift a mountain with his bare hands.
Panic prickled at his skin.
Why would anyone trap me in here?
His mind flashed to Silas—his cold stare, the crushing pressure, the way he had swung that sword without hesitation.
"N-No way… he wouldn't…"
Akira backed away from the blocked entrance, his heart pounding louder than the echoing drips around him.
The only exit was sealed.
The cave suddenly felt smaller. Heavier. Suffocating.
Akira wrapped his arms around himself as a shiver ran through him.
What happened after I passed out…? And… what am I supposed to do now?
Akira stared at the massive boulder, breathing shallowly.
I can't stay trapped here… I have mana now. My body is stronger. I can break through.
He stepped back, clenched his fists, and drew in a deep breath.
Mana flickered faintly in his body—weak, sluggish, nothing like when he was fighting for his life. But it was there. He forced it toward his arms, feeling a brief surge of heat fill his fists.
He planted his feet firmly, wound his arm back—
—and slammed his fist into the boulder.
A dull, painful thud echoed through the cave.
The boulder didn't even crack.
But Akira's knuckles split open immediately.
"Argh—!" He jerked his hand back, pain flaring up his arm. Blood trickled down his fingers.
He stared at his hand in disbelief.
"That… that should've at least left a mark…"
Akira gritted his teeth and tried again.
He gathered more mana—pushing harder than he should—feeling his veins burn from the strain. He struck the boulder once more.
THUD.
Nothing.
Pain shot up his wrist, sharper this time. His entire arm trembled violently.
He staggered back, clutching his fist.
"Why…? Why isn't it working… I should be stronger…"
His thoughts spun chaotically.
He remembered Silas cutting a tree in half with a single swing—how overwhelming that strength had been.
Compared to that…
He looked down at his trembling hands.
He wasn't even close.
Akira slammed his fist against the rock again. Pain flared once more, forcing him to pull back with a hiss.
He rested his forehead against the cold stone.
"I… can't break it," he whispered, voice cracking. "I can't even scratch it…"
He looked around for food. There was none.
He remembered back in his world—in a famous movie called Enter the Dragon—Bruce Lee got trapped, and instead of panicking he sat down and waited patiently until the door opened.
Someone will come… someone has to…He convinced himself he just needed to wait. So he sat down and trained his mana control, gathering more mana but not enough to lose himself.
Days passed—at least according to Akira—and no one came. His lips were dry. He had resorted to eating small insects to satisfy his hunger. Slowly but surely, he was going insane.
Eventually his mind broke.
Without a care for his body, he charged at the boulder, gathering all the mana he had accumulated in his fists, and began punching furiously.
Pieces of the boulder started flying off as his fists grew bloodier. Even when the bones in his hands broke, he kept going. When his fists could no longer move, he used his legs instead. More chunks cracked off as his legs also fractured.
He finally fell down, breathing heavily, thinking it was the end. He closed his eyes, swearing to himself that if he somehow survived this, he would kill whoever put him through it.
A loud noise rang in his ears.
When he opened his eyes, all he saw was a silhouette standing before him. As the figure bent down, silver hair caught the dim light.
It was none other than Silas.