The remaining days of the week passed quickly, and Chen's second trial began. This time, standing before him was a huge, heavily muscled criminal—far taller than Chen, who stood around 180 cm. The man was bald, broad-bodied, and so massive that his arms were almost as thick as Chen's head. On top of that, despite time having passed, Chen was still carrying the weight of having taken a life.
Before the criminal charged, Aka handed Chen a pair of spiked gloves and ordered him to use them in this fight. When the battle began, Chen hesitated, but the criminal—knowing his life depended on this fight—lunged at him without a second thought, swinging an enormous sword with a single hand.
Chen easily dodged the heavy strike and kicked the man, but the blow felt as if it had merely tickled him. The criminal advanced as though unharmed and swept Chen's leg, knocking him down. The man's movements were slow and easy for Chen to evade, so escaping was not difficult. Still, it was impossible not to notice that the criminal seemed to grow more excited with every blow he took. For someone like Chen, who still could not come to terms with killing, facing a masochist was a cruel match. Even so, Aka had deemed this criminal suitable, believing that hardship was what forged strength.
After the fight continued at the same pace for a while, the man suddenly dropped his weapon and began smashing his own head against the ground until it bled, begging Chen for forgiveness. Chen was already unable to fight at full capacity, and this act completely lowered his guard. Taking advantage of the moment, the criminal lunged from the ground, grabbed Chen's legs, slammed him down, scooped up dirt, threw it into his face, and began beating him mercilessly.
Thrown to the ground, blinded, and overwhelmed by pain, Chen's mental exhaustion combined with physical fatigue. He could not endure any longer and eventually lost consciousness. The criminal showed no mercy and continued beating him.
When Aka decided that Chen had lost and endured enough, he shoved the criminal away, lifted Chen from the ground, quickly prepared several medicines, and forced them down Chen's throat. He laid him on a wooden platform, then turned to the criminal and praised him for a job well done. The man thought he had earned his freedom—but in a blink, his consciousness was gone, felled by a single strike from Aka to the back of his neck.
Thus, Chen had failed his second trial. Still, he had one more week left, and Aka was absolutely certain that Chen would pass by then.
When Chen awoke, he found himself sitting on one of the wooden steps surrounding the garden. Aka was beside him, meditating. Seeing Chen awaken, Aka broke his focus and spoke calmly.
Aka: "Chen, you understand that everything I say as your master is an order, don't you?"Chen: "Master… I know. But why am I doing this? Don't the people I kill have families too? There must be another way besides killing. Why are you making me do this?"
Aka slapped Chen hard across the face and continued speaking calmly.
Aka: "That slap was for disobeying my orders. As for your question—today's man kidnapped three children from the village and did unspeakable things to them. I don't think I need to explain further. As for last week's woman, she had been abducting and murdering women at random for ten years. We will never know why. Everyone you fight here has long since earned their death."
He paused, then continued.
Aka: "But more importantly, answer me this: what will you do? One day, with the energy I've given you, you'll reclaim your position as heir—and eventually become leader. When that happens, will you not take revenge on those who poisoned you? If you won't, then why should anyone obey your orders? Chen, whether you realize it or not, the lives of your entire family—and everyone in this village—will rest on your shoulders."
Chen: "Master… I understand what you're saying, I do. But—"Aka: "You don't understand, Chen. You're not even listening. I don't know if you've heard, but the reason you lay in that bed for years was because someone poisoned you."
Chen: "What? What are you saying, Master? Poison?"Aka: "Calm down. You know I can read your physical energy when I transfer mine into you. I realized it when your energy first awakened, but I chose now to tell you. The poison was extremely powerful—it even contaminated your physical energy. If I hadn't awakened it, your energy might have been completely overtaken."
Chen: "I—"
Before Chen could continue, the steward arrived and said that his father was calling for him. He took Chen away, leaving Aka standing on the platform, waiting.
About three hours later, Chen returned and spoke again.
Chen: "Master, I truly thank you for being my teacher. I always have—but now I understand even more clearly. Your words are my commands."Aka: "Good. Have you realized your position?"Chen: "Yes, Master."
Aka told him to rest for the day and digest everything he had learned. He then left and, for the first time in days, allowed himself to truly rest. Before sleeping, he exchanged information with Number 34—one of the cooks and also a teammate—while food was being brought. After that, he slept deeply, enjoying a long and refreshing rest.
After waking from the best rest he'd had in a long time, Aka went to the training grounds with his disciple. Chen no longer trained with the same look in his eyes; his conversation with his father had clearly affected him deeply. Aka asked if he was truly ready for the trial. When Chen nodded, Aka went to the steward and requested the criminal. Soon, the massive man was brought into the palace courtyard.
This time, Chen faced his opponent with different eyes. In his hands were the spiked gloves Aka had given him. He needed nothing else—those spikes alone were enough to kill. Even so, despite his changed resolve, he still took no pleasure in killing.
Chen moved in and attempted a sweep, but the man's thick, muscular leg barely budged. Chen easily avoided the slow counterattack and stepped back, waiting. When the man threw a punch, Chen ducked and applied the technique he had learned from Aka, driving the spikes into the man's leg before pulling free and retreating.
The man should have been injured—but he didn't look it. If anything, he seemed more excited. He advanced again, but his slowness prevented him from closing the distance. Chen, now fully resolved to win, struck again and again. In just three exchanges, the spikes were already buried in the man's shoulders and arms.
They stood close, neither moving—until Chen stepped forward and punched the man in the face. The criminal dodged, but before he could raise his guard, Chen had already driven a spike into his neck. Chen retreated, intending to let him bleed out—but Aka ordered him to continue attacking. The fight was not over until the man was dead.
Chen was afraid. But his master's words were commands. He advanced again, striking relentlessly, punching and tearing into the man until his body finally collapsed lifeless to the ground.
Chen rose, saluted his master with respect, asked for leave for the day, and departed. After he left, Aka collected the corpse and carried it to his workshop.
He once again mixed various plants with different body parts, but nothing noteworthy came of it. Aka had not expected much from these experiments anyway. His true goal was to use the bone adhesive he had discovered to create a full armor set and daggers from bone. With that in mind, he thoroughly cleaned the bones and placed them beneath his worktable.
If you've read or taken a look, thank you so much. If you have any thoughts — good or bad — please leave a comment. I'll probably see and reply right away. Thanks again, and I wish you a great day.