The roar didn't just vibrate in the air; it vibrated in the marrow of Konja's bones. It was a sound of grinding stone and ancient hunger."The village perimeter has been breached," Mina whispered, her face turning pale as she looked toward the horizon where a plume of black smoke was beginning to curl into the sky. "The protective wards... someone must have deactivated them from the inside.""Baron's family," Renzo spat, his eyes narrowing. "They're so desperate to prove the 'Ordinaries' are weak that they'd let a Wild Colossus wander into the Lower Sluices just to play the heroes later. Let's move!"Konja didn't need to be told twice. He scooped Zale onto his shoulder. The little creature's fur was buzzing like a live wire. Using his newly discovered Flash-Fry Step, Konja led the way, blurring through the undergrowth of the Whispering Woods.The Ruin of the Lower SluicesWhen they reached the edge of Oakhaven, the sight was devastating. The market where Konja had spent his life was a wreckage of splintered wood and overturned carts. In the center of the chaos stood a Granite-Back Iron-Tusk—a beast the size of a two-story house, covered in jagged plates of obsidian-colored armor. Its two massive tusks were glowing with a sickly yellow Prana, and with every sweep of its head, it leveled another stall.The village guards, mostly from the elite families, were standing back at the edge of the Upper District, their spears lowered but their feet unmoving."Why aren't they helping?" Konja roared over the screams of the fleeing vendors."They've been ordered to protect the 'High Valor' restaurants first," Mina said, her voice shaking with rage. "They're letting the Lower Sluices burn!"Konja saw it then: his own cart, his family's only livelihood, crushed under a fallen beam. And standing right in the path of the beast was Garam, Konja's father, holding nothing but a heavy iron ladle, trying to shield a group of neighborhood children who were trapped behind a collapsed vegetable stand."Dad!"The Iron-Tusk lowered its head, the earth cracking beneath its hooves as it prepared to charge.The Waltz of Steel and Steam"Renzo, Mina—distract its eyes! I'm going for the core!" Konja commanded. For the first time, his voice didn't crack. It carried the weight of a leader.Renzo sprinted to the left, his Leaf-Blight becoming a green blur. "Gale-Style: Razor Leaf Storm!" The mantis-creature unleashed a barrage of sharpened energy blades that pinged harmlessly off the beast's armor but caught its attention.Mina stood her ground, throwing three glass spheres from her belt. They shattered against the monster's snout, releasing a cloud of Numbing Spores. The beast coughed, its yellow eyes blinking in confusion."Now, Zale!"Konja didn't run at the beast; he flowed toward it. He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, feeling the heat of the creature's Prana—it was thick, heavy, and slow, like overcooked stew.He's tough on the outside, Konja realized, but his joints are where the steam escapes.Konja leaped, Zale merging his energy into Konja's legs. He bounced off a ruined wall, then off the beast's own tusk."Munka-Style: Searing Joint-Lock!"Konja's palms glowed with a white-hot intensity. He struck the creature's front knee, not with a punch, but with a precise, vibrating palm-thrust. The vibration traveled through the obsidian plates, echoing into the soft tissue beneath.The Iron-Tusk let out a pained shriek and buckled."He's down! Finish it!" Renzo yelled.But the beast wasn't done. Its tail, tipped with a heavy stone club, swung around with blinding speed. Konja was still mid-air, unable to dodge."Shield of the Silver Lily!"A shimmering barrier of pink-white light blossomed in front of Konja. The tail slammed into the shield, the impact throwing the user back, but Konja remained unharmed. He looked down to see Mina, her hands outstretched, her apothecary ribbon glowing with a power she had never shown before. She was sweating, her teeth grit in concentration."Go, Konja!" she gasped.The Secret IngredientKonja landed on the beast's back. He felt the Silver Eye awakening again, but this time it was different. It wasn't a burst of rage; it was a cold, quiet clarity. He saw the flow of Prana within the monster. At the base of its skull was a glowing knot—the Spirit-Core."Zale, let's give it everything. Synthesis: Overload!"The little blue fox let out a roar that sounded like a lion's. Its three tails wrapped around Konja's right arm, turning his entire limb into a pillar of crackling blue lightning.Konja drove his hand down. He didn't use a fist; he used his fingers like a spear."Final Technique: The Dragon-Chef's Piercing Spike!"The blue lightning dived deep into the beast's armor. For a moment, the entire market was illuminated in a strobe light of azure energy. The Iron-Tusk stiffened, its yellow eyes fading to gray, and then it collapsed with a mountain-shaking thud.The Shadow of the SpireAs the dust settled, the silence was heavy. Konja stood atop the fallen colossus, his gi torn, his chest heaving. Zale slumped onto his shoulder, licking a scorched paw.The people of the Lower Sluices began to crawl out from the wreckage. His father, Garam, looked up at his son with a mixture of pride and absolute terror. He knew the world would never let Konja be "just a cook" again.From the balconies of the Upper District, a single figure watched. Kalia Frost stood with her arms crossed, her Frost-Wraith swirling around her like a blizzard. She didn't smile, but she didn't look disappointed either."He opened the Second Gate," she whispered to herself. "Interesting."She turned and vanished, but not before dropping a small, black iron token onto the street below. It landed near Konja's feet. He picked it up. It was an entry pass for the Tournament of the Crimson Moon, but engraved on the back was a single word: Survivor."You okay?" Mina asked, limping slightly as she reached him. She looked at the token in his hand."I'm alive," Konja said, looking at the ruins of his family's livelihood. "But the cart is gone. Everything we worked for is gone.""No," Renzo said, walking over and pointing to the crowd. The "Ordinary" people of the village—the bakers, the cobblers, the street-sweepers—were already moving. They weren't cleaning their own stalls; they were gathering the wood from the Iron-Tusk's path and bringing it toward Konja."We'll build you a new one," an old woman said, handing Konja a copper coin. "The best cart in the kingdom. A Munka doesn't cook on the ground."Konja felt a lump in his throat. He realized then that his power wasn't just the silver light in his eyes—it was the people who stood behind him."We have one month," Konja said, his gaze turning toward the distant Iron Spire Academy. "One month to become strong enough to face Kalia. Renzo, Mina... are you in?"Renzo cracked his knuckles. "I've got nothing better to do than watch you become a legend."Mina smiled, reaching out to touch the ribbon in her hair. "I'm not letting you go alone."
