The forest was alive with the sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves, the morning sun filtering through the canopy in golden streaks. I stood in my usual training spot, a small clearing surrounded by towering trees, my hands resting on my hips as I took a deep breath. The air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of dew and earth. It was the perfect setting to get serious.

  "Alright, Kazuya," I muttered to myself, cracking my knuckles. "No scking off today. You've got a faction to build, alliances to strengthen, and a whole lot of power to gain. No time to waste."

  I gnced over at Asia, who was standing a few feet away, her hands csped in front of her, looking as earnest as ever. She had been training with me for weeks now, and while she wasn't a fighter by nature, her determination was something I couldn't help but admire. Plus, having her around made the whole "training in the woods at the crack of dawn" thing a little less lonely.

  "Asia," I called out, summoning two shadow clones with a flick of my wrist. They materialized beside me, their expressions bnk but ready. "Your job is simple. Protect one of these clones while the other tries to take it down. Got it?"

  She nodded vigorously, her eyes shining with determination. "Got it, Kazuya! I won't let you down!"

  I smirked. "Good. Let's see what you got."

  As Asia focused on her task, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small, futuristic-looking capsule. I held it up, admiring the way the sunlight glinted off its surface. "Man, I still can't believe I got my hands on one of these," I said, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. "A gravity chamber. Just like in Dragon Ball Z. Talk about a childhood dream come true."

  I tossed the capsule onto the ground, and with a loud poof, the gravity chamber materialized before me, its sleek, metallic exterior gleaming in the morning light. I let out a low whistle, my excitement bubbling over. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

  I stepped inside, the door sliding shut behind me with a satisfying hiss. The interior was just as cool as I'd imagined—control panels lined the walls, buttons and switches everywhere, and a digital dispy showing the current gravity level. I ran my fingers over the controls, my inner nerd geeking out. "Alright, let's crank this baby up to... 10x gravity. That should be enough to test my limits."

  The moment I adjusted the settings, I felt the weight press down on me, my muscles straining under the increased force. I grinned through the discomfort, summoning four more shadow clones. "Alright, boys," I said, cracking my neck. "No weapons, just fists. Let's see how long I can st."

  The clones didn't waste any time. They lunged at me from all sides, their movements sharp and precise. I dodged the first punch, sidestepping just in time to deliver a swift kick to one clone's side, sending it stumbling back. Another clone came at me with a spinning kick, but I blocked it with my forearm, the impact reverberating through my bones.

  "Not bad," I muttered, ducking under a high kick from the third clone. "But you're going to have to do better than that."

  The spar was intense, each clone pushing me to my limits. I countered their attacks with a mix of agility and brute force, my movements becoming more fluid as I adapted to the increased gravity. One clone managed to nd a solid punch to my ribs, knocking the wind out of me, but I retaliated with a roundhouse kick that sent it flying into the wall.

  By the time the spar ended, I was drenched in sweat, my chest heaving as I struggled to catch my breath. The clones dissipated into shadows, and I slumped against the wall, a satisfied grin on my face. "Not bad" I said to myself. "Not bad at all. I am standing tall and I am proud to pull through this hell"

  Later, Asia and I sat on a fallen log, munching on sandwiches she had packed. The training had left us both exhausted, but in a good way. I leaned back, staring up at the canopy as I chewed thoughtfully.

  "You know," I said between bites, "I've been thinking about my new ability"

  Asia tilted her head, her expression curious. "What does it do, exactly?"

  I waved my hand dramatically. "Oh, you know, just summoning shadows of defeated enemies to fight for me. No big deal. Totally not the most badass ability ever."

  She giggled, and I couldn't help but smile. It was nice having someone around who actually appreciated my weird sense of humor or that's what what most people say.

  If I'm going to get random rewards, at least make them useful. Like, I don't know, a gravity chamber or something. Oh wait, I already have one of those. Never mind.

  I couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment. Despite everything—the alliances, the training, the constant pressure to get stronger—moments like these made it all worth it. In the end, if I win that's all that matters to me.

  Calm down, inner Ayanokoji. We ain't looking for tools, we looking for heaven.

  Peace.

  "So," Asia said after a moment "What will you do now Kazuya san? You said you want to reach that realm"

  I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "Well, I'm waiting for two more members to join us. Forming alliances, gathering intel on the realms, maybe even picking up some new magic along the way. But the real goal? Building a faction. A group so strong that no one would dare mess with us. It might seem impossible now, but I'll make it happen. No matter what it takes."

  Asia nodded, her expression serious. "I believe in you, Kazuya."

  I grinned, ruffling her hair. "Thanks, Asia. That means a lot."

  By the time we finished eating, the sun was high in the sky and inside the chamber it was way worse than outside here. But with a pat on my back I pushed myself to keep pushing through it.

  [ Few hours ter ]

  I stepped out of the gravity chamber, my body completely drained, my legs feeling like jelly. I leaned against the door, panting for breath, before pulling out a senzu bean and popping it into my mouth. Instantly, my energy returned, and I straightened up, feeling like a new man.

  I better use them wisely because I only got handful of them left. Around 20 probably but it's better to invest them in training instead of just waiting on them and wasting them away.

  And once again I stepped inside but this time I won't be getting a healing pill, the pain will remain all night. Damn, my life.

  . . .

  "Alright, Asia," I said, stretching my arms above my head. "Let's head back home. I think it's enough for today"

  But just as I turned to leave, I heard a rustling sound from the bushes nearby. My instincts kicked in, and I immediately went on alert, my eyes narrowing as I slowly approached the source of the noise.

  "Stay behind me," I whispered to Asia, my voice low and serious.

  I reached the bush and carefully pushed the leaves aside, my heart pounding in my chest. What I saw made me freeze.

  A girl with blonde hair and pale skin crawled out, her body covered in bruises and scratches. She looked up at me, her eyes barely open, her voice weak and trembling.

  "Let... me suck... your..." she managed to say before colpsing face-first into the dirt, completely unconscious.

  I blinked, staring down at her in utter confusion. "Uh... what?"

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