Ats colpsed to the ground, the searing pain radiating through his body. He screamed, the agony so overwhelming it felt as though it might knock him unscious.

  Kurogasa had carefully chosen a training area where the va streams were shallow and sparse, with wide stretches of solid grouween them.

  Even so, the streams, no wider than a human foot, were still dangerous enough that one wrong step could cause serious harm. And now, Ats’s foot had nded directly in one of them, the molte melting his sole as though it were wax.

  “My Lord… let me heal you,” Lyrassa said, rushing to his side alongside Kurogasa.

  Ats felt their presend the beginning of healing energy flowing into his foot. His hand shot out, gripping Lyrassa’s wrist to stop her.

  The lessons he had learned from Kurogasa rang loudly in his mind. Pain must be endured. Only by pushing to the brink you surpass your limits.

  Ats ched his teeth, breathing heavily. He couldn’t let this pai him. It wasn’t his body that o e was his mind!

  “Only heal me if there’s a risk of perma damage,” he said through gritted teeth.

  Lyrassa shook her head, clearly against his decision, but relutly followed his orders. Her gaze remained fixed on his face, falling silently as she watched him ehe pain.

  “My Lord…” Kurogasa said.

  “No,” Ats interrupted. “This is just the beginning. I’m not giving up!”

  He stayed on the ground for a moment longer, letting the pain ripple through him. It didn’t fade—not really—but he willed himself to move. Slowly, with a roar of frustration, Ats began to rise. His legs shook as he forced himself upright.

  Damn it!

  The pain was excruciating, but he refused to stop. This was the path tth, and he would walk it, no matter how much it hurt.

  He started running again, shouting at the top of his lungs.

  “DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! ARGHH!”

  This time, his steps carried more fidence. Having ehe pain once, he knew he could survive it again.

  Strangely, everything around him began to feel sharper, clearer. The crag of the va, the shifti in the air, the distinct scorched smell that ged as he moved—he was beginning to se all.

  He could feel the enviro guiding him, each step being more precise.

  He could do this!

  Lyrassa stood with a worried expression, her gaze fixed on Ats. Beside her were Kurogasa and Edrik.

  “The Lord…” she whispered, her voice trembling. “He’s only human…” Her words caught ihroat as tears fell freely down her cheeks. “He’s just a normal human… This suffering must be hell for him.”

  She shook her head, uo hide her distress.

  Edrik sighed heavily. “Even I, an assassin aced to hellish training, feel like my past struggles were child’s py pared to what he’s putting himself through.”

  Kurogasa nodded slowly. “It paio see him suffer like this. But he knows better than anyone what he wants. All we do is support him and cover his blind spots.”

  The three of them watched in silence as Ats ran again, faster this time. His steps grew surer, and he mao guide himself away from the streams of va with greater precision. He was adjusting, adapting… learning.

  Ats stumbled again, this time falling into the same stream of va. The pain was excruciating, and he rolled on the ground, clutg his leg as if the agony were breaking his very bones.

  Lyrassa and Kurogasa rushed toward him, worry etched on their faces. But after ensuring he could ehey stepped back as Ats forced himself to stand once more.

  He started running again, his resolve unshakee the pain.

  This wasn’t even the first p—it was far from over.

  Then, finally—

  “My Lord, first p,” Kurogasa called out as Ats passed him.

  Ats managed a faint, determined smile before pushing forward, his pawavering.

  Finally!

  As he tihe rhythm of his running became steadier. He was growing aced to navigating without sight, interpreting his surroundings through smell, heat, and sound. His senses sharpened, w together in ways they never had before.

  It was sheer, uing hell.

  There were moments when he felt despair, questioning the sanity of his decision to endure such punishment. But every time doubt cwed at his mind, he roared—deep, primal, and unyielding—f himself to push harder.

  He pushed harder!

  With every step, his fidence grew.

  Sure, he fell again. His legs were scraped raw, his body battered, caked in dirt and blistered from the heat. But he refused to stop.

  He rose every time, his determination burning brighter than the molten streams beh his feet!

  And finally… finally!!!

  “My Lord, you’ve do,” Kurogasa’s voice broke through the haze of exhaustion.

  Ats smiled, then burst into ughter as he colpsed onto the ground, his body trembling with relief. Hahaha! He ughed, reag up to remove his blindfold.

  As his vision adjusted, he saw Kurogasa, Edrik, Lyrassa, and all the troops surrounding him. They stood silently for a moment before bowing to him in unison.

  Edrik stepped forward, his hand to help Ats up, steadying him as he struggled to find his footing.

  This had been another round of hellish training. But he had made it through.

  Ats ched his fists. This wasn’t his limit—not yet.

  He would keep pushing himself, breaking through every barrier, no matter how impossible it seemed.

  He would go even further!

  Afterward, the group took a well-deserved break for lunch before diving into anrueling round of training. The iy matched the earlier session, pushing everyoo their limits.

  By the time evening rolled around, they returned, exhausted, to Gacha Haven.

  Moments like these made Ats think how much more enjoyable post-training recovery would be if he could struct the Healing Spring. The blueprint he’d acquired from the Gacha, but he still cked the materials to build it.

  He resolved to explore other isnds soon to gather what he needed.

  In his room, Ats received treatment and healing from Lyrassa. Her abilities worked wonders, and he was back to his normal state much faster than he could have expected. It was nothing short of a miracle having someone like her on his team.

  That night, as usual, the isnd came alive.

  Everyohered to eat, ugh, and sing around the fire. Some took turns grilling food, others joined in karaoke, and a few brave souls tried their hand at stand-up edy, filling the night with ughter and joy.

  Ats sat back, watg it all, a satisfied smile on his face. This vibe—this energy—was somethieo preserve.

  He reviewed his remaining gacha pulls. He still had 80 Standard Tickets!

  This meant he was guara least one Rank-S item, though he couldn’t help but feel a little greedy, hoping for even more.

  The excitement among his troops alpable as Ats stepped onto the stage. This was the moment everyone had been waiting for.

  He grabbed 10 tickets and threw them into the air. The glowing tickets spun wildly before each began to ge color.

  Brown. Everyone fell silent.

  Brown. Brown. Brown.

  Then—Purple!

  “FIRE!” the crowd roared in unison.

  Aicket turned Purple.

  “FIRE!” they shouted again, louder this time.

  The remaining ticket began to settle. Brown. Brown. Brown. Purple!

  “FIRE!”

  Cheers erupted as the results were revealed. Three Rank-A items from the first pull.

  “What a way to start the night!”