Chapter 5: You Wanna be Strong?

Being adopted was the simplest process of my entire journey to Mael Dashner's home.

Technically, when I thought about it seriously, I shouldn't have been adopted, at first.

Why? 

Well, the original Rodiel ended up being an orphan until he was sixteen, when he finally had his talent recognized and was sponsored by an influential noble house in the Kingdom.

He and the female protagonist would get involved in a kind of complicated relationship for that exactly reason.

She, Taliyah Roosevelt, a commoner  of the suburbs, would identify with the concerns of Rodiel, a talented orphan who suffered to rise in society.

However, I didn't have time to worry about the consequences of my action right now. 

There were already enough problems piled up around me.

I needed to focus on the present for that. 

Besides, putting it on a mental scale, being adopted by Mael had more pros than cons in the end.

As a normal person would, he introduced me to each of his employees. 

They waved, admiring and aghast at the sight of Mael Dashner, the Steelheart, having adopted a child.

But that didn't last long. This was not a very common relationship at first. 

Having brought me to the farthest corner of the manor, he had made up his mind to teach me a few things about this world before showing me how to fight.

''Innate Skills?'' I asked.

''Yes! Exactly!'' He answered me. ''What people call ''Innate Abilities'' or ''Gifts'' are nothing more than an extension of your mana circle. But contrary to what they think, innate abilities are not what make a true fighter!'' 

With a fervent fire that burned in his eyes, Mael Dashner, a black-skinned, muscular man, spat out his words mercilessly and slammed one of his legs to the ground.

''You told me that you wish hard. Right, kid?" Cracking a smile, he bared his yellowed teeth.

His expression was frightening, even so I wouldn't judge him. In fact, I admired his appearance, as it showed the ultimate result of his own efforts.

I didn't answer him verbally, keeping my mouth shut as I watched him. I nodded my head instead of giving him a precise answer.

Sincerely, I didn't understand exactly what he saw in my facial expression, but the man flashed a sudden satisfied and fresh smile that stretched from one ear to the other.

''Then let's go!'' 

He gave a resounding slap to his own chest. 

Blowing air confidently from gis nostrils, his mouth opened again.

''I will turn you into a true fighting machine! The greatest or best adventurer? They will just be mere jokes to you!''

And, then, with those words, hell on earth had only begun.

****************

One conversation led to another. One speech led to motivation. Kicks came and punches went.

Like the current of a river, the days flowed naturally, imperceptibly.

Every second counted. Every minute made me faster. One fight at a time made me stronger and stronger.

So, almost without noticing the passage of time, my six-year-old birthday finally came.

How did we celebrate it, though? 

Fighting.

Not that I was surprised, I knew very well the nature of the one they called Steelheart, the impenetrable one.

In the game, he was powerful and menacing.

No, merely mighty or powerful would be making light of the level of his skill and brute strength.

It would be more accurate to point him out as a brute who was nearly on par with the Demon King and his allies.

Mael Dashner was a man of unbreakable temper, immovable as the wall of a military fortress.

This was the official description that the developers had left on the game's website.

He was literally the stereotype of a symbol of justice embodied in one person.

Somehow some players used to like him and his playful personality.

I, on the other hand, just thought his setup was ridiculous. 

An almost unstoppable ally of justice who later in the story would side with Taliyah and her romantic peers, only to ultimately die to save the girl's life.

A powerful character who would later be discarded for the sake of TWOF's botched storyline.

That's what he was. Nothing more, nothing less.

''Should we continue training, boy?'' With a huge smile on his face, he asked.

I sighed deeply. 

Looking into his face, I realized the fact that a whole year had passed in the blink of an eye.

I used to think he was uninteresting and very generic. 

But that was before.

Living with him in real life, in flesh and blood, made me nurture a perspective completely different from my old one.

Maybe... that was why I was starting to like him more and more?

Maybe that was also why this burning in my chest screamed for another round; begging me to fight?

'At any cost, I have to stay strong.'

''Alright. Why not, master?"

He got up off the ground with a leap.

''That's what I'm talking about! Let's go!''

Master didn't hesitate to attack me.

With the impact of a single punch from him, I was sent in the opposite direction of the mansion's makeshift arena without having a chance to respond.

Seven years.

Another arduous year of training with Mael had come to an end.

Mael, my master and adoptive father, shook his head in disapproval as he looked at me, as I got up off the corpse of a huge, burly animal.

''Tsk... Tsk... I expected more from you.''

Two corpses were piled on the floor, forming a small mound twice the size of my tiny body.

Letting the creature's guts spill out to all sides, I turned toward him.

''What? What did I do wrong now?''

He narrowed his eyes, disappointed.

''Me and my rival defeated beast rank monsters when we were your age! We made it without a single scratch! Although you fought well, is that all?''

''But I...'' 

Mael held out a gigantic hand, interrupting me in mid-speech.

''No but, got it? You were born with intelligence beyond the ordinary and gifts specialized in martial arts and that's all you can do? Tell me, what's your goal, boy? 

''Strong.'' I replied decidedly. ''I need to get stronger, old man.'' 

He flashed one of his signature smiles, making him look like a lunatic. 

''I know. I know.'' Saying that, he dashed towards me. ' So this time, let me show you how it's done. OK?'' 

Eight years. 

I had gotten used to the sudden screams and nonsensical motivational speeches that Mael used to teach every day, at random intervals of time. 

What's more, I was exponentially stronger than previously. 

Still, though I thought that was a good level for someone my age to have reached, Mael once again looked disapproving. 

He shook his head repeatedly as he watched me continue with my workout. 

''Come on. Can't you do any better? 'Cause I know you can.'' 

The man said, grabbing a row of thick logs that he had collected himself earlier in the morning. 

Placing them on the surface of the support, he pointed with his finger in the direction of the pile of logs. 

''I want you to destroy them. All at once.'' 

I bit my lip. ''But, master...'' 

''What did we talk about using that word?'' 

I swallowed the words hard. 

''You're not a normal person, Rody. You are my student. My only and eccentric disciple. My son. A talented young man I trust. And that's exactly why it's not enough.''

Honestly, it was refreshing and strange to live with this guy.

I had splintered two pieces of trunk with my bare hands, but he still wasn't satisfied with my performance. 

However, I understood his point.

At first, if I wanted to survive the calamities and catastrophes that would unfold in this world in the future, I would have to be strong.

Strong enough to be compared with others.

Strong enough to be compared to Taliyah.

Strong enough to easily overcome my enemies.

''As you wish, Professor.''

I said, injecting my arms with mana as I lifted them as far as my flexibility would allow.

''This is my boy! Go ahead, show me what you're capable of!

''Hapt!''

I grunted as I split two logs in half.

Nine years.

''Come on! Divert!''

In front of me, imposing and confident as always, Mael was having fun throwing punches indiscriminately in all directions.

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''Ugh!''

He had told me, just before we started sparring, that he would take it easy. 

But was this sh*t behavior his taking it easy philosophy?

What kind of definition did he think the phrases "take it slow" and "take it easy" had?

Even after four years of living with him, I still couldn't understand what was going on in his head as a whole.

''Come on, boy! I know you can still improve!''

''Professor, wait a—!''

A blow landed on my jaw, nearly snapping it in half. 

I felt the moment the muscle dislodged slightly and then snapped back into place quickly, almost like a car's spring.

It was painful; my eyes watered against my will.

In the end, this was neither a fight nor a training. 

This was a damned one-sided massacre.

His attacks were like fucking bullets, shooting out flashes of light that my eyes couldn't see properly. 

Although I tried and followed his tips precisely, it didn't make any difference.

''Hey! Hey! Are you really that weak, Rody?''

However, in his words, it was an even fight. 

At one time he would hit me, at other times I would be severely beaten by him.

But, ignoring his psychotic tendencies, I didn't give up.

Mael had told me that my growth was slow, but that my body and abilities were suited to achieving feats considered impossible by others. 

So with that in mind, I had to make those expectations a reality.

Only then could I live in peace and comfort on this twisted planet.

Ten years.

It had been exactly five years since I had awakened in this body, in this world.

Would that be a cause for celebration or something to worry about? 

Honestly, I couldn't say.

I mean, I didn't have a lot of time to think about it to begin with.

My routine was full enough of worries. 

First, I had training sessions that pushed my body to its maximum limits. 

Second, I had theory classes on history, language, and other subjects with expert instructors.

''You are an absolutely genius, young master Rody!'' 

My instructors used to declare, incredulous at my accomplishments.

Not that it was a big deal for me to solve those problems and learn those subjects at all.

Like, it would be difficult to do the math and write for someone doing this for the first time. 

On the other hand, what about when that applied to a person who had done it hundreds or thousands of times over and over again?

Surprisingly that was my case.

"Extraordinary! You will certainly stand out in the future, young master."

It was a pity, however, that none of my academic skills applied to my main subject: surviving Mael's attacks.

''Disappointing! You'll never stand out in the future if you keep this up, Rody!''

F*ck! 

I understand I want to be strong and all, but who the hell do you want me to be? The damn Sup*rman?

At least, amidst all problems, I had one thing to be thankful for: Mael was definitely irritating, but he was nowhere near my Earth sister, Alana.

Oh god! This was indeed a blessing from heaven itself.

And then, living with father and the others, much more time passed and I finally turned 12 years old.

Looking at myself in the reflection of a small puddle, I noticed that every day I became more like Rodiel from the original TWOF setup.

Jet-brown hair and yellow eyes closed like a cat's. Just like the game website description I once read in my past life.

Even so, there were a few differences that I could notice here and there, like the length of my hair. 

Anyway, in the end, my looks gradually blossomed, getting closer and closer to TWOF illustrations.

''Boy, pay attention to your surroundings as we fight!''

In response to my teacher's shout, I quickly adjusted my position and brought my arms together in front of me.

His punch hit me directly, but I was able to block it — I had parried the legendary Steelheart's piercing fist.

Unfortunately, there was a price for that.

“D-damn!” I screamed as I was sent flying to the other end of the arena.

No matter how carefully and precisely he limited his strength, the old man was simply a monster in the literal sense of the word.

It was hard to conceive of the fact that he had died in the game, being so powerful with just his bare fists.

‘’Use what you’ve learned, boy. Stop getting lost in thought in the middle of a fight.”

I broke my daze and took a deep breath.

With a resounding crash that reverberated throughout the arena, I crashed into one of the wooden pillars of the arena's gate and landed as best I could on the ground.

Then I kicked the ground hard.

Shuup!

Reaching Mael's location, I got into position for a proper punch in a heartbeat.

I controlled my breathing with the techniques I'd learned, pumping mana into my muscles and shifting my weight to my legs, eliminating any instability by channeling my strength, starting from my feet to my legs and then to my waist.

''Hup!''

I moaned low as I twisted my waist in an unnatural way, applying my punch.

Baaam!

The thunderous sound made it clear that this definitely wasn't a shallow blow where only the arm was moving.

No, that one had the accumulation of all my efforts put into one attack. 

To say that it was a mere ''proper punch'' would be a serious offense to the abnormal quality that I, a 12-year-old guy, was able to display.

Paaam! Pow!

I captured with my eyes the moment when my fist made a direct impact against Mael's chest.

However, he didn't even move.

Actually, he didn't really need to. Like a statue, he held still, not even lifting a finger in my direction.

''Hmm?'' 

His majestically sculpted body from hard training blocked my punch perfectly and no damage could be seen, being it minimal or not.

I giggled in awe. 

No wonder this old man was one of the strongest in this freaking world.

''Any more tricks?'' His tone sounded casual.

I shook my head left and right.

''That was a good effort, I must admit. Still, I don't believe that your punch is only at that level at 12, even after so much training! If I had been born with specialized innate abilities like you, I would certainly have sent myself flying to the mansion with this same blow!''

I couldn't muster up the courage to argue against Mael's speech. All I could feel was a hot tightness in my heart.

A sense of horror was slowly building within me as the days passed.

Each week I became more worried.

Every year I became more vulnerable.

Every second I was more susceptible to becoming a victim of the game's events.

So, I needed to become stronger. Fast.

I mean, the enemies that would stand in my way would be something that, the current me, wouldn't be able to reach even with so much training.

It was a completely different level.

I had to reach the pinnacle.

'They are monstrously powerful,'

To make matters worse, when I stopped to think about it, even my father would end up falling dead at the hands of one of the Demon King's generals.

This was shocking.

At first, I couldn't match anyone at the moment. 

The professor could easily overwhelm someone on the same level as me with just his body — as he had just done to me.

Even so, he was not necessarily invincible.

For this exact reason, in order to live a peaceful life without too many problems, I had to grow more.

I clenched my fist tightly.

Turn into the strongest adventurer was impossible, but I still wanted to be a powerful one.

''Sorry for my failures, teacher. To repay for it, I will work even harder from now on!”

In response to my energetic announcement, Mael laughed heartily, finding it all amusing.

''That's right! That's what I'm talking about! Work even harder and become the strongest! Surpass me, boy!''

And, without both of us noticing, four years went by in a flash.

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