Chapter 10 : The Developing Body
715 Words
The days after Ethan accepted the Sacrifice System became a cycle.
Train.
Recover.
Improve.
Repeat.
For most people, recovering after an incident like the Redfall dungeon would have meant staying in bed and waiting for their body to heal.
But Ethan was different.
He had spent years being the person who needed protection.
The person others looked down on.
The person who was always told that his limits had already been decided.
Now he had finally received a chance.
And he refused to waste it.
Every morning before sunrise, Ethan woke up.
The hospital was still quiet.
The halls were empty.
The world outside was still sleeping.
But Ethan was already training.
"System."
A blue screen appeared.
[Daily Training Routine Available.]
Objective: Improve physical foundation.
Reward: System Points and Physical Growth.]
Ethan accepted.
Then he began.
At first, the nurses thought he was pushing himself too hard.
"Ethan, you should still be resting."
A nurse named Clara stood at the door with a worried expression.
Ethan looked over while continuing his exercises.
"I'm fine."
She sighed.
"That's what every stubborn hunter says before making their injuries worse."
Ethan smiled slightly.
"I know my limits."
Clara looked at him.
The strange thing was...
He wasn't lying.
The Ethan who first arrived at the hospital looked exhausted and fragile.
He looked like someone who had barely survived.
But now...
Something about him had changed.
Not just his appearance.
His entire presence.
He carried himself differently.
His movements were more controlled.
His eyes were sharper.
It was like the person who woke up in the hospital wasn't the same person who entered it.
Sera continued visiting every day.
At first, she came because she was worried.
She wanted to make sure her brother wasn't hiding his pain.
But after several days, she started noticing something.
"Ethan..."
She stared at him.
He stopped his training and looked confused.
"What?"
She crossed her arms.
"When did you become like this?"
"Like what?"
Sera looked him over.
"The old you struggled carrying normal equipment."
Ethan laughed.
"That was rude."
"It's true."
She smiled.
"But now..."
She looked at him carefully.
The weak and tired appearance he once had was disappearing.
His training had changed him.
His body had become stronger.
His posture was different.
The years of being an E-rank hunter had given him experience, but the system had finally given his body the ability to catch up.
Sera shook her head.
"I leave you alone for a few days and you completely change."
Ethan smiled.
"I just started working harder."
She narrowed her eyes.
"I know you."
She pointed at him.
"You're hiding something."
Ethan looked away.
The system was a secret.
Not because he didn't trust Sera.
But because he didn't understand it himself.
The hospital staff also began noticing Ethan's transformation.
The nurses who had taken care of him during his first days remembered how weak he looked.
Now, they saw someone completely different.
"He recovered much faster than expected."
"I heard his test results are still E-rank."
"That's hard to believe."
Many hunters were judged only by their rank.
But Ethan was proof that rank didn't always show everything.
Some of the nurses admired his discipline.
Not because of his appearance.
Because of his mindset.
They saw someone who had every reason to give up...
Yet continued moving forward.
"He must have incredible willpower."
"He survived something that even experienced hunters couldn't handle."
One evening, Ethan completed his training session.
The system appeared.
[Training completed.]
[Physical adaptation increased.]
[Strength increased.]
[Stamina increased.]
[Control over Energy Reinforcement improved.]
Ethan looked at the notification.
His progress was slow.
But it was real.
That was enough.
For years, he had been trapped at the bottom.
Now he was finally climbing.
A new message appeared.
[Warning.]
[Future quests will increase in difficulty.]
Ethan smiled.
"Good."
The harder the challenge...
The stronger he would become.
Later that night, Ethan stood near the hospital window.
The city lights reflected across the glass.
Somewhere out there were dungeons.
Monsters.
Hunters who still believed he was nothing.
They didn't know.
They didn't understand.
The E-rank hunter they ignored was changing.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Step by step.
The world still saw Ethan Ardent as the weakest hunter.
But the system saw something different.
Potential: Unmeasured.
Evolution: Beginning
- Writer
