Hao Fan's golden eyes gleamed faintly in the dim light. Though the fish he'd managed to catch today could be considered a decent meal by ordinary standards, it wasn't nearly enough to sustain the kind of high-intensity training his body demanded.
A few scraps of protein like this couldn't possibly support the monstrous appetite of someone training to wield true magic power. If things continued like this, he'd collapse before his mana reserves ever grew.
He glanced at the scrawny boy from the village—Astardu. The kid was already fifteen, yet barely reached his chest. Stunted growth was common here, a direct result of long-term malnutrition.
Hao Fan guessed that if he were to train seriously, he'd need at least three catties of beef and mutton—or ten large river carp—per meal, just to keep up with the mana consumption.
It was clear: the road ahead would be tough. But first, tomorrow, he had to solve the food issue.
After eating, Hao Fan lay flat on the narrow wooden bed. It looked like he was sleeping, but in truth, he was cultivating mana—what the Clover Kingdom referred to as magic power.
He couldn't rely on spells just yet; without a grimoire, he was at a disadvantage. But that didn't mean he was helpless. He focused inward, circulating the raw magic energy that had fused with his body upon arriving in this world.
He had no idea how he ended up in this border village, but one thing was certain—it may appear peaceful now, but border regions were always volatile. Bandits, magical beasts, rogue mages—anything could happen. Being prepared was the only option.
****
Before dawn the next day, Hao Fan threw off the warm blanket and got out of bed. The early spring chill still lingered in the air. Any normal child would have stayed curled up in bed, but Hao Fan had long gotten used to rising with the sun — a habit he developed under the harsh training of "Kaihuang" (Master Kai).
"Today's mission is no joke," he muttered while getting dressed.
Yesterday, he collapsed into bed from exhaustion. But beyond just fatigue, there was another reason — the terrible bath situation at the church. The building was huge, yet only had two bathtubs for everyone, and the facilities were extremely simple. Bathing was gender-segregated and rotated weekly — the girls would bathe on Wednesdays, and the boys would take turns after.
This meant Hao Fan couldn't even use his healing potion in the bath last night.
So, he made a decision: renovating the church was now a top priority. After all, one of Asta's (and by extension, Hao Fan's) dreams had always been to improve everyone's lives — not just become the Wizard King overnight. But Asta was too single-minded, always training, and never thinking to use his incredible strength to help the community.
As for today's agenda?
Step 1: Head to the river and catch enough fish to fill his stomach.
Step 2: Chop wood and build a bathhouse — separate facilities for men and women.
"Alright! Let's do this!" Hao Fan exclaimed.
Just then, Yunuo — a sleepy-eyed child sharing the room — peeked open his eyes, blinked at Hao Fan in surprise, then quickly shut them again, pretending not to notice.
"Hmph, moody kid. Reminds me of Sasuke," Hao Fan muttered, grabbing his tools: an axe, flint, and some rope.
As he stepped out of the church, a villager called out, "Morning, Asta! Out for some fun again?"
"Your grandma's having fun! Do I look like a husky?" Hao Fan rolled his eyes. "I'll drop 100 house demolition plans on you, old man."
The villager blinked in confusion. "Huh? This brat's vocabulary expanded overnight!"
Hao Fan exhaled a long breath and ran backwards for three kilometers to the creek.
"Time is my greatest rival," he reminded himself. "If you're born behind others, then to surpass them, you need 300% more effort and wisdom."
Once at the creek, he sat to rest briefly. His arms were sore and swollen from yesterday's intense training — not something Asta ever practiced This was Hao Fan's own technique.
He uncorked a small healing potion and took a sip. A warm sensation spread through his body. These potions were like milk: they healed injuries and nourished the body.
There was only a sip left, but Hao Fan had an idea. He poured the rest into the stream water, rinsed the bottle, and splashed the potion-diluted water on his arms.
"Hiss... that stings!" he winced — but the soreness faded almost instantly.
"With this potion, I may not have magic yet, but I can double my physical training efficiency!" Hao Fan grinned, then began crafting a makeshift fishing tool.
Using a rhombus-shaped stone, he sharpened it and tied it tightly to a rope — a primitive kunai-like spear.
"Perfect!"
At the creek, fat winter carp swam sluggishly in the cold current. Most villagers avoided fishing during this season — catching a cold wasn't worth it. But Hao Fan wasn't most villagers.
He flicked the stone spear backward — plop! It pierced straight through a large carp.
Shua! The fish leapt out, trailing water that glittered like a rainbow in the morning sun.
"Still got my kunai-throwing touch," Hao Fan smirked.
In no time, he caught ten fat carp and headed to the nearby forest. He gathered firewood, lit it using flint, and started roasting the fish.
"Let's see if this attracts a few hungry beasts," he mused, remembering how he earned 1 point yesterday by taking down an old mountain wolf.
His main focus now, however, was improving the church's living conditions — starting with a bathhouse. Training without proper rest, food, or hygiene was unsustainable.
****
Burp!
Hao Fan wiped his mouth after devouring the roasted carp, but his face was dark.
"Who leaked the news?" he growled.
All he did was kill one mountain wolf yesterday — yet just halfway through cooking today, a whole gang of jackals and wildcats showed up.
This place was supposed to be a peaceful border village — how was it so wild?
Whatever. He was full now — time to start logging.
Although he knew nothing about architecture, he had brute strength on his side.
"Even if I have to build a bathhouse with my bare hands, I'll do it!"
Thunk! Thunk!
"Chopping trees is training too!" he yelled with Kai-like passion.
Within seconds, a tree as thick as an adult's thigh hit the ground. He stripped and split the trunk quickly.
"Hmm, I'll need at least 17 or 18 more trees like this to build a decent bathhouse."
He thought of the young girls and Sister Lily at the church. Each had their own charm — so a proper bathhouse was a must!
By noon, Hao Fan was carrying a mountain of lumber toward the village.
"Carrying logs is training too!" he reminded himself, gritting his teeth.
Asta's explosive strength was amazing, but his endurance still needed work. Right now, Hao Fan was hauling 50 times his body weight.
The villagers were stunned.
"What kind of monster is that?"
"Is that... Asta?!"
"He's carrying a whole forest!"
Ignoring the stares, Hao Fan finally reached the church courtyard. He dropped the logs with a heavy thud.
"Not bad! If I hustle this afternoon, I can finish the bathhouse!"
"Asta?!"
A little girl in a blue and white dress peeked out, shocked.
Using magic was common — but seeing someone achieve this much without it was unheard of.
"Yeah, I'm building you girls a bathhouse!" Hao Fan winked. "One private tub per person. Even in winter, you'll bathe in comfort!"
The girl blushed and ran inside. "Asta's so cool — and so shameless!"
Just then, the Father burst out of the church like a storm.
"Asta, what the heck is this? Did you rob a lumberyard?!"
"Excellence," Hao Fan smirked, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder.
"Wha—you're even learning sarcasm now?!"
The Father activated Priest Mockery Mode. "Look at you! Useless brat! When Noge was your age, he was already helping the church — not playing in the mountains like you!"
"I'm building us a luxurious bathhouse," Hao Fan said coolly.
"A what?"
"I've had a dream since I was little — to build a bathhouse where every orphan has their own wooden tub. No more waiting, no more gender schedules, no more freezing in winter!"
The Father blinked, stunned speechless. Then burst out laughing.
"Haha! If you actually build that, I'll name you the church's rising star!"
"Tch. Just you wait," Hao Fan snorted, and turned to leave.
"Where are you going now? It's time to eat!"
"To improve everyone's food too!"
Hao Fan ran off toward the creek again — this time forward, at top speed. He crossed the 3 km stretch in just five minutes — twice the speed of a normal person.