THUD!
The dull sound echoed through the training hall as Leng Wu's body slammed into the stone floor.
"Ugh..."
The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. Every bone in his body screamed in agony, but this pain had become as familiar as breathing. For a third-year student at Heavenly Sword Academy—especially one ranked dead last—this was just another Tuesday.
"Hey, Leng Wu. Already done? How boring."
The mocking voice drifted down from above. Wang Tian. Top student of the advanced class and the living embodiment of Leng Wu's nightmares.
"Boss, is he pretending to be unconscious again?"
"Probably. It's getting harder to find practice dummies these days. Would be nice if he could last a bit longer."
Wang Tian's lackeys joined in with their laughter, the sound bouncing off the empty training hall walls like cruel echoes.
Leng Wu forced his trembling arms to push himself up. His vision blurred, but giving up wasn't an option. Three years of experience had taught him that surrender only led to worse things.
Why... why is it always me?
Three years ago, when he'd first enrolled at Heavenly Sword Academy, he'd actually had dreams. Sure, he was from some backwater village, but the locals had always said he had decent talent with a sword. Reality, however, had been brutal.
His first day. The meridian examination.
"Hmm... low-grade, even among the lowest. A constitution that can barely accumulate internal energy."
Those words had sealed his fate. Talentless. Failure. Practice dummy. For three years, he'd been called every name in the book, but hardly anyone bothered remembering his actual name.
WHAM!
Wang Tian's foot crashed into his ribs again.
"Listen, Leng Wu. I want to test out this new technique I learned today. You're going to help me practice."
"...Yes."
There was no right to refuse. Enduring was all he could do.
Wang Tian drew his sword—a high-grade steel blade that gleamed in the afternoon sunlight.
"Don't worry. I'll only hurt you enough that you won't die."
The blade began to dance. Advanced Heavenly Sword technique: Thunder Flash. Lightning-fast consecutive strikes that carved up Leng Wu's body like a butcher's knife.
He couldn't block. Couldn't dodge. All he could do was instinctively cover his vital spots while taking the beating.
One strike. Two strikes. Three strikes...
How many hits had he taken? At some point, Leng Wu realized he'd been pushed back into the corner where the training hall's garbage was piled.
"Tch, already at your limit? No fun."
Wang Tian sheathed his sword with a click of his tongue.
"Boss, maybe we should stop. That guy looks like he might actually die."
"Yeah, what a waste of time. Let's go."
The sound of footsteps faded away. Only then did Leng Wu allow himself to collapse completely, his body crumpling onto the pile of discarded training equipment.
Is this... how I have to live?
Cold despair pressed down on his chest like a boulder. But then, something touched his bloodied hand.
An old book.
An ancient manual buried in the garbage heap. The cover was so worn that even the title was illegible, yet strangely, he couldn't bring himself to let go of it.
And the moment his blood seeped into the book's cover...
FLASH!
Blinding light exploded before his eyes. Simultaneously, a translucent window appeared in his vision.
[Ancient Manual Discovered]
[Would you like to awaken as a Cooldown Constitution?]
[Y/N]
"...What?"
Leng Wu doubted his own eyes. Was this a hallucination? Had the beating scrambled his brain?
But no matter how much he rubbed his eyes, the window remained, glowing even brighter.
[Auto-decline in 10 seconds]
[10... 9... 8...]
A countdown began. Leng Wu's heart started hammering against his ribs.
Cooldown Constitution? What the hell is that?
He had no idea. But one thing was crystal clear.
Right now, in this moment, a chance for change lay before him.
[5... 4... 3...]
He was sick of living like this. Sick of being nothing more than a punching bag for others to practice on.
[2... 1...]
With a shaking hand, Leng Wu reached toward the Y.
"Yes... I want to awaken!"
The world turned white.