The calm river suddenly rippled.
From beneath the water, a massive shape surged upward—a twenty-foot-long water serpent, its scales glistening under the faint sunlight. With a roar, it lunged straight at Kael.
"Kael, watch out!" his master shouted. In a swift motion, he shoved Kael out of the way.
The serpent's massive jaws missed Kael by inches, but before he could react, the beast wrapped itself around the master and dragged him into the depths of the river.
"MASTER!!!" Kael screamed, his voice breaking. He rushed to the riverbank, eyes wide with fear. The water churned violently before settling back into silence.
Kael's heart sank."No one can defeat a Rank C serpent… Master… you can't be gone… I—I'm not even strong enough to help you…"
His hands trembled as despair filled his chest."Maybe… I'll never become strong…"
But suddenly, the water stirred again. Kael froze, terror gripping him. The serpent… it's coming back!
He turned to run—yet what emerged from the river left him speechless.
It wasn't the serpent.
It was his master—calm, composed, and holding the lifeless body of the giant water serpent in one hand.
Kael's jaw dropped."Th-that's… impossible…"
His master threw the serpent onto the ground with a heavy thud. "Well, Kael," he said with a smirk, "looks like we've found our food for the next two days. And this skin will make excellent training clothes."
Kael stared in awe. In that moment, he realized the truth—his master was no ordinary man.
That night, the two of them roasted the serpent's flesh by the fire. Just hours ago, the beast was a terrifying Rank C monster. Now, its meat filled their stomachs.
As Kael chewed silently, his master's voice broke the quiet."Do you know why we ran so far to find this river, Kael? There was a river nearby, but I didn't take you there."
Kael looked puzzled. "Why?"
"Because when humans set a goal, they do not stop until they achieve it. Our goal was to find a river. It took us seven hours, but when we finally arrived, you felt happiness, didn't you?"
Kael nodded slowly. "…I did."
His master smiled faintly. "That's the lesson. The joy of achieving a goal comes only after effort. And while you chased this goal, I also tested your stamina limit."
Kael blinked. "My… stamina limit? Then what is it?"
His master chuckled and stood up, gazing into the fire."I'll tell you next week—after I measure each part of your body's limits. For now, sleep. Tomorrow at dawn, we train again."
The next morning, the sky was still painted with pale light when Kael woke up on his own. His master raised an eyebrow."You woke without me? Why?"
Kael clenched his fists. "Because… I want to become stronger. I want to achieve my goals!"
The master smiled, satisfied."Good. Today, we'll measure your strength limit."
Kael tilted his head. "Strength limit? What's that?"
"You'll find out soon enough," his master replied, motioning him to follow.
The fire in Kael's heart burned brighter as he stood up and followed his master—ready for the next step of his training.