The next morning began with pain.
Every stretch of Alex's body screamed with bruises as he pushed himself upright from the dormitory bed.
His ribs throbbed with dull ache, his arms felt heavy as lead, and even the act of drawing in a deep breath sent needles of discomfort stabbing through his chest.
He sat there for a long moment, staring at his hands small, scraped, shaking slightly not the hands of a knight not the hands of someone destined to wield fire or carve legends.
And yet he clenched them into fists.
He could still hear Darion's voice mocking him, the sneers of the other nobles, the whispers echoing in the academy's halls Half-blood ,Weak , Trash.
For a brief moment, the shame threatened to drown him but then, like a spark striking kindling, another memory surfaced his father, Erynder, towering like an unshakable oak.
"A warrior is not the one who never falls, Alex.
A warrior is the one who rises, no matter how many times he's been beaten down."
Alex let out a long breath "I'll rise again no matter what."
And with those words, the familiar shimmer of blue light appeared before him.
[System Notification]
Hidden Stat: Willpower unlocked.
Willpower (WIL): 1
• Governs resistance to despair, illusions, fear.
• Enhances the effectiveness of training when injured or fatigued.
• Increases chance of resisting suppression from higher-ranked opponents.
Alex blinked at the glowing text a new status Something no one else at the academy would see, because no one else carried this strange, alien System. His bruises, his humiliation, his stubborn refusal to collapse all of it had fed into this.
He touched the shimmering word with his fingertip, and the text shifted.
[New Quest Available.]
Quest: Rise From Defeat
Condition: Train with injured body for 3 consecutive days.
Reward: +50 EXP, +2 Willpower, +Skill Unlock (???).
Failure: None.
Alex's lips curved into a grim smile. "So even defeat… becomes fuel."
He could almost feel the System watching him, measuring him, pushing him into corners where giving up would be easy but rewarding him whenever he resisted it wasn't mercy.
It was something harsher, something closer to a trial by fire.
And maybe… maybe that was what he needed.
By the time he reached the mess hall, whispers had already spread.
"There he is. Still limping."
"He should've left after yesterday."
"Half-bloods don't belong here."
Alex ignored them his tray clattered with stale bread and thin stew, and he found a quiet corner, shoulders hunched, eyes on the food though his appetite was faint.
A shadow fell across the table.
He glanced up to find Mira sliding into the seat opposite him. Her emerald eyes studied him, sharp and assessing. "You look worse today than yesterday."
"I feel worse," Alex admitted, forcing a wry grin.
"And yet you came."
"I can't afford not to."
She tilted her head slightly, strands of dark hair slipping forward to frame her face. "Most would take a day off , rest , heal. You're walking into the training grounds like that?"
"The System gave me a quest," Alex said without thinking he froze his eyes darted around, heart hammering. Idiot! You can't just say that out loud!
But Mira only raised an eyebrow "A… quest?"
Alex scrambled for words. "I .. I mean… more like a promise to myself."
Her lips curved, amused "That's not what it sounded like but fine.
Keep your secrets just don't collapse in front of everyone again you'll give Darion more to laugh about."
Alex lowered his gaze, fingers tightening on the bread "Let him laugh i'll rise again."
For a long moment, Mira studied him then, unexpectedly, she smiled small, faint, but real "Then prove it."
The training grounds the next day were merciless.
Students gathered in groups, sparring under the watchful eyes of instructors. Their blades clashed, their spells lit the air with bursts of flame and wind the scent of sweat and scorched earth filled the courtyard.
Alex, bruised and sore, stood alone at the edge.
Three days, he reminded himself.
Three days of training through pain.
He picked up a wooden sword.
His arms trembled at the weight, not from weakness but from lingering aches , Each swing of the blade sent sharp jolts racing through his ribs ,Each stance tested the bruises along his legs.
[System Notification]
Progress: 1/3 days completed.
Vitality efficiency increased by 10% when training injured.
By the second day, every muscle screamed, but Alex forced himself onward. Sweat soaked his tunic, dripping into his eyes, stinging.
His breath came ragged, shallow.
Darion passed by at one point, his voice dripping with contempt "Still pretending you belong here? Pathetic."
Alex didn't respond he didn't even look up his blade rose and fell, slow, steady, relentless.
For a moment, Darion's smirk faltered before he walked away.
On the third day, Alex could barely stand!hs his arms felt like lead, his lungs burned, and the world tilted with every swing but he refused to stop each strike of the wooden blade was weaker than the last, yet still he moved.
Sweat poured down his face. His bruises throbbed with every motion.
[Quest Complete — Rise From Defeat.]
Rewards: +50 EXP, +2 Willpower.
New Skill Unlocked: Endurance (Passive, Lv.1).
Effect: Reduces stamina consumption by 10%. Training efficiency increased.
Alex sank to his knees, panting, his vision blurred but through the haze of exhaustion, a spark burned, His System hadn't abandoned him, His suffering hadn't been in vain.
For the first time since he entered the academy, he felt not just like prey but like someone sharpening claws in silence.
A whisper rose at the back of his mind ,not from the students , not from Mira. Not from the instructors.
From the dragon egg resting in the dormitory vault, bound to his soul.
You endure.
Good.
Keep enduring.
The voice was faint, smoky, ancient Alex froze, heart hammering the dragon… it was watching.
And just like the System, it demanded more from him.
He closed his eyes, bruised lips curving into a faint smile. "Then I'll give more no matter how many times it hurts."
Because every ember of pain was another spark for the fire that would one day ignite.
And Alex refused to be extinguished.