Now Conrad and Tom were training harder than ever every single day.
But they soon ran into another problem.
Where were they going to get money from?
That problem was solved in a jiffy.
One morning, they noticed a poster hanging just behind their bridge.
It read:
"Complete these two jobs, and I'll pay you 360 dollars."
First: Fetch 16 gallons of water from the mountains.
Second: Catch fish from the ocean.
– Shelby
"Leave everything 2 kilometres south of the bridge. Your payment will be there one hour later."
Conrad was overjoyed after reading it.
Tom, however...
Felt that something was a little suspicious.
But they still accepted the work.
Conrad headed toward the ocean to catch fish.
Tom made his way to the mountains to fetch water.
As they continued doing these jobs every day, they slowly realized something.
The work itself was training them.
For Conrad...
Catching fast-moving fish sharpened his timing, precision, and punching speed.
For Tom...
Pulling heavy buckets of water out of the valleys demanded incredible leg strength.
Carrying sixteen gallons on his back strengthened his lower body, hamstrings, and back muscles.
Without realizing it...
They were getting paid...
To train.
Every single day.
Of course...
This mysterious "Shelby" was none other than Thomas.
He was secretly helping the two boys survive financially while making sure they continued growing stronger.
It didn't make much sense.
At least...
Not yet.
Every day, Conrad and Tom trained.
Every day, they completed Shelby's jobs.
And every day, they handed the money over to Thomas so he could manage everything for them.
As the month of training came to an end...
Thomas introduced them to the final lesson.
"The strongest weapon isn't your body."
"It's your emotions."
He explained that every fighter had memories capable of awakening incredible strength.
Against weaker opponents...
Small emotions were enough.
But against someone far stronger...
Only your deepest pain could bring out your true power.
That overwhelming surge...
Was what people called adrenaline.
"There is another side to it," Thomas continued.
"Your happiest memories can also become your greatest defence."
For Tom...
His happiest memory was being with Conrad.
For Conrad...
It was his family.
And now...
Tom.
Their darkest memories...
Were equally clear.
For Conrad...
The massacre of his family.
For Tom...
Losing his parents...
Again and again.
Over the next five days...
They practiced controlling those emotions.
Not letting them consume them...
But using them.
By the end...
They had finally mastered it.
The last five days were spent doing only one thing.
Fighting each other.
Every single day.
Tom opened the fight with an overhead kick.
Conrad quickly dodged it, grabbed Tom's leg, and slammed him into the ground.
But Tom planted both hands on the floor, balanced himself in a handstand, and used the momentum to land the first clean strike on Conrad's face.
Blood splashed across the ground.
Conrad smiled.
Using Tom's trapped position, he swept Tom's supporting leg, sending him crashing onto the floor.
Both of them were now bleeding.
Conrad charged forward and threw a punch straight toward Tom's head.
Seeing the opening...
Tom launched another kick.
Conrad suddenly stopped his punch and reached forward to grab it.
But...
Tom had expected that.
Halfway through...
He switched into a reverse kick.
The kick slammed directly into Conrad's abs.
The impact echoed through the bridge.
Unfortunately...
Tom still hadn't fully mastered the technique.
Conrad endured the pain...
Stepped forward...
And smashed his forehead straight into Tom's face.
The fight was over.
Thomas watched the entire battle with a smile.
"I wasn't watching your strength..."
"I was watching your minds."
He looked at Tom.
"If that reverse kick had been perfected..."
"Conrad would've been the one lying on the ground."
"You'll master it."
"In time."
Finally...
Thomas gave them two full days to rest.
"Prepare yourselves."
"The final battle..."
"...will be against me."
"And that battle..."
"...will decide your fate..."
"...in the Land of Cruelty."