Broken Cloud Mountain did not react to their progress.
The wind still cut through the ravines. Stone paths twisted the same way they always had. Somewhere far off, the low, steady grunts of Warhogs echoed again, calm and patient, as if twelve or twenty dead beasts meant nothing at all.
It was a reminder.
They were still small.
The camp rested in an uneasy balance. Not panic. Not confidence. Somewhere in between.
People sat wherever they could—against rocks, near packs, on uneven ground. Arms shook slightly when stretched. Legs felt heavier than they should. Body Refining had pushed their limits, and the cost was beginning to show.
Fatigue had arrived quietly.
STRWH4T sat with his back against a stone outcrop, staring at his right arm.
It looked normal.
No black color. No strange texture. Just skin, a little swollen, veins faint beneath the surface.
But the memory stayed with him.
The sound especially.
When the Warhog's tusk hit, it hadn't cracked like bone. It hadn't burst like flesh. It was a dull, heavy impact, like stone striking iron.
It really hardened, he thought.
His arm twitched as if responding. Pain flared immediately, sharp and deep. He closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe slowly.
"Still hurting?" someone asked.
STRWH4T opened his eyes. DustLine crouched nearby, expression curious, not mocking.
"Yeah," STRWH4T said honestly. "A lot."
DustLine hesitated. "So… earlier."
STRWH4T already knew the question.
"What was that thing you used?"
The moment the words left DustLine's mouth, nearby conversations slowed. A few people turned their heads. Someone stopped tightening a strap halfway.
STRWH4T hesitated.
Not because he wanted to hide it—but because saying it out loud felt embarrassing.
"It's just a name," he said.
"That's fine," DustLine replied. "What did you call it?"
STRWH4T took a breath.
"I call it… Armament Haki."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
"…What?"
"You're joking."
"No way."
"Like… that Armament Haki?"
A few people laughed out of reflex. Short, disbelieving laughs. Someone snorted.
"Bro, you're trolling," HammerLOL said.
STRWH4T shook his head. "I'm not."
The laughter faded unevenly.
Several people looked back at his arm.
"You serious?" someone asked. "From anime?"
"It's just a name," STRWH4T said again, quieter. "I didn't plan it. It just fit."
Silence settled.
Warbound watched from a distance, saying nothing. Ironroot frowned slightly—not amused, but thoughtful.
"…Okay," HammerLOL said slowly. "Then show us."
"I can't," STRWH4T replied immediately.
That only made things worse.
"Oh come on."
"You already did it once."
"Just flex like before."
STRWH4T shook his head. "That's not how it works."
Someone tried anyway.
They clenched their fist hard and held their breath. Veins bulged. Face turned red.
"Dude, breathe—"
The guy collapsed forward, coughing violently.
Another planted his feet and flexed his arm with everything he had. His muscles cramped instantly. He screamed and dropped to his knees, clutching his arm.
"What the hell—"
"Why does it hurt so much?"
STRWH4T stood despite the pain, shaking his head.
"Stop," he said. "You're doing it wrong."
"How?" someone snapped. "You didn't even explain!"
"I can't explain," STRWH4T said, frustrated. "I didn't learn it. It just happened. Everything lined up."
"That sounds fake," someone muttered.
Before the tension could rise further, a calm voice cut through the camp.
"Enough."
Lin Yuan.
He hadn't raised his voice. He hadn't moved closer.
But the word carried weight.
Everyone stopped.
"Names don't create techniques," Lin Yuan said evenly. "Bodies do."
Silence followed.
"Trying to copy something you don't understand," he continued, "is how you get injured before the enemy even touches you."
No anger.
No lecture.
Just reality.
People slowly backed away, some embarrassed, some thoughtful, some unconvinced—but no one tried again.
STRWH4T let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
A system message flickered quietly in his vision.
[Personal Technique Status Update]
Armament Haki — Stability: LOW
Warning: Repeated activation under fatigue may cause internal damage.
He swallowed.
Later, the hunts continued.
Slower than before.
More careful.
Ironroot's rotation discipline held. Teams rotated out whether they wanted to or not. Complaints faded quickly when no one responded to them.
One hunt went wrong—not a disaster, but close. Timing slipped. Warhogs pushed harder than expected. The team withdrew through a fallback route, hearts pounding, breaths ragged.
Everyone made it back.
That mattered.
STRWH4T tried to activate Armament Haki again during training.
It failed.
His arm trembled violently. Pain surged so sharply his vision blurred. He dropped to one knee, biting back a shout.
Unbroken was there immediately.
"Don't," he said simply.
STRWH4T nodded, wrapping his arm tightly and sitting out the next rotation without complaint.
The kill count still rose.
Slowly. Steadily.
No heroics.
No rushing.
By the time shadows stretched long across the mountain paths, the number had climbed again.
Not impressive.
But safe.
Lin Yuan watched from a distance.
He didn't intervene.
He didn't praise.
But when STRWH4T chose to sit out despite wanting to help, Lin Yuan nodded once—so slightly that almost no one noticed.
Almost.
That night, the camp settled into uneasy rest.
STRWH4T carefully unwrapped his arm, testing movement inch by inch.
It hurt.
But it worked.
Someone nearby muttered weakly, "Guess Haki hurts in real life."
A few tired chuckles followed.
STRWH4T smiled faintly, then looked back at his hand.
Anime made it look easy, he thought.
This world didn't.
And that was exactly why it mattered.
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SECT MASTER SYSTEM
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[ Active Mission ]
Settlement Trial
Progress: 20 / 500 (Rank 1 Beasts)
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[ Personal Skill Status ]
• Armament Haki (STRWH4T)
Stability: LOW
Usage: Restricted
Fatigue Impact: SEVERE
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[ Status Update ]
Morale: STABLE
Fatigue Level: RISING
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