Day One
The first day passed without any excitement.
Leon didn't try to force anything. He didn't train harder than usual. He didn't push himself to see what had changed.
He didn't need to.
The moment he woke up, he could tell something was different.
There were no glowing eyes. No sudden strength or magical aura. Nothing dramatic happened on the outside.
But inside, something had shifted.
His body felt lighter. Like he was no longer carrying invisible weight.His mind was clearer, more focused. Thoughts came easier, without the usual mental fog that sometimes slowed him down.
It wasn't a transformation. It was a quiet adjustment—small, but real.
He stood in the middle of the living room, still wearing his worn-out training clothes, and picked up his wooden sword. It was old, scratched, and dull, but familiar. He had used it for years. His hands knew its weight by heart.
He started moving.
Basic swings. Standard footwork. Slow, careful movements—nothing fancy.
And yet… something was different.
His steps landed with more precision. His balance didn't wobble like before. His grip was more solid. Even when he moved faster, he didn't lose control.
Everything felt smoother. More natural.
[Adaptation] was good... but not this good.
The improvement was small, almost unnoticeable to anyone else.
But Leon could feel it. His body was learning faster.
It was the start of [Accelerated Growth].
The ability he integrated from Kai wasn't a sudden power-up. It didn't give him strength overnight. Instead, it made progress faster—training more effective, repetition more meaningful.
And combined with his own innate ability—[Adaptation]—even this small boost had potential. His body already knew how to learn and adjust. Now, it was doing that at an increased rate.
Every step, every swing, every mistake was worth more now.
And there was one more thing he noticed.
When he caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of the window, he paused.
He looked handsome... perhaps much more than he expected.
His skin was clearer. His features were much sharper and defined. His eyes glowed more, reflecting deeper crimson color and black circles in them, and he looked more focused and confident.
The blood had done something to his appearance. He looked healthier. Stronger. Even more handsome.
'Guess i got to thank that kid...' he chuckled to himself as he thought of the cute face of his brother.
If Kai knew that his older brother still thought of him as cute instead of handsome, he would surely throw a fit.
Shaking off his thoughts, Leon realized that the change of his face was the only change that happened immediately.
Everything else would probably take time.
He finished the final form, then stood still, sword resting lightly at his side.
"Day one..." he muttered, almost to himself.
⸻
The next few days passed quickly.
Leon continued his training like always—quiet, focused, and consistent. He didn't change his routine, but the way his body responded did.
Every swing of his sword felt tighter. His balance adjusted itself without thought. Mistakes were corrected mid-motion, as if his muscles were learning faster than his mind could keep up. It wasn't flashy or dramatic, but it was effective.
His ability, [Adaptation], was doing what it always did—learning through repetition, adjusting through effort. But now, [Accelerated Growth] was feeding into it, pushing that improvement to happen faster. The two powers worked together smoothly. Each day of training gave more results than the last.
Progress was no longer slow and gradual—it was efficient and noticeable.
Even Kai noticed.
He stopped by during one of Leon's sessions, leaning casually against the doorframe like he usually did. He was going to make a comment, maybe tease him for still using that old wooden sword.
But when he saw Leon, he froze.
It wasn't the movements that caught him off guard. It was his face.
Leon looked… handsome. Even under all of that unkempt hair that would make anyone look below average... he looked handsome. His face showed just enough as he swung his sword to make Kai pause.
"…What the hell?" Kai muttered under his breath.
Leon didn't even notice him. He was too focused, locked in motion, sword moving with clean, efficient precision.
Kai almost asked what happened, but the question died in his throat. He knew the answer already. It was his blood and that creepy ability of Leon. That had to be it.
Still, he didn't say anything. Asking would only lead to more questions. And knowing Leon, he wouldn't bother to explain anyway.
So Kai just watched, quietly.
Meanwhile, Leon kept training.
He noticed the changes, too.
He could feel his reflexes sharpening. One time, a fork slipped off the edge of the counter while he was walking past—and his hand snapped out and caught it without looking.
He didn't even stop moving.
His senses had improved. He could hear footsteps in other rooms, faint water dripping, the hum of passing cars outside. He picked up on movement before it fully registered. It wasn't supernatural. Just… heightened. Like his body was paying more attention to the world around it.
The sword felt lighter—not because he was stronger, but because his control had improved. He wasted less effort. Less energy. Every movement felt efficient. Clean. His instincts were working faster than his thoughts.
He trained for longer, too.
By now, he could go for hours without slowing down. No soreness. No stiffness. No heavy breathing. His body kept moving like it was built for this. He didn't have to think anymore—he just acted. And in that state, he started to notice gaps in his technique. Tiny flaws in his form, spacing, and rhythm.
And one by one, he fixed them.
⸻
Day Seven
At dawn, Leon stood in the center of the room.
He could feel heat bulding up, wrapping around his body—and everything clicked
It was like something inside him had finally aligned. His breathing slowed. His body relaxed, but every part of him felt awake.
Warmth spread through his chest, flooding his limbs with a quiet, powerful energy. It wasn't overwhelming—it was smooth, focused, and addictive.
'Damn... this feels good.'
He could feel it clearly now.
[Accelerated Growth] had fully awakened.
It wasn't just active anymore—it was stable. Complete. His body had fully accepted it.
For the first time, he could absorb energy from monsters or their cores without risking overdoing it. No more limit on how far he could push himself—at least for now.
He tightened his grip on his wooden sword.
Then he moved.
There was no hesitation. No wasted motion. His thoughts didn't come before his actions—they moved together. Swing and step, breath and focus—it all flowed like one unbroken rhythm.
The sword no longer felt like a tool. It felt like part of his body.
He began cycling through his basic techniques.
Slash.
Thrust.
Slash.
Thrust.
Slash.
Thrust.
Slash.
The movements were clean. Sharp. Every motion landed exactly as intended.
He wasn't training anymore. He wasn't repeating drills to improve.
He was executing.
And with every strike, he learned something new. His body adjusted in real time. His instincts caught things his eyes didn't. Small corrections, micro-adjustments—everything was evolving as he moved.
This wasn't steady progress.
This was acceleration.
Each moment of effort pushed him further than the last. His growth was compounding—building on itself.
He paused for a moment and glanced at the dark screen of the TV. His reflection stared back at him.
There, he could see a handsome young man with long hair that almost hid his face looking back at him.
His frame looked leaner, stronger. His eyes were calm.
Focused.
Unwavering.
His posture held steady without effort, like someone used to being in control.
He raised the sword once more.
One smooth, perfect swing.
The air split with a soft sound, almost like a whisper.
SHHHH.
If anyone skilled in swordsmanship was watching, they would see the extraordinary way the sword swung.
Almost as if it were the wielder's best friend.
And in a way, it was.
He slowly put the sword down as he exhaled, then smiled.
"I did it."
He hadn't just learned the basics.
He had mastered them. Every movement now matched the full extent of his current strength. He was completely attuned to his body, and that body was growing stronger by the day.
And from here, he could finally start reaching higher.