Leo awoke to pain.
Not the sharp, blinding kind—but the deep, grinding ache of a body that had been pushed past its limits and barely stitched back together by stubborn will.
Leaves formed a crude roof above him. Vines were wrapped tightly around his torso, crude splints holding broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder in place. The air smelled of crushed herbs and damp earth.
"…I'm alive," Leo muttered hoarsely.
That thought alone steadied his breathing.
He didn't move for a long time.
The fight replayed itself again and again in his mind—the broken rhythm, the overwhelming pressure, the certainty of defeat. For the first time since his transmigration, Leo truly understood one thing:
Power without caution is death.
From that day on, he changed.
He stopped chasing battles.
He stopped testing himself recklessly.
Instead, Leo refined.
Recovery took weeks.
He trained while injured—slow movements, controlled breathing, internal energy circulating gently instead of violently. Each motion was deliberate. Each breath measured.
He rebuilt his body not to be stronger—but to be stable.
Months passed.
Three months slipped by in silence.
By the time Leo could move freely again, it had been six months since his transmigration.
And he was no longer the same.
His cave had transformed into a workshop.
Stone tables etched with symbols. Clay crucibles blackened by repeated use. Shelves stacked with dried herbs, crystallized powders, and preserved beast organs.
His understanding deepened.
Where once he followed instinct, now he followed structure.
DINGMedicine & Herbology → AlchemyRefining substances, combining material and energy to produce enhanced effects.
Leo watched liquid glow softly inside a carved bowl.
"…So this is the difference," he murmured. "Not healing—transformation."
His crafting followed the same path.
Metal, bone, stone—he no longer shaped them only with tools. Symbols emerged naturally beneath his hands, lines carved with intention rather than force.
DINGCraftsmanship → Rune CastingImbuing objects with functional symbols to stabilize, amplify, or alter effects.
A spear reinforced with runes thrummed quietly when he held it.
"It holds energy," Leo realized. "Like a container."
Even his voice changed.
No longer just volume or tone—when he spoke now, the air responded.
DINGVoice → Sound ManipulationDirect influence over vibration, resonance, and sonic force.
A single whispered word shattered a stone shard across the cave.
Leo fell silent immediately.
"…Dangerous," he decided.
His realm advanced as well.
Internal energy condensed, no longer chaotic, no longer merely circulating. It refined itself—layer by layer—cleansing impurities, strengthening spirit and flesh together.
Martial Arts — Lv 3Core Formation → Spirit Refining Realm
Leo felt it clearly.
His energy was denser.
Calmer.
Sharper.
He could sense the flow of the world faintly now—wind pressure, vibration through stone, the subtle hum of life moving through the jungle.
Still…
He remembered the Shadow.
"I'm not there yet," Leo said quietly.
He tightened the bindings on his arm and stood.
"But next time," he continued, eyes steady, "I won't be careless."
Outside, the jungle stirred.
And Leo trained—
Not to conquer.
But to endure.