The warrior moved forward and attacked Sam with a glowing sword in his hand. He tried to strike Sam, but Sam quickly dodged the attack.
A voice echoed in his mind, telling him to focus. Sam took a deep breath, concentrated, and dodged the next attack as well.
He realized the warrior was using only basic-level attacks. Sam remembered seeing someone use a powerful move called "Shadow Punch." Gathering his courage, he tried to use the same move.
He focused all his energy and launched the attack.
Boom!
The warrior tried to block it with his sword, but the attack was too powerful. The sword shattered, and the warrior was defeated instantly.
"Boom! I finally did it!" Sam shouted.
"Congratulations," said a mysterious voice. "You have passed the first test. You will now receive the powers of shadow—not permanently, but temporarily. Prepare yourself for the second test in 20 days."
Sam felt happy and proud, but suddenly, he collapsed and fell asleep.
---
### **Next Morning**
Sam woke up,he was in his room.
"What! How did I get home?" he wondered. "Was it all a dream… or did I really get those powers?"
He looked at his hand and slowly raised it toward the wall. He concentrated—and suddenly—
Crack!
A huge crack appeared on the wall.
"Oh no! What did I do? Mom and Dad will kill me!" he panicked.
Then he realized—it wasn't a dream. It was real. He had actually fought a warrior inside the temple.
He walked out of his room and saw his parents preparing breakfast.
"Hey, Sam! Wake up properly, brush your teeth, wash your face, and come eat," his father said.
Sam quickly went to the bathroom, still worried about the broken wall. After getting ready, he sat down at the table.
"This rice cake is really nice," Sam said.
"Of course, your mom made it," his father replied.
After breakfast, Sam went back to his room and looked at the cracked wall.
"What should I do now?" he muttered.
Then an idea came to his mind.
"I can fix this using cardboard!"
"I have some cardboard in the storage room. I'll bring it and paste it over the crack," Sam said to himself.
He quietly went outside while his parents were busy, opened the storage room, and collected some cardboard and glue.
As he brought them inside, his father suddenly noticed.
"Wait! Why did you bring all that cardboard?" his father asked.
"Oh… uh… I just wanted to make something… like a creative project," Sam replied nervously.
"Are you a kid? You're 21 now! Stop wasting time and go work in the fields," his father said angrily.
Without arguing, Sam quickly went back to his room and closed the door.
"Phew… I'm safe," he sighed.
He started fixing the wall by pasting the cardboard over the crack.
But unfortunately, his father soon discovered the broken wall.
"What?! How did this happen?" his father shouted in shock.
He knocked on Sam's door loudly.
"Sam! Open the door right now!"
Sam froze.
"Oh no… now I'm dead," he thought.
After a moment, he decided to tell the truth.
He opened the door.
"Yes, father… come in," he said nervously.
"How did this happen?" his father asked.
Sam hesitated, then replied,
"Actually… I got some kind of power. When I moved my hand, the wall broke. That's what happened."
He was afraid his father would punish him.
But instead, his father said calmly,
"I don't fully understand what you're saying… but at least you told the truth."
Sam looked at him and asked,
"So… what should I do nowGo bring some wood from outside the village near the river where the carpenter's house is located. Call him and fix this wall," said Sam's father.
"But Money—" Sam began.
"It's okay, I will pay. Just bring him here!" his father replied with a smile. Sam's face lit up. "Okay Dad, I'll go now!"
His father was a kind man, always ready to forgive; a father like him was hard to find. Sam shared a special bond with him. Before leaving, Sam asked, "What will Mom say?"
"I will take responsibility. Go now!" his father urged. With that, Sam took the money and headed out.
In the east, a great distance from "Peace Village"—not too far, yet not close—stood a massive castle. It was the heart of a kingdom ruled by a King named Yashuka. He was a man with a thick moustache and a crown of gold, but his heart was filled with anger and greed. He was a formidable warrior, possessing fire powers granted by Nature itself.
Yashuka stood on his balcony, breathing in the fresh air of his vast kingdom.
"King Yashuka! King Yashuka!" a servant called out twice. "Today is the day we must capture the Shadow Temple and seize its power."
"I know," the King replied, eyes fixed on the horizon. "I haven't forgotten. I was just remembering my past battles. Wait a few minutes."
"Understood, sire. I will return shortly," the servant replied. Yashuka stood there, recalling the four great battles he had won using his raw power and force.
In this world, there were many warriors, but few were born without power. Sam was one of them—he had never summoned any abilities. However, due to a mysterious power system within the universe, things were about to change. As Sam walked down the road under the blistering summer sun, he felt hot enough to burn. "Ugh, this summer... I hate this heat!" Sam muttered.
The Ambush
Suddenly, a sound caught his attention. Someone was rushing toward him. A sharp knife flew through the air, but Sam dodged the attack just in time.
"Who's there?" Sam shouted.
A group of five ninjas appeared. They were notorious criminals known as "The 5 Ninjas." One of them sneered, "We are famous; our posters are everywhere. We are the 5 Ninjas Group!"
They brandished their knives. Oh no, Sam thought. I can't use my Shadow Powers in the daylight. But I won't give up. I have to rely on the basic techniques I learned.
One ninja lunged with a knife, but Sam sidestepped. "Dragon Move!" Sam yelled, striking the ninja's hand. The knife clattered to the ground. Before the criminal could react, Sam used the same technique to strike his back, hitting his spinal cord. The ninja fell unconscious instantly.
The remaining four were shocked. "What? He's not a normal guy—he's a warrior!" one cried.
"Cheetah Move!" Sam shouted, striking all four in their stomachs. They collapsed, badly damaged.
"Ha! You scumbags couldn't even hit me once," Sam said confidently. "Go home and train properly before you pick a fight." He moved forward, unaware that at that very moment, King Yashuka was also on the move.
The Village in Peril
"King Yashuka, are you ready?" the servant asked.
"Yes," the King replied. "Let the invasion begin."
Meanwhile, after an 18-minute walk, Sam reached the village where the carpenter lived. He checked his pocket. Is the money still there, or did I lose it during the fight? To his relief, the money was safe.
At the same time, King Yashuka was leading a force of fifty elite soldiers toward Peace Village. Though he was the strongest among them, he was in a foul mood. They rode on horseback, a cloud of dust following them.
Simultaneously, a master named Hitoshi left his own village to meet a childhood friend—Sam's father—who lived near Peace Village.
Sam finally reached the "Skilled Village." He was surprised by how clean and green it was, filled with people and beautiful houses. He saw a sign that read: Skilled Village. Even though he hadn't been there in years, he remembered the carpenter's house.
Knock, knock. "Someone here?" Sam called out.
The door opened to reveal the carpenter. "Hey, are you Sam? You've grown so much! The last time I saw you, you were just a child."
"Yeah, it's been a long time," Sam smiled. The carpenter invited him in for tea, and after a short talk, they gathered the materials and headed back toward Peace Village.
The Destruction of Peace
On a hill overlooking the temple near Peace Village, Yashuka's troops looked through telescopes. "King Yashuka, I can see the temple!" one shouted, coughing as the dust from the dry land blew into his eyes.
They reached the temple, and Yashuka looked up at the massive doors. "These are the largest doors I've ever seen." He tried to open them, but suddenly his senses flared.
"What the heck? I feel a power... but it's not coming from the temple. It's coming from somewhere else!" Yashuka looked toward Peace Village. "Let's go to the village."
"There? But why?" a soldier asked.
"No questions! We go now!" Yashuka barked. "And we will loot the village while we are at it."
They rode into the village, where a banner read: Peace Village. "Peace Village, huh?" Yashuka sneered. "I've never heard of it. Let's go inside."
The villagers were mostly inside their homes, unaware of the approaching doom. Yashuka spotted a man working—it was Sam's father, Kenji.
"Hey, you! Listen here!" the King shouted. Kenji looked up, trembling at the sight of the King and his army.
"I am coming, King Yashuka," Kenji said, approaching nervously.
"I have heard of Shadow Powers, and I know that power is hidden in this village," the King demanded.
Kenji's heart sank. He remembered Sam talking about the strange shadow powers inside him. Oh no! They are looking for my son. They'll take him to the castle and torture him.
"No... No, King. I haven't heard anything about those powers," Kenji lied to save his son.
"My senses are never wrong!" Yashuka screamed. "Don't waste my time. Tell me where the power is hidden!"
"There is no such power here!" Kenji insisted.
"Lie! Lie! Lie!" Yashuka roared. "Kill this guy first!"
Kenji ran, shouting to the villagers, "Help! Help! Foreigners have arrived to destroy our village!"
The villagers rushed out. "What's happening, Kenji?" one asked.
"This King is attacking me!" Kenji cried. The people of Peace Village were kind and tried to help, but they were no match for an army. One brave man stepped forward. "Why are you killing this innocent man? What is the reason?"
"I want the power!" Yashuka replied.
"What power? My Lord, there is no such power here," the man pleaded.
"Shadow powers! I have sensed them in this village!"
"There is no such thing here, my Lord," the villagers echoed.
"Enough is enough! You are all lying! I will kill you all!" Yashuka dismounted his horse and unleashed his fire powers. He burned the houses to the ground. The land became barren as a massive earthquake shook the earth. Women and children began to cry in terror.
"Now, kill them all!" Yashuka ordered.
The cavalry charged, cutting down the villagers one by one. Many tried to run but were trapped by the flames. Kenji was badly injured. He looked over and saw his wife lying motionless on the ground. Overwhelmed by grief and his own wounds, Kenji collapsed beside her, waiting for the end.
The King and his troops finished their slaughter and looted what remained. They rode back to their castle, leaving behind a ruined wasteland. "Peace Village" was no more; it had been turned into a place of violence and death.The massacre was complete; everyone had been killed.
Shortly after, Sam and the carpenter neared the outskirts of the village. Sam stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening. "Wait... what happened to the village? Why is there smoke?"
From a distance, he saw the smoldering ruins. Panic surged through him, and he began to sprint toward the remains of his home. The carpenter, his heart heavy with dread, ran close behind him.
As they got closer, the full scale of the devastation hit Sam. He was completely traumatized. His legs gave out, and he fell to his knees in the ash, a harrowing cry breaking from his throat.
"Mom! Dad! Why... how did this happen?" Sam sobbed, his voice cracking with grief. "I've lost everything. Every hope, every dream I had with my parents, my Master, and my neighbors... it's all gone."
It was a moment of pure, agonizing sorrow. The carpenter, moved to tears himself, stood by the boy's side. "After so many years, I finally return... only to find this," he said emotionally, his voice trembling.
Suddenly, Sam's weeping stopped. His sorrow sharpened into a cold, hard resolve. He stood up, his eyes burning with a new, dark intensity.
"No," Sam said, his voice dropping to a low, angry growl. "I will finish the one who destroyed my village. I am going to find the evil responsible for this and end them."
The carpenter looked at him, startled by the change in the boy's demeanor. "But how? They are an army, Sam."
"I will find a way," Sam replied firmly.
And so, a new chapter began for Sam: The Revenge Arc. The journey of how he would claim his vengeance had only just started.