The sun was barely over the trees when the first explosion shook the whole island. The central volcano erupted, sending smoke into the sky. On Little Garden, that was the only clock that mattered. It meant the giants were about to start their daily duel.
I stood in the clearing with the heavy tree branch from last night. My muscles felt tight and full of a restless energy. My new body didn't just heal fast; it felt like it was constantly adapting, trying to find the most efficient way to move.
"Still holding that stick, Haon?" Brogy asked as he walked up. He had his massive axe over his shoulder. Dorry was right next to him, dragging his long sword through the dirt.
"It's not just a stick when you know how to swing it," I said.
"GABABABA! We will see about that!" Dorry looked down at me. "Today, you don't just watch us. You find your own fight. This jungle has beasts that are faster than we are. If you can't cut them down, you will be eaten before the next eruption."
They left me at the edge of a thick patch of giant ferns. I could hear something breathing in there. It sounded heavy and hungry. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my head. I remembered a line I once read: "Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one." Suddenly, the bushes exploded. A Saber-toothed Tiger the size of a house lunged at me. Its teeth were like curved swords, dripping with spit. In that split second, everything seemed to slow down. My talent kicked in. I wasn't just remembering a person; I was pulling the technical mastery of every top-tier fighter I had ever seen.
I dropped my center of gravity and turned my lead foot inward, holding the branch at a sharp angle. The tiger swiped at me. I didn't jump back. I moved with the attack. I stepped inside the reach of its claws. My body moved with a smooth grace that felt brand new. I swung the wooden branch with my whole body, using my legs and waist just like Brogy used his axe.
The branch hit the tiger's ribs with a sound like a gunshot. The beast went skidding across the mud, roaring in confusion. I didn't even look back at the animal. I just stood there, breathing steadily, as the giants watched from the clearing.
The silence was broken by the heavy thud of Brogy's footsteps.
"The beast is a good start, Haon," Brogy said, his voice dropping an octave as he raised his massive shield. "But a beast only knows how to kill. A warrior knows how to break you. Let's see if that stick of yours can handle a mountain."
"GABABABA! Don't blink, little guy!"
Brogy didn't wait for an answer. He swung his massive shield toward me like a runaway truck. Normally, a guy my size would be turned into a pancake. My mind was racing, trying to channel the vibe of Goo Kim, the genius who could turn a toothpick into a lethal weapon.
I tried to use a Batting technique. I stepped to the side and flicked the branch to redirect the shield's rim. I expected it to slide past me, but the sheer weight of a giant was a different breed of power. My body was peak human, but Brogy was a mountain.
CRACK.
The vibration traveled up my arms and nearly shattered my elbows. The branch snapped in half instantly. I wasn't "him" yet. The aura vanished as I was sent flying backward, tumbling through the dirt until I slammed into a tree.
"Ugh... my arms..." I groaned, coughing up dust. My vision was swimming. The talent gave me the moves, but my body wasn't used to the sheer scale of this world.
"Stand up!" Brogy roared, looming over me like a god. "The enemy won't wait for you to catch your breath! If you're going to pass through hell, keep going."
I scrambled to my feet, grabbing the jagged, broken half of the branch. I had to stop trying to overpower him and start being more cunning. I lunged forward, using a low-to-the-ground Batting style, aiming for the gaps in his armor.
I moved fast, a blur of motion, trying to overwhelm his senses. I landed three quick stabs on his shin, but it was like hitting solid iron. Brogy just grinned and stomped his foot. The ground buckled, sending a shockwave that knocked me off balance.
Before I could recover, he flicked his finger against my chest. It felt like being hit by a cannonball. I flew ten feet and hit the mud again.
"You have the skill, Haon," Dorry said, leaning on his sword. "But you are fighting like you are still in a world of men. Here, the very air wants to crush you. You have to be more than just fast. You have to be absolute."
I wiped the blood from my lip and looked at the broken stick. I was losing, badly. I felt a voice in the back of my mind, cold and sharp.
"What is it you fear? Why do you keep looking back? Why do you keep running?"
The voice sounded like a man I never met but whose words felt like a blade in my gut.
"You should be looking forward! You should be moving forward! Abandon your fear. Look forward! Advance! Never stand still. Retreat and you will age. Hesitate and you will die!"
I stood up one more time, my eyes cold. The fear was gone. I wasn't just copying a move anymore. I was feeling the rhythm of the island.
"Again," I whispered.
I was starting to flow, but the cost was going to be high.