This morning, I got up early for school. I stuffed the toy sword into my backpack like nothing had happened.

  My mom watched me leave and muttered, “Did this kid pick up a new hobby or something?”

  I didn’t take the elevator. Ever since yesterday, stairs felt a lot safer.

  —

  At school, I couldn’t concentrate at all. My head was filled with everything from yesterday—the sword, the ghouls, and Treloslan...

  —

  After school, I rushed to Mong Kok. Again, I took the stairs, straight up to the top floor of that old, patched-up building.

  Today, Treloslan looked a bit more cleaned up. Not quite like a butcher anymore, but still far from the cool version of him I’d seen in the Nihility Zone.

  He glanced at me and nodded. “Nice. Level 1.”

  He told me to take out the toy sword, examined it closely, and said, “Oh, a katana. Not bad, not bad.”

  I was still completely confused.

  He sighed like he was used to this. “You’ve been chosen. Explaining everything now would just overwhelm you. For now, come see me every day. Build your basics.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  I nodded.

  Then he casually tossed me a ratty old towel. It looked like something your grandpa would’ve used in the '70s—full of holes, stiff with age.

  “Here. Swing it vertically, hard. When your arm gets tired, switch hands. Keep going until I say stop.”

  So I did. Right hand until it burned, then switched to the left. Over and over.

  He sat nearby, sipping bottled oolong tea from the convenience store like a retired uncle.

  “Alright, time’s up,” he said eventually. Then he pulled a pen out of his pocket—one of those cheap ones from a stationery store.

  “Let’s go.”

  He smiled and stepped toward the elevator. I took a deep breath and forced myself to follow.

  Inside the elevator, he was calm as ever. Me? I could barely breathe.

  Just like yesterday, the elevator shook—side to side this time.

  And when the doors opened, we were staring at the rim of a hellish volcano. Lava bubbled. A massive beast emerged, its body glowing red-hot.

  “I’m so dead,” I muttered. My mind went completely blank.

  Then I turned to Treloslan. He pulled out… that same pen?

  “Wait, he’s gonna fight it with a ballpoint pen?!”

  In an instant, the pen morphed into a massive blade, humming with power.

  Treloslan’s clothes transformed—he now wore medieval armor, looking like a battle-hardened knight. With a single leap, he soared through the heat and landed on the monster’s head. One clean slash.

  The beast screamed, burst into particles, and vanished.

  A glowing message popped up before my eyes: "Apprentice Bonus: EXP Boosted. Level up! Current Level: 10."

  Was this real? It felt like I was inside an anime cheat code.

  Treloslan strolled back, smiling like he’d just had dessert. “Now you can last a bit longer. Your HP and SP should hold up against minor scum.”

  “But remember—your weapon’s strength is up to you.”