"I don't expect you to believe me," Yu Jin continued. "So I tell myself they're visions. Echoes. Ghosts. That I'm just a man haunted by a life that never was."
"But I know better."
"And something else… follows me."
"It calls itself a 'system.' It gives me tasks. It tracks my growth. It rewards me — but offers no answers. No reason why."
"Only that I must become stronger."
He leaned forward, eyes locked on Yue Jin's.
"Whatever this is — curse, second chance, punishment — I will not waste it."
A long silence followed.
Then Yue Jin leaned back, rubbing his chin.
"Yeah… I think I understand now."
Yu Jin blinked, caught off guard. "Really?"
Yue Jin gave him a deadpan look.
"Yes… You've truly gone mad."
Yu Jin stared.
Yue Jin grinned and stood up.
"If dreaming of war makes you mad, then we've all lost our minds."
He extended his hand again.
Yu Jin smirked.
"Thank you," he said, clasping the offered hand.
"Don't thank me yet," Yue Jin replied, smirking.
The days rolled by.
Every morning began the same way: 4:00 sharp.Pushups. Running. Drills. Repeat.And now — not just one figure in the field, but two.
Yue Jin followed.Not out of understanding. Not because of the system.But because Yu Jin barked orders like a seasoned commander and expected obedience like one too.
"Back straight. Elbows in.""You call that a stance? Hold it until you can't breathe, then hold it longer.""Don't look at your feet. Look at your target. Even if it's not there yet."
Yue Jin groaned, grumbled, cursed under his breath — but he kept showing up.Because Yu Jin wasn't just training with him. He was training him.And every time he slipped, Yu Jin corrected.Every time he slacked, Yu Jin drove harder.
By the seventh day, Yue Jin no longer stumbled through drills.He moved with rough rhythm. Still unpolished — but growing sharper.
That morning, as the sun burned low over the hills, Yue Jin collapsed into the grass, drenched in sweat.
"Alright…" he gasped. "What's the plan now, drill sergeant?"
Yu Jin didn't answer right away.
He stood, arms crossed, watching the horizon — like he was waiting for a banner that hadn't yet risen.
The Han is dying. The rot is in its bones.I won't pledge to a court that sells honor for coin.Not again.
Next time, I won't serve blindly. I'll lead with purpose.Not for glory. Not for power.But to be ready—when he needs me most.
He looked down at the glowing square beside him — the system still hovering, still watching.
"We train. We prepare."
Then he turned to Yue Jin, eyes like flint.
"With this foreign system… I'll rise higher than I ever did."
"I won't just redeem myself. I'll build something better. A force worth following."
"I'll train. I'll lead. I'll be ready when the time comes."
He looked at the floating interface beside him, eyes hard.
Yu Jin stepped forward.
"This system—it's not a gift. It's a weapon."
He looked Yue Jin dead in the eye.
"And I won't just use it."A pause.Then Yu Jin's tone sharpened.
"Enough talk. Get in your stance."
Yue Jin blinked. "Now?"
"Yes. If you're going to follow me into what's coming, you need to fight like more than a dreamer."
Yue Jin moved into position — not perfect, but far better than a week ago.
Yu Jin circled him once, eyes sharp.Then, without warning, he jabbed lightly at Yue Jin's ankle with the butt of his spear.
Yue Jin lost balance and dropped hard into the dirt with a thud.
"Hey—!"
Yu Jin raised an eyebrow.
"Your stance should hold against worse than that."
He stepped back, completely unbothered.
"Again."
Two months passed.
Every morning, the same ritual.The system's chime at 04:00.Pushups. Running. Drills. Form.
Yu Jin never missed a day.And now, Yue Jin didn't either.
What started as curiosity had hardened into habit.Yue Jin wasn't polished yet — but his hands had calluses now. His footwork no longer stumbled.
Yu Jin drilled him with military precision:
"Center your weight. No wider than the shoulders.""Eyes forward. You flinch, you die.""Again."
The days bled together — sweat, breath, repetition. No cheers. No praise. Only improvement.
That morning, after drills, Yue Jin looked over as Yu Jin adjusted the wrappings on his arms.
"You know… you don't even look like the same man anymore."
Yu Jin didn't answer.He just opened the system screen.
[Status Updated]STR: 46 → 47Merit Remaining: 344
It was just one number.
But behind it: sixty days of discipline.Not luck. Not shortcuts.
He could've spent it.Traits. Skills. Power.
But he'd waited.
Because strength without control was waste.And Yu Jin no longer had anything to waste.
I won't squander this life.I'll build. Train. Prepare.And when my lord calls... I will answer with more than words.
He closed the screen and turned back to the field.
"Again," he said.
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