《Martial Rebirth》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 It was late at night, the moon hung high in the sky, like an unreachable eye, looming over the world. It was on a small road, a small distance out of a small town, in the middle of nowhere. This road was leading into the neighbouring forest that seemed like a huge, unending wall, covering the back of the town. It was here, on this road, in the middle of the night that a young boy was running. Not running for the tranquil pleasure of the night, nor running for the benefit of an athlete¡¯s body, no, he was running for his dear life. This young boy, no older than sixteen. He was gasping for air, as he ran furiously. He was not that well-built, being a scrawny little kid. He was very thin, and had little to no muscle on his body. His legs were even shaking from the exhausting run. His hair was rather long, reaching to his neck, and almost covering his eyes, as wet and sweaty as it was. He wiped his forehead with his arm, as he ran, slightly moving the hair out of the way, but it wasn¡¯t long before it found its way back. As for what this young man was running from, it could be seen not too far behind him. A group of four youngsters, around the same age as him. However, they weren¡¯t like him. From a single glance, you could tell what they were: Delinquents; bullies. They were chasing him with frenzied viciousness, clearly mad beyond reason. Just as much, the young boy was running away franticly. It took only a moment before they entered the forest. Inside the forest, was different than outside, since there were no roads to follow; only the rough ground, and uncountable trees. ¡°Damnit, we can¡¯t let him go!¡± One of the delinquent shouted, as he took chase into the forest. Even then, they were a bit wary, since it was easy to get lost in the forest. ¡°Shit, maybe we should just turn back. It¡¯s way too dark in here,¡± another responded. ¡°Idiot, why do you think we brought the flashlights?¡± The other shot back, much to the other delinquent¡¯s dismay in his own stupidity. ¡°Oh right,¡± he responded, as he took out his flashlight. ¡°Quick, we can¡¯t let him get away,¡± the one who seemed like the leader said, as he, too, took out his flashlight, and continued his chase into the pitch-black forest. A small distance further ahead, the young boy was fumbling over overgrown roots, and trying his best to get away. ¡®Shit, shit, shit, they¡¯re crazy!¡¯ He thought franticly, while crawling his way forwards. As he made his way under one overgrown root that had grown into an arch, he suddenly saw his own looming shadow, as he was covered in light. ¡°Shit!¡± He cursed, as he looked back. The delinquents were already catching up to him again. ¡°Give up Shin, you can¡¯t get away! Just give up, and we¡¯ll make sure it¡¯ll be over quick, hahaha!¡± ¡®Shit, shit! They¡¯re really going to kill me! I have to do something.¡¯ The youngster, named Shin was getting anxious. He didn¡¯t doubt for a second that these psychos would kill him. Not just because they were unredeemable, psychotic delinquents, but also because what he just did to them. Not even an hour before, they had been bullying him, extorting him for cash. However, in a moment of inspiration, Shin, the one who had always been known for being a weakling, had punched one of them in the face.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Even if he wasn¡¯t very strong, a sudden, unexpected, full powered punch out of nowhere, was still enough to send the bully to the ground. However, this wasn¡¯t enough to make these delinquents this mad. It was what he did next that really got to them. Shin, the weakling, had thrown his open drink on the grounded bully leader, soaking his brand-new smartphone in soft drink. Naturally, it was ruined. At the loss of his brand-new smartphone, he truly became angry. To add to the flame, Shin managed to quickly bolt, and had been running from them for the longer half of an hour already. This was enough to anger them to the point of murder. They felt fairly sure that if they dumped his body deep in the forest, no one would ever find out. To top it off, they had connections to some pretty influential gangs in town. And to make it even easier for them, it wasn¡¯t too unusual for someone to go into a forest, to kill themselves. Not that it happened often in this small town, with a population of only a few tens of thousands people. Shin continued to run, but he was starting to grow tired, so he decided he had to at least try to solve this crisis. ¡°Please, I didn¡¯t mean it, I didn¡¯t mean it! It, it¡­ it was a moment of temporary insanity, that¡¯s what it was! I¡¯ll pay for your phone, so please, just let me go!¡± He pleaded, while not slowing down at all. However, they had none of it. ¡°Haah? You¡¯ll pay for it? As if! Do you have any idea how expensive that phone was! I swear on my name; you¡¯re not getting out of this forest in one piece!¡± The bully leader shouted back at him. ¡®Jesus, they are really¡­ God, what do I do?!¡¯ He thought to himself, as frantic as ever, while still continuing to run with all his might. He knew that if he slipped up even once at this point, he¡¯d be done for. However, in the next moment, it was as if he ran into a wall. Or, more like he ran out of ground to run on. He had found himself on a cliff, leading straight down into a roaring river. ¡°Shit, shit, shit, shitshitshit!¡± He screamed, as he almost stumbled down the cliff. However, his mind was fast, and he immediately turned around, but it was too late. They were already there. ¡°Haha, seems like you¡¯re done for now, huh, Shin?¡± The leader of the delinquents said, as he slowly walked towards Shin. But there was nothing Shin could do. He was already surrounded. Behind his back, there was a fall of assured death, and in front of him there were four delinquents, all capable of kicking his ass. ¡°Please, Cliff, don¡¯t do this! If the police find out, you¡¯ll definitely go to prison!¡± Shin said, once more trying to convince this crazed bully. ¡°Prison? Are you stupid? Even if they find your rotting body, they¡¯ll just think that you fell, or even more likely, you committed suicide!¡± Cliff said with mad glee. He had been chasing this punk for almost an hour now, so he was quite mad. ¡°No please, I¡¯ll do any- Gah!¡± He said, but before he could finish, Cliff had punched him in the stomach, causing him to hunch over in loss of breath. Shin looked up to Cliff again, with a pleading look, but before he could speak, Cliff punched him again, this time on the face. ¡°Gah!¡± Shin grunted, as he fell to the ground. Cliff continued to punch him, continuously, as he forced Shin further and further back to the edge of the cliff. This was really ironic, really. He was about to be killed on a cliff, by a person named Cliff. Could it get anymore stupid? However, before Shin could think any further, he was already at the edge. As his eyes leered over the edge, he quickly tried to stand up. With one hand on his knee, he somehow managed to stand. He looked over to the smiling Cliff, but before he could speak a single word, Cliff¡¯s leg raised up, and kicked Shin. In one swift motion, he had been pushed over the edge, and he fell to the dark abyss below. The delinquents looked down, at the falling, screaming Shin. Suddenly, they had a dark thought. It was only now that they truly realized what they had done. They looked over to their leader, Cliff. There was a new light in their eyes now. The light of fear, and this light wouldn¡¯t be exclusive to only them. Many people would come to fear Cliff. Not just because of his strength, but because of the new status he now held. Someone who had taken the life of another. A killer. A murderer. Splash! They were quickly shaken back to reality, as they heard the sound of a body, colliding with water. Somehow, they took a few steps back. All of them, except for Cliff. ¡°Hmph. What a waste of air, he was. Let¡¯s go,¡± he said, as he finally turned around, and left the forest. There was no doubt in his mind. Shin Adkins was dead. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 His eyes slowly opened. However, as they fully opened, they opened to an unfamiliar sight. Instead of the normal white ceiling, it was a wooden one, with no further painting. Without a doubt, he was in an unfamiliar room. His mind was groggy, and he wasn¡¯t sure how he got here, but one thing he was sure of. His body hurt like hell. Looking further, he could see that there were bruises all over, and even several bandages. However, before he could think further, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re awake,¡± a kind, amiable voice rang out. Immediately, his head jerked in the direction of the sound, and there he saw a tall man entering the room, no, house. It seemed like this was one, single house, due to all the windows. However, this man was like no other he had ever seen. He was big, huge even. His upper body was bare, revealing all his toned muscles, but they weren¡¯t like the muscles of a bodybuilder, nor like that of a cross-fitter. They were big, but they didn¡¯t seem unnatural at all! It completely looked like it was how it was meant to be, somehow. ¡°Uh, where am I?¡± Shin asked, while still not able to take his eyes of those muscles. ¡°You¡¯re at my house, deep in the jungle,¡± the man answered with a smile. He was quite something, this man. Not only were his huge muscles unnaturally natural, or maybe even super natural, but his hair was long, and silver coloured, and he also seemed to be of Asian descent. ¡°Um, how exactly did I get here?¡± Shin asked. ¡°Well, I found you by the river, a few kilometres away from here. How you got there though, I have no idea, but you probably washed down, from further out. You must have been out there for days too, since you were nearly dead when I found you, and rather famished. Luckily for you, I¡¯m quite medically capable,¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°So, how did you end in that river,¡± he then asked. He was quite curious how a weak looking boy like this, would find himself half dead in a river. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m not sure¡­ actually. Wait, I, I don¡¯t know my name¡­ Or anything else,¡± he said, with a both pained and confused expression. The kind stranger too wore a different expression as he heard those words. One of surprise. He certainly hadn¡¯t expected to find an amnesiac in his care suddenly¡­ ¡°No, wait, I remember something¡­ shambles. I remember shambles of what seems like me running away from something. From¡­ people, four I think,¡± he said. As he heard this, the stranger sat down on the bed, and put a hand on Shin¡¯s shoulder, somewhat relaxing him. ¡°Do you remember anything else, boy? Come on, think hard. Anything you can remember is good,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s just running, lots of running. No, we stopped, at, at a cliff I think. I think he called me Shin, one of the guys chasing me,¡± he continued. ¡°Shin,¡± the stranger said, ¡°that¡¯s probably your name. Seems like we¡¯re of the same country, Shin,¡± he said with the same amiable smile. ¡°What else do you remember,¡± he continued. ¡°They, no only one of them. He punched me, beat me up, and then, then¡­ I think he threw me down the cliff¡­ He, he was trying to kill me!¡± Shin said, suddenly getting panicked. ¡°No, no, I need to get away, I can¡¯t let him get me!¡± Shin started panicking even more, even flailing around in his antics. ¡°Calm down, Shin, no one¡¯s trying to kill you. They probably think you¡¯re dead already, so they wouldn¡¯t come here. Even if they do, they can¡¯t do anything to you, as long as I¡¯m here,¡± he said confidently. ¡°Anything else you remember?¡± He then asked. ¡°No, no that¡¯s all. I can¡¯t remember anything else,¡± he said, already somewhat calm again. ¡°Well, since that¡¯s out of the way, let me introduce myself. My name is Shou Atsutaka,¡± he said, as he stood up from the bed. In fact, it was the only bed in the house. It made Shin wonder where he had slept all these days. Or at least he thought it had been several days. ¡°Oh, uh, thank you for everything you¡¯ve done Mr. Atsutaka. Uh, my name is Shin, I think, but you already know that,¡± Shin said, a bit embarrassed at not knowing his name for sure. ¡°Haha, indeed Shin. Now, just lie down and rest. I¡¯ll go make us something to eat,¡± Atsutaka said, as he walked towards his small kitchen. That kitchen seemed like something pulled out of the past. In fact, there wasn¡¯t a single electronic to be seen anywhere. ¡°Mr. Atsutaka, just how long did I sleep here?¡± He asked. As he fumbled with some food Atsutaka looked back at Shin. ¡°It¡¯s been a week already. The people back where ever you came from all probably think you¡¯re dead, by now,¡± he said, with a calm smile. But this didn¡¯t worry Shin that much. After all, he didn¡¯t even remember who those people would be. ¡°Didn¡¯t any search parties come looking for me, or something?¡± Shin asked. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder about this little detail. ¡°Who knows? Anyways, they certainly didn¡¯t come this far in. We¡¯re actually really deep in the jungle, you know? For your average person, it would take several days to get here on foot. You probably floated to here on a log, or something,¡± he said with a laugh, as he continued to make food. ¡°I see. Wait, what are you even doing down here then? I mean, we¡¯re so far from any civilization. What do you do if you get sick?¡± He asked. ¡°Haha, you sure are talkative. What I¡¯m doing here doesn¡¯t really matter. And I don¡¯t get sick,¡± he said, not explaining any further. ¡°If you say so,¡± Shin said. A few minutes passed, and the food was served. Atsutaka helped Shin out of bed, since he was still very weak, then they ate at the table.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°This is really good!¡± Shin said, as he enthusiastically gulfed down all the food on his plate, and then asked for seconds. ¡°Well, when one has to cook for himself, one will naturally get good at it,¡± Atsutaka said with his usual laugh. As they had finished eating, Shin went back to bed, and then quickly fell asleep. His body was in very bad shape, so he had very little energy. As he had fallen asleep, Atsutaka went outside. Outside was a small clearing, and next to the hut, was a river. Probably the same one Shin had appeared from. As he had stepped outside, suddenly his body flickered, and he seemingly disappeared. A short distance away, he had reappeared on top of a tree, almost as if he teleported. At least it would seem like that to the normal eye. In truth, he had only moved so quickly that only a highly trained fighter would have been able to just barely see it. ¡°How interesting this has become. A young boy, void of any memories, except for those of brutality. A clean slate. I wonder if I could make something out of him,¡± he spoke out loud, to no one in particular. Indeed, this strange man had high hopes for the frail looking youngster. After all, what kind of person could survive after getting beaten up, then thrown off a cliff, then float through a river for several days? Even if he didn¡¯t have talent, he was sure that he had two, even more important traits for what he had planned. Endurance! Durability! ¡°Haha, maybe this is what I¡¯ve been looking for. Someone to pass down my art,¡± he said, as he casually jumped down from the tall tree. However, instead of getting hurt by the huge fall, he easily landed on his two feet, back on ground, not even putting a dent in it. Thus, this man, wearing a white cloak, with white, baggy pants, and only bandages for footwear, walked back towards his wooden hut. Thus, another week passed, as the young Shin recovered from his injuries. With the help of treatments from Atsutaka, and many weird medicines he gave him, he was recovering rather quickly. By now, the injuries were only light. At this moment, Shin was doing light exercises, which Atsutaka had instructed him to do every day. Suddenly, Atsutaka walked into the house, wearing his usual outfit. In fact, the outfit that Shin wore was very similar. It was white, baggy pants, and a white jacket, which was being held together by a gray belt. It looked pretty similar to what those Karate people would wear, or like something out of a Chinese Kung Fu movie. They really showed the Asian roots in Shin, even though he was only half Asian. It also showed Atsutaka¡¯s preferred fashion style. ¡°Hey Shin, come with me for a bit. There¡¯s something I want to show you,¡± Atsutaka said, as he led Shin out. ¡°What is it that you want to show me?¡± Shin asked. However, Atsutaka didn¡¯t answer, and only continued to walk, until they had entered the forest, from their little clearing. They were following what seemed like a natural path, at first, but eventually, they had taken several turns, until Shin completely lost track of where they came from. Suddenly, he heard a rustle from the side, and turned to look, but there was nothing there. However, when he turned back to Atsutaka, he was gone. Atsutaka had disappeared, as if he was nothing, but an image, made of air. Shin looked around himself, but he was nowhere to be found. ¡°Mr. Atsutaka? Where are you?! This isn¡¯t funny!¡± Shin said, as he frantically looked around everywhere he could get to. But no matter how well he searched, he was nowhere to be found. ¡°This isn¡¯t funny, you know,¡± He finally said, as he gave up on finding him. Meanwhile, Atsutaka stood on top of a tree, gazing down at Shin. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s see how he does,¡± he said, mysteriously, with a scheming smirk on his face. Meanwhile, Shin was already trying to find his way back. He had regained his composure rather quickly. Maybe they had accidentally separated, and it only took him a while to notice. If he could get back, then everything should be fine. Thus, he started his journey back, however, there was one little problem. He didn¡¯t even know which direction ¡®back¡¯ was. He was completely lost. The only thing he could do, was choose a random direction, and hope for the best. However, as he walked, he couldn¡¯t help but feel like something was wrong. Like some sort of disaster was brewing. Thus, he walked carefully, and tried his best to take his surroundings in. ¡°Heh, this kid is quite impressive. He can actually feel it. Maybe he has potential after all,¡± Atsutaka said, as he continued to observe the kid. Meanwhile, Shin continued walking, but that feeling didn¡¯t go away. In fact, it only grew worse. He was sure something was wrong; like something was watching him. Then, suddenly he started hearing rustles again, but from behind him, this time. This caused him great shock, but once more he quickly calmed down. ¡°Stay calm, stay calm,¡± he chanted, as he continued walking. However, then the source of his nagging feeling finally revealed itself. And it certainly wasn¡¯t anything good. ¡°Grooooowl!¡± The bear growled that had suddenly appeared behind Shin. As he saw the bear come out of the bushes, he immediately felt a surge of fear, and stumbled to his feet. He started crawling backwards, but then, he suddenly started shaking his head. ¡°No, no, stay calm, stay calm,¡± he said. And indeed, he quickly managed to calm himself, and he stood up. Atsutaka was clearly impressed by this. ¡°This kid, he sure is brave. Or maybe not brave, but composed. Easily able to regain his calm. He is indeed promising,¡± he said, getting even more excited. Meanwhile the bear was walking towards Shin, seemingly ready for its next meal. ¡®Alright, what to do in case of bear attack?¡¯ He thought. ¡®Right, walk away slowly.¡¯ Thus, he started walking backwards, while saying, ¡°Easy, easy,¡± trying to calm the bear. However, much to his dismay, it didn¡¯t help at all, and the bear started running for him. ¡°Shit!¡± Shin said, as he, too, turned tails, but the bear was much faster than him. In a matter of seconds, it had caught up to him. Shin felt a sharp pain, as the bear slapped him with its paw, sending the boy flying. Luckily, it had not used its claws, so he wasn¡¯t cut. However, that didn¡¯t matter much, since the bear was quickly drawing closer. Only a few seconds passed, before it stood before him again, with a raised paw. Then, it started to descend at great speeds, and Shin could only embrace himself, and closed his eyes. ¡°Hah!¡± However, that sudden pain never came. Instead, as he opened his eyes, all he saw was a leg, clad in white, held high. This leg seemed like it had been pierced into the bears neck. Then, suddenly, the bear was sent flying, and the white clad beast followed it, and with one decisive punch, it shattered the bears skull. ¡°Haha, sorry you had to experience that, but I wanted to test you,¡± the white clad beast said, as it walked back towards Shin. It was only then that he realized that it was in fact Atsutaka, who had appeared, and saved him. Shin could only stare at him in shock. This was truly nothing like anything he had ever seen before. This human, had actually killed a bear in two strikes! ¡°Shin!¡± He suddenly yelled at him, quickly pulling him back into reality. ¡°Shin, you¡¯re going to have to make a choice,¡± he said, which quickly got Shin¡¯s attention. ¡°A choice?¡± He asked. ¡°Shin, I will now give you two choices. The one you choose is going to decide your future. Either, I can take you back to your home, where you came from,¡± he began. ¡°Or,¡± he continued, pausing for a while, as he stared deep into Shin¡¯s eyes. ¡°Or you can stay with me and train in martial arts! Shin, become my disciple!¡± He almost shouted at him. Shin stared at Atsutaka, then back at the already deceased bear. Go home, or learn martial arts? He couldn¡¯t help but think about how he had killed the bear in two strikes. That was like nothing he had ever heard of before. Not even Bruce Lee would be able to do something like that. This was simply too incredible! Should he choose to go back home? He didn¡¯t even know what he was going back home to! The only thing he remembered of his past life was him fleeing for his life! If he went back, would he even be able to survive? Thus, he looked up to Atsutaka with decisiveness. ¡°I¡¯ll stay with you!¡± He said without even a semblance of hesitation. ¡°Haha, great! Then, Shin, today we will have bear meat for dinner!¡± Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Drops of sweat dripped from his forehead, as he tried to push his body off the ground. You could clearly see the struggle on his face, as he pushed further and further up, until his arms were finally straight. But then, he would only lower them again, letting his face rest just above the grassy ground. As he was doing the push ups, Atsutaka looked at him, his mouth agape. Not because he had realized the true genius of Shin, not because he realized that he had found a disciple like no other, but because Shin was clearly struggling, even though he had only done four push ups¡­ ¡°Jeez, kids these days, you can¡¯t even do ten push ups? You¡¯ve only done four, but you¡¯re already sweating?¡± He unwittingly ridiculed. ¡°Heh, you¡¯re going to need some work,¡± he continued. Then, Shin finally fell to the ground, not able to do another push up after the fifth. He moved his head towards Atsutaka, and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master, but it¡¯s so hard. My body can¡¯t handle it.¡± Atsutaka just continued to look at him, pitifully. He had never seen someone this weak. Even a child would be able to do better. ¡°Sigh, there¡¯s nothing to it. We¡¯re just going to have to train your body up. First we should work on your stamina, so you at least will have the energy to do my exercises. Then we¡¯ll work on strengthening every single muscle in your body, without exception!¡± He said feverishly, rather excited at the aspect of training his own disciple. ¡°Eh? Every single muscle? Will it be hard?¡± He asked, a bit nervous at the certain hell that was awaiting him. ¡°Hard? It will be absolutely hellish! You will want to quit and escape, you might even come to contemplate suicide, or even try to escape, which, in itself, is certain death,¡± he said with an amiable smile, completely betraying the words he just spoke. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let anything like that to happen, even if I have to tie you up,¡± he continued, this time with a laugh. ¡°Eh? Are you serious?¡± Shin asked with a slightly panicky expression. ¡°Completely,¡± Atsutaka answered. ¡°NOW GET RUNNING!¡± He suddenly shouted, as he suddenly whipped out a whip, and started whipping at him furiously, causing Shin to immediately bolt. ¡°Y-y-yes!¡± He screamed, then started running in the opposite direction of the lashes from the whip. But he was out of luck, as Atsutaka took chase, and kept lashing with his whip. ¡°Hahaha, one improves fastest when facing a dangerous situation! This way you will be able to use your full potential as you run! Like this, I can guarantee that you will be able to do a hundred push ups, within the month!¡± Atsutaka said excitedly, while Shin ran for his life, not even sparing the energy to say a single word. After a whole thirty minutes, Shin was still running as if his life depended on it. His clothes had even gotten torn, and there were several hints of blood on his back. Every time he started to slow down, he would suddenly, ¡°Aaaaaaaah!¡± He would scream in pain, as the whip lashed at his back, causing another red line of blood. However, even though the whip was ridiculously quick, it never caused any serious wounds, and only caused a slight sting, and maybe caused Shin to stumble a bit. It seemed like Atsutaka was even skilled at using the whip. Another half of an hour passed, and Shin had been running for an entire hour. By this point, he was running purely on the fear from getting hit from the whip. However, even then, he couldn¡¯t hold on any longer, and finally collapsed to the ground. However, contrary to his expectations, he didn¡¯t get hit by the whip. ¡°Hahaha, you have quite the willpower there, being able to run for an entire hour, before collapsing. Impressive, impressive. Now, how do you feel?¡± Atsutaka asked. ¡°I can¡¯t move my body, you demon,¡± Shin said, looking at his new Master, as if he was a demon, straight from hell. Indeed, he might as well have been, because this felt like pure hell. He was sore all over his body, and his back stung like a bitch. ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll have you moving again in no time,¡± Atsutaka said, as he moved towards Shin. Then, he started grabbing him all over, and squeezing. He squeezed quite tightly. As Shin was screaming in pain, his body continued to crackle for half a minute, before it stopped. ¡°Gah, you demon what did you do!¡± He screamed, as he jumped up from the ground, flailing his arms at his Master. ¡°Ah, I can move,¡± he suddenly realized. ¡°Indeed. I just massaged your muscles and bones. Alright, now we¡¯ll rest for five minutes, and then we¡¯ll run back!¡± He said with a huge smile, very much in contrast with Shin¡¯s current expression. ¡°W-wait, we¡¯re not done?¡± He asked, his voice shaking. ¡°What, done? Of course not, we still need to get back, do we not? Don¡¯t worry though, it will be impossible for you to keep the previous speed, so I¡¯ll allow you to reduce it with a whole ten percent! I¡¯m feeling quite generous today, you see,¡± he said with the same amiable smile that truly betrayed his true intentions. ¡°T-ten percent?¡± Shin asked. Even if he only ran at thirty percent of the previous speed, he wouldn¡¯t be able to make it! But this insane master of his wanted him to run back home, at ninety percent speed? Insane! ¡°Don¡¯t speak, rest. You¡¯ll need the energy, believe me,¡± Atsutaka said with a chuckle, before Shin could even retaliate. However, Shin still did as he said, since deep in his heart, the desire for strength and power had already sprouted. Two hours later, and they were finally back. Shin immediately collapsed, as soon as they entered the clearing. He didn¡¯t even manage to stay awake, and directly fainted. ¡°Indeed, ninety percent was already impossible from the beginning, but this kid¡­ he actually managed to make it back in only two hours? Just what is his mind made of? He lasted way longer than his body should allow, just on pure willpower. Indeed, I¡¯ve found a little treasure, haven¡¯t I?¡± Atsutaka laughed, as he carried the young boy, who had come under his care, into the house. He directly threw him unto the second bed, which he had made a week prior.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡®Time to make food. This kid is going to need a healthy diet, to fuel his body,¡¯ he thought. Indeed, from all the training he was going to do, he¡¯d need quite a lot of food, or he¡¯d simply collapse ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll make a bear meat feast, before the meat goes bad,¡± he said, as he took out the bear meat. He didn¡¯t have a refrigerator, or a freezer, so he needed to use the bear meat quickly. Especially since it was the middle of summer, and it was quite hot this time of year. About an hour later, Shin woke up, to the smell of delicious bear meat, but when he saw his Master Atsutaka, he immediately froze. ¡°T-the demon!¡± He said, partly in fear, partly as a tease. ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t call me that. I¡¯m your Master, you know? And you should know, all the pain I put you through, is for your own good. Now, get up, food¡¯s ready. You should be able move on your own, right? I already treated your injuries and wounds,¡± Atsutaka said. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I can move. And I was just kidding anyway, when I called you a demon,¡± Shin said, still rather exhausted, as he got up, and walked to the table. However, when he saw all the food, his eyes lit up. ¡°Oooh, there¡¯s so much!¡± He said, excited. ¡°But of course. Your body is going to need a lot of fuel, for all the training I¡¯m going to put you through,¡± he said, once more causing Shin¡¯s expression to darken. His memories of the last two hours, before he passed out, were not very bright. ¡°A-are we going to train more, after this?¡± He asked, wearily. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get the rest of the day off. Right now, your body can only handle light training like that,¡± he said, with his normal amiable smile. ¡°That was light training?¡± He asked, rather unwilling to believe it. ¡°Of course, all we did was go for a run. That can¡¯t count for anything but a warm up. But, of course, for the current you, it¡¯s very strenuous, but in a couple of weeks, or maybe months, it won¡¯t be that hard,¡± he said. ¡°I-I see,¡± Shin answered. He found it hard to believe that he would eventually be able to run that kind of distance with ease. Just now, it had caused him to faint, and he even had to be medically treated by Atsutaka, but later, it would be nothing but a warm up? But even then, he didn¡¯t think much further on it, after the first reaction. After all, he only possessed a week¡¯s worth of memories. He didn¡¯t have a sense of what¡¯s normal, and what¡¯s not. Thus, after eating, he rested, and thus the day passed, allowing the next day of hell to loom over the horizon. And indeed, as soon as the sun rose, he was woken up, by Atsutaka. ¡°Wake up, Shin, it¡¯s morning. It¡¯s time for training!¡± He said, as he directly pulled the boy out of bed. Ten minutes later, he stood outside, wearing the usual outfit. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin! Today I think we¡¯ll run for two hours each way!¡± He said with a smile, and then, out of nowhere, appeared the lashing images of a whip, lashing at Shin¡¯s feet. ¡°Now, run!¡± He shouted, excited for another day of torturing his poor disciple. ¡°Ah, I get it, I get it!¡± Shin screamed, as he immediately charged out, into the forest. However, as he entered the forest, a shroud of darkness entered his mind. ¡®Did he say two hours each way? He definitely said two hours¡­¡¯ Only after entering the forest, did Shin realize what Atsutaka had just said. ¡°Damn it, this is torture!¡± Shin shouted, still not slowing his speed in the slightest, in fear of the stinging lashes of the ¡®Whip¡¯. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your breath,¡± Atsutaka said playfully, as he continually whipped at the youngster. An hour passed, but he did still not collapse. To the contrary, he only slowed down a bit, but he still managed to run, and then another hour passed, before he finally collapsed, however, still awake. Atsutaka was apparently quite good at calculating how much his new disciple could handle. ¡°See, you managed two hours just fine. Now, let me fix you up,¡± Atsutaka said, as he moved over to the boy, and started massaging his muscles and joints, and thus, the screams ensued. Just under a minute later, and he was finished. ¡°Since I¡¯m so merciful, I¡¯ll let you rest for seven minutes this time, since you just ran for two hours,¡± Atsutaka said, but Shin just continued to lie on the ground, and let the air seep into his lungs. He didn¡¯t want to waste his precious rest on speaking. And thus, three hours later, they were back at the house, and Shin fainted again. They had been out for five hours, since the return trip took an hour longer. Even then, it was only around midday, so there was a lot of time left. ¡°Ah, he fainted again¡­ Ah well, I¡¯ll just go prepare lunch. He¡¯ll need some energy for the next exercise,¡± Atsutaka said aloud, as he picked up Shin, and walked back inside, with Shin on his shoulder. Thirty minutes later, Shin woke up, once more to the smell of food. Another half hour later, and they stood outside again. ¡°Alright, this time, we¡¯re going to do some strength training,¡± Atsutaka said, as he walked over to a group of stones. The stones were orderly placed, in terms of size. They ranged from the size of an adult¡¯s head, to almost as big as a boulder, probably weighing hundreds of kilograms, at least. ¡°Grab any one of these stones,¡± he said. Thus, Shin followed him over there, and grabbed one of the head sized stones. It wasn¡¯t too heavy, probably weighing around ten kilos, but it was still quite a bit for him. ¡°Now squat so that your knees are bent ninety degrees, and start walking. For every ten steps, stop and do ten squats. You are not allowed to stop for even a second, if you don¡¯t want to face the wrath of my whip, understand?¡± Atsutaka explained, Shin nodded profusely. During the past two days, he had developed an immense fear for that whip. Thus, he squatted down, until his knees were bent ninety degrees, and started walking. His struggle was apparent in his expression, but he still managed to do ten steps, then ten squats, ten more steps, ten more squats¡­ An hour passed. ¡°Huh, Master, I didn¡¯t expect to be able to do this much. I wasn¡¯t even able to do more than five push ups, the other day, but now I¡¯ve done several tens of squats, albeit rather slowly,¡± Shin said. Atsutaka smiled in response, ¡°It¡¯s because of the running you¡¯ve been doing, as well as my massages. They allow your muscles to develop a bit faster, and after all the running, your leg strength has increased. Anyways, enough of this. Go grab another rock, then lie down on that bench,¡± Atsutaka instructed, as he pointed towards a bench. Shin obliged, and went to grab another rock, then lied down on the bench. ¡°What now?¡± He asked. ¡°Now you balance those two rocks on your palms, as you lift them up and down, like a bench press. Stopping for even a second means facing the wrath of the whip,¡± he said, and then Shin began, still as afraid as ever of the ¡®Whip¡¯. It was a bit hard to balance the rocks and lift them at the same time, so he still managed to drop them a few times, especially after his arms started getting shaky. An hour passed, as he slowly did one repetition after the other, in fear of the whip. When he was done, he couldn¡¯t even lift his arms from exhaustion. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it for now. You get to recover until dinner,¡± Atsutaka said, as he walked inside. Shin followed him inside, not having the spare energy to respond. Inside, he directly dropped unto his bed. Atsutaka had grabbed what seemed to be carving tools, as well as a torso sized rock. ¡°Huh? Master, what are you doing?¡± Shin asked, his curiosity spurred. ¡°Stone carving, sculpturing. Haven¡¯t you seen all the sculptures around? I made all those,¡± Atsutaka admitted. Indeed, there were several sculptures all around the house, as well as outside. There were even other items of art, like paintings. ¡°I quite like the arts, you see. Maybe I¡¯ll teach you one day, if you¡¯re interested,¡± he said, as he started carving. ¡°Maybe one day, but right now, I don¡¯t have the spare energy,¡± Shin said, causing a light chuckle from Atsutaka. Thus, the hours passed, and they ate dinner. After dinner, Atsutaka forced Shin into another life or death run, as Shin had come to call it, and when they came back, it was already nearing midnight, and Shin was finally allowed to sleep, after his first, full day of training. Indeed, it had been the most exhausting day in his entire life, even counting the life he didn¡¯t remember. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Shin was running through the forest, chased by a myriad of whip images. He had gotten quite good at evading those whips, though, and it was getting rarer and rarer for him to get hit. However, as he was running, he suddenly had an empty look, and stopped, as if his soul had been taken out of his body. Then, accompanied by a sudden headache, he fell to his knees. His mind was taken by visions, rather familiar to the scene surrounding him at that very moment. That of running away, in a forest. ¡°Another vision?¡± Atsutaka asked, as he stopped his whip myriad attack, and looked at his disciple, with some worry. ¡°Yes,¡± he answered. ¡°Anything new?¡± Atsutaka asked him once more. ¡°No, it¡¯s just the same thing as ever. Me being chased into the forest, and then that Cliff guy pushing me over the cliff,¡± Shin said. Atsutaka nodded his head. Indeed, this had happened several times already, so it was nothing new. By now, he didn¡¯t even have anything new to learn from those visions. He already remembered the entire chase; just not anything prior to it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Shin. I¡¯m sure your memories will come back soon,¡± Atsutaka consoled. ¡°Now, how about we take it off our minds, and continue our light jog,¡± he said, with a light in his eyes, causing Shin to gulp. But there was no mercy, and the ¡®Myriad Whip Attack¡¯ continued, and Shin had to run for his life. Then, after having spent two hours in the forest, they came back to the hut. These days, they would go run for two hours, as a warm up, before starting strength training. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s warm up your joints first,¡± Atsutaka said. ¡°Do a hundred quick push ups, a hundred quick squats, and a hundred quick sit ups. Then we¡¯ll start,¡± he continued. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Shin said, without a hint of hesitation. Then, without further ado, he dropped, and speedily did a hundred push ups, sit ups, and squats, in just about ten minutes. Indeed, he was already capable of that much. It had been about almost three weeks since he started training, and as Atsutaka had promised, he was able to do a hundred push ups, in under a month. In fact, he was already capable of it a week ago. Then started the true training exercises. Doing lunges, while holding heavy rocks, then throwing the rocks as far up into the sky as he could muster, then catching them again. God forbid if he didn¡¯t catch¡­ Balancing on poles, while Atsutaka swiped at him with a stick. God forbid if he didn¡¯t evade¡­ Doing heavy bench presses with rock, and all sorts of different strength exercises, some seemingly normal, others exotic and weird. However, they still didn¡¯t do anything resembling martial arts. Back inside, they were eating dinner, when Atsutaka decided to ask Shin something. ¡°Shin, what are you going to do, when you regain your memories? To Cliff?¡± He asked. Shin looked up at his Master, taken off guard by the sudden question. He started to think, looking back down into his food, as he did so. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I mean, should I be the magnanimous one, and just forgive him, or should seek vengeance? I don¡¯t have any memories, but is that what martial arts are about? I don¡¯t feel like martial arts are purely a tool for revenge. Violence,¡± he said. Atsutaka looked at his disciple, a somewhat approving look on his face. ¡°Indeed, martial arts are not purely about violence. There are those that use it purely for violence, those who kill without discretion, and there are those who only use it only to protect, who never kill. However, neither of those paths are the true one! Martial arts are a tool, as well as a way of life. You use it to protect those dear to you, so that harm may never reach them¡­ and you use it to destroy your enemies. If someone shows you kindness, then you give kindness back, if someone shows you malice, you give malice back. If someone saves your life, you must help them in their time of need¡­ and if someone tries to kill you, you must kill them. That is what I believe. Everything must be dealt in equivalent exchange,¡± Atsutaka explained. ¡°So, what I¡¯m trying to say, don¡¯t kill over just the smallest of things. If someone insults you, there is no need to go further than to just punish them. But if someone does something unspeakable towards, if it goes to the point where they can be a threat to your wellbeing, you must kill,¡± Atsutaka continued. ¡°So I must Kill this Cliff, if I ever get my memories back?¡± Shin asked. It wasn¡¯t that he was appalled or anything. In fact, he didn¡¯t think it sounded too wrong. After all, he was a blank slate, so it was easy to implant new thoughts into his head. ¡°Or at least destroy him. Cripple him, and ruin his reputation. For scum like him, you must never show any leniency, do you understand Shin?¡± Atsutaka said. ¡°Yes, I understand, Master,¡± Shin answered, much to Atsutaka¡¯s delight. He enjoyed this, moulding someone into the same kind of person like him. Someone who walked the gray line. Not necessarily evil, nor good. ¡°Good. But before any of that, you still need to learn my martial arts. I think it¡¯s about time for that anyways¡­ Alright, I¡¯ll start teaching you straight after dinner!¡± Atsutaka said with excitement. He was finally about to teach his first disciple martial arts! It was truly something to be excited for. ¡°What kind of martial arts do you practise, anyway?¡± Shin asked. ¡°I practise my own style that I created through many trials. It¡¯s a combination of several martial arts that I learned in the past. They include Chinese Kenpo, Jujitsu, both the Japanese, as well as Brazilian variant, Karate, Muay Thai, Muay Boran, and tidbits from other martial arts, like Silat and Krav Maga,¡± Atsutaka said, only managing to confuse Shin. ¡°I don¡¯t recognise any of those, except Karate,¡± he admitted. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry, if you¡¯re not already interested in martial arts, you probably wouldn¡¯t know much about them. However, when I¡¯m done with you, you¡¯ll know everything about them. Now, let¡¯s go!¡± He said, as he directly dragged Shin outside, not even letting him finish his food. He was just a bit too excited to teach his art.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Thus, he dragged him to the backside of the hut, where a sandbag hung, ready to be punched and kicked. He had also taken a few mitts, like those used in boxing, or to be more precise, Muay Thai. Thick, and elongated, so that you can both punch and kick them. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll start with the simplest, Muay Thai punching and kicking. First we need to get you into stance. First, take a step forward with your left foot, then a bit back, and to the side with your right foot,¡± he said, and Shin followed. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Now, hold your hands above your chin, and you¡¯ve got your basic kickboxer stance,¡± he said. ¡°Alright, then what now?¡± Shin asked. ¡°Now, we teach you how to walk!¡± Atsutaka answered fervently. ¡°What? Walk? Shin asked, confused. ¡°Indeed, we teach you how to walk correctly. When you¡¯re fighting, you want to keep balance, you see, so you must never cross your legs. Thus, when you walk forwards, you step with your left foot, and follow with your right. When going backwards, you step back with your right foot, and follow with the left. Going left, step with left, follow with right. Going right, you step with the right foot, follow with the left. You get the picture, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so,¡± Shin answered. ¡°Good, then do it. Start walking in a circle around the sandbag. Always keep the sandbag centered,¡± Atsutaka instructed, and Shin started circling it, with a, ¡°Yes Master!¡± Thus, he did that for five minutes, before Atsutaka stopped him again. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s good. We¡¯ll practise footwork more, while we simultaneously train your punches and kicks,¡± Atsutaka explained. ¡°Now, for the left punch, the jab. We¡¯ll do it slowly a few times. First, take a step forwards with your left foot. Meanwhile, extend your left arm outwards, like, you know, a punch. You¡¯re done. Just don¡¯t pull your arm back first, then the enemy will see the punch coming. Alright, here, try it a few times on my mitts,¡± Atsutaka instructed. Shin went back into stance, although Atsutaka had to remind him a bit, and then he started punching. The first few times, Atsutaka had to do some corrections, but he quickly managed to get the jab right. After all, it¡¯s not that hard, it¡¯s the simplest punch in boxing. ¡°Alright, now for the right punch, also known as a cross or straight. The power of this punch doesn¡¯t come from the arm itself, but your entire body and core, so it¡¯s important to get it right. While punching, you want to rotate your right foot, like this,¡± Atsutaka said, as he showed him how to do the right punch. ¡°The point is that through the rotation, you¡¯re putting your hips into it, and all your weight, causing a powerful blow. Now, you try,¡± he said, as he held up the mitts again. Thus, he started doing straight punches with his right hand. After a while, Atsutaka instructed him to change between the left and right punch in intervals, until they had half a combination attack. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re doing good. Now, let¡¯s finish this, and turn it into the simplest combination attack, by adding a left hook,¡± Atsutaka said, as he stepped back again. ¡°The left hook is a little bit more complicated, but it¡¯s still easy. First, you wanna try hunching down to the left, just a little bit. You can easily do this, as you throw a right cross. Then, you want to throw the punch in an arch, while bending your arm ninety degrees. While you throw the punch, you want to rotate your left foot, like you did with the right when throwing the cross. I¡¯ll show you first, then you do it,¡± Atsutaka explained, then proceeded to throw a few left hooks, as well as do a few combination attacks, with the left jab, right straight, left hook. ¡°See, it¡¯s easy. Now it¡¯s your turn,¡± he said, as pulled up his mitts again. Thus, Shin started doing the combination attack repeatedly, for almost an entire hour straight. Atsutaka was dead set on drilling it into his brain, until it became second nature. ¡°Alright, that was good. Now we¡¯re going to get started on kicks!¡± Atsutaka said, still as excited as ever. ¡°The Muay Thai kick is a very powerful one, so use it responsibly, haha. Now, let¡¯s get started. First, you want to step to the side of your opponent. You¡¯re going to kick with your right leg, so you step to the left side. Then you lift your leg in an arch, while rotating your foot, like this,¡± Atsutaka said, as he demonstrated the kick. Then, Shin proceeded to try, however, it looked very clumsy. Luckily for him, Atsutaka had already fervently trained his flexibility. Although, he wasn¡¯t able to do a split yet, he already wasn¡¯t too far off. If he wasn¡¯t flexible, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do it as well as he did. Thus, after a few hundred, exhausting tries, he had a relatively presentable kick. ¡°Alright, good, good! Now, your left leg. To do a left kick, first you need to switch stance. You just want to invert it, putting your right leg in front, and your left foot in back, then you follow the same steps, like this,¡± Atsutaka explained, then showed him how it was done. In one quick, fluid movement, he switched his legs, then did the kick. ¡°Alright, now you try,¡± he then ordered, and Shin proceeded to try as well. He wasn¡¯t able to switch as quickly and fluidly as Atsutaka, but he still got into the left-handed stance, and did his kick. Then he proceeded to kick a few hundred times with his left leg, on the mitts. ¡°Good, you¡¯ve pretty much gotten the basics down now. Now we¡¯re going to combine these kicks into the combinations. First, I want you to do the same left jab, right cross, left hook, then add in the right kick. Then do it again, but add in another right hook, after the left one, then switch, and left kick! Begin!¡± Atsutaka instructed, and Shin immediately complied. He moved in, and with a single step, his left fist shot into the mitt, like a spear, causing a loud ¡®boom¡¯ sound. Then with a turn of his right leg, he exploded his right fist into the matt, at almost the same speed, but this time it caused an even noisier ¡®explosion¡¯. Still, the matts barely even budged. With the second punch done, he immediately hunched ever so slightly, before he turned his left foot, and his powerful left hook exploded into the matt. ¡°BOOM!¡± It sounded as his bare fist and the leather matt clashed. ¡°Now, back out, and kick!¡± Atsutaka yelled out, and Shin immediately took a step back, then stepped to the side of his master, and let his leg shoot up in an arch, and chopped it into the matts, like a wide battle-axe. ¡°BOOM!¡± The loudest ¡®explosion¡¯ yet sounded out, and the leg finally found its way back down to the ground, and Shin stood back in his fighting stance. ¡°That was good. You¡¯re already good at using your newly developed strength. If any normal person, who hasn¡¯t trained, was to get hit by those punches and kicks, they¡¯d be done for. Of course, you¡¯d need to hit them. No telling if you could win a fight yet, since you just began, haha,¡± Atsutaka said, as he clapped his disciple on the shoulder. ¡°Now, do it a thousand more times, and we¡¯ll call it for today, and get started on your evening strength exercises,¡± he continued. Shin¡¯s expression darkened slightly, at those last words. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d still have to do strength exercises after this. He had already been doing those for a good two hours, and doing a thousand repetitions of that combo would probably take at least another two hours¡­ However, he couldn¡¯t refuse. And as thus, went his first day of real martial arts training. He had finally started on the path of power, the path of strength, the path of Muay Thai, one of the many martial arts he would learn from his new Master, and one of the many martial arts which would combine into that special, unstoppable martial art, of his Master¡¯s. Why I havent posted more chapters. This is to all 14 of my followers, who might have been wondering, where exactly is the next chapter? Well, I said I''d try doing a chapter every day or two, but then my health started detoriorating. My health has been pretty bad the last year or two, so it''s nothing new, but being bed ritten makes it a bit hard for me to write.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. So I don''t know when this will continue. Hopefully soon. If you want something else to read, you can check out my other work, although it''s not very similar to this one.