CHAPTER 21: ONE HUNDRED TIMES

Three days had passed since Kyrian began his hellish training.

The black liquid seeped into his skin and burned like fire poured on living flesh.

Kyrian had submerged himself in the bathtub for the eighth time, his muscles trembling under the thick liquid. As the skin on his back completely peeled away.

Leaving only raw, bright red flesh exposed. His fingers clutched the edge of the bathtub tightly before letting go, and his body began to relax.

He had not screamed once since this began, no matter how hurt he was. He took a deep breath and got out of the bathtub, sitting in front of the book.

It was slightly stained with blood and water.

The manual of the Royal Order, The Path of Flesh and Bone, lay open on the floor. Kyrian had already memorized it on the first day.

But when he read the final words, his anxiety and desire to grow stronger surged to the surface. If the book was right, when he completed the transformation, his strength would be far greater.

The first part of the book described The Ritual of Flesh.

It would begin with one minute in boiling water. And then an hour in the black liquid.

First, his muscles, flesh, and skin would suffer from the boiling and then be flooded in the thick liquid that burned like a thousand needles.

He would have to repeat this a hundred times, but the time in the boiling bathtub would increase as the days went by. And the time in the black bathtub would decrease.

By now he had already noticed the pattern, the black liquid, which had no explanation of what it was, was not just torture like the boiling water.

It was, in truth, healing.

The blisters that formed during the boiling shriveled after thirty minutes in the black bath. The open wounds across his skin closed faster, leaving pink scars. And even his muscles, which seemed flayed alive, slowly rebuilt themselves denser with each cycle.

When Kyrian realized this, his cracked, bleeding lips smiled.

At the end of each day, a servant appeared to change the liquid in both bathtubs, as well as bring food, but it didn’t seem enough. His body was craving more energy.

On the morning of the fifth day, the door to the inner courtyard suddenly opened.

Elyria entered, wearing a dark blue cloak, her eyes assessing Kyrian’s battered body.

He was already submerged in the black bath even in the morning, only his face above the surface.

"So, you’re alive." She commented as she kicked the open book away from the tubs.

"Have you read this?"

"Yes."

"Understood it?"

"Yes," Kyrian replied directly.

She looked into his eyes.

"Then why are you doing this?"

Kyrian raised his left arm from the liquid. The skin, once shredded, now seemed to be growing new, still pink, but pale.

"Because it works exactly as written. And it will make me stronger."

"But the food is not enough, I need double the amount," Kyrian said with a serious expression. What bothered him the most now was hunger.

Hearing this, Elyria laughed, a truly rare sound.

"Alright, boy, you deserve it. I’ll tell the servants."

She then turned to leave but cast one last glance. She was truly satisfied.

’Rurik found a good student. The hardest part of this training is not just the physical torture that can lead to death. But the mentality and determination to continue.’

’Besides, if he were not talented in the path, even with the black bath, his body would not recover so fast. The boy has talent. Probably in a few years...’

Elyria thought before closing the door.

And so Kyrian’s routine became a repetitive cycle.

His body was boiled and destroyed before being regenerated and remade little by little. Each day, his flesh became more resistant to the boiling, while the black bathtub made him recover faster and faster.

On the eighth day, Kyrian no longer trembled when entering the boiling water.

On the fourteenth day, his skin no longer peeled away, only turned red and swollen.

On the twenty-first day, he could remain fifteen minutes in the boiling water before beginning to feel pain.

And when the twenty-eighth day came, Kyrian would submerge in the black bath and sleep inside it.

Kyrian’s feeding became animal-like, seeming to increase with each day. It seemed that all the energy from food was used to recover.

He demanded more and more food, and everything was devoured between baths. His body needed fuel to rebuild itself.

On the morning that marked one month since he began the training, Kyrian entered the boiling bathtub and did not come out.

He remained there for a full hour.

When he emerged, his skin was intact, no blisters appeared.

He then entered the black bathtub. It felt cold. Kyrian submerged himself, and for the first time, nothing hurt.

When he came out, he looked at his reflection in the still water, his hands holding the edge of the stone tub. Which suddenly cracked as he gripped it with his small hands.

A small smile appeared on his face.

’Looks like I made it. But I thought something like... I don’t know, something visible would happen. But in the end, it seems the transformation happened progressively during the training. I need to test my new strength better later.’ Kyrian thought.

Suddenly, the door behind him opened.

Elyria returned, finding him standing in the center of the courtyard without any clothes.

"One hundred times," Kyrian said.

Elyria looked over Kyrian’s entire body, nodded as she drew a dagger, and threw it toward his shoulder.

She didn’t use much of her strength, only enough to pierce an ordinary human.

But the blade stopped after two centimeters.

Kyrian looked at the wound, where the blood flowed for an instant. He removed the dagger, and then the blood seemed to stop on its own.

He felt no pain beyond a slight burning, and it would not take long for that wound to close.

"Looks like you’ve entered the Tempered Body. I can feel you’ve grown stronger, but your strength hasn’t increased as much as I thought." Elyria said, thinking.

"But I guess it makes sense, you were already almost as physically strong as a common third-grade martial artist. Now, your strength must be far greater than all of them but still below the second grade." Elyria said with a slight smile.

Kyrian clenched his fists, feeling his new strength. As she said, he indeed felt stronger, but the so-called transformation the book mentioned hadn’t happened.

’Maybe because my body had already been improved before by the particles...’ Kyrian thought, but he was satisfied.

"Congratulations on advancing to the first stage of the path and becoming a martial artist."

"This is a great moment. From today, Kyrian, you are officially the fourteenth member of the Royal Order. And the youngest in history to enter."

"But things are only beginning. Now the true pain starts." Elyria said with such seriousness that it didn’t sound like she was congratulating him, but Kyrian felt she was satisfied.

Kyrian thought in silence as something came to his mind.

"The books said the Royal Order possessed the most powerful martial artists among the fifteen countries. Is that why?" Kyrian said, looking at his shoulder, where the wound was already closing, leaving only a small mark.

"Oh, you noticed. I heard from Kael that you faced a third-grade martial artist. So, you must understand the difference between your strength and that of martial artists outside the Order." Elyria began to explain.

"The path we follow is at least three times superior to any other. Because of the liquid your body absorbed little by little every day, we possess greater regeneration than normal. Which increases at each stage."

"Moreover, our training method can be far more torturous precisely because of the black liquid that doesn’t let us die or weaken from the injuries, making us stronger."

"Normal martial artists have several disadvantages. Chronic pains, fractures, inflammations, and death from exhaustion are the most common during training. That’s why martial artists are rare."

"But the worst disadvantage is... physical wear and premature aging. Martial artists have short lifespans due to forcing their bodies to the limit."

"But the Royal Order is different. We can live longer, we are stronger, and the disadvantages don’t affect us."

"The only disadvantage I can mention is... compatibility with the black liquid. If it is low or incompatible, no matter how much your body is destroyed and rebuilt with it, it won’t work."

’If Rurik were compatible, he...’ Elyria thought with slight sorrow before continuing.

"And as you can see, the chance of being compatible is extremely low. The Royal Order has always had at most fifteen to twenty active members."

While Elyria explained, Kyrian listened attentively, absorbing all the information.

"What is this liquid made of? It is really useful," Kyrian said, realizing why the Order was so strong.

"In the center and bottom of the Silver Lake. Every five years, silver flowers bloom. When we remove these flowers, they become as dark as the night, and, when mixed with various herbs, it is possible to create this liquid."

"The origin of this path and the origin of the black liquid are uncertain. It has existed since the founding of the country of Valor. But no one knows who created the Path of Flesh and Bone nor who invented the recipe." Elyria said.

"The liquid is generally used on the winner of the Aurora Tournament and on those the Order deems talented. If they are compatible, they enter the Order, if not, they are not sent to the royal family and instead become soldiers there."

"But you are special, and even if you fought with your eyes closed, you would win first place among those children, so I decided to test your compatibility as quickly as possible."

"But you still need to participate in the tournament. Win it with dominance. And then, at the end, we will announce that you have become the fourteenth official member of the Royal Order to the country."

"And then... to the royal family. Be prepared." Elyria said seriously, looking into his eyes.

"Understood." Kyrian didn’t care much and simply accepted.

"Now, get dressed, and you are free until the end of the tournament. Do whatever you want." Elyria said, giving him one last glance.

Kyrian looked down and only now remembered that he had been naked the entire time. Not that he cared much about it.