Chapter 103: Bones Refinement 1
"Never stop trying to be better version of yourself. It’s a perpetual evolution.’’- Nero Adams
°°°
Nero’s consciousness sank inward as he inspected his inner world.
The familiar scene unfolded: the nine stars gleaming above like distant suns, the ever-churning vortex of prana spinning at the center, a bottomless maelstrom of energy. But what caught his attention was the dimly lit golden star. One of its chains had snapped cleanly, the second hung half-broken, trembling on the verge of collapse.
A small, satisfied smirk curved his lips.
"Not bad," he muttered.
Progress. Painstaking, incremental—but real.
He withdrew from his inner world and let his body settle against the soft bedding. Rain still poured outside, drumming relentlessly against the tent canvas and saturating the forest in a sheet of water. The trees groaned under the downpour, their branches swaying like old bones in the wind. Puddles formed along the roots and rivulets flowed down the slope, the soil turning soft and treacherous.
But Nero barely noticed.
Sleep eluded him. He shifted from one side to the other, mind too active, too restless. The rhythmic roar of the rain only made the silence in his thoughts louder.
Then, he remembered.
An idea had stirred earlier that day—now it surfaced in full clarity. His physical strength... it had long since surpassed the norm for someone at his level. By all measures, he was a mid-tier Blue Knight, closer to its peak—but physically, he was already operating at a Red Knight’s standard. Still, it wasn’t enough.