Thud. Thud.

Aries’ fists pounded relentlessly against the worn surface of the scarecrow, the hollow sound echoing through the grounds outside the Temple of Amon. His breath came in steady, controlled intervals, even after hours of continuous strikes. Sweat dripped from his brow, yet his pace never faltered. His movements were sharp and precise, each blow calculated to maximize power without wasting energy.

Every day, while others rested or tended to their wounds, Aries trained. He had been doing this for the past three days without fail, from the moment he arrived. Monsters raided the temple daily, seeking to tear down everything inside, but Aries refused to let that stop him. When the attacks subsided, and others slumped in exhaustion, Aries stood outside, facing the scarecrow like it was his true enemy.

“Doesn’t that guy ever get tired?” someone muttered from the shadows, unable to comprehend the sheer drive that fueled him.

“There are all kinds of weirdos in the world,” came a gruff reply, laced with a mix of awe and disdain.

Those who watched from a distance couldn’t help but marvel at Aries’ relentless work ethic, but none dared to join him. Their bodies were already battered from repelling the constant raids, and they lacked the will to push themselves beyond the immediate need for survival. For them, fighting the monsters was grueling enough. Training afterward? That was madness. To them, Aries’ unwavering determination to strike the scarecrow over and over again, long after the battles had ended, seemed not only unnecessary but foolish.

Yet, despite the scornful glances and whispered remarks, Aries continued. It wasn’t for glory or recognition. He had no interest in mingling with the others, and he didn’t need their praise. Every time he claimed the title of “Best Hunter” after a raid, it went unnoticed by most, as he slipped back into solitude. If anything, his refusal to share in the community’s rations or water caused some to look at him with disgust, their minds filled with resentment and mistrust.

But Aries didn’t care. Friendship, camaraderie, even acknowledgment from others—none of it mattered to him. In this brutal world, where only the strong survived, there was only one thing of importance: power. And power didn’t come from making friends. Power came from hard work, from the brutal, repetitive grind of pushing his body beyond its limits.

And in his own way, Aries was confident in his decision. While others rested or squabbled over resources, he was singularly focused on what mattered most to him: strength. It wasn’t arrogance—it was certainty, born from experience and survival.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I can raise my strength and stamina to a maximum of 20 using these scarecrows.

This wasn’t just a wild guess. In the New World, where survival often hinged on the slightest edge, such knowledge was invaluable. Veterans of this unforgiving realm knew the secrets of honing their abilities through relentless practice, exploiting even the simplest tools like the scarecrows to their fullest potential. But the newly summoned? They were clueless. They didn’t understand how much power could be gained here, or the limits one could push past with enough determination.

Knowledge was power, and right now, Aries held more of it than anyone else. It wasn’t in his nature to share that knowledge. Those who needed everything explained to them, who waited to be spoon-fed even the most basic survival skills, were doomed from the start. In the New World, only those who could adapt quickly, make decisions without hesitation, and persevere through the most brutal circumstances had a chance. The rest were nothing more than dead weight.

“Why the hell is he doing that?” one of the bystanders muttered, baffled by Aries’ relentless training.

“Leave him be,” another replied, their voice tinged with indifference. “He might kill us.”

Some of them, perhaps inspired by Aries’ relentless drive, had tried to mimic him. They had approached the scarecrows with an air of resolve, fists raised as if they, too, could achieve what Aries was working toward. But after a few weak strikes, their enthusiasm waned. They didn’t have the endurance or the mental fortitude to keep up.

Thud! Thud!

Aries’ fists struck faster now, the sound of his blows echoing louder as his attack speed increased. He wasn’t just training his body—he was conditioning his mind, pushing himself to a point where most would have already collapsed. It would take at least ten thousand strikes before the real progress became evident. To anyone else, that might seem like an impossible number, a mountain too steep to climb. But for Aries, this was nothing more than routine.

He had survived the New World, a place where only one or two out of every hundred summons made it out alive. The relentless training there had hardened him, reshaped him into something far beyond ordinary. Every strike against the scarecrow was a reminder of that grueling past, and of the strength he had gained through sheer willpower. This was no different. He was in a battle with himself, and losing simply wasn’t an option.

I need my strength and stamina at 20 before I attempt it.

To unlock a secret class, you had to do the impossible. Fewer than a hundred people had ever managed it, but those who did became monsters in their own right—stronger than any normal human could dream of. The risk? Almost guaranteed death. But the reward? Worth every drop of blood.

To get the secret class Necromancer, Aries needed more than just raw power; he needed control. His eyes scanned the towering cliffs around the Temple of Amon. Somewhere up there, hidden within the jagged rocks, was the nest. To claim it, he’d need to scale those cliffs, fight off waves of monsters, and kill the five gatekeepers standing in his way.

Right now, it was still out of reach. Orcs and gnolls lurked outside the temple walls, but they were nothing compared to the Giant Leo, a lion-like beast that could shred through the unprepared. For a beginner, taking on the five gatekeepers was suicide.

Besides strength and stamina, I need a weapon.

Every day, after the monster raids, rewards were handed out based on kills. The boss that showed up every ten days dropped loot far better than anything else, enough to make a difference. The bosses were brutal, but Aries wasn’t going anywhere until he’d taken down at least the first one. Then, he’d be ready.