It was already evening when Liam returned to his new home. He was in a good mood after meeting the homeless.

Although the feelings of the ‘old’ Liam didn’t entirely translate, he still considered the small community good people judging from his memories.

Liam was indeed determined to help them. After all he was confident to earn a lot of money from the game.

Not interested in fame or fortune, Liam knew that he would earn more than he could ever spend.

Two months…

This was the time when the currency exchange opened in his past life, multiplying the importance of Fate of Crunaboul.

With its unprecedented player base, it soon became like a second world, allowing many smart people to make a fortune. Naturally, Liam was among them.

By the time he achieved his fifth championship the young man had even overtaken his billionaire parents.

Liam felt confident about his future as he entered the doctor’s apartment. He immediately spotted Serena helping Merida in the kitchen, bringing a smile to his face.

“Ah! Brother you’re back!”

Serena called out excitedly, dropping the vegetables in her hand and running over to hug Liam.

The young man nodded thankfully at Merida as he noticed the clean, white clothes Serena was wearing. Those were the same Merida gave the workers in her clinic.

“Hey, Serena!”

The young girl buried her head in Liam’s chest. But as her hands hugged her brother, she felt a strange sensation.

Peeking past Liam’s body, Serena found the small bear her brother was hiding behind his back.

“Sergeant!”

Serena let out a joyous shout as Liam handed her the stuffed animal.

“You’re the best, brother!

Did you go back home? Oh maybe it’s not home anymore…

But did you see the others? How are they doing?”

Liam patted Serena’s head gently.

“They are doing fine. Everyone asked about you, missing my cute sister.”

“Oh. I also miss them. Should we visit them?”

“Let’s first get settled here. I promised the others to help them after earning some money.”

At this moment Merida’s skeptical voice came:

“You got a job?”

“I’m about to.”

The doctor fell silent. Liam noticed her eyes wandering to his bandaged hand, awkwardly hiding it behind his back.

“We will talk about this later. Let’s eat first.”

Liam and Serena obediently sat down. The trio enjoyed a sumptuous meal. Laughter sounded in the apartment.

After eating their fill, Serena returned to her room while Liam stayed under Merida’s urging.

The resolute woman sat him down in the living room, undoing the bandage on his hand.

Three wounds were revealed, blood dried around Liam’s hand.

Liam tried to come up with an explanation, but the experienced doctor recognized a hunter’s injuries without fail.

Merida scolded Liam for a long time while treating his hand. The doctor only stopped when Liam promised to never hunt again.

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Liam also knew that Merida was worried about him and his sister. But fortunately, he already earned enough money today and had no need to go out into the wilderness again.

At the same time, Liam felt touched about Merida’s care. He certainly wouldn’t forget her in the future.

Liam spent the rest of the day browsing the internet before going to bed.

This time, he slept on his own mattress.

The next morning Liam woke up early. He threw his clothes bought yesterday on the floor as he thankfully took the white working clothes Merida prepared for him as well.

Serena was still sleeping when Liam left. He made a quick breakfast, leaving the bread out for the two women before going out.

Finally, Liam felt confident about his looks again. He wore white clothes and had clean black hair. It was a bit too long for his taste and his face was still pale, but at least Liam didn’t need to be ashamed as he left the house towards the upper city.

Liam stepped on the brought walkway running along the elevated streets.

He squinted as the sun shone onto his face, hanging in the blue sky. No snow covered the roads.

Liam remembered the place he found on the internet yesterday, beginning his walk.

Liam enjoyed the view of this modern city. The walkway wasn’t too crowded as the city was still in the process of being populated.

Large walls with many glass parts prevented people from leaving the walkway randomly.

Liam enjoyed the view as he walked, soon reaching another district with lower roofs and some more natural decoration.

He arrived before a gate leading to an open area framed by a white stone wall. A few smaller buildings could be seen, their old style not quite fitting in with the city’s high-rises.

The few letters above the gate were paled by the sun, forming a name.

‘Winding Dragon Martial Dojo’.

Liam nodded as this was the place he had sought out. But as he looked around, he was surprised as the few people coming and going didn’t look like martial masters.

But Liam could only shrug his shoulders as he entered. A smooth stone floor felt good below his feet, some plants offering a touch of color in this city dominated by steel.

Liam approached the largest building. Entering through wide open doors he found a counter not far away.

“Welcome to Winding Dragon Martial Dojo. What can I do for you?”

“Hi. I came to register.”

“Sure. Here, this is our contract. Just make sure to pay on time.”

Liam was somewhat surprised as he looked at the white paper handed out to him.

So easy?

But as he studied the contract, he realized something.

“Sorry. There must be a misunderstanding. I didn’t come for a training room.”

“What? Are you sure?”, questioned the receptionist, her voice heavy with doubt.

“Well, if possible, I do need one, but I also came to learn martial arts.”

The receptionist looked at Liam silently. Obviously, she took a second to process this information.

“W… wait a second, I need to get the master.”

Liam was confused as he watched the receptionist leave and soon return with an old man. He was barefooted, wearing a red training uniform, his long white hair bound behind his back.

The man’s eyes immediately fell on Liam, squinting.

“Sarah told me you want to learn martial arts?”

“Yes, Sir. Please teach me!”

Liam didn’t dare to be disrespectful. He could feel a faint aura emitted by the old man.

“Why?”

“Well, to defend myself.”

The man’s eyes were sharp, glancing at the wound on Liam’s hand.

“Are you a hunter?”

“Not anymore.”

“Hmm.”

Suddenly the old man moved. A fist rushed through the air.

Liam felt his chest tighten as his eyes opened wildly. He tried to dodge backwards, but he couldn’t get rid of the fist. Fortunately, it stopped right in front of his face.

“Not bad. You have a bit of foundation. Come with me.”

Liam gulped as he looked at the old man’s back.

“Thank you for teaching me.”

“Mhm.”

The two men went to a different building where Liam was told to change his clothes before entering a spacious martial arts gym.

A young man and woman were conversing in low voices as they turned towards the door.

They stared in surprise at Liam following the old man.

“A new student?!”

“Really? Who would’ve…”

The old man interrupted his students gossip with a scoff. He turned towards Liam.

“Let’s introduce ourselves.

My name is Aldwyn Baker. For you it’s either master or Master Baker.

I am a master in the Winding Dragon Art. These two are your senior brother and senior sister.”

“Welcome, junior brother. I’m Silva. I have been training with Master Baker for four years.”

“Hey. I’m Felix. I came here three years ago! Silva is my sister.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Liam.”

The three youngsters nodded at each other. Felix was more outgoing, with a bright smile on his face. Meanwhile Silva seemed somewhat reserved, speaking in a mellow voice.

But both siblings gave Liam a friendly feeling as they welcomed him.

“Good. Since we are done, let’s focus. Liam, stand here.

Eyes up front. Stabilize your mind.

Since we have a new student, I will teach the foundations today. It will also be beneficial for the both of you.

The foundation in the most important in martial arts! Never forget this!

No 10-star starlight master could grow up with a shaky foundation.

Oh, right. Liam! Do you know the ranks of martial artists?”

“Only vaguely, from my parents, sir.”

“Well, let Silva and Felix teach you later. Now I will teach you something we call origin pose in out school of martial arts.”

The origin pose was focused on keeping the core of your body stable. Its name already showed that it was the origin of all moves, allowing you to mobilize all energy in your body.

Liam didn’t complain as Master Baker constantly corrected him, letting him train until his muscles hurt and his body felt tired.

When evening came, he was finally done. His body ached reminding him of the time he trained for the sprint championship as he dragged it back home.