Raze walked over to the stone construct at the end of the road, curiosity tugging at him. The stone shimmered faintly under the sunlight, its smooth surface carved with careful precision. When he got close enough, he froze for a second.

Engraved clearly into the stone were the words—

Raze Grimhold.

His name.

He stared at it for a long moment, blinking once, then twice, before a quiet smile crept across his face. He didn't ask them to do this. He hadn't even expected something like it. But for some reason, seeing his name there, solid, lasting, real, stirred something deep in him. It wasn't pride, exactly. More like warmth.

It felt… meaningful.

Elaine walked up behind him, her arms crossed loosely. "You like it?" she asked with a knowing smirk.

Raze looked at the carving again, then shrugged. "Meh," he said, pretending not to care. "If they really wanted to celebrate me, they could've gone the extra mile and built a statue instead."

Elaine narrowed her eyes. "No. Absolutely not."

He turned toward her, feigning confusion. "Why not?"

"Because you can't start building statues of yourself in your father's town," she said flatly. "That's basically treason."

Raze laughed, brushing a hand through his hair. "Relax, I'm kidding." Then, looking back at the stone, he added with a faint grin, "But one day… I will. And everyone will know this is my sanctuary."

Elaine sighed under her breath, shaking her head.

[..... ]

A day passed after Raze's return. He hadn't seen his brothers yet, nor his mother, who was apparently still spending most of her time at the bathhouse.

By morning, Raze was standing at the town square, overseeing the workers who were already gathering for the next stage of development. The roads gleamed with fresh polish, and the sound of tools and conversation filled the air.

"Good day, everyone," Raze began, his voice carrying across the square. "All of you have shown incredible dedication. The effort you've put into this town has brought Ribest to life in ways I couldn't have imagined."

He paused, letting the applause and murmurs settle. "But this, " he gestured to the roads, "isn't the end. Today marks the start of a new direction for Ribest. We've built roads, but that isn't all.

The crowd quieted immediately.

"I know Ribest has been peaceful for a while now," he continued, "but that peace won't last forever. So starting today, we're going to train. The first phase will involve only a select few while the rest continue construction. We'll be building something new, the walls of Ribest, as well as renovating the homes. Strong, solid defenses that will stand when danger comes knocking. Because it will come."

The murmurs began again, people exchanging uneasy looks. One man raised his hand. "Young master," he called out, "what about the knights your father commands? Aren't they supposed to protect the town?"

Raze looked at him calmly. "The knights are my father's knights," he said. "They serve the baron, not the town itself. And if the time comes when the knights aren't enough to protect Ribest… then what happens to all of you?"

He looked around at the crowd, workers, blacksmiths, farmers, mothers, and sons. "What I want to teach you isn't something the knights or even the nobles know. It's my own method. My own technique. My own way of fighting."

He stepped forward, his voice firm. "We'll split into two groups. One will build, the other will train, and we'll switch every few days. Each of you will learn how to use tools and weapons. You'll learn how to fight, how to defend, and how to protect your families."

His eyes hardened slightly. "By the time we're done, every man and woman in Ribest will have enough strength to take down a beast with their own hands."

What he didn't say aloud was the truth: he intended to teach them Qi.

Mana use was too suspicious, too regulated, too easily traced. But Qi? Qi was different. No one in the kingdom really knew it.

Raze's goal was simple: to turn Ribest into a fortress of life and resilience. A place that could survive whatever storm was coming.

He went on to outline the plans, training schedules, construction teams, and patrol divisions. When he finished, the people were silent for a moment. Then one by one, voices rose in agreement, swelling into a unified cheer.

Everyone who wished to join was welcomed. No discrimination, no division. In Raze's town, every hand had value.

[..... ]

The training time began just outside the town, near the forest. About fifty people stood facing Raze, a mix of men and women, though more men than women. Each of them looked confused, unsure what they were about to do or where they were about to go. The rest of the workers were already inside town under Elaine's direction; she'd been given the blueprints and was overseeing wall construction and house renovations. Ribest was about to get very busy.

Raze surveyed the group and smiled. "So, you're the unlucky ones I have to deal with first," he said, turning his eyes to the crowd. "I'm going to enjoy this." His grin widened, and a shiver ran down everyone's spines. Regret hit them all at once.

"All right!" Raze shouted. "Let's start simple. We're running into the forest. You'll run a set pace: one kilometer in, one kilometer back. We'll do that ten times every day, twenty kilometers total."

Many of them looked like they already wanted to make excuses. Raze's smile hardened. "I'm not here to joke. No one will make any excuses, and no one will get out of this. Everyone is going to train their asses off," he said in a stern tone.

The reason he needed them to do this was simple: he had found a way to easily teach Qi, and they needed to exhaust all their energy for them to be able to access it using the methods he prepared for them, so while the running trained them, it also exhausted them.

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