The Anomaly's Path

[Leo’s POV]

I stepped out of Father’s office and into the hallway. Click. The heavy door closed behind me

It was empty. I started walking slow, my thoughts drifting back to everything that just happened. Father’s calm confidence. Our talk about the trial. The Elder Council waiting for me to fail. And my grandfather.

Zephyar von Celestial.

In the game, he was a living legend. A man who stood at the peak of humanity, respected and feared by everyone. He appeared in the later arcs, so I never knew much about him other than he was Leo and Sylvia’s grandfather. When he finally returned from seclusion, he helped a lot against the Abyss Generals’ army.

...And his death. No one knew how he died. Even in the game, nobody knew. They never showed it.

Which meant this time... I couldn’t just sit back and watch events unfold. I had to make sure he lived. Not because I shared his blood—okay, maybe that was part of it—but because humanity needed monsters like him alive.

Too many died in that war. Humans. Demi-humans. Other races. Entire cities wiped clean. Power mattered in wars, and people like him were very important. We needed more strong fighters on our side to fight against the Abyss army.

But right now, he wasn’t here. Hadn’t been for years. Training somewhere beyond the known world, chasing something only he understood. No one knew when he’d return.

So until then... I’d wait. And keep getting stronger.

_

The training hall was on the opposite side of Father’s office.

I’d been here before, years ago, back when Leo still gave a damn about getting stronger. By the time I reached it, the corridor lights had shifted slightly dimmer—evening approaching night. I hadn’t realized how many hours I stayed talking with Father.

I stopped in front of the door.

It wasn’t like the old wooden doors in the rest of the estate. This one was metal—smooth, dark gray, with a faint blue glow running along the edges. On the right side of the door, a sleek silver plate was embedded into the stone.

...Right. This world has tech too.

I stood in front of it, and a thin line of blue light flickered across my face. Then a calm, neutral voice echoed from somewhere inside the door.

[Biometric Scan Complete.]

[Identity Verified: Leo von Celestial.]

[Access Granted.]

The doors hissed open with a mechanical whir.

Hiss—Clack.

I stepped inside.

The moment I stepped inside—I froze. The room was massive. Even though I’d been here once before, seeing it from memories and seeing it in person were two different things.

The floors were made of a special reinforced alloy that could absorb shock and mana impact. Along the left wall, a row of training dummies stood motionless—some wooden, some made of something denser.

On the right, there was equipment I actually recognized: treadmills, resistance bars, weight racks. But they looked nothing like the stuff back on Earth. Sleeker. Powered by mana crystals instead of electricity.

The air was cool, filtered. Smelled faintly of ozone and metal.

In the center of the ceiling, a glass orb flickered.

{System active} a neutral, feminine AI voice echoed through the hall.

{Good evening, Leo von Celestial. It has been a long time since you last came here.}

I looked up at the orb. This was the hall’s internal AI. It recorded everything—movement, heart rate, mana output. Great for training. Every high noble house had one for private facilities.

”I missed you too,” I muttered.

The system spoke again. {Would you like me to create a physical training assessment for you?}

I nodded. ”Yes. Make it.”

A thin blue light swept over my body from head to toe. It lasted maybe three seconds.

{Scan complete. Current physical condition assessed.}

A window popped up in front of me showing my stats.

MUSCLE DENSITY: Below Average

ENDURANCE: Poor

FLEXIBILITY: Below Average

REACTION SPEED: Average

MANA: Weak

OVERALL PHYSICAL RATING: F+

I stared at it.

...Fuck you too, buddy.

{Recommendation: Prioritize agility and endurance training. Strength conditioning can follow once baseline stamina is established.}

”Yeah, I figured.” I cracked my neck. ”That’s the plan. I’ll follow your training then.”

{Acknowledged. Treadmill Unit One is available. Would you like a preset program?}

”No. Just track my time.”

{Understood.}

I walked over to the treadmill. It wasn’t like the ones on Earth—no rubber belt, no handrails. Just a smooth, dark platform with glowing rings. I stepped onto it.

{Initiate manual mode. Set duration?}

”I’ll run until I can’t,” I muttered.

A pause.

{...Acknowledged.}

The platform hummed beneath my feet. Then it started moving.

I ran... Or at least, I tried to.

Ten seconds in, I regretted everything. My lungs burned. My legs felt like lead. Every step sent dull aches through my calves and thighs.

What the actual fuck is this?

I wasn’t even going fast. This was barely faster than walking. I pushed through. One minute. Two minutes.

By the third minute, sweat dripped down my forehead. My breathing was ragged, uneven. My chest heaved with every step.

Fuck! This is pathetic. Truly pathetic.

[Host, your endurance is significantly below average.] the System spoke in my head.

Yeah. I saw that too.

[You should stop.]

And since when do I start listening to you?

[Your heart rate is exceeding safe parameters.]

Then I’ll exceed them.

[That is a stupid decision. You’ll die.]

Then I’ll die trying.

I kept running.

Fourth minute. Fifth minute. My muscles screamed. My vision blurred at the edges. I stumbled once, caught myself on the side rail, and kept going.

Sixth minute. Seventh. My legs were shaking. I couldn’t feel my toes anymore. My lungs felt like they were full of glass.

Just... a few more...

Eighth minute. Ninth. My body screamed at me to stop. Every instinct told me to collapse, to give up, to lie down and never move again.

But I didn’t stop.

Tenth minute. I slapped the off button and collapsed.

Thud!

My knees hit the platform hard. My hands caught me before my face smashed into the glowing rings. I stayed there, on all fours, gasping like a drowning man.

Sweat dripped from my chin, pooling on the floor beneath me.

...Huff... huff...

My whole body trembled. My muscles twitched uncontrollably. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears.

[...That was reckless.]

I didn’t have the energy to respond.

[But also... impressive.]

...Shut up.

[Your vitals are unstable. You should rest.]

...Yeah. I know. But not now.

_

[System POV]

I watched as my Host dragged his sweat-soaked body across the training hall floor. Pathetic. Truly pathetic.

[Host.]

Leo didn’t even open his eyes. He just groaned, his face still pressed against the cold stone.

”What?” he wheezed.

[You didn’t tell me we were planning to train today.]

”Didn’t know I had to announce it to my own head,” Leo muttered.

[I would have liked a warning.]

”Why? You’re not the one doing the running.”

[I have to monitor your vitals. It is stressful.]

Leo let out a dry, hollow laugh. ”Stressful? You’re a bunch of code. You don’t have blood pressure.”

[My processors were running at 40% capacity just trying to figure out if your heart was going to explode during Lap 8.]

”But it didn’t,” Leo grunted, slowly pushing himself up to his knees.

[Barely. A stiff breeze could have finished the job.]

”Noted,” Leo said, wiping sweat from his eyes. ”Next time I’ll send a formal invitation. Maybe with some flowers.”

A long pause followed.

[...Was that sarcasm?]

”Maybe.”

[I dislike sarcasm. It is the lowest form of wit.]

”And I dislike having a B-Rank core and stamina even worse than my neighbor’s grandma,” Leo snapped back. ”Looks like we’re both unhappy.”

[At least I am efficient. You, on the other hand, look like a drowned rat.]

”Shut up,” Leo muttered.

[I am merely stating facts. Facts do not have feelings, Host.]

”Well, my feelings hurt. And my legs. And my lungs,” Leo complained, finally standing up.

[Shall I play some sad music for your walk back to the room?]

”If you do that, I’m finding a way to delete you.”

[Noted. I shall remain silent. For now.]

”Good.”

[...But Host?]

”What now?”

[You missed a spot. You’re still lying on the floor. It’s messy.]

”I hate you,” Leo whispered, limping toward the exit.

[The feeling is mutual. Rest well, Host. You’ll need it for tomorrow’s disappointment.]

_

[Leo’s POV]

I don’t know how long I stayed on the floor. A minute. Maybe five.

Eventually, I forced myself to sit up. My whole body ached like I’d been beaten with a stick.

Damn this body. Damn Leo. Damn everything. Damn this bastard system too.

But underneath the exhaustion, underneath the pain—

I felt something else.

I did it.

It wasn’t much. Ten minutes. Arthur could probably run an hour without breaking a sweat.

But for me—for this weak, neglected body—

It was a start. I dragged myself off the platform and limped toward the exit.

{Session complete} the AI voice sounded. {Would you like me to save your data?}

”...Yes,” I muttered.

{Understood. Saving session data.}

A pause.

{...May I offer an observation?}

I glanced at the interface. ”What?”

{Your physical condition is currently rated F+. However, your sustained effort exceeded projected limits by 43%. This suggests your primary limitation is physiological, not psychological.}

I blinked. ”...Thanks. I think.”

{It was not a compliment. It was data.}

...Yeah. Definitely an AI.

I stepped out of the training hall.

The hallway was dark. Mana-lamps had dimmed to their night setting while I was inside. I glanced back at the door, then at the windows along the corridor.

...It’s already night? I hadn’t realized.

I checked my pocket for my phone—right, I didn’t bring it with me. How long was I in there? Four hours? Five?

I started walking. My legs immediately protested.

Shit.

I made it maybe ten steps before I saw her.

Lyra.

She was standing at the end of the hallway, hands clasped in front of her, waiting. When she saw me, her eyes widened slightly.

”Young Master.”

”Lyra.” My voice came out rougher than I expected. ”What are you doing here?”

”I was waiting for you.” She hesitated. ”You were in the training hall for quite some time.”

I gave her a weak, tired smile. ”Just... lost track of time.”

As I tried to walk past her, my right leg buckled. I’d pushed myself too hard. Before I could hit the floor, Lyra was there, catching my arm and supporting my weight.

”Your legs are shaking,” she said softly, her eyes worried.

”I’m fine,” I muttered, though I didn’t pull away. I really needed the help.

”Shall I escort you to your room?” she asked.

I looked at her. Then at my shaking legs. ”...Yeah. I appreciate that.”

She didn’t say anything else. Just walked beside me, steady and quiet, letting me lean on her when my knees gave out.

We reached my room. She stopped at the door, releasing my arm carefully.

”Young Master, shall I prepare something for you to eat?” she asked.

I shook my head. ”Nah. I’m gonna take a bath and go to sleep.”

Her expression flickered—concern, maybe. She looked like she wanted to say something, like my body was already weak and I should eat. But she didn’t press further.

”Are you sure?” she asked softly.

”Yeah. I’m fine.” I gave her a small smile. ”Go rest. You don’t have to wait for me every time.”

She looked at me for a long moment. Then bowed her head.

”...As you wish, Young Master. Good night.”

”Good night, Lyra.”

_

She left, closing the door softly. I sat there in the dark for a minute before dragging myself into the bathroom. I filled the tub with hot water and just sank into it. The heat felt like heaven on my aching muscles, but even then, I could feel the deep exhaustion in my bones.

For the first time today... I relaxed.

[You pushed yourself too hard.]

Probably, I thought. I was too tired to even form the words with my mouth.

[Not ’probably.’ Your muscle fibers are torn, and your core is flickering like a dying candle. You need to eat something. Your body is weak, Leo. You know that.]

I’m not... hungry, I replied

[It is not about being hungry. It is about not collapsing tomorrow. If you do not eat, you will not have the energy to even hold the manual you are so desperate to get.]

The System sounded sharp.

Yeah, I get it... but I’m too tired to move, buddy. If I get up now, I think I’ll actually puke.

Silence.

[...You are difficult.]

A smirk pulled at the corner of my mouth. Yeah. Welcome to my life. It’s a mess.

A long pause.

[...I will remind you tomorrow.]

I almost laughed.

Thanks, buddy.

_

I dried off, pulled on some loose clothes, and stumbled toward my bed.

The sheets were cool. I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds. Tomorrow. The Treasury. I had to pick the right breathing technique. If I messed that up, all this running would be for nothing.

My mind started drifting.

...I’ll deal with that later.

My eyelids got heavy.

I didn’t even realize when I fell asleep.