Chapter 35 – Resonance
The courtyard behind Steven's workshop was unlike the rest of Piltover—untouched by the clamor of industry.
Surrounded on three sides by high steel-and-glass buildings, the open area formed a rare pocket of silence.
Vines had begun to reclaim the walls, wrapping around pipes and creeping into cracks in the concrete. Steven had cleared it out weeks ago, not knowing then it would become his personal dojo.
In the soft morning light, mist hung low over the damp stone floor. The air was cool, carrying the faint scent of oil and dew.
A series of chalk lines marked a crude training grid—a system Banyu had introduced to teach footwork and spacing.
Steven stood barefoot, stripped to the waist, sweat already running down his back. His breathing was steady but shallow. Banyu faced him a few paces away, his stance perfectly balanced, arms loose by his sides, his bare feet gliding silently across the stone with each movement.
"Again," the Ionian said.
Steven launched into the practiced form—The Path of Flowing Branches, a foundational sequence of Ionian martial arts.
Each movement had to be both soft and precise, flowing into the next like ripples in water. Step, twist, pivot, extend—his arms moved like branches in wind, guided by breath rather than brute force.
But it wasn't easy.
Steven's legs burned. His shoulder throbbed where he'd failed to control a rotation. His balance slipped more often than not. He grit his teeth as he moved into the final stance—Open Palm, Closed Mind,but his back leg was too stiff. He nearly toppled.
"Your root is weak," Banyu observed, circling him. "You let your mind control your body. They must move together."
Steven collapsed to one knee, frustrated. "I'm trying. I really am."
"You're forcing," Banyu said, squatting beside him. "Control is not domination. It is cooperation. Your body has endured trauma. It must be taught to trust you again."
Steven closed his eyes. Slowed his breathing.
And then it happened.
A vibration. Faint but unmistakable. It didn't come from the world around him—it came from within.
GACHA SYSTEM – INTERFACE DETECTEDNew Pull Unlocked
He froze. The glowing interface flickered quietly in his mind, invisible to Banyu. A familiar card hovered in front of him, its edges glinting with golden shimmer.
Execute Gacha Pull?[Yes] – [No]
He didn't hesitate.[Yes]
The card spun, whirred, then shattered into shimmering fragments. Text floated before him like a divine message.
Pull Result: (D Grade) Enhanced Musculature (Invincible)Low-tier Version – Tripled baseline human strength. Passive increase in muscle endurance and resilience.
Steven gasped. It wasn't like turning on a machine. It was like unlocking a new state of being. His limbs tingled. The soreness dulled. When he flexed his fingers, they moved with more precision—and more power.
Banyu's eyes narrowed. "What changed?"
Steven stood and rolled his shoulders. "Not sure. Just... breathing."
They resumed training.
But now, Steven moved differently.
Each motion had substance. His stance was rooted. When he shifted weight, his body obeyed with confidence. His punches struck the air with enough force to echo faintly off the courtyard walls.
Banyu nodded. "You're adapting."
They shifted into sparring drills. Banyu attacked—fluid jabs, open-palm strikes, low sweeps meant to disrupt Steven's center. The old Steven would've stumbled after three exchanges. But now, his reactions were tighter. Cleaner.
Still not fast enough.
Banyu's open palm struck Steven's chest, knocking him back a full step. He gasped, winded—but didn't fall.
"Pain is the instructor you never forget," Banyu said.
Steven grinned through gritted teeth. "You're really into this whole wise teacher act, huh?"
"I am not acting."
Later That Night
The stars blinked over Piltover's skyline, cold and quiet. Steven sat alone on the rooftop above his workshop, legs crossed, a warm cup of tea cupped in his hands. His muscles throbbed, but not from injury—from growth.
He opened his system interface.
GACHA SYSTEM
User: Steven Liam
SyncRate: 100%Status: Stable
Pulls Acquired
(C Grade)Spider Sense(Active)
(D Grade) Enhanced Musculature(Passive)
[New Pull Available in: 48 Hours]
He dismissed the panel and opened another.
Project Archive – Echo TechPersonal Inventions and Prototypes
Repulsion Bracer
Recon Visor
Shock Ring
Hidden Blade(Prototype: Retractable, arm-mounted, pressure-triggered mechanism)
Arc Reactor Core(Under development)
He leaned back, eyes scanning the stars. "You'd laugh at me, Sera," he whispered. "Me, trying martial arts and playing with knives.
But I'm not doing this for vengeance anymore. I'm doing it to make sure no one else has to lose what I lost."
Footsteps behind him.
Banyu stepped onto the rooftop, arms folded. "Tomorrow," he said, "we begin Phase Two. You've found your breath. Now you'll learn to use it under pressure."
Steven finished his tea and stood. "What does that mean?"
Banyu's eyes gleamed faintly in the starlight. "It means we fight."