Saint:My Daily Routine Became My Superpower

Kael's body had healed.

Not completely—but enough.

For six days, he trained. Each sunrise brought a new session: push-ups, squats, running sprints around the mountain path, dagger drills with whatever trees or shadows he could find.

He bled. He sweated. He endured.

Each day, his Routine Surge activated without fail. And with every completed daily task—helping someone find shelter, healing wounds, protecting a lost girl—he earned new small boosts:

> [Daily Task: Complete]

Reward: +1 Stamina Pill / +1 Minor Reflex Enhancer / +2 Strength Points (Temporary) / Temporary Vision Boost / Minor Stealth Coating (1 Use)

They weren't major—but they built a foundation.

Kael didn't need overwhelming power. He needed momentum.

---

When the seventh night fell, the world grew quiet. Too quiet.

Even the mountain wind seemed to hesitate.

Kael drifted into sleep with the dagger beside his bedroll.

And opened his eyes into something else.

---

The dream was cold.

He stood in a place that resembled the alley from a week ago—but everything was twisted. The walls burned slowly without smoke. The shadows whispered. The ground pulsed like a heartbeat.

And ahead—four figures.

The men he had killed.

Their eyes glowed red now, as if filled with something else. Something wrong. Their bodies scorched and steaming. Burned flesh flaking from their arms.

They were stronger now. Taller. More defined.

And in their wake, embers drifted. Each one left a faint trail of fire in the air.

Kael felt no fear. Only recognition.

> [Routine Surge: Active]

[Weapon Detected: Scorched Dagger]

He gripped his weapon.

The first charged—faster than before, covered in ash armor. Kael ducked under his blow, sidestepped, and drove the dagger into his gut. Flame erupted from the wound.

The second appeared above, leaping from nowhere—Kael rolled, flicked his wrist, and sliced across his ankle. The figure screamed, then fell like ash.

The third had twin blades, but his strikes were reckless. Fueled by hate. Kael danced around him—measured, calm—and finished it with a clean stab through the spine.

The last was the C-rank. The leader.

He was massive now. Glowing with inner fire. Burning with the rage of the defeated.

"You think you're better?" he snarled. "You think this world wants you alive?"

Kael didn't answer.

He launched forward, clashing with blow after blow. Flame met flame. Sparks flew like fireworks.

Their final exchange shook the ground.

Kael ducked one punch, used his knee to launch himself higher—and drove his dagger straight into the man's chest.

Flames consumed them both.

Then:

Stillness.

Ash rained down like snow.

> [Trial Complete: Echoes of the Dead]

[Reward: Soul Fragment – 2 of 4]

> When all four fragments are assembled, a new power shall awaken. A gift not of strength—but of understanding.

Kael opened his eyes.

The sun had not yet risen.

His chest was damp with sweat. His dagger glowed faintly at the tip.

He breathed out.

"Understanding, huh?"

His hands trembled—not from fear. But from knowing.

Knowing that power wasn't just something you earned by living.

You earned it by surviving your regrets.