My Body... Has Changed!

"Thud!" "Thud!" "Thud!"

The unadorned, unrelenting thuds of flesh striking wood echoed behind the small cabin, mingling with the birdsong that accompanied the rising sun. The cabin itself seemed to have changed greatly.

"Two thousand nine hundred ninety-seven, two thousand nine hundred ninety-eight..."

His bandage-wrapped fist struck the wooden post, already dented inward at its center, without flourish or slackness. Beads of sweat flew from the point of impact with every blow, while Chiba's brow gradually furrowed.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

At that moment, pounding sounds came from the other side of the cabin, as if someone were repairing something.

"Two thousand nine hundred ninety-nine..."

Another punch landed on the post with a solid, muffled thud. A bead of sweat slid from Chiba's temple, down his cheek, and fell to the ground with the impact. His brow had drawn tight.

"Thud!"

The next second, his three-thousandth punch crashed heavily into the wooden post.

"Crack!"

A faint splitting sound came from where his fist met the post, and a tiny crack slowly emerged.

"Crack, crack, crack!"

Then two, three, four... countless cracks spread from that tiny fissure like wildly growing roots. In an instant, centered on Chiba's fist, the cracks webbed across the middle of the post.

"Snap!"

The moment the cracks formed a web, the dented wooden post suddenly broke in two at its center. One half, covered in spiderweb cracks, fell to the ground, spun in place with a clattering rattle, then struck the stump with a "clang."

At that moment, Chiba's tightly furrowed brow creased even deeper. He slowly withdrew his hand and looked at his bandage-covered fist, an uncertain expression on his face—neither joy nor sorrow.

*Three thousand... a full three thousand straight punches, while wearing Weighted Training Gear, and I don't feel tired at all. It feels