Location – Room of Spirit and Time
On his first day inside the Room of Spirit and Time, Issei discovered a brutal truth—his body was weak. His arms shook violently as he struggled through another push-up, his chest barely clearing the polished white floor. The gravity of the room pressed down on him like an invisible mountain, crushing him with every repetition.
Each push-up felt like lifting the world itself. His breath came in ragged gasps. Sweat streamed down his face, drenching the floor beneath him and forming a small, glistening puddle.
Gaburo, the red-skinned Yardrat with bulbous eyes and twitching antennae, stood nearby, calmly sipping from a steaming cup that smelled vaguely of ginger and... something Issei couldn't quite place. The alien shook his head, letting out a sharp, disapproving sigh.
"If you can't finish today's exercises," Gaburo said, his voice clipped and commanding, "you'll be skipping dinner."
A twitch formed above Issei's brow. A thousand push-ups? I can barely manage twenty... he thought bitterly. But still, he pushed on.
By the time the strange sun—if you could call it that in this pocket dimension—dipped below the horizon, Issei collapsed onto the floor. Arms numb, chest heaving, body screaming for mercy... he had done it. Every. Last. Rep.
A grin slowly spread across his flushed, battered face. "I... did it..." he whispered, letting out a weak laugh that was half disbelief, half triumph.
Shuffling back into the small house Gaburo had conjured with Yardrat magic, Issei found his mentor seated calmly at a low table, sipping tea and absorbed in a well-worn book.
Gaburo didn't even glance up. "Done with your warm-up?" he asked casually, flipping a page.
Issei's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Warm-up?" he echoed, blinking in horror. "That... that was just the warm-up?!"
Gaburo muttered under his breath, more to himself than anyone else, "Madam Greeta really did give me a difficult one..." He sighed, closing the book gently and setting it aside.
Rising to his feet, Gaburo cast a lazy glance at Issei. "Come on. I can't let you starve. If you collapse tomorrow, it'll only make my job harder."
Issei let out a dry, shaky laugh, wobbly legs barely carrying him as he followed. "Thanks... I think
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Six Months Later...
Time had become a blur inside the Room of Spirit and Time. Days had stretched into weeks, weeks into months—and now, six months had passed.
The once-skinny Issei was unrecognizable. Lean muscle traced his frame, his chest had broadened, and his hands, once soft, were now calloused from relentless training. His brown hair had grown longer, brushing his shoulders. But the most striking change was the thick, bushy greyish--black wolf tail sprouting from his tailbone—wild, untamed, swaying with every movement.
His eyes had changed too. No longer the ordinary brown of a human boy—they now shimmered with a sharp violet-purple hue. The eyes of an Okami-jin.
He was no longer the same boy who had stepped into this dimension.
Issei's current power level: 17000
In the center of a silent courtyard beneath the otherworldly sky, Issei grunted through a furious series of push-ups. Sweat poured down his bare back, pooling beneath him. Sit-ups followed. Then back to push-ups. Then squats. The cycle was endless.
Gaburo stood nearby, arms crossed, watching. The sharp edge of his voice had softened over time into something else—pride, maybe. Or respect. Issei had earned that much.
Finally, the small Yardrat spoke. "Not bad, kid."
Issei shot him a quick, exhausted grin between reps. "Thanks... master."
Gaburo grunted, turning away so Issei wouldn't see the faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Gaburo smiled, antennae twitching. "That's enough for now, my young disciple—you've earned a break."
With a swift push, Issei landed on his feet, breathing steady despite the punishing session. His armor was off, and the strange light of the Room of Spirit and Time highlighted the lean, chiseled muscles of his sweat-glimmering body.
(A/N: Gaburo is modeled after the big-headed Yardrat who trained Goku in DBZ. Eventually, Issei will learn Spirit Fission and other advanced techniques from the Yardrats. Gaburo wears traditional Yardrat attire, with a red headband—a subtle nod to a certain Saiyan warrior.)
Issei stepped forward, eyes blazing violet-purple. "Master Gaburo! I can keep going! I haven't even reached my limit yet!" he shouted, voice sharp with determination.
Gaburo raised an eyebrow, studying him carefully. Over time, he had grown fond of this human-Okami-jin hybrid. Issei reminded him of what made warriors endure: the drive to rise, to grow, to challenge themselves. But even Gaburo knew that raw effort without balance led to disaster.
A sly grin spread across the Yardrat's face. "I admire your eagerness to push yourself, Issei," he said, voice firm yet warm. "But a true warrior knows when to pause. Strength isn't everything. You've come far—but now, it's time to look inward."
Issei frowned, confused. "Inward? What do you mean?"
Gaburo crossed his arms, silver shadows of the pocket dimension flickering like the pulse of the void itself. "We start your training in Ki-sensing and Ki-manipulation. Brute force alone won't make you the strongest. From here on, you must train your mind—and your spirit."
Issei's eyes widened. Ki... he knew the concept—a hidden energy connecting all life. But sensing it? Controlling it? That was something else entirely.
"I'm ready," Issei said, voice low but unwavering.
The days that followed were nothing like anything he had known.
The bone-crushing push-ups and endless squats were gone. Now, Issei sat cross-legged on the polished floor, hands resting on his knees, back as straight as a rod. Gaburo's deep voice cut through the silence: Do not move. Do not speak. Only feel.
At first, it was maddening. His mind raced—memories of Yuma, doubts about his strength, dreams of harem kingship, fears of failure. The silence screamed at him. His restless energy fought against the stillness. But Gaburo was patient. When Issei nearly exploded, Gaburo's calm reminder echoed in his ears:
"You do not command Ki—it listens only when you learn to listen."
Slowly... little by little... Issei began to feel it.
Faint pulses beneath him. At first, he thought it was just his heartbeat. But it wasn't. It was more. The pulse of the world. The rhythm of life itself.
And then... Divine Ki.
It wasn't alive like normal Ki. It was ancient, celestial. It hummed like creation itself. At first, he caught only fragments—a gentle pressure brushing the edges of his awareness, a warmth that was both comforting and terrifying. The energies of Greeta and Kirushia—immense, elegant, untouchable—tugged at him like distant stars.
Yet, somehow, Issei felt... a thread connecting him to it. His Okami-jin blood, his stubborn will, something inside him—it all started to resonate.
Gaburo, watching silently, finally spoke:
"You felt her, didn't you?"
Issei's eyes flicked open. "Kirushia," he whispered, voice hushed. "It's like... looking at the stars from underwater."
Gaburo's stern expression softened—just a fraction. "Good. That means you're beginning to see."
One month in, the maddening silence became second nature. Issei could sense life everywhere: the faint pulse of a tiny insect, the flickering aura of Gaburo even when he wasn't looking, the faint energy leaking in from other dimensions. He could feel the universe breathing.
"I can feel it... everything," he said one evening, eyes closed, standing tall in meditation. "Every living being... every pulse of life."
Gaburo nodded, expression unreadable. "Good. Now, we move on. Ki-Manipulation. This is where it gets... interesting."
Issei's heart pounded. Ki-Manipulation. Controlling the invisible energy around him—shaping it, molding it, unleashing it. That was what separated the masters from novices.
Over the following weeks, Issei's training escalated. His Okami-jin heritage gave him a natural edge, but Gaburo's lessons were relentless. With a flick of his wrist, he could mold Ki into a blade of pure energy. With a thrust, it became a swirling vortex. The sensation of bending life force to his will was intoxicating.
But with it came weight. Responsibility. Every motion demanded control; every misstep risked harm to himself or the Room. Ki was no toy.
Gaburo's voice echoed, calm but sharp: "Ki is not a tool of destruction alone. Respect it. Understand it. Only then will it obey you."
Issei's violet-purple eyes glimmered as Ki swirled around him, spiraling like living fire. "I understand, Master. I will not abuse it."
He was no longer the frail, clueless boy who had stumbled into this dimension. His body, lean and powerful. His mind, sharp and alert. And his spirit... burning with the fire of an Okami-Saiyain-Jin destined to challenge gods.
This was only the beginning.
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In only two months, Issei mastered ki control. What others struggled to learn for years came to him like instinct, as if it had always been a part of him. Guiding energy through his body felt as natural as breathing.
During his training, something unexpected happened—a strange red gauntlet manifested around his hand, formed from pure energy. It responded to his will, pulsing in sync with his ki, as though it had awakened alongside him.
Apparently, it was a living spirit—a dragon named Ddraig—residing inside the gauntlet. It was called the Boosted Gear, a Longinus-class Sacred Gear. The dragon even claimed it could kill a god... though whether it could take on a Goddess of Destruction like Greeta-sama was another question entirely.
Master Gaburo had little knowledge of Sacred Gears and chose to focus less on the gear itself and more on combat training. Under him, Issei learned the ways of the wolf.
The style came from a scroll given to him by Lady Greeta, who had received it from the Oracle Fish. It was called Wolf Kung Fu.
The last remaining days were gruesome and intense. Trying to master a fighting style in the remaining months proved extremely difficult.
In the sky, Issei and Goburu sparred fiercely. Issei crouched low, his stance resembling a wolf ready to pounce, and lunged forward, claws slashing with precision.
Goburu easily dodged the attack, moving with fluid grace. Using a technique called Instant Transmission, he silently slipped behind Issei and delivered a brutal kick to his back.
The force sent Issei crashing through the air, hurtling into the Voidless Dimension with a deafening impact.
Power Level: 57,000
"Damn it..."
Issei climbed out of the rubble, grit clinging to his skin as he steadied himself. His chest rose and fell, not from exhaustion—but frustration.
"I know I'm not strong enough to surpass you, Sensei," he said quietly, fists trembling at his sides. "Not yet."
"Fufu..."
Goburu chuckled softly, hands tucked into his sleeves. "You've got a long road ahead of you, my disciple. But don't let that weigh you down. Potential like yours doesn't come often."
[You're right, partner,] roared the sleepy dragon inside the gauntlet. [You have far more potential than my previous host.]
Issei clenched his fists tighter. "I... I don't even know if I can surpass Lady Greeta in time. I only have two years in the real world." He looked up, violet eyes burning with doubt. "Can I really reach that level?"
Goburu closed his eyes, thoughtful.
"Lady Greeta does not demand victory," he said at last. "She seeks a worthy battle. If you can give her a challenge—something that truly interests her—that alone may be enough."
Issei's eyes widened. "R-Really?!"
Goburu nodded slowly. "But do not misunderstand." His voice hardened, just slightly. "You must take this with absolute seriousness. Lady Greeta will not tolerate complacency—especially if she senses hesitation."
Issei straightened, resolve igniting in his chest.
"...Then I won't hesitate," he said.
Issei flew back into the air and settled into his fighting stance, violet eyes gleaming. A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"Shall we continue, Master?" he said.
The Okami-jin instinct stirred within him—the wolf's love of battle, no longer wild, but focused. Controlled.
Goburo gave him an eye-smile before smoothly slipping back into his stance.
Issei's grin widened.
In a blur, he rushed his master.
Blow after blow collided in rapid succession—fists crashing, limbs flashing, shockwaves rippling through the air. Each impact echoed like thunder, rocking the Chamber of the Spirit and Time itself as master and pupil clashed without restraint.
Issei swung a powerful haymaker, but Goburu effortlessly batted it aside with a single elegant counter. Frustrated, Issei unleashed a barrage of fists, each strike faster than the last—but not one landed on Goburu.
With a calm flick of his finger, Goburu stopped one of Issei's attacks in midair. Then, gathering his ki, he charged a massive ki blast and hurled it straight at Issei. He barely managed to dodge; the energy grazed his face, searing him.
"Too slow," Goburu said, already closing the distance. He followed up with a flurry of precise kicks, finishing with a brutal punch to Issei's gut, sending him staggering back.
[Focus on your senses, partner. Blindly rushing in with brute force isn't the answer. Your opponent outmatches you in both speed and strength.]
"Crap!" Issei muttered.
"Focus, my disciple," Gaburo said calmly. "You already have the instincts. Now you must learn how to execute them."
Closing his eyes, Issei tried to anticipate Gaburo's movements by sensing his Ki. He succeeded.
Gaburo continued to deliver his attacks, even attempting another sneaky strike—but Issei was ready. He could sense Gaburo before any of his movements began, reacting instinctively to every assault.
Issei's aura flared—a deep, intense purplish light radiating from him. This time, he rushed at Gaburo with renewed confidence. His fists moved with fluid precision, each strike as sure and direct as an arrow finding its mark.
Issei and Gaburo continued training like this for the rest of the day, moving with a speed and precision that made them look like flickering lights dancing across the white chamber.
Both student and sensei smirked, clearly enjoying their sparring.
End of chapter