From Loser to Mighty

The Seventh Sister

"Good heavens, why are you naked like that!"

The voice startled Dave, who was mesmerized by his new body in front of the mirror. He turned quickly. An old man was standing in the doorway of the room. His face was full of wrinkles, his hair and beard long and white. Dave had never seen him before.

"Where am I?" The question came out of Dave.

"Put on your pants first, young man!" the old man said again, his voice a little hoarse but firm.

Dave stammered, quickly pulled his loose t-shirt back on, covering his muscular body that still felt unfamiliar. He still felt a little scared, not knowing who this man was or how he got here.

The old man approached Dave with calm steps. Dave backed away slightly, ready for anything, though he didn't know what he should do. The old man ignored Dave's hesitation. He reached for Dave's wrist, holding his pulse with thin but strong fingers. His old eyes stared intently at Dave, as if reading something hidden inside him.

After a moment, the old man released his grip. "My name is Lian Hua," he said, "People call me the medical hermit. You can call me Master Elder."

Master Elder? Dave repeated inwardly. So this was the man who saved him? Who brought him here?

Master Elder sighed, his gaze looking concerned. "Young man," he said, "you were very weak. Not only was your physique as thin and dry as a twig, but all your internal organs were very weak. Even... your virility didn't function properly."

Dave's face flushed. He was embarrassed. This elder could know all that just from holding his pulse? Dave was weak, that was true. He was used to that. But the virility issue... that was the darkest, most shameful secret for him. He had never told anyone. Dave Vogel the loser, even in that regard, he failed. He was impotent.

Dave looked down, admitting the painful truth. "Yes... I was—"

"It's alright," Master Elder interrupted, "That's a problem I've fixed."

Dave fell silent. No wonder he felt strong, powerful, full of energy now. No longer the weak and impotent Dave. His new body felt completely different. What exactly had happened?

Master Elder seemed to read his mind. He walked to a wooden chair near the table and sat down. "Have a seat, son," he said. Dave obeyed.

"Listen carefully," Master Elder began, his voice becoming more serious. "Although your old physique was weak and your organs were troubled, this body of yours possesses something special. Your soul and body were destined to receive great knowledge. I found you on the riverbank, nearly dead. There was an extraordinary power within you trying to come out, but it was hindered by your physical weakness. That's why I transferred most of my power to you."

Dave's eyes widened. Transferred power? That's why his body changed? That's why he felt this strong?

Master Elder continued, "Now that power is within you. Your body has been repaired and perfected to contain it. But this is just the beginning. This power is still raw. You need to deepen your knowledge, master it completely. With proper training and guidance, you can become much stronger than I am."

"How is that possible?" Dave asked, still finding it hard to process all this information. Him? A loser like him, receiving power from a hermit? This was like a fantasy story.

Master Elder snorted. "Tck, don't ask so many questions! Kids these days are so chatty! Or... do you want me to take it back from you?"

The threat made Dave stand up immediately. No! He didn't want to go back to being the weak Dave. This new strength and body was the only good thing that had ever happened to him.

Quickly, Dave knelt before Master Elder. "No! Thank you very much, Master Elder! I'll do anything you ask!"

Master Elder smiled thinly. "Good. In that case, stand up. You have your first task."

He pointed to a table in the corner of the room. On it was a glass cup filled with a thick, dark green liquid. "Drink this potion. It will strengthen the foundation of your new body. After that, I need some medicinal ingredients. Go to the next village and buy everything written on this list." Master Elder handed him a crumpled piece of paper containing a list of strange plant names and ingredients.

Dave took the paper. The next village? How far away was it? Could his newly awakened body walk that far? Doubt crept into his mind.

As if sensing his hesitation, Master Elder suddenly threw the empty glass he had in his hand towards Dave. His movement was incredibly fast.

Dave's instincts reacted even faster. Without thinking, his hand shot up and smoothly caught the glass in mid-air. It didn't fall, it didn't break. He caught it with ease, as if it were just a ball of cotton.

Master Elder burst into laughter seeing Dave's reaction. "Hahaha! Look! Even your reflexes are far beyond ordinary humans! You really are different now, son!"

Dave looked at the glass in his hand, then looked at Master Elder. Yes. He was indeed different. This elder was right.

He drank the green potion. It tasted bitter, like a mix of roots and dirt, but as the liquid went down his throat, Dave felt a pleasant warmth spread throughout his body. His energy felt completely recharged.

"Go," Master Elder said. "Be careful. And don't let anyone get suspicious."

Dave nodded. He took the shopping list, put his dagger and pendant into his jacket pocket, and said goodbye to Master Elder. He left the wooden house and began walking towards the direction Master Elder had indicated.

Initially, he walked normally, but after a while, he felt his pace getting faster. Walking felt too slow for this new body. He decided to try running.

He started running. Slowly at first, then faster, faster. The forest blurred past him. Dave ran at a speed he never thought possible for a human. His lungs didn't feel tight, his legs didn't feel tired. He ran across difficult terrain, leaping over logs, avoiding rocks, all with ease and smoothness.

The journey he had estimated would take hours, was completed in a very short time. He arrived at the outskirts of a small village when the sun was quite high. His body was still fit, didn't even feel tired at all. It was miraculous.

He entered the village, following Master Elder's instructions to the market. The village market was busy. Dave walked through the crowd, his eyes observing his surroundings.

Dave looked for a vendor selling herbal medicines and plants. He found an old woman selling various kinds of leaves, roots, and seeds. He handed her the list from Master Elder. The old woman read the list with a furrowed brow.

"Hmm, these are hard-to-find ingredients, son," she said. "Some of them only grow in the depths of the forest. Do you need all of them?"

Dave nodded. "Yes, all of them."

He took out a little money he found in his jacket pocket and paid for all the required medicinal ingredients. While waiting for the woman to pack his purchases, Dave stood nearby, his ears automatically catching the sounds around him. His hearing was incredibly sharp.

Suddenly, he overheard a whisper from a group of young men standing not far from him. The whisper was very low, maybe they thought no one could hear it amidst the market crowd.

"Look at that girl by the river there," said one of the young men. "So pretty. All alone."

"Let's just kidnap her," whispered another young man, his laughter sounding cunning. "Take her to our shack in the woods. We can have some fun with her."

"Good idea!" echoed another. "No one will ever know."

The old loser Dave's heart might have shrunk in fear hearing a conversation like that. But the current Dave felt a wave of cold anger. A beautiful girl alone? Kidnapped? Couldn't let that happen.

Even though they were only whispering, Dave heard every word clearly. He took his purchases from the old woman, thanked her, then quietly left the market. He didn't go back to Master Elder's house yet. He had to do something.

Dave followed the group of young men from a distance. They headed towards the riverbank, to an area slightly hidden from the village. Dave moved among the trees, using his agility and new abilities to stay hidden.

He saw the girl they were talking about. Sitting by the riverbank, lost in thought, her hand holding a book. She was indeed beautiful, with long flowing hair and a melancholic gaze. She looked fragile and unaware of the danger lurking.

The young men approached slowly, trying not to make noise. They planned to ambush the girl. Dave observed the situation from his hiding place up in a tree. He could have jumped down and beaten them all up. With his strength now, it would be easy. But he had another idea. Something a little more... amusing.

Dave's eyes landed on a large wasp nest hanging from a tree branch above the young men. The nest looked active, with many wasps going in and out. A thin smile appeared on his lips.

He measured the distance, calculated the angle. He picked up a small pebble from the ground.

With a quick and accurate motion, Dave threw the pebble. The pebble shot straight, hitting the wasp nest precisely.

Instantly, the nest vibrated violently. Hundreds of angry wasps swarmed out. They immediately attacked the nearest source of disturbance: the young men below the nest.

"Aargh! Wasps!"

"Damn it!"

The young men screamed in panic, trying to swat away the stinging wasps. They ran off in random directions, abandoning their malicious intentions towards the girl by the river.

Dave hid deeper among the leaves, suppressing a chuckle. His plan worked perfectly. The young men scrambled away, fleeing from the river and the girl.

After making sure the young men were far enough away, Dave climbed down from the tree. He walked casually towards the riverbank, intending to tell the girl about what had almost happened.

The girl, who had been startled by the wasp commotion earlier, was already standing up and looking in the direction where the young men had run off. She looked confused.

Her beautiful eyes looked at Dave suspiciously. She saw Dave had just come down from the direction the wasps had come from.

"You!" she exclaimed, pointing at Dave. "You must have been peeking at me, huh? You pervert!"

Before Dave could even explain what had actually happened, the girl raised her hand, intending to slap Dave's face.

Dave's new reflexes reacted. Quickly, he caught the girl's wrist before the slap could land.

As his hand came into contact with the girl, something extraordinary happened. In a flash, a series of images flickered in Dave's mind. Memories of the orphanage. The face of a little girl with two braided pigtails, her eyes bright. He recognized the girl. It was... Karina.

His older sister. One of his seven sisters from the orphanage that burned down long ago.

Dave was stunned. How could this be? Karina? His sister was here?