From Street Rat To Mafia Boss

Steel and Hunger

“Okay, I understand. I’ll meet you downstairs for the training,” Dane replied.

As he took his bat and went downstairs, he saw Jane waiting for him. He walked up to her.

“It’s time,” she said. “I need you to punch my palm.

She held her palm forward and told Dane to hit it. Dane punched her palm.

She frowned. “Your punch is weak. First, you need to build your strength before you can become strong. That’s the first step.”

She crossed her arms. “Now, you’re going to start with push-ups. Get on the ground. Start now,” Jane ordered.

“One, two, three, four, five…”

Dane could only do 15 push-ups before he collapsed, breathing heavily. He couldn’t go any further because he was very weak physically. He was good at stealing things, but when it came to combat or anything requiring strength, he was lacking.

“You’re so weak,” Jane said.

“Sorry about that. I know I’m not that strong,” Dane admitted.

“So first, let’s build your stamina. Today, you’re going to jog 10 kilometers. Do you understand? After that, because of how weak you are, you’ll do 15 sit-ups,” Jane said.

“Okay, ma’am,” Dane replied.

He put on his shoes and started jogging. His body quickly began to ache. He could barely move his arms, and in the end, he couldn’t even complete the 10 kilometers assigned to him because of how weak he was.

Jane was disappointed by how weak Dane was. She went to the boss and asked, “Are you sure you want to keep someone like this? He’s so weak.”

The boss replied, “He has potential. This isn’t his specialty—he’s a thief. He’s good at pickpocketing and other things. That’s one of the skills we need in the mafia. He’s going to play an important role in the team. Is he done with his training? If not, go and continue training him. Don’t let him slack off. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir. I understand,” Jane replied as she walked away.

When she reached Dane, he was lying on the ground, exhausted and breathing heavily. “Get up,” she ordered. “You haven’t completed the 10-kilometer run. And I’m not going to punish you, but you won’t be eating breakfast. No food until you finish.”

Dane’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? I have to eat! I’m going to eat!”

He got up and started jogging again. Jane was shocked. So food motivates him? She laughed to herself, amused by how quickly he obeyed just because of food.

“Do an extra lap,” she said. “Or else, no food at all.”

Dane groaned but kept going, even if he moved slowly. Jane smirked. Now I know his weakness—food. She planned to use it against him whenever necessary.

Dane, however, was exhausted. He was tired of the training and didn’t think it would make much difference. But he kept pushing until Jane finally gave him a break.

“You can go eat now,” she told him, pointing him toward where he could get his food.

As he sat down to eat, Jane watched him closely. The moment he put the first spoonful into his mouth, his entire expression changed—pure happiness. He chewed slowly, savoring every bite, and even shouted, “Sweet! Delicious!”

Jane found it amusing. This guy really loves food.

Even after eating, Dane still wasn’t strong. He preferred slacking off, but Jane wasn’t going to give him the chance. The moment he finished his meal, she ordered, “Stand up. Now.”

“What? I just ate!” Dane protested.

“I don’t care. Run another 10 kilometers,” she said firmly.

“I don’t want to,” Dane groaned.

“Then you won’t eat dinner either,” Jane threatened.

Instantly, Dane shot up and started running.

Jane didn’t like Dane—not even as a friend. She had no interest in someone weak. She admired strength, just like the boss had. But she knew the boss could never return her feelings, so she kept them to herself.

She continued training Dane until it was almost evening. Finally, she dismissed him.

“Go get some sleep. We’ll train again tonight,” she said.

Dane, too tired to argue, did as she said.