...The city of "Hui'an" was exactly as the books described it: the only gate in the great wall that surrounded the continent of Murim. It wasn't just a city; it was a massive fortress, the choke point that controlled everyone who entered or left. Getting permission to leave was a near-impossible task, requiring immense wealth or influence that we didn't have.

  We spent weeks in the city, searching through records and listening to sailors' rumors in filthy taverns, looking for any loophole. We faced some difficulties, had to deal with smugglers, and avoid the strict wall garrison that controlled the port with an iron fist. But in the end, thanks to 404's silent strength that opened locked doors (sometimes by force), we managed to secure a place for ourselves aboard a cargo ship heading south.

  When the ship set sail and moved away from the towering walls of Murim, I felt as if I were leaving a continent-sized prison behind me. The sea voyage was long and boring, but it was the first time I had ever seen a real ocean, and the first time I had felt so small before the vastness of the world.

  When we finally arrived at the continent of technology, I felt as if I had entered another planet. The air was dry and carried the smell of ozone and metal. And before us, its first city, "Metroplex," stretched out. Its towers of glass and steel touched the clouds, strange vehicles flew between them, and bright advertisement lights flashed in every color. It was a city from the future, making "Hui'an" look like a stone-age village.

  But with all this progress, human nature was the same. In a side alley, while we were looking for a cheap inn, a group of local gang members blocked our path. They wore strange clothes, and their bodies were enhanced with rusty robotic limbs.

  "Look what we have here," their leader said, looking at my old Murim clothes. "Two lost tourists. Give us everything you have, and maybe we'll let you leave with your teeth."

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  4.04 took a step forward, and his stone body alone was enough to inspire terror. But I stopped him with a wave of my hand. If he started a fight here, in this strange city with its unknown laws, we would attract the attention of the authorities. We couldn't rely on his brute force every time.

  "We have nothing," I said quietly. The man laughed and pushed me hard, and I fell to the ground. "Then we'll take your clothes as a souvenir."

  In that moment, lying on the ground, looking at their mocking faces, I felt that old feeling that I hated. The feeling of helplessness. The feeling that I was a burden. That I couldn't protect myself and was always depending on the strength of my silent companion.

  I got up and gave them our small coin purse. They took it, laughed, and then left. I didn't say anything to 404. But that night, I didn't sleep. I had made my decision.

  For more than a month, I spent my days in the "City's Scrapyard," a massive industrial zone on the outskirts of Metroplex where the remnants of old technology were dumped. I was searching, studying, using all the knowledge I had gained from my books. And 404 was helping me, lifting the heavy metal pieces that I couldn't even budge.

  Until I found it. An old automaton frame, originally a construction or mining machine. It was rusty, broken, and missing many parts. But its energy core was still intact.

  I spent months more working on it. I spent all our money buying spare parts from the black market. I worked tirelessly, sleeping for a few hours, and barely eating. This was my project. This was my salvation.

  Finally, on a stormy night, it was complete. I stood before it. A massive metal frame, three times my height, its armor repaired, and new limbs installed. I climbed into the cockpit in its chest. It was cramped and smelled of oil. I placed my hands on the control panel, closed my eyes, and channeled my energy... no, not my energy, but my energy, my knowledge, and my will.

  I heard a low hum, then a deep vibration. The screens in front of me lit up, and I felt the frame awaken from its long slumber. I moved my arm, and the machine moved its massive metal arm.

  I laughed. A strong, genuine laugh. "Listen, 404!" I shouted, looking at him from the cockpit. "From now on, this frame will be my strength. And its name... will be 'Lagan'."

  I was no longer the shadow that walks behind a rock. Now, I am the mountain.