Time blurred.
It didn't move forward… it simply flowed.
My figure hovered in the center of the system space, legs crossed, suspended above the endless blue void. Eyes closed. Mind silent.
In this place, time had no meaning.
No beginning.
No end.
Only awareness.
---
I didn't know how long I stayed like that.
And I didn't care.
---
Because here… silence was not emptiness.
It was refinement.
---
A faint shift in my expression broke the stillness.
My eyes slowly opened.
---
Blue light flickered across my pupils for a fraction of a second—like a Star awakening within my gaze.
Then it faded.
I descended gently, feet touching the smooth blue ground beneath me without a sound.
---
I exhaled.
Slow.
Controlled.
Complete.
---
Everything I saw… I now understood differently.
Every strike from the battle against VARKHUL.
Every step.
Every mistake.
Every moment of hesitation.
---
Even every instinct I ignored.
---
I didn't just remember the fight.
I reconstructed it.
---
And from that reconstruction… I evolved.
---
A new understanding settled in my body.
Not power.
Not raw strength.
Something deeper.
---
Control.
---
I lifted my hand slightly.
A faint surge of energy responded immediately—stable, precise, obedient.
---
> Beast Ascension Form II — Fully Stabilized.
---
No resistance.
No backlash.
No instability.
Just perfect command.
---
Then I turned inward.
---
Two techniques floated in my mind like they had always been there.
But now… I finally saw them clearly.
---
Beast Mind
A mental acceleration technique.
Not just faster thinking—
but expanded perception.
Time itself felt thinner under its effect.
Every movement, every shift in air, every heartbeat of an opponent…
processed in layers.
Ten times faster perception.
And still growing.
---
Prime Breath
A circulation method.
Not just breathing.
But alignment.
Body.
Energy.
Environment.
All synchronized into one cycle.
---
I had never formally learned a breathing technique.
The system had offered countless ones.
The library of laws contained even more.
But I had ignored them.
---
Until now.
---
Because in the battle with VARKHUL…
I was forced to adapt mid-fight.
Convert energy.
Redirect force.
Maintain output.
All at once.
---
And my body… had already begun compensating.
---
Without knowing it.
I had been breathing differently for every action:
faster for speed
deeper for strength
sharper for reflex
controlled for defense
silent for perception
---
Instinctively.
---
That realization changed everything.
---
I slowly brought both ideas together.
Beast Mind.
Prime Breath.
Instinct.
---
And merged them.
---
Not perfectly.
Not yet.
But enough.
---
A new circulation path formed inside me.
Energy from the surroundings—especially from dense environments like volcanic terrain or storm fields—began to flow toward my body naturally.
No resistance.
No strain.
Just absorption.
---
Effortless.
---
My fingers tightened slightly.
I could feel it.
This was only the beginning.
---
Letting out a quiet breath, I stopped the flow.
The system space remained silent.
But my body no longer was.
It was awake in a different way.
---
A pillar of blue light suddenly enveloped me.
---
The world shifted.
---
I returned to my room.
---
The transition was smooth.
No pressure.
No distortion.
Just arrival.
---
I stood still for a moment.
Then walked toward the bathroom.
---
Hot water filled the space minutes later.
Steam rose slowly.
I stayed under it without movement, letting the heat dissolve the last traces of tension from my body.
---
Thirty minutes passed.
---
When I stepped out, I felt lighter.
Not weaker.
Refined.
---
I dressed in black clothing.
Simple at first glance.
But far from ordinary.
Golden threads traced the edges like flowing lines of authority.
Behind the back—
a woven design of a dragon and tiger locked in eternal battle.
White and gold stitching intertwined like fate itself.
---
And beneath the fabric…
subtle reinforcement patterns formed faint dragon-scale structures.
Nearly invisible.
But real.
---
I looked at the mirror.
---
A calm gaze returned.
Controlled.
Sharp.
Different.
---
I moved.
Testing balance.
Footwork.
Shifts in weight.
Everything responded perfectly.
---
Better than before.
---
I left the room.
---
The corridor was quiet.
The house felt normal again.
Almost… peaceful.
---
My steps carried me into the dining room.
---
My brother was already there.
Seated.
Waiting.
---
But something about him was different.
---
His presence felt… refined.
Not stronger.
Not weaker.
Just changed.
Like something had awakened in him during sleep.
---
I paused for half a second.
Then ignored it.
---
I sat beside him.
---
Moments later, my mother came down the stairs.
---
She wore a fitted dress—elegant, calm, naturally radiant.
But something caught my attention.
---
A subtle structure beneath her posture.
A stance.
A balance.
Like someone who once knew combat… and never fully forgot.
---
I didn't comment.
Neither did she.
---
"Good morning," I said.
My brother echoed it immediately.
---
She smiled.
Wider than usual.
Warmer.
---
"Good morning, my boys."
---
She sat.
And the room relaxed instantly.
---
Five minutes later, my father arrived.
---
Combat suit.
Apron.
Focused expression.
Carrying a tray filled with food.
---
He placed it on the table.
Returned.
Brought more.
Organized everything without a word.
---
Then finally sat down.
---
We all waited.
Naturally.
As always.
---
Mom took the first bite.
Slow.
Deliberate.
---
"…Hm."
A pause.
Then—
"Delicious."
---
Her exaggerated expression broke the tension instantly.
---
We all laughed.
Even her—quietly.
---
And then—
We ate.
---
The table turned into chaos.
My brother and I competing.
Forks moving faster than conversation.
Father more controlled, but still participating.
Mother watching like she was judging a tournament.
---
Food disappeared quickly.
Plates stacked.
Water poured.
Clatter filled the room.
---
And then silence returned.
---
For a moment.
---
After everything was cleared, we stayed seated.
Talking.
Laughing.
Normal life.
---
Until—
---
My brother stood up first.
Left for training.
Mom followed shortly after.
---
The house grew quieter.
---
Only me and my father remained.
---
He didn't smile anymore.
Not fully.
His expression shifted.
Serious.
Focused.
---
Then he spoke.
---
"It's time."
---
I looked at him.
He met my gaze.
---
"We're going to talk about your departure to Neraphyx."
---
Silence settled between us.
---
He continued.
Calm.
Measured.
---
"I won't just train you to be strong."
"I'll train you to survive."
---
A pause.
---
"Strength is not enough."
"You need timing."
"Judgment."
"Escape."
"Decision-making under pressure."
---
His eyes narrowed slightly.
---
"I had weeks to prepare you."
"Months, ideally."
"But I reduced it to one."
---
I stayed silent.
---
Not because I disagreed.
But because I was listening.
---
He leaned forward slightly.
---
"You are smart."
"You are talented."
"And you are not arrogant."
---
A faint smile crossed his face.
---
"That already puts you above most."
---
Then it faded.
---
"But it's not enough."
---
He leaned back.
---
"There is someone you will meet in Neraphyx."
"The man who taught me how to survive there."
---
My eyes sharpened slightly.
---
He looked toward the window.
---
"The man who taught me…"
"…how to stay alive long enough to become strong."
---
For the first time—
his expression changed.
Not pride.
Not fear.
Respect.
---
Heavy respect.
---
Then he looked back at me.
---
"And trust me…"
A faint grin returned.
"You're going to hate him."
---
He stood.
---
"That's where your training begins."
---
"And you don't get to refuse."
---
Silence.
---
Then he added, almost casually:
---
"He starts today."