Inside the underground dojo, Jade lay motionless on the cold floor.
His body was completely exhausted after hours of relentless running. Sweat still clung to his skin, and his chest rose and fell slowly as he breathed. Anyone looking at him would immediately realize that he had pushed his body far beyond its limit.
But Jade himself was no longer aware of the dojo.
He was unconscious.
Or at least, that was what it looked like from the outside.
For Jade, everything felt different.
Instead of darkness, he found himself floating in a strange place.
There was nothing around him.
No ground.
No sky.
No stars.
Nothing.
It was a vast, endless starless void.
Jade slowly looked around in confusion.
He was floating weightlessly in the middle of the empty darkness. There was no sensation of gravity pulling him down, nor anything supporting his body.
It felt strange, yet oddly calm.
For a few moments, Jade simply drifted there silently.
Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Am I now going to appear in my trial?
He had heard many stories about how people were taken by the system. Sometimes it happened instantly. Sometimes they were dragged into strange worlds or dangerous environments where they had to fight for survival.
Because of that, Jade couldn't help but think that this might be the beginning of his own trial.
Just as the thought formed in his mind, something happened.
A voice appeared.
It wasn't a sound that echoed through the void.
Instead, it felt as if the voice appeared directly inside his mind.
The voice was calm and emotionless.
"Congratulations. You are infected and chosen by the system."
Jade frowned immediately.
His first reaction wasn't excitement.
Instead, he felt annoyed.
He crossed his arms slightly as he spoke.
"Firstly, why would I be happy for being infected?"
His voice echoed faintly in the empty void.
"Secondly, how am I floating in this starless void?"
There was a brief moment of silence.
Then the voice responded again.
"The starless void is your soul sea."
The voice continued in the same calm tone.
"However, your soul sea has not yet been formed."
"That is why it currently appears as a starless void."
Jade listened carefully.
"Soul sea?" he repeated quietly.
He looked around again.
The darkness stretched endlessly in every direction.
"So this place belongs to me?"
He frowned slightly.
"If it's my soul sea, then why does it look so empty?"
The system replied again.
"Your soul sea will develop as your power grows."
"At this stage, it has not yet formed."
Jade slowly nodded.
Then another question appeared in his mind.
"So you are the system?" he asked.
He waited for a reply.
But none came.
The system remained silent.
It seemed as though its task had already been completed.
Jade waited for a few seconds.
Still no response.
"So you're just going to ignore me now?" he muttered.
But again, nothing answered him.
The vast void remained silent.
Before Jade could say anything else, something strange happened.
The darkness around him suddenly began to distort.
It felt as if the void itself was collapsing.
Jade felt his body being pulled away from the empty space.
Everything around him blurred.
Then—
Everything vanished.
Jade opened his eyes.
Bright light filled his vision for a moment.
He blinked slowly as his eyes adjusted.
When his vision finally cleared, he realized something surprising.
He was lying on a bed.
The familiar ceiling of his home was above him.
For a moment, Jade simply stared at it in confusion.
Then he turned his head slightly.
Beside the bed sat Asterion.
His grandfather was calmly watching him.
Standing nearby were his parents.
Seraphine and Rylan both looked extremely worried.
Their expressions immediately changed the moment they saw Jade open his eyes.
But before Jade could say anything, he suddenly noticed something strange.
The restless feeling inside his body had disappeared.
Completely.
Earlier that day, he had felt extremely sleepy and uneasy.
It felt as though something inside him was constantly pulling at his mind.
But now—
That feeling was gone.
It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his body.
His mind felt clearer.
His body felt lighter.
He no longer felt sleepy.
Nor did he feel restless.
Seraphine noticed that Jade was fully awake.
Relief appeared on her face.
"Oh Jade," she said softly.
"Why did you scare me like that?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"I thought I was going to lose you."
Jade gave a small smile.
"I'm fine, Mom," he said.
"I just felt dizzy and fainted."
Seraphine looked at him carefully, making sure he truly looked alright.
Then she turned slowly toward her husband.
Her expression changed.
"If you want to train our son," she said coldly, "please don't kill him in the process."
With that, she turned and left the room.
Rylan didn't react to her words.
Instead, he looked directly at Jade.
"Why didn't you stop when you were tired?" he asked.
His tone was calm but serious.
Then he sighed slightly.
"You know… I forgot you were still a normal human."
Jade lowered his head slightly.
"That is why… I'm sorry," he said quietly.
But Rylan shook his head.
"It's not your fault," he replied.
Before Jade could respond again, Asterion suddenly spoke.
His voice carried a hint of anger.
"Never do this to my grandson again."
Rylan looked toward him.
Asterion continued speaking.
"I don't want to lose him yet."
His voice softened slightly.
"I still have some years left to live."
"And I don't want to lose him while I'm still alive."
For a moment, the room became silent.
Rylan lowered his head slightly.
"I'm sorry," he said sincerely.
With that, both Rylan and Asterion left the room.
Soon only Jade remained with one other person.
Nora.
Jade looked toward her.
Her eyes were slightly red.
It looked like she had been crying.
She stood near the doorway awkwardly.
Then she spoke quietly.
"Hope you're okay."
She quickly wiped her eyes.
"You know… I don't like crying."
"You know that, right?"
Jade smiled slightly.
"I'm okay," he said.
"And I won't die."
Nora stared at him for a moment.
Then she nodded quietly.
It seemed as if she had only been waiting for her brother to wake up.
Without saying anything else, she turned and left the room.
Soon the door closed softly.
Jade was finally alone.
The room became quiet again.
Jade slowly leaned back into the bed.
Even though he no longer felt sleepy, he thought about trying to rest anyway.
Today had been exhausting.
His body still felt weak.
So he closed his eyes.
But just as he began relaxing—
A faint whisper suddenly echoed inside his mind.
It was the same voice he had heard before.
The voice of the system.
Soft.
Calm.
Emotionless.
"Hello, Jade."
Jade's eyes opened instantly.
His heart began beating faster.
The system… had spoken again.