Silence filled the gravity chamber.
Not calm silence.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
The weight of Caelion's words still lingered in the air, pressing against our minds like an invisible force.
The closer you were to the beast…
The greater the risk of losing control.
No one spoke.
But everyone was thinking.
Caelion finally broke the silence.
"…Alright."
His tone was almost casual.
"That will be all for today."
Yet the tension didn't disappear.
If anything…
It deepened.
Our eyes shifted from Caelion…
To the books floating before us.
I reached out.
My fingers wrapped around the cover.
The instant my hand made contact—
A blue screen appeared before my eyes.
«[Downloading…]»
I barely had time to react.
«[Complete.]»
My vision distorted.
Then—
A flood of knowledge surged into my mind.
Not simple information.
Understanding.
Techniques.
Paths.
Concepts.
Principles.
Everything contained within the book was forced into place inside my consciousness.
My head spun.
I clenched my teeth.
"…Tch."
So this was how he taught.
Not through words.
Through force.
The Path of Transcendence.
The Divine Path.
Two systems.
Two methods.
One goal.
Control.
Caelion rose from his seat.
His gaze swept across the room one final time.
It passed over everyone.
Then stopped on me.
Only for a moment.
Then he turned toward the exit.
"Good day."
He began walking.
One by one, the others stood.
Some looked excited.
Others remained silent.
A few seemed completely overwhelmed by the knowledge that had just been forced into their minds.
I remained seated for another moment.
Thinking.
Processing.
The concepts continued settling into place.
Instinct without control leads to destruction.
Control without instinct leads to weakness.
I lowered my gaze.
"…So that's your angle."
Then I stood.
And followed the others.
We were halfway toward the exit when—
Danger!
My instincts screamed.
My body stopped for half a heartbeat.
My pupils flickered.
Red.
Just for a moment.
A sharp wave of irritation surged through me.
Unprovoked.
Unnatural.
It wasn't anger.
Not exactly.
It was more like something deep within me was trying to drag something out.
I clenched my fist.
No.
I forced the feeling down.
Suppressed it.
Then continued walking.
But before I could take another step—
A sound echoed through the chamber.
Low.
Deep.
A growl.
Everyone froze.
The air trembled.
Subtle at first.
Then harder.
Sharper.
More violent.
A gasp came from ahead.
I looked up.
One of the trainees had stopped moving.
His body trembled.
Violently.
At first, it looked like fatigue.
The aftereffects of training.
But then I noticed his breathing.
Too heavy.
Too uneven.
Too…
Primal.
"Hey…"
Someone stepped toward him.
"Are you okay?"
No response.
The trembling intensified.
His shoulders shook.
His fingers curled.
Not like fists.
Like claws.
Then—
He laughed.
A low, broken sound escaped his throat.
"Heh…"
"…hehe…"
Then—
"HAHAHAHAHA—!!"
The sound echoed throughout the chamber.
It was wrong.
Distorted.
Unstable.
Not human.
My eyes narrowed.
So this is what he meant…
The trainee's head suddenly snapped upward.
His pupils were gone.
Replaced by a feral glow.
Empty.
Wild.
Lost.
Then—
He turned.
And locked onto me.
My red pupils met his.
Cold.
Still.
For a single second, neither of us moved.
Then—
SWISH!!!
BOOM!!!
He attacked.
No hesitation.
No thought.
His body changed while charging.
Bones cracked.
Muscles expanded.
Energy surged violently through his body.
By the time he reached me…
He was no longer human.
A humanoid white tiger stood before me.
Blue lightning crawled wildly across his body.
Unstable.
Explosive.
The ground shattered beneath his foot.
Then—
He vanished.
His speed increased again.
Uncontrolled.
But overwhelming.
He reappeared directly in front of me.
SWISH!!!
My body moved before thought.
My arm rose.
Blue energy instantly condensed along my hand.
A blade formed.
I swung upward.
The tiger stopped.
Just inches away.
The energy blade hovered against his throat.
My expression didn't change.
My red eyes remained calm.
Detached.
I could transform.
End this instantly.
But for this?
A waste.
The thought irritated me.
More than it should have.
Why am I thinking like this?
BAM!!!
He attacked again.
Faster.
More erratic.
I caught his strike mid-air.
Palm forward.
Perfect timing.
For a brief moment, my eyes shifted toward the exit.
Caelion was still there.
Watching.
Of course.
BAM!!!
BAM!!!
BAM!!!
The tiger unleashed a storm of attacks.
Wild.
Relentless.
Unstructured.
But inefficient.
I blocked every strike.
Minimal movement.
No wasted energy.
Control.
This wasn't a fight.
It was a demonstration.
BAM!!!
A flash of red lightning surged through my arm.
My fist connected directly with his face.
BOOM!!!
His head exploded into pure energy.
No blood.
No flesh.
His body was thrown backward.
Gasps echoed throughout the chamber.
Some trainees stepped back.
Others watched in silence.
And some…
Looked excited.
The body flew straight toward Caelion.
BAM!!!
At the last moment, it twisted in mid-air.
It landed on all fours.
The ground cracked beneath its weight as it slid backward, leaving deep grooves across the floor.
Then—
Energy condensed.
The scattered particles gathered.
Reformed.
A new head regenerated instantly.
Silence fell.
Everyone understood.
This wasn't an accident.
It was him.
A test.
Or perhaps…
A warning.
Every eye in the chamber turned toward Caelion.
He said nothing.
Then—
ROAR!!!
The tiger roared.
Its aura exploded outward.
Unstable.
Oppressive.
Pressure flooded the chamber.
My irritation spiked.
Stronger this time.
Much harder to suppress.
My aura flickered.
Blue.
Then—
For a brief moment—
Red.
My eyes narrowed.
This isn't just him losing control.
Something was wrong.
Something was pushing it.
Something was triggering it.
And…
It was affecting me too.
For a split second, my thoughts slowed.
The world seemed quieter.
My instincts sharpened.
My senses expanded.
And deep within my blood—
Something responded.
Not resisting.
Not retreating.
But…
awakening.
My eyes lifted.
Straight toward Caelion.
He was smiling.
A faint smile.
Calm.
Knowing.
Then he spoke.
"Good…"
The word echoed through the chamber.
And deep within me—
Something stirred again.