I opened my eyes.
Darkness surrounded me.
Not ordinary darkness—
but a heavy, breathing darkness.
Warm.
Alive.
My body floated weightlessly inside a massive circular chamber filled with thick crimson liquid.
The liquid glowed faintly.
Demonic Energy.
I recognized it instantly.
Not ordinary demonic energy either—
this was refined.
Purified.
Condensed to terrifying levels.
The energy inside the liquid crawled against my skin like living serpents, trying to invade my flesh, my veins, my bones.
Yet instead of resisting—
my body devoured it.
Hungrily.
Like a starving beast finally tasting blood.
My eyes remained closed.
My mind replaying the last thing I remembered.
The Mind Hunter.
His voice.
His movements.
His eyes.
Not mocking.
Not hateful.
Disappointed.
That expression still burned deeper than every wound he gave me.
"You fight like an animal."
Those words echoed endlessly inside my mind.
Not because they offended me—
but because they were true.
Slowly…
I opened my eyes.
Blue light spilled outward through the crimson liquid.
The entire chamber trembled.
Then—
SHHHHHHHRRRROOOOOMMMMM—
The liquid around me suddenly spiraled violently.
Rotating faster.
Faster.
FASTER.
Like a crimson galaxy collapsing inward.
The demonic liquid surged toward my body like it had found a black hole.
Every drop vanished into me.
Absorbed instantly.
Not a single strand wasted.
The chamber walls cracked.
Red runes flickered violently across its surface.
Then the entire healing chamber dissolved into countless crimson particles of light.
They flowed into my skin.
Into my bones.
Into my soul.
The chamber had become nourishment.
A few seconds later—
nothing remained.
Only me.
Floating silently in darkness.
My body slowly descended toward the ground below.
Step.
My feet touched solid ground.
I stretched slowly.
Muscles tightened and relaxed perfectly.
Not a single injury remained.
My body felt lighter.
Sharper.
More complete.
Not stronger in raw power—
but refined.
Like a blade freshly sharpened after being broken repeatedly.
Then—
A crimson screen flickered into existence before me.
---
> FLOOR 1 — THE MIND HUNTER Status: Completed (10%)
---
> Rewards Obtained: • 10 Demon God Blood Solutions • 10 Peak-Grade Demon God Cores • 1,000,000 System Points
---
> Current Balance: 1,100,000 Points
---
I stared at the screen silently.
Ten percent.
Only ten percent.
A bitter smile appeared on my face.
"I nearly died…"
"…for ten percent."
The tower wasn't training me.
It was dismantling me.
Breaking apart every weakness hidden beneath my talent.
And the worst part—
it was working.
I closed the screen with a thought.
Then began walking forward through the darkness.
The exit slowly appeared ahead.
A massive doorway of blue light.
I stepped through it—
and returned once more to the endless blue system world.
Silence greeted me.
Infinite blue stretched endlessly in every direction.
No wind.
No sound.
No life.
Only endless stillness.
The two towers stood in the distance.
One black and crimson.
One glowing blue.
The Ascension Tower.
The Forge Tower.
I stopped walking.
Then took a slow step backward.
Something suddenly came to mind.
My status.
I opened it instantly.
---
> [ MASTER INFORMATION ]
Technique: Primordial Azure Beast Scripture
Realm: Body Purification Realm
Stage: Great Perfection — Early Stage
---
I looked at the words for several seconds.
Then calmly spoke.
"Upgrade."
The system responded immediately.
Blue light flooded my body.
Warm.
Gentle.
Unlike the violent power surges I was used to.
This felt…
natural.
Like my body was finally breathing properly for the first time.
A strange energy spread through every cell in my body.
My muscles trembled.
My bones hummed softly.
Even my blood felt cleaner.
Lighter.
Then—
something deeper changed.
My mind.
It felt like an invisible fog was slowly being peeled away.
Thoughts became clearer.
Sharper.
Faster.
Even my senses changed slightly.
The world itself felt… easier to understand.
Then I felt it.
My soul.
A tiny shift.
Small—
but undeniable.
As if something within me had awakened further.
---
> Upgrade Complete
Body Purification Realm: Great Perfection — Early Stage → Great Perfection — Mid Stage
---
I exhaled slowly.
Blue mist escaped my lips.
Then I stepped away from the towers.
Farther.
Farther.
Until their massive shadows no longer covered me.
Finally—
I sat down.
Lotus position.
Silently.
My eyes closed.
The endless blue reflected against my skin.
The Mind Hunter's words replayed again inside my head.
"You think power solves everything."
"…But power without thought is just a sharper weapon waiting to be stolen."
At first those words angered me.
Now—
they enlightened me.
I had relied too heavily on instinct.
Too heavily on overwhelming force.
I moved like a beast.
Reacted like a beast.
Fought like a beast.
And because of that—
I became predictable.
The Mind Hunter had not overpowered me.
He had understood me.
That was worse.
Far worse.
I slowly calmed my breathing.
One breath.
Then another.
Then another.
Time passed.
Silently.
Meaninglessly.
Seconds.
Minutes.
Hours.
Days.
All blurred together.
Meditation consumed everything.
My body floated slowly above the ground.
Blue aura drifted around me like ethereal smoke.
Thoughts came and went.
Battles replayed endlessly in my mind.
Every mistake.
Every hesitation.
Every wasted movement.
For the first time—
I truly studied myself.
Not my power.
Not my talent.
Myself.
And what I saw…
was incomplete.
I was strong.
Monstrously strong for my age.
But my foundation was shallow.
Too shallow.
I lacked experience.
Control.
Understanding.
I possessed the power of a predator—
but not the mind of one.
The realization was painful.
But necessary.
Then slowly—
something changed.
My thoughts became quieter.
Calmer.
Sharper.
My instincts and reasoning slowly began intertwining instead of clashing.
Not beast.
Not machine.
Balance.
The endless blue space trembled softly around me.
My aura stabilized.
No violent eruptions.
No lightning storms.
Only calm pressure.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Controlled.
Then—
my eyes opened.
Blue light spilled outward like stars igniting within the void.
My pupils looked different now.
Within the deep azure—
tiny white specks shimmered.
Like a galaxy buried inside my eyes.
I stood slowly.
Stretching my body.
Every movement felt smoother.
More precise.
The world itself felt slower somehow.
Clearer.
I didn't know how long I had meditated.
Two days perhaps.
Maybe longer.
But inside the system space—
time meant almost nothing.
I looked back toward the towers.
The Ascension Tower stood silently.
Watching.
Waiting.
A challenge.
Not of strength—
but evolution.
A faint smile appeared on my face.
Then—
a pillar of blue light engulfed my body.
The endless blue vanished instantly.
And I returned to reality.
My room.
Exactly as I left it.
The cold breeze entered quietly through the open window.
The cotton curtains swayed softly.
Sunlight spilled across the floor.
For several moments—
I remained still.
The difference between before and now felt unreal.
I walked toward the bathroom slowly.
Turned on the water.
Steam filled the room.
The hot water poured across my body.
Relaxing my muscles.
Washing away dried blood. I can connect
Ash.
Sweat.
Pain.
I stared at my reflection through the fogged mirror.
My blue eyes glowed faintly.
Sharper now.
Calmer.
Dangerous.
Not because of power.
But because something behind them had changed.
The Mind Hunter was right.
And that realization alone made me stronger than before.
I dressed afterward in clean black clothing.
Simple.
Comfortable.
Then walked toward the living room.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The house felt strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
As I stepped into the living room—
I froze.
Confusion appeared across my face.
Because standing there…
was someone I never expected to see.