Three years passed—
Not quietly.
Not gently.
But through pain… and repetition.
Ryan stood in the arena, blindfolded.
The world was silent—
Except for the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
Then—
Whoosh—
Seven stones tore through the air, each aimed at a vital point.
Before they could reach him—
He moved.
Not with thought.
Not with hesitation.
But instinctively.
One step.
A slight tilt.
A subtle shift of his shoulder—
The stones passed him…
As if they had never been meant to hit him at all.
Marcus watched silently, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Good," he said calmly.
"You've stepped into Silent Mind."
Ryan pulled off the blindfold, breathing lightly.
"You can now enter it consciously… for two to three seconds."
Hearing this, Ryan's body instantly relaxed.
He dropped to the ground without hesitation.
"Finally…" he muttered. "A break."
Marcus glanced at him.
"Rest for a bit."
"Then I'll take you to your first trial."
Ryan froze.
He shot up instantly.
"Trial?"
"You never told me about any trial!"
Marcus tilted his head slightly, as if thinking.
"Didn't I?"
"No!" Ryan replied immediately.
"Ah… must have slipped my mind," Marcus said casually, scratching his head.
Then—his expression shifted.
A faint smile appeared.
"Don't worry."
"It won't be difficult."
"You'll pass it… easily."
Ryan's left eye twitched.
…That sounds exactly like something difficult.
A bad feeling crept into his chest.
A few minutes later,
Ryan followed Marcus out of the training arena.
This was unusual.
In the past three years, he has never been taken outside during training.
Where are we going? Ryan asked curiously.
Marcus didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he snapped his fingers and a spatial gate opened.
Ryan immediately looked into it but all he saw was a forest.
Dark black forest.
This will be your first trial.
You need to reach the other side of the forest before evening.
I will wait for you there.
See you soon! Marcus said while kicking Ryan into this spatial gate.
Thud!
Ryan hit the ground face- first.
He got up slowly by rubbing his face.
Seriously,
His mind was still confused.
But suddenly,
His expression changed.
The forest was wrong.
Too quiet, no wind, no movement, no insects, just silence.
Ryan's body tensed, this isn't normal.
Then suddenly,
A faint voice echoed from behind,
Ryan moved, he turned around but too late.
A black shadow lunged towards him.
Ryan immediately ducked, rolled over to the side.
The shadow flew over his head, just missed him by a hair's breath.
Ryan got up, still breathing heavily.
Phew! It was dangerous.
After calming down, he looked at the shadow and what appeared in front of him was a snake.
A green colored snake 1m long, looked coldly at him.
Ryan immediately focused his eyes and looked at the snake.
Suddenly,
[Beast Potential system activated]
Name : shadow fang
Current power level : Unranked
Potential : none
Skills:
Momentary paralysis
Bite
Ryan immediately looked at its information and his eyes narrowed, "momentary paralysis".
That wasn't something he could afford to take lightly.
Even one mistake— One bite— And his body would freeze.
In this forest…that meant death.
Ryan slowly adjusted his stance.
Lower, Balanced, Silent.
His breathing became steady.
Inhale— Exhale—
His heartbeat slowed.
The world around him began to fade.
Not disappear— But… quiet down.
The rustling of his thoughts stopped.
His muscles loosened, his senses sharpened.
For a brief moment—
Everything became clear.
The snake moved first.
A blur of green shot toward his leg.
Fast.
Too fast for normal reaction—
But Ryan was already moving.
A slight shift of his foot.
A minimal tilt of his body—
The fangs sliced through empty air.
Ryan didn't counter immediately.
He observed.
The snake coiled again.
Its eyes locked onto him—
Cold. Calculating.
It's waiting…
Ryan realized.
It attacks only when I commit.
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"Then I won't."
The snake struck again—
This time aiming higher.
Ryan stepped in.
Not back.
Forward.
His hand moved—precise, controlled.
He grabbed the snake just below its head, Firm, tight.
The snake twisted violently, its body wrapping around his arm.
Trying to reach—
Trying to bite—
But it couldn't.
Ryan's grip didn't shake.
For a second—
Two seconds—
Silent Mind began to fade.
His vision flickered slightly.
"…Tch."
Without hesitation—
He slammed the snake onto the ground.
Once.
Twice.
Thud.
The body went limp.
Silence returned.
Ryan exhaled deeply, releasing his grip.
His arm trembled slightly.
"That… was close."
He looked ahead—
The dark forest stretched endlessly.
Ryan wiped the sweat from his forehead.
His breathing became heavy, legs were shaking and vision slightly blurred.
Hoho! I can not use silent mind carelessly again.
Its usage is taking a huge toll on my body.
After resting for a few minutes,
Ryan moved in the forest.
He moved cautiously. His eyes were wandering around, always preparing for the sudden danger.
suddenly,
Ryan stopped and looked down.
Just in front of him was a plant who looked very similar to a mushroom.
Seeing it, Ryan's face changed.
He ran forward at a very fast speed.
After confirming, he was away from it, he wiped his sweat from his face.
Phew! That was close, he sighed.
He still remembered his mother's warning when she was teaching him about basic Survival.
She told him to run far away after seeing this plant otherwise within a few minutes it can put an adult to sleep.
After calming down, he suddenly looked around and found himself covered with trees from all directions.
He didn't know where he was but he suddenly saw a sign on a tree which indicated the exit.
His performance was seen by Marcus through a spatial screen.
Good, very good.
Grow quickly Ryan.
I can't wait that long.
Marcus said with a wide grin on his face.
His performance was also watched by the black cat.