The training field still trembled.
Dust lingered in the air, refusing to settle—as if even the ground hadn't recovered from what just happened.
Students were scattered everywhere.
Some lying flat.
Some gasping for breath.
Some pretending they weren't about to pass out.
At the front, the instructor stood calmly.
Unaffected.
Unbothered.
"You all have one month."
No one reacted.
Yet.
"Before resumption, every student must reach Level 15."
Silence.
A heartbeat passed.
Then—
"LEVEL WHAT?!"
Chaos.
"Sir, I just unlocked Level 4 this MORNING!" "One month? Do we look like main characters to you??" "I reject this reality!"
Someone dropped to the ground dramatically.
"I see the light… tell my family I tried…"
"You didn't try!" someone snapped. "You slept during training!"
"I was conserving energy for THIS moment!"
Laughter broke out—but panic swallowed it almost immediately.
The instructor didn't even blink.
"Failure to meet the requirement… results in expulsion."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
"…we're finished," someone whispered.
Groups formed instantly.
Complaints.
Calculations.
Denial.
Right in the middle of it—
He stood still.
Calm.
Watching.
A boy rushed over, nearly tripping.
"Did you hear that?! Level 15! We're dead! Completely finished!"
He glanced at him.
"…You've been finished."
"THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR TRUTH!"
Another student joined, sweating.
"I'm transferring schools."
"To where?"
"I don't know yet, but it won't be here."
He sighed.
"…You won't survive there either."
"WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?!"
Later…
The sky had already dimmed when he got home.
The moment he stepped in—
"YOU'RE LATE!"
He paused.
Right on schedule.
He closed the door quietly.
"I returned alive. That should count."
His mother appeared instantly.
"Alive doesn't mean on time!"
"I was training."
"You were ignoring the clock."
"…Same difference."
From the living room:
"Mom, don't stress him. He's transcended time."
He turned slowly.
His sibling didn't even look up.
"…Repeat that."
"I said you're—"
He moved.
In an instant, he was standing right in front of them.
Silence.
"…I choose life," the sibling said immediately.
He walked past.
"Smart."
Dinner was chaos.
"So," his father said, "what did you learn today?"
He ate calmly.
"How to suffer."
His father nodded. "Good. That's the foundation of success."
"…That explains a lot."
His mother dropped more food on his plate.
"You need strength to pass your exams."
He paused slightly.
If only it were just exams.
"…Yeah," he said. "Something like that."
Night
Silence covered the house.
Everyone asleep.
Outside—
He stood alone.
The air felt… heavier.
He exhaled.
Then stepped forward.
Crack.
The ground split slightly beneath his foot.
Another step—
The atmosphere shifted.
Pressure spread.
Invisible.
Oppressive.
Controlled.
His gaze sharpened.
Power flowed through him—steady, restrained, obedient.
Not wild.
Not unstable.
Just waiting.
"Level 15…"
A faint smile appeared.
"…too low."
The air tightened.
For a moment—
Something deeper stirred.
Something dangerous.
Something not meant to be seen yet.
Then—
He stopped.
Everything faded.
The pressure vanished.
Silence returned.
Like nothing happened.
But far away…
In the darkness—
Someone watched.
A quiet voice echoed.
"So… he's finally moving."