He honed in completely, his gaze fixed on nothing.
He pressed [Y].
And then… everything simply vanished.
It wasn't a blinding flash, but more like reality itself—what he saw, felt, and even smelled—unraveled into shimmering golden threads of data. His consciousness was drawn through an impossibly long, silent tunnel of light.
He could feel his physical body go slack in his room, slumping against his bed, yet he was no longer confined to it.
He was elsewhere.
Kael's eyes snapped open. He stood on a smooth, white marble floor that stretched endlessly, like a divine arena. Above, the sky wasn't blue, but a swirling maelstrom of golden stars and intricate digital code.
Ding!
A new window materialized, the text impossibly clear.
[Welcome to the Training Grounds.]
[This is a specialized space the Codex has created for your personal development.]
[Time Dilation is now active.]
[1 Year (Internal) = 1 Hour (External)]
[To aid in your Growth Quest, you will be provided with two training partners.]
[Activating Programs: The Mentor & The Doppelgänger.]
From the marble floor, a soft, white light coalesced. It swirled, forming a perfect replica of himself. This one exuded a calm, almost analytical aura, its eyes reflecting a detached serenity. It offered a slight, formal bow.
Then, across the vast arena, another figure took shape. This one was composed of aggressive, pulsating red light. It was also him, but its eyes were devoid of warmth, cold and empty, holding the predatory calm of a master fighter.
The Mentor clone spoke, its voice a calm, neutral echo in the immense space.
"Welcome, Kael. I am your guide. He," it gestured toward the red clone, "is your challenge. He embodies every skill you must master. I will impart the knowledge. He will deliver the agony. Let us begin."
The initial three months were a brutal regimen of pure physical conditioning. The Mentor, an indefatigable teacher, demonstrated flawless form for every exercise. The red Doppelgänger, however, was the relentless enforcer. When Kael's muscles screamed in protest, when he faltered on a single rep of the glowing bar, the red clone would appear. There was no encouragement. Only attack. He was forced to spar even as his body broke down, his lungs searing, the metallic taste of blood on his tongue. He was battered, thrown, and pushed far beyond what he believed his limits to be. He collapsed countless times, his body covered in simulated bruises but feeling very real pain. Yet, each time, the system would mend his torn muscles with a searing, agonizing energy, and he would rise again.
[Your Strength has increased by 1.]
[Your Stamina has increased by 1.]
These messages were the only good news.
The following nine months were dedicated entirely to combat. The Mentor was a living encyclopedia of martial arts, its movements a display of perfect technique.
"Silat is about deceptive flow," it explained, its body weaving through intricate strikes and locks. Then, the red Doppelgänger would launch its assault, its hands a blur. Kael felt the sickening snap of a simulated joint lock on his arm, the jarring thud of his body hitting the marble floor, and the world momentarily fading from a perfectly placed blow. The system flashed angry red warnings across his vision:
[Error: Improper weight distribution]
[Fatal Flaw: Telegraphed intent]
He learned the brutal efficiency of Krav Maga, the comprehensive striking and grappling of MMA, all forged through the agony of his mistakes.
Then came the weapons. The Mentor would place a cold, flawlessly balanced katana in his hands. "Kenjutsu isn't merely about cutting," it would instruct. "It's about becoming one with the blade." The red Doppelgänger would then manifest, demonstrating a hundred ways a single error would lead to his simulated demise. The sharp crack of a wooden sword impacting his ribs, the stinging sensation of a training blade leaving a gash that felt agonizingly real until the system reset it. He learned the fluid, whipping grace of Kalaripayattu, his body and weapon moving as a seamless extension.
The arena shifted, transforming into a dark, claustrophobic CQC kill-house. A heavy, cold handgun appeared in his grip. Now, the training involved live (simulated) rounds. The deafening bang of gunfire, the blinding muzzle flash, the brutal impact of a round hitting his body armor, stealing his breath. The red Doppelgänger moved like a wraith, a blur of tactical precision, employing flashbangs and flanking maneuvers with absolute ruthlessness. Kael learned to operate amidst chaos, to reload under immense pressure, to cease conscious thought and simply react.
One year. A full year of relentless pain, repeated failure, and unyielding growth.
On the final day, the Mentor clone simply stated, "Your training is complete. Now, prove it." It faded away, leaving him alone with the red Doppelgänger.
The last fight was a brutal, intricate dance. The Doppelgänger lunged with a Silat strike. Kael, instead of blocking, flowed with the attack, redirecting its momentum into a Krav Maga counter aimed at the clone's balance. The Doppelgänger recovered, producing a training knife. Kael responded, his hands moving in a blur, executing a Kenjutsu-inspired disarm he had failed ten thousand times before. The knife clattered onto the marble floor.
For the first time, he wasn't merely being overwhelmed. He wasn't just reacting. He was leading. He spotted an opening—a minuscule chance he had earned with a year of sweat and blood—and drove his fist forward in a perfect, textbook MMA strike.
The red Doppelgänger shattered into a billion incandescent particles of crimson light.
Ding!
[Growth Quest: The Vessel's Foundation - COMPLETE!]
[All primary and secondary objectives achieved.]
[Your physical body has been successfully reconstructed.]
[Returning to normal time…]
The world of white marble and golden data dissolved.
Kael's eyes snapped open. He was back in his bedroom. Soft sunlight streamed through his window. He glanced at the digital clock on his desk.
06:40 AM.
One hour. An entire year of unimaginable torment had transpired in just sixty minutes.
He rose, his movements feeling unnervingly smooth and powerful. The deep, aching exhaustion was gone, replaced by a surge of raw energy thrumming beneath his skin. He looked down at his hands. They were thicker, calloused, marked with faint, silvery scars he knew were only echoes from the simulation, yet they looked and felt utterly real.
He walked to the full-length mirror on his closet door and simply froze.
The person staring back wasn't the same individual who had entered the Training Grounds. The skinny, gangly student was gone. In his place stood a young man, an inch taller, with broad shoulders and a lean, perfectly sculpted physique. Every muscle was sharply defined, a body forged by a year of relentless, brutal combat.
But it was his eyes that had undergone the most profound transformation. The weary, analytical gaze of a student was gone. In its place resided the cold, unshakeable calm of a seasoned warrior.
He was a stranger in his own skin.
Then, the final window appeared, displaying the profound results of his year-long ordeal.
[STATUS]
Name:
Kael
Title:
God Summoner,Master Combatant
Stats:
Strength: 95
Agility: 98
Stamina: 102
Willpower: 45
Resonance: 15
Skills:
[Passive] Pantheon Synergy
[Active] Eternal Dominion (Prototype)
[Active] [Combat Skill Tab Unlocked!]
His eyes widened, scanning the incredible new stats. The numbers were beyond comprehension. He wasn't just in peak human condition; he had transcended it.
He focused on the new skill tab, and a long list of everything he had just mastered appeared, each glowing with a quiet, deadly power.
His body was no longer a vulnerability.
It was a weapon.