Time stopped for a moment.
Or that is how Ares felt.
In a flash that could not be tracked, the scene changed from the wide mission hall to a completely different space.
It was not a gradual transition, but a sharp jump, as if reality itself had been cut and reconnected somewhere else.
He found himself standing in front of a massive gate.
It was not just a door.
It was… something else.
Its structure was not fixed. Its lines twisted as if they were alive, made of an unfamiliar substance, between light and shadow, between solidity and fluidity. Inside it, space was unstable, slowly rippling, as if it was hiding a world that did not want to be seen.
Elder Varin stood beside him, calm as usual, as if the presence of this phenomenon was normal to him.
He said without turning:
"This… is a gate to the intersecting worlds."
He paused for a second, then continued, his voice heavier this time:
"Sub-worlds, existing in other dimensions. Places that do not belong to this world, but are connected to it through these gates."
Ares stared into the gate without blinking.
He could not see anything clearly.
But… he could feel.
A strange energy density, deeper and heavier than anything he had experienced before.
The elder continued:
"Those worlds are rich in spiritual energy… much more than this world. They also contain rare resources, plants, stones, remnants of techniques… and sometimes, inheritances that have not yet been discovered."
Then his voice changed slightly.
Colder.
"But they are not only places of opportunity."
He paused, as if letting the words settle.
"They are nests."
Ares' eyes narrowed slightly.
"Monsters live there. They grow there. And if one of those worlds is left uncleansed… the gate will collapse sooner or later, and then that world will no longer remain isolated."
He did not need to explain more.
The image was clear.
Invasion.
Destruction.
The elder said:
"Every sub-world has a core. A nucleus that stabilizes it and maintains its existence. As long as this core exists, the world remains."
Then he added:
"But this core… is never without a guardian."
He paused briefly, then looked directly at Ares this time.
"The beast that guards it… is the ruler there. The strongest being in that world. It draws its power directly from the core."
A heavy moment of silence passed.
Then the elder raised his hand slightly, and layers of light symbols appeared in front of them, arranged in a vertical sequence.
"Intersecting worlds are classified by danger and power."
His voice was clear and steady:
"F… E… D… C… B… A… S… SS… SSS."
The symbols disappeared as they appeared.
"And beyond that… is not something you need to know now."
Ares did not ask.
He knew the answer would not be given even if he asked.
The elder returned to silence for a few seconds, then said:
"Your training… begins here."
His gaze fixed on the gate.
"You will enter an F-level sub-world."
Ares' expression did not change.
But inside him… something ignited.
"And you will cleanse it… alone."
This time, the words carried a different weight.
The elder continued without hesitation:
"You have one year."
One year.
Inside a world full of monsters.
Without support.
Without a team.
Then came the next blow, in a cold tone:
"Your food, your drink, your sleep… even your clothes, you will manage them yourself inside that world."
This was not training.
It was… being thrown into the abyss.
Before giving him time to process it, he added:
"You also… will not receive any combat technique from the clan."
For the first time, Ares' focus clearly shifted.
But the elder did not stop.
"You will create your own techniques. Based on the Path of Eternal Ascension."
His gaze became deeper.
"Your true understanding of energy… does not come from learning, but from discovery."
Then he said in a tone that allowed no argument:
"Also, creating your own combat techniques will allow you to understand spiritual energy more precisely, and this will be very useful for your future."
"And what you build yourself… no one will be able to take it from you."
"And of course, after you build your foundation in understanding spiritual energy, the clan will reward you with very powerful techniques."
He fell silent.
And for a brief second, silence returned between them.
It was not a comfortable silence.
But the silence before a fall.
The elder raised his hand.
The gate moved.
The space inside it shook and expanded like a dark mouth preparing to swallow.
He gave no other signal.
He did not count.
He did not warn.
Simply—
He pushed him.
In a single moment, Ares lost his balance, and his body was pulled inward, as if an invisible force dragged him out of his reality and tore him away.
Before the darkness swallowed him completely…
Cold voices echoed in his mind.
The system:
["Warning…"]
["Disturbance in spatial stability."]
["Analyzing new environment…"]
["Sharp increase in spiritual energy density."]
["Recalibrating host's biological parameters…"]
The voices gradually faded…
Just as the light faded.
And nothing remained—
Except
the fall.