Jade floated in complete darkness.
At first, he thought his eyes might be closed.
But when he blinked several times, the darkness remained the same. There was no ground beneath him, no sky above him, and no sound anywhere around him. It felt like he was suspended in an endless ocean of black space.
For a moment, Jade wondered if something had gone wrong.
He looked down at his hands.
They were still there.
His body felt normal.
But the place he was in felt… unreal.
Jade slowly turned his head from side to side, trying to see if there was anything around him.
Nothing.
Only the silent, empty void stretching infinitely in every direction.
A strange thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"Am I… dead?"
The question felt ridiculous, but he couldn't help thinking about it. When the system had begun the countdown earlier, he had only expected to be teleported somewhere instantly.
He didn't expect this strange journey through a dark emptiness.
Jade sighed quietly.
"System," he called out.
The voice responded inside his mind immediately.
"Yes."
Jade hesitated slightly before asking.
"Am I actually being sent to my trial… or did I die somehow?"
The system replied calmly.
"You are currently being transported to your trial."
Jade relaxed slightly after hearing that.
So he wasn't dead.
That was good news.
Still, there was nothing to see and nothing to do.
The darkness around him remained completely silent.
Jade crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"If I'm just traveling… then I might as well use this time to practice."
He remembered something he had learned the previous night.
The Sharp Punch technique.
Even though he had only practiced it briefly, the movements had stayed clearly in his mind.
Jade slowly raised one hand.
He imagined the stance.
Feet steady.
Body aligned.
Energy focused toward a weak point.
Even though there was no ground beneath him, Jade mimicked the movement as best as he could.
He positioned his arm carefully.
Then he punched forward.
The punch cut through empty air.
Even though there was nothing to hit, Jade still focused on perfecting the motion.
Again.
And again.
Each time, he visualized striking a precise point on an enemy's body.
He imagined the punch traveling through the skin and damaging the internal organs.
After practicing several times, Jade began doing other exercises as well.
He stretched his arms and legs.
He rotated his shoulders.
He practiced controlled breathing.
Even basic exercises helped him keep his body ready.
After some time passed, Jade looked around the dark void again.
Nothing had changed.
It still felt like endless darkness.
"How long is this supposed to take?" he muttered.
Finally, Jade called the system again.
"System."
"Yes."
"How long until we reach my trial?"
He paused for a moment before adding another question.
"And why is the journey taking so long?"
The system answered calmly.
"You are currently being sent to a location in the past."
Jade blinked.
"The past?"
The system continued.
"You will experience an illusion or event that occurred in the past."
"This event is connected to your trial."
Jade frowned slightly.
"So the trial involves the past?"
"Yes."
The system added,
"You are almost there."
Jade sighed.
"Well… at least it's almost over."
He relaxed slightly and stopped practicing.
With nothing else to do, Jade began thinking about something else.
The future.
What would happen after the trial?
If he survived.
Jade imagined returning home.
He imagined Nora complaining loudly while pretending she hadn't been worried.
He imagined his mother hugging him tightly.
He imagined his father giving him a proud nod.
The thought made Jade smile faintly.
Then another thought appeared.
The system power.
During his preparation, the system had told him something interesting.
His affinity was connected to blood.
Jade still didn't fully understand what that meant.
What kind of power could come from blood?
Blood control?
Blood strength?
Blood energy?
He had no idea.
But he remembered something clearly.
The system had warned him that a person's first ability was often weak.
Many people started with basic or unimpressive abilities.
True power only came after years of growth.
Jade thought about his grandfather.
Asterion.
His grandfather had once told him stories about how difficult his own first power had been.
At the time, Asterion had even thought it was useless.
But over time, he had learned how to develop it.
Jade nodded slowly.
"So even if my first power is weak…"
"I can still improve it."
He wasn't expecting something flashy.
He wasn't expecting something legendary.
Even something simple would be enough.
Still, Jade was certain of one thing.
His body would definitely gain superhuman strength.
That alone would already make a huge difference.
Jade stretched his arms again and looked down at his hands.
"These hands might become much stronger soon."
He clenched his fist.
A small smile appeared on his face.
Then his thoughts slowly drifted elsewhere.
He began remembering his childhood.
He remembered playing outside when he was very young.
Running around the neighborhood with Nora.
Training with his father for the first time.
Listening to stories from Asterion.
Watching his mother cook while humming softly.
Back then, life had felt simple.
Now everything was changing.
Jade sighed softly.
"I've grown a lot."
But even so…
He was still just sixteen years old.
Still a teenager.
He wasn't even sure what kind of person he would become in the future.
What would happen when he became an adult?
What kind of power would he gain?
What kind of life would he live?
The questions slowly filled his mind.
The quiet darkness around him made everything feel strangely peaceful.
And then Jade suddenly realized something.
He was very tired.
The previous night had been exhausting.
He had trained in the pressure machine.
He had practiced combat techniques.
He had slept only a little while on the couch.
His body was still tired.
Jade yawned softly.
"Well…"
"If this journey is going to take a while…"
"I might as well rest."
There was nothing dangerous in the void.
Nothing attacking him.
Nothing demanding his attention.
So Jade closed his eyes.
Floating peacefully in the dark space, he slowly allowed his body to relax.
Within minutes, exhaustion took over.
Jade drifted into sleep.
As he slept, the dark void around him continued moving silently.
And somewhere ahead…
His trial was waiting.