The next day.
Shin showed up at Lin Xuan's house without knocking.
The door slid open before his fist even touched it.
Lin Xuan stood there, already expecting him.
Shin didn't waste time.
He planted his feet, straightened his back, and spoke with unusual seriousness.
> "Mr. Lin Xuan,"
"I want to get stronger."
Lin Xuan studied him for a moment—long enough to tell that this wasn't a passing mood.
He smiled faintly.
> "Then follow me."
He turned and walked.
Shin followed immediately.
Alicia and Vaibhav were already waiting outside, having been told to come along without explanation. Vaibhav gave Shin a quick glance—half curious, half wary. Alicia nodded once, calm as always.
They didn't ask questions.
Lin Xuan led them through the city, past districts Shin had never entered before, until the architecture changed—sleek obsidian walls, glowing runic seams, and a pressure in the air that made even breathing feel heavier.
They stopped before a massive structure.
Obsidian Onyx Guild.
Shin whistled low.
"…Okay," he muttered. "That's not subtle."
Inside, the hall stretched impossibly far, pillars vanishing upward into darkness. The floor reflected faint silhouettes like black glass. People moved quietly, purposefully, each one carrying a presence that made Shin instinctively straighten his posture.
Lin Xuan didn't slow.
He walked straight across the hall to a sealed chamber at the far end.
No guards stopped them.
No one questioned him.
Lin Xuan placed his hand against the door.
It opened silently.
Inside—
Nothing.
No walls.
No ceiling.
No floor.
Just an endless void where faint currents of energy drifted like invisible tides. The air itself felt alive—dense, reactive, watching.
Shin stepped forward instinctively, then stopped.
His instincts screamed.
"…This isn't Nexus," Shin said slowly.
"We haven't crossed over. How the hell can we use power?"
Alicia felt it too—the strange freedom, like gravity itself was optional. Vaibhav clenched his fist unconsciously, sensing energy respond to his presence without resistance.
Lin Xuan stepped into the void as if it were solid ground.
> "Because here," he said calmly,
"rules don't matter."
Shin frowned deeply.
"That's not an explanation."
Lin Xuan turned back slightly.
> "It's a warning."
He raised his hand.
The void reacted.
Energy condensed instantly—not violently, not explosively—but with perfect obedience. Space bent around his palm, forming pressure so dense it distorted light.
Shin's breath caught.
Lin Xuan closed his hand.
The pressure vanished.
> "This room doesn't care about hierarchy," Lin Xuan continued.
"Levels don't matter here."
Shin swallowed.
"…So what do we do?"
Lin Xuan gestured forward.
> "Step in."
Shin hesitated for half a second.
Then stepped into the void.
There was no ground—but his foot didn't fall.
Energy solidified beneath him instinctively.
His body reacted before his mind did.
"…Huh."
Alicia followed, landing smoothly. Vaibhav stepped in last, slightly unbalanced at first, then correcting himself with a sharp inhale.
Lin Xuan faced them.
> "Training starts now."
The void shifted.
Pressure crashed down from every direction at once.
Shin's knees buckled instantly.
His teeth clenched as invisible weight slammed into his body, forcing him downward. His muscles screamed—not from strain, but from resistance against something that didn't exist.
Alicia gritted her teeth, dropping to one knee.
Vaibhav staggered but held.
"This—!" Shin growled. "This is cheating!"
Lin Xuan's voice cut through the pressure effortlessly.
> "This is restraint."
The pressure doubled.
Shin's vision blurred.
His instincts flared violently—every part of him screaming to fight, to lash out, to break something. Energy surged instinctively through his body, wild and unshaped.
The void reacted.
The pressure spiked.
Shin slammed down onto one knee, fist crashing into the invisible floor.
"Ghh—!"
Lin Xuan didn't move.
> "Shin," he said evenly.
"Power that reacts to emotion will betray you."
Shin's breathing was ragged.
"…Then what do I do?"
> "Control it."
The pressure didn't lessen.
Shin shut his eyes.
Forced himself to breathe.
Not deeper.
Slower.
The wild surge inside him resisted—angry, impatient, violent—but he clenched down on it, compressing it inward instead of letting it explode.
The void responded.
The pressure eased—slightly.
Shin opened his eyes, sweat dripping down his face.
"…Oh," he muttered. "So it's like that."
Lin Xuan nodded once.
> "Good."
The void became merciless.
Hours passed.
There was no sun here.
No sense of time.
Only pressure, failure, adjustment, and repetition.
Shin collapsed more times than he could count.
But each time—
He stood back up faster.
By the time Lin Xuan finally raised his hand and dispelled the pressure, Shin was still standing—knees shaking, breath heavy, eyes burning.
Lin Xuan looked at him.
> "This is only the beginning," Lin Xuan said.
"If you survive this place…"
He turned away.
> "…Nexus will feel merciful."
Shin wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and grinned weakly.
"…Great," he muttered.
"I always wanted mercy."
One year passed.
Shin didn't completely disappear from high school—but he skipped often enough that teachers stopped asking questions. Whenever he was present, it was usually just long enough to remind everyone he existed, then vanish again into training.
Alicia and Vaibhav were different.
They stayed consistent. Classes. Exams. Projects. They took their studies seriously—especially Alicia, who treated academics with the same quiet discipline she applied to everything else. Vaibhav followed, focused but observant, always balancing effort with restraint.
When they weren't studying, Lin Xuan made them play a game.
Genesis Reign Online.
A full-dive virtual environment developed by the Obsidian Onyx Guild. Not entertainment—simulation. A near-perfect replica of the Genesis Nexus, complete with beasts, environments, combat physics, and risk-response systems.
"Experience without consequence," Lin Xuan had said.
"Learn instincts before you bleed."
Shin hated the game.
Not because it was hard.
Because it felt limited.
Still, he played when told—usually after training left his body too tired to argue.
One afternoon, inside the Obsidian Onyx Guild's canteen, Shin sat across from Lin Xuan with a half-eaten taco in one hand.
The canteen was quiet, filled with low conversation. People here didn't talk loudly. Most of them carried scars—some visible, some not.
Shin chewed thoughtfully.
Then asked, casually,
"Hey. Black Eyes."
Lin Xuan didn't look up from his tea.
"What."
Shin smirked. "If I ever get scared of a beast… what should I do?"
Lin Xuan finally glanced at him.
"Scared?"
Shin shrugged. "Yeah. Like, heart pounding, legs screaming, 'this thing can kill me' kind of scared."
Lin Xuan set his cup down.
"If you are ever scared," he said evenly, "remember one thing."
Shin leaned forward slightly.
"I am your master."
A pause.
"And I am the most terrifying thing you'll ever face."
Shin stared at him for a second.
Then muttered,
"…F*cking narcissist."
Lin Xuan ignored him.
Shin took another bite of his taco, then spoke again—this time quieter.
"Hey… do you—"
He hesitated.
"Is there anyone you're afraid of?"
The question lingered.
Lin Xuan didn't answer immediately.
His gaze drifted—not to the canteen, not to Shin—but somewhere far away.
"Yes," he said finally.
Shin blinked. "Huh. Didn't expect that."
Lin Xuan continued, voice lower now.
"His name is ShenYi Wuji."
Shin frowned. "Strong guy?"
"That's not why I fear him," Lin Xuan replied.
"Then what?"
Lin Xuan's fingers tightened around his cup.
"Because he doesn't need to be stronger than me," he said quietly.
"He doesn't need to kill me."
Shin stopped chewing.
"He can take my family," Lin Xuan continued.
"My friends.
My people."
"Anytime he wants."
Silence settled between them.
Shin looked at him for a long moment.
Then scratched the back of his head.
"…Hey," he said awkwardly.
"You okay?"
Lin Xuan didn't respond.
Shin sighed.
"You can't just drop something like that," he complained. "Even readers wouldn't like that kind of mood shift."
Lin Xuan finally smiled faintly.
"Kid," he said, "are you thinking you're a fictional character again?"
Shin grinned instantly.
"Yeah. So what?"
"I'm the best side character."
He swallowed the last bite of his taco.
"Anyway, I've got one more question."
Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Shin met his eyes directly.
"Why," he asked, "did you make me your disciple?"
Lin Xuan didn't dodge the question.
He answered immediately.
"Because I want to stop you from realizing your true power."
Shin froze.
"…What?"
Lin Xuan continued calmly.
"If you ever fully realize what you are," he said, "you will become troublesome."
"For me."
Shin stared at him.
"…W—What kind of answer is that?!" he snapped. "That's not inspiring at all!"
Lin Xuan picked up his tea again, completely unfazed.
"Truth rarely is."
Shin leaned back in his chair, glaring.
"…You're seriously messed up, you know that?"
Lin Xuan took a sip.
"And yet," he said quietly,
"you're still sitting here."
Shin clicked his tongue.
"…Tch."
But he didn't argue further.
Another eight months passed.
By the end of it, Shin no longer looked like someone being trained.
He looked like someone being contained.
His movements were sharper. His reactions came faster than thought.
Lin Xuan watched him closely.
"You're ready," he said one morning.
Shin paused mid-stretch. "Ready for what?"
"For Genesis Nexus."
Shin's grin came instantly. "Finally."
There was only one problem.
He was still a minor.
Which meant bureaucracy.
So Lin Xuan took him to the ERA — Evolver Registration Authority.
The building itself was massive, cold, and sterile. White walls reinforced with energy barriers, officials moving with practiced efficiency, scanners humming constantly. This was where talent became registered, where power was given a number, a file, a leash.
Shin hated it.
"Why do I need permission to get stronger?" he complained as they walked in.
"Because the world prefers knowing what can destroy it," Lin Xuan replied calmly.
The Maturity Card Test wasn't about raw strength.
It was about control.
Mental stability.
Threat assessment.
Response under pressure.
They put Shin through simulations—beasts lunging without warning, environments collapsing, civilians screaming for help. They tried fear. Pain. Confusion.
Shin passed all of it.
Not flawlessly.
But decisively.
When the final result appeared on the screen, the examiner stared for a long second before clearing his throat.
"…Approved."
Shin took the card, inspecting it like it might explode.
"That's it?" he asked. "No dramatic speech? No warning about responsibility?"
The examiner didn't smile. "You've already been warned enough."
Lin Xuan said nothing.
After a few hours.
Shin entered the Genesis Nexus.
The moment the gate opened, heat and pressure washed over him. Alien sky. Hostile land. The raw presence of beasts lurking just beyond sight.
Shin breathed it in.
Then smiled.
He fought.
Not recklessly—but hungrily.
Beasts charged.
He adapted.
He bled.
He learned.
Each battle stripped something unnecessary away—fear, hesitation, doubt. He didn't rely on tricks. He didn't hide behind talent.
He survived.
And survival made him sharper.
Stronger.
More himself.
Time blurred after that.
Kills stacked.
Scars formed.
Instincts honed.
By the time he stepped out—
Shin was no longer just someone with potential.
He was someone who had earned it.
At present.
Year 6666.
Shin glanced sideways, hands in his pockets, expression casual as ever.
"So," he said lightly, breaking the silence,
"how was my backstory?"
He smirked.
"I hope you liked it."
Then, like he was announcing the start of a game—
"From the next chapter," he added,
"our journey will actually begin."
Shin paused mid-step.
Then frowned.
"…Wait," he said slowly. "Why does it feel like the chapter isn't over yet?"
Back on Earth.
Three months had passed since Vaibhav and Alicia officially became adults.
The ERA — Evolver Registration Authority was as sterile and imposing as ever. White halls. Reinforced floors. Walls designed to withstand impacts meant for monsters, not people.
Lin Xuan stood with his arms folded.
Anika leaned casually nearby, watching with interest.
Vaibhav stepped forward first.
The strength-testing wall activated, glowing faintly as it calibrated.
He took a breath.
And punched.
He didn't use everything.
Not even close.
Just forty percent.
The impact echoed like a thunderclap.
The wall trembled.
Numbers flashed.
Strength Index: 45
A brief silence followed.
Even the staff stared.
Vaibhav stepped back, rubbing his knuckles awkwardly. "Uh… is that okay?"
Lin Xuan nodded once. "Acceptable."
Next—
Alicia.
She adjusted her stance, eyes calm, expression focused. Her fist moved in a clean, controlled arc.
The wall shook again.
Less violently.
But just as decisively.
Strength Index: 40
Anika's smile widened. "Not bad at all."
The registrations were finalized quickly after that.
No delays.
No objections.
The gate to the Genesis Nexus activated.
Light folded inward.
Space distorted.
And then—
They stepped through.
Ignis Prime.
Once called Mars.
An endless icy region stretched before them—frozen plains, jagged spires of ice, wind sharp enough to cut exposed skin. The sky above was pale and distant, clouds drifting slowly like spectators.
Alicia shivered. "So… this is it."
Vaibhav took it in silently.
Then—
A familiar voice spoke behind them.
"Yo."
They turned.
Shin stood there, hands in his pockets, coat fluttering lightly in the cold wind. He looked older. Sharper. Different.
But the grin was the same.
"It's been a while," he said casually.
And just like that—
Their journey truly began.