The air inside the training facility felt heavier than usual.
Not because of humidity.
Not because of exhaustion.
But because something had shifted.
Ares Locke stood at the edge of the pitch, fingers flexing slowly as he watched the other trial candidates warm up. Their movements were clean. Efficient. Confident in a way that came from years of structured training and resources he had never known.
Academy graduates.
Club-sponsored youths.
Boys who had never trained alone in abandoned stadiums.
This was no longer the lonely battlefield he was used to.
This was competition.
And for the first time since the system awakened, Ares felt a pressure that didn't come from his body—
—but from the world itself.
The Wall Appears
"Group C, positions!"
The coach's whistle sliced through the noise.
Ares jogged forward, falling naturally into position as an attacking midfielder. His breath steadied. His heartbeat slowed.
Focus.
This wasn't a match.
Not yet.
This was a filter.
One designed to expose weaknesses.
Rowan Vale stood near the sideline, arms crossed, eyes unreadable. He wasn't shouting. Wasn't instructing.
He was watching.
Judging.
Ares felt it clearly now.
This is where talent starts to matter.
The scrimmage began.
The ball moved quickly—too quickly.
Short passes. One-touch transitions. Players reading each other instinctively.
Ares reacted a half-second late.
Not enough to be obvious.
But enough to matter.
"Too slow!"
A defender intercepted his pass.
Another play—he pressed forward, received the ball, tried to turn—
Clang.
A shoulder slammed into him.
He stumbled but stayed upright.
The system flickered.
⸻
[Unyielding Spark — ACTIVATED]
Duration: 6 seconds
⸻
His footing stabilized. His vision sharpened.
But something was wrong.
The clarity wasn't as overwhelming as before.
His movements were strong—but capped.
He passed. Recovered. Pressed again.
Yet the feeling lingered.
Like pushing against glass that refused to break.
System Diagnosis
During a brief break, Ares leaned forward, hands on knees.
Sweat dripped from his chin.
His lungs burned—but not dangerously.
The system chimed.
DING.
⸻
[System Analysis Initiated]
Detected anomaly: Growth Resistance
Cause: Approaching Natural Limit
⸻
Ares froze.
"…Natural limit?"
The words echoed louder than any insult he'd ever heard.
⸻
Explanation:
The host's physical and technical attributes are nearing the upper boundary of untrained human capacity.
Further growth through willpower alone will face increasing resistance.
⸻
His jaw tightened.
"So… that's it?" he whispered. "This is as far as effort gets me?"
The system remained calm.
DING.
⸻
Correction:
Effort is not insufficient.
But evolution now requires refinement.
⸻
Refinement.
Not harder.
Smarter.
Ares straightened slowly.
He looked at the players around him—not with envy, but with clarity.
They aren't stronger because they want it more.
They're stronger because their foundations are cleaner.
The wall wasn't there to stop him.
It was there to be understood.
Rowan's Test
The whistle blew again.
Rowan stepped forward.
"We're switching drills," he announced. "Decision-making under pressure."
Ares's pulse spiked.
This wasn't raw athleticism.
This was intelligence.
Players were divided into tight zones. Reduced space. Increased pace.
Every mistake would be exposed.
The ball came to Ares early.
He received it cleanly.
A defender closed in.
Another cut off his passing lane.
For a brief moment, panic flickered.
Then—
DING.
⸻
[Limitless Vision — PARTIAL ACTIVATION]
Reader Belief: LOW
Prediction Window: 0.2 seconds
⸻
Not enough to dominate.
But enough to survive.
Ares pivoted—not flashy, not forceful.
Efficient.
He passed backward.
Safe.
The coach frowned.
Rowan didn't.
The next possession—Ares delayed instead of charging.
He drew pressure.
Then released the ball at the last moment.
Clean progression.
No applause.
No praise.
But no mistake.
Something subtle changed.
Reader Reaction
The system chimed again.
⸻
Reader Emotion Detected: CURIOSITY
Trend: Rising
Effect: Cognitive Efficiency +3%
⸻
Ares almost smiled.
They're still watching.
Not because he was spectacular.
But because he was learning.
Crack in the Wall
The final drill was brutal.
Continuous play. No stoppages. Fatigue stacked relentlessly.
Ares's legs screamed.
His vision blurred.
This was where he usually broke through—
—but today, the wall returned.
His sprint slowed.
His touch dulled.
A defender slipped past him.
A mistake.
A clear one.
Rowan's eyes sharpened.
Ares clenched his teeth.
Not now.
He forced himself forward again.
Not with speed.
Not with power.
With timing.
He anticipated.
Intercepted.
One clean movement.
The wall cracked.
Not shattered.
Cracked.
DING.
⸻
[Milestone Achieved: Adaptive Breakthrough (Minor)]
New Passive Unlocked:
— "Mental Compression"
Effect: Reduces performance drop under prolonged fatigue.
⸻
Ares exhaled sharply.
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't flashy.
But it was real progress.
After the Session
The drill ended.
Players collapsed. Groaned. Laughed nervously.
Rowan walked over.
He stopped in front of Ares.
"You hit a wall today," Rowan said calmly.
Ares nodded. "Yes."
"And you didn't break through it."
A pause.
"…But you didn't bounce off either."
Rowan met his eyes.
"That matters."
Ares swallowed.
Rowan turned away.
"Tomorrow," he added, "we refine. Not expand."
As Rowan walked off, the system chimed one final time.
DING.
⸻
Volume Progress Update
系统觉醒篇:86%
Approaching Critical Turning Point
⸻
Ares looked at the sky beyond the facility roof.
He was still behind.
Still weaker.
Still unproven.
But the wall that once terrified him—
now had a crack.
And cracks could be widened.
He clenched his fist.
I'm not done yet.
Not even close.