The next morning, the sky above us cracked with light — not sunlight, but something else.
A sound like a bell rang inside my head. The air shimmered.
> [System Announcement: Dimensional Rift Detected.]
[Location: 32 meters east of host.]
I turned sharply. "A rift?"
Amara raised her staff, sensing it too. "It's unstable. Not naturally formed."
Before I could respond, the ground beneath me collapsed. The others shouted my name — and then, everything went white.
---
When I opened my eyes, I wasn't in Eldrath anymore.
The sky was black, swirling with fragments of starlight. Floating platforms stretched endlessly in every direction, connected by trails of golden energy. The air felt heavy, filled with divine presence.
> [Welcome to the Dimension of Ascension.]
My sword hand tensed. "Where the hell…?"
Then, a man appeared before me. Not stepping out — simply existing where there was once nothing.
He was tall, cloaked in threads of cosmic light. His hair shimmered silver-white, eyes like two galaxies in motion. His voice was calm, echoing across the dimension like a melody.
"You arrived faster than expected," he said. "Good. That means your awakening is proceeding smoothly."
I raised my sword instinctively. "Who are you?"
The man smiled faintly. "Names are meaningless to gods. But if it helps your understanding, you may call me Tan — a Mystery God."
I froze. "A god?"
"Yes. One of the few who no longer meddle in mortal politics. I maintain balance." He lifted a finger, and light bent around it, forming symbols I couldn't read. "Your system… is connected to mine. You were never meant to awaken this early."
"So why bring me here?"
"To train you," he said simply. "Because if you don't learn to control your power, you'll destroy more than just your enemies."
The words carried weight — literal weight. The air trembled with them.
I glanced around. "So this is… some kind of divine training ground?"
Tan nodded. "Every ascendant chosen by the Supreme System must undergo dimensional trial. You are the first mortal in centuries to do so."
"Lucky me," I muttered.
Tan chuckled. "You may begin when ready."
"Begin what—"
The platform beneath me shifted. Runes flared, and suddenly, hundreds of spectral figures appeared — warriors forged of pure light, each armed with divine weapons.
> [Trial One: Survival Training — Duration: 10 minutes.]
Tan's voice echoed: "No magic. No system aid. Only your body."
The first warrior lunged.
I barely dodged, the blade whistling past my face. The second struck from the side — fast, precise. My body moved before my mind could think, parrying with raw instinct. But they didn't stop. One after another, they came, a storm of light and speed.
My breath came short. I could feel every impact reverberate through my bones. My arms ached, but I didn't slow down.
"Focus, Kael!" Tan's voice boomed. "Your strength lies not in skill, but awareness. Stop fighting with your eyes — fight with your soul!"
My soul?
Another strike grazed my shoulder. Pain flashed, sharp and burning. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to move differently — not anticipating with sight, but with feeling. The world seemed to pulse, and suddenly, time slowed.
The next attack came — I was already there.
I ducked, spun, and countered, my blade cleaving through three warriors in one motion. They shattered into shards of light.
> [Reflex Synchronization +5%]
[Body-Soul Link: Initiated]
Every second burned, but it was working.
By the eighth minute, I was bleeding and gasping, but only two warriors remained. My vision blurred. Then I heard Tan's voice again — not aloud, but inside my mind.
> You are not human anymore, Kael. You are a bridge between worlds. Stop limiting yourself.
Something within me snapped. My chest burned with blinding white light.
The last two warriors charged, but when my sword met theirs, the impact released a wave of divine energy that vaporized everything around me.
When the light cleared, the platform was cracked, my body steaming with heat.
Tan appeared again, still smiling. "Good. You're learning."
I dropped to one knee, panting. "You call that learning? That was suicide."
He laughed softly. "Every god starts as a fool who survived his first trial."
He gestured, and the world around us reshaped — the sky folding into mountains, rivers of light forming beneath floating islands.
"Round two?" I asked, groaning.
"No. Something more important." Tan's tone turned serious. "You must understand your world before you can protect it."
He waved his hand, and golden projections appeared — vast realms, civilizations, and names written in celestial script.
"This," he said, "is your world's ranking order. The measure of strength and existence itself."
The images shifted — F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, EX.
Tan explained each one as if reciting history itself. "F–Rank is your average human — fragile but adaptable. E and D are the threshold of enhancement. C–Rank marks the superior mortal; B–Rank, those who've transcended mortality. A–Rank are masters of realms — the shapers of destiny. S–Rank stands on the edge of divinity. SS–Rank walks among gods. And EX–Rank…"
He paused, meeting my eyes. "EX–Rank belongs to the few who define reality itself. Those who can unmake creation."
A chill ran down my spine. "And what rank am I now?"
"Technically?" Tan said, smiling faintly. "Undefined. You exist outside the system's measurement. That's why you are feared."
I looked down at my hands, trembling faintly. "So all of this — my powers, the assassins, the system — it's because of that?"
"Yes. The Supreme System doesn't choose lightly. It creates anomalies. You, Kael, are one of them."
He extended a glowing sphere of light. "This contains the knowledge of divine combat — how gods channel existence itself as a weapon."
I reached out. The moment my hand touched it, a rush of information flooded my mind — movements, sigils, combat forms carved into memory.
> [New Technique Learned: Celestial Form — Stage I]
Light burst from my body, enveloping the space around me. The sensation was indescribable — every cell vibrating with power. My sword responded instantly, humming as if alive.
Tan's eyes gleamed. "Now strike."
I didn't think. I moved.
The sword cut through the air, releasing a shockwave that shattered a nearby island into stardust.
Tan clapped once. "Perfect control will come later. For now, you understand what you are capable of."
I stared at the fading light, heart pounding. "You're training me to become like you, aren't you?"
"No," he said calmly. "I'm training you to survive them."
"Them?"
He pointed to the void above. Dozens of glowing symbols appeared — divine sigils burning in the darkness.
"The gods who oppose the Supreme System. The Nor, the Akene, the Tempest. Factions who see your existence as a threat to balance."
"So they'll come for me?"
"They already have," Tan said, voice grave. "You met their first messengers last night."
My grip tightened on the sword. "Then I'll be ready next time."
Tan smiled faintly. "We'll see. Your next trial will decide that."
He lifted his hand — and before I could react, the world shattered again.
---
When I woke up, I was back in the forest. The morning sun filtered through the trees, painting gold across the leaves.
Amara was leaning over me, her eyes wide with relief. "You're back! You just vanished!"
Lyra laughed shakily. "We thought you were dead!"
I sat up, still dizzy. "Not dead," I muttered. "Just… trained by a god."
Arden blinked. "You what?"
"Long story," I said, standing and brushing off the dust. My body still hummed with divine energy.
> [System Notice: New Title Acquired — "Trainee of a Mystery God."]
I looked toward the horizon. "Next time they come for us, we'll be ready."
Because now I wasn't just Kael the student.
I was something else entirely.
A weapon forged between worlds.