The screen glowed with the settings: Hell Difficulty. Golem Knight. Law of Wind. Domain Enabled. Nero's finger hovered over the confirm button. His body still ached from the last session. His cores were half-empty. But the fire in his chest—the understanding he had touched—was still warm. He wanted more. He needed to push further.
He pressed confirm.
The arena reformed, but different this time. The white stone turned black, polished obsidian that reflected the gray sky. The mist coiled thicker, restless, alive. Wind howled from nowhere, carrying the scent of ozone and distant rain. Nero stood in the center, his training sword in hand, his feet bare on the cold stone.
From the mist, the golem emerged.
