Ash stood alone in a place that hadn't tasted human footsteps in a hundred thousand years.
The forgotten proving ground of the ancient Seraphiel Kingdom lay beneath the current palace like a buried god's tomb. Colossal pillars of star-forged obsidian rose fifty meters into darkness; their surfaces etched with runes that still bled faint silver light. The floor was polished voidstone—so black it swallowed reflections—cracked only by the roots of a single dead world-tree that had once pierced the ceiling.
Floating islands of shattered weapons drifted lazily in the air, held aloft by the residue of battles fought when the era of kings itself was young.
Ash pressed his palm to the crystal orb sealing the gate. It drank his mana greedily, shuddered, and the doors groaned open for the first time since the last Seraphiel King fell.
He stepped through and laughed—one low, vicious sound.
He couldn't suppress it this time, this training ground was originally discovered by Kale during the novel.
"I must truly thank Kale himself." He said jokingly as he began to look around.
Rows of weapon racks lined the walls, blades still humming with sealed power. Crystal vials of liquid starlight sat untouched. In was the perfect place to train in secret. But before he could do that, he wanted to use his time dilation for a few months.
Which meant he would finally test out the Ever-Calm Haven.
He couldn't train with combat inside of the Haven, it was purely for relaxation or cultivation. He closed his eyes and felt the connection to the Haven in his soul. After feeling a slight tug,
He willed himself inside.
----
When he reappeared, he was in a vast field, he took a moment take it all in as he looked around. A boundless meadow under an eternal violet sky. Flowers that chimed when the wind touched them. Towering trees with leaves of liquid gold. That was all this place had to offer.... aside from the lonely door that stood, not connected to any structure.
Twenty meters ahead was a black door marked 'TIME DILATION' stood waiting.
Seeing the straightforward sign, Ash reached for the handle. However, to his surprise his hand reached an invisible wall. Moments later a panel showed.
[Access Denied. Lesser Chamber (3:1) Requires an Existence Level of 300, True Chamber (10:1) requires an Existence Level of 2,500 Current: 25]
"The hell? Why wasn't something like this stated in the description" He stared at the panel for three full seconds with the feeling of being scammed.
Then he started chuckling,
"Fine," he said to the empty meadow. "We do it the hard way."
After those words sounded he left the field. Since he couldn't use Time Dilation then being there was a waste of time for now. He stepped back into the ancient hall, rolled his shoulders, and let the disguise fall away. Black-and-white hair spilled wild. Skin shimmered with faint starlight. The air itself seemed to lean toward him.
Ash sat cross-legged in the center of the voidstone floor and began to recall what he remembered from the novel.
"According to the novel, one can raise their rank in several ways, but it all comes back to the existence level. The basic and most primal way is intaking mana through the atmosphere. Then there is intense training that pushes one to their limit, killing, and using treasures."
With this in mind he wanted to try atmospheric absorption. At the E rank everyone gained something called mana sense. It was essentially a third eye that allowed them to see further, and it allowed them in intake more mana.
He closed his eyes and reached.
The Singularity Genesis Physique answered like a starving beast.
HUMMM!
A black hole the size of a fist tore open over his sternum. Mana in the hall howled. Runes on the pillars flared in panic as tens of thousands of years, of stagnant energy was ripped toward him in a screaming vortex.
It hurt.
His core burned white-hot. Veins lit beneath his skin like molten gold. Blood dripped from his nose, sizzled, and evaporated before it hit the ground. The black hole grew—chest, shoulders, now the size of a shield—devouring everything.
[+0.8 Existence Level] [+1.1] [+1.4] [+1.7]
Numbers blurred. Pain blurred. The deeper he fell into his cultivation the more his mind seemed to slip away.
And before he knew it.
-----
He was eight again, arms trembling around a katana too heavy for his frame.
Royal Sword Master Valeria Crimson walked the line of royal children like a predator. Her crimson cloak snapped behind her.
"Aster—acceptable. Shia— looks a bit dangerous. Draven—good, very useful." Her gaze landed on Ash.
"And this is what passes for a prince?"
She struck the flat of his blade with her own. The katana flew from numb fingers. Ash hit the dirt.
"Pathetic."
King Caelum's voice cut across the training yard. "Seven years, boy. Awaken something useful or disappear."
Little Nia—barely six—stood rigid beside him, she tightened her grip on her hilt, so tight that her tiny knuckles showed white on her practice sword. Her rose-gold eyes burned, but she said nothing. She never did, not where anyone could hear at least.
Time passed again and Ash found himself standing on the same training ground deep into the night with eyes that bled with determination. He held the same Katana in hand as he strived and pushed himself to be better, to be stronger.
'I won't disappoi---'
His thoughts were cut short as he passed out due to exhaustion.
Minutes later, from the shadows a small little girl could be seen. In her hands was a blanket, Ointment that smelled of frost-lilies, and a basket of food. She smeared the ointment over the bruises herself, tucked the blanket around his unconscious body, and curled against his side like a silent promise.
The food sat in a mana coated basket that would keep it warm him until he woke. This little girl was of course Nia Solace.
'I'll protect you, Ashy. Always.' She thought to herself before her eyes closed. That night and many other nights after this one she always found herself doing this again and again.
----
Present-day Ash snarled through bloodied teeth. The black hole roared louder.
[+13.2] [+14.1] [+15.0]
The numbers were constantly increasing even while his mind had drifted back to his distant memories.
His skin split along the shoulders. Muscle tore before it re-knit denser. Bones sang. The voidstone beneath him cracked in a perfect circle.
When he finally opened his eyes, the black hole collapsed. Silence rushed back in.
He didn't even know how much time had passed, but he felt much stronger compared to when he started. However, he still needed to see the progression for himself.
'Status.'
[Ash Solace
Race – Human (Eternal Bloodline of Bonds, Ultimate) | Lust (Partially Sealed – Cultivation Insufficient, Rank ???)
Age – 17
Rank – F (EL 100)
MP – 300
Talent – Charm (SSS), Nirvana (???), Absolute Null Zone (S), Eyes of First Dawn (Passive, ???), Perfect Disguise Veil (S), Absolute Density (Ultimate), Heart Sovereign (???)
Skills – None
Physique – Singularity Genesis Physique (???)
Affinity – Phoenix Fire (SSS), Lust (Ultimate), Paradox (???)
Contracted Beast – Vaeloria | Ten-Tailed Celestial Fox (S)
Item – Ever-Calm Haven]
----
Seeing the results he smiled as he stood up. Blood steamed off his skin and vanished. His grin was feral.
"One whole rank, not bad for a warm-up." He said before he moved to the next thing. He only wanted to test absorbing mana; it was by far one of the worst ways to rank up. Even him gaining an entire rank from it surprised him, but that was all thanks to his physique. Soon he would come to learn just how broken it was.... but now he decided to shift his focus.
It was time for combat!
In the center of the hall, an altar orb pulsed. He approached it and then slapped his hand onto it.
After injecting a bit of mana a screen showed.
Training dummy: F-rank. Combat mode engaged.
The construct materialized—ten feet of living armor with its halberd already swinging. The sudden motion caught Ash off guard, but he didn't retreat. He smiled like the savage he was.... or would be.
'Perfect' He thought before he activated one of his talents.
|Absolute Density|
Ash met it with his bare fist.
Absolute Density surged. His arm flashed black for an instant, the weight of a mountain compressed into knuckles.
BANG!!!!!!
The impact sounded like a meteor strike.
The dummy's chest caved. Voidstone exploded outward in a ring. The halberd shattered into hundreds of silver fragments that hung in the air like startled birds.
[+20 Existence Level]
[A/N: A Universal rule is that Training/Sparring gives +2-+10. It all depends on how intense the training session is, these training constructs will only provide +2. He gained 20 because of his physique multiplier.]
Ash laughed into the settling dust, eyes glowing bright gold.
"Again."
While above the kingdom made plans for six months.
Down here, Ash had already begun his own path.