Upon entering the portal, Tarkan felt his vision spin. For a brief moment, the world around him blurred. A strange sensation passed through his entire body, almost like being pulled through a tunnel of swirling air and light.
Then, suddenly, it stopped.
He appeared in the middle of what looked like a forest, surrounded by tall trees stretching high above. The light that pierced through the leaves was soft, giving the area an almost dreamlike calmness. The air was fresh, the ground slightly damp beneath his feet.
Checking his body for any issues, he realized something, unlike the last time he traveled through a portal, he didn't feel sick. Just a bit dizzy. But that was already fading. His balance returned quickly.
Everything seemed.. fine.
He was about to scan his surroundings when a translucent window appeared in front of him, floating silently in his vision.
---
[Stats Window]
Strength: 10
Agility: 2
Perception: 8
Stamina: 8
Intelligence: 1689
---
Tarkan stared at the numbers.
They confirmed what he had already sensed. His strength and agility were low, perception and stamina average. But his intelligence... 1689. He blinked again. That number didn't make any sense.
Still, he shook off the confusion.
He focused on the environment. Forest. Trees, as far as the eye could see. No signs of monsters. No people. No buildings. Just nature.
It made him feel both relieved and cautious.
Based on what he had learned from the books, this wasn't the true beginning of ascending into the higher dimensions. This place was something else entirely. A trial ground created to test new entrants.
To awaken, you had to survive, fight, and grow stronger to earn the right to ascendance.
To pass the trial, you had to raise a minimum of three stats to 100 within seven days. That was the rule. If you failed, you could never enter this dimension again. That meant you would never awaken. Not in this life.
Failing wasn't just a setback. It was a permanent end.
The trial didn't care about luck or background. It didn't matter if you came from a great family, had money, or connections. Once inside, the only thing that mattered was your will to survive and grow.
Weapons and potions were allowed, but only low-ranked ones. Anything above the permitted grade would be stripped away the moment you entered. If you forced it, the dimension would reject you entirely. You'd be thrown out and you'd never be able to access the portal for another chance to awaken.
There was no cheating here. No shortcuts. Just you and the trial.
Tarkan remembered the many types of trial zones mentioned in the books, some were deserts, some fire-based terrains, others swamps or icy wastelands.
Looking around, he exhaled a slow breath of relief.
A forest.
At least it wasn't a blazing inferno or a frozen location.
Just as he was about to take his first step, a sharp pain jolted through his head.
It started small just a small itch of discomfort behind his eyes.
Then it grew.
Fast.
Within seconds, it became unbearable. A searing headache exploded inside his head, spreading like fire through his nerves. Tarkan's legs gave out. He dropped to his knees, clutching his head.
The pain intensified.
And then it broke him.
Arghhhhh...!!!
Not a controlled yell, but a raw, guttural scream that echoed through the quiet forest like a dying beast. He dropped to the ground completely, twisting and rolling, his body wracked with agony.
Tarkan was no stranger to pain.
But this was different.
This pain wasn't just in his body. It clawed through his mind, pierced through his bones, and burned through his soul.
He could no longer feel the ground beneath him.
He wasn't even aware of where he was anymore.
Every fiber of his being felt like it was being torn apart.
If someone had been watching, they would've seen his skin tearing in thin lines. His muscles twitched violently, blood leaking from his mouth and eyes. His whole body spasmed, as if something inside was trying to break out.
Then, it started happening.
Tarkan's body began to disintegrate.
Piece by piece.
Flesh faded into light. His arms dissolved. His legs scattered like dust. His body fell apart completely only to reform a moment later.
And then it repeated.
Disintegration.
Reintegration.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The cycle seemed endless.
And through it all, a small translucent glowing orb appeared at his chest barely visible to the naked eye. It hovered there, pulsing slowly, before it too began to crumble. Bit by bit, it disintegrated, each fragment merging into his body, into his blood, his muscles, his nerves.
But this wasn't only physical.
Something deeper, something that couldn't be touched or seen was also being changed.
The glowing fragments didn't just fuse with his body.
They fused with his soul.
Time lost meaning. Minutes? Hours? He didn't know. There was no sound anymore, only a constant, silent scream within his consciousness.
And then_
Stillness.
The process stopped.
The glowing orb had vanished completely, now part of him.
And there, lying motionless in a pool of his own blood, was Tarkan.
Unmoving.
Unconscious.
Silent.
The forest, which had watched the entire event without a sound, remained unchanged. The trees swayed gently in the breeze. Leaves rustled.
Tarkan's body lay still bloodied, but whole.
And then...
Nothing.
Just utter silence.
****
Author's Note:
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