"No way... it's finally here!" Max nearly yelled, staring at the mirror in his bathroom.
The long scar on his back had healed significantly. Not completely—but the speed of recovery was far from normal.
He'd only absorbed two more crystals and taken a twelve-hour nap, yet he felt stronger and more energized than ever. And now that he was finally unlocking the skill he'd long waited for, his real training was about to begin.
Resistance exercises, weightlifting, dynamic movement drills, and basic combat training—jabs, hooks, calf kicks. Max would push himself until he was utterly exhausted, then eat a mountain of food and absorb another crystal.
Days passed.
Two days of training, one day in the dungeon, then repeat. A strict cycle.
And the results?
Clearer than ever.
His body was changing. Muscles sharpened and grew more defined. After nearly a month, Max had achieved what years of old-world training never gave him.
But the momentum was slowing.
Basic exercises had become too easy. He lacked the equipment to push his limits. Worse—he was hitting a bottleneck. Low-grade crystals were no longer effective; his body had become resistant to absorbing their energy.
Time to upgrade the plan.
A shift Max had already anticipated—and prepared for.
The next phase would be inside the Dark Dungeon.
Thanks to the 2x gravity, he could utilize both his Recovery and Adaptation traits—yielding far better results than anything Earth could offer.
Another month passed.
The dungeon had practically become Max's new home. He only returned to the surface for food and the occasional toilet break. He had used over twenty crystals by now, and his physical training had nearly hit its ceiling.
Now, it was all about combat.
Warming up, Max stood in the dungeon's crimson-lit terrain. He looked up at the sky—one of the flying monsters was circling.
Without hesitation, Max stepped out and shouted,
"HEY! UGLY BASTARD!!"
"GRRRAAAHHH!!"
The monster roared and dove straight at him.
But Max was faster. Much faster.
He ran across the uneven ground, zigzagging as the beast pursued. Tentacles lashed out, but he dodged each one by inches and kept moving.
This was his new training.
Engage. Dodge. Survive.
Max didn't try to kill the monster—just outlast it.
As soon as his stamina neared its limit, he dashed back into the safe zone and glanced at his stopwatch.
"11 minutes 29 seconds…" he gasped, falling to the ground.
His highest record was around twelve minutes.
But now it felt like his growth had plateaued. No matter how much he pushed, he couldn't break the ceiling.
"This… is the limiter of First Awakening," Max muttered.
He was at peak human condition. The only way to evolve beyond this was to absorb more energy—and awaken.
Another month passed.
And with it, the day of the real test approached.
The shower hissed in the bathroom, mist fogging the mirror. Max stared at his blurry reflection—hair nearly covering his eyes, thick veins across his neck and forearms, muscles defined, skin riddled with scars—some fresh, some faded.
The water hit his body and turned to mist on contact. A sticky white starch covered him head to toe, stubborn to remove.
"Did I grow taller?" Max wondered, slicking his hair back. He remembered being 5'10" or 5'11"—he definitely felt taller now.
Then, a sound.
His ears perked up.
He turned off the shower. His phone was ringing.
Unknown number.
He picked it up. A mechanical voice played a message.
[...]
Max didn't react. He set the phone down and was about to resume showering—
RING.
It rang again.
This time, it showed a familiar name.
Max smiled slightly and picked up.
[MAXY, YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT!!]
"I will."
[Heh...anyways I passed the exam and I got whooping 86 marks!!]
Max raised an eyebrow. "Wait—what? Didn't you cheat off me?"
[… How much did you get?]
"Eighty-five."
[pftt...Hahahahahaahah hahahaahaha!! I told you hahaha the answer to question 13 haha was C haha hhaaahha ]
"Fuck you lucky bastard..." Max chuckled awkwardly. "So... ready for the test?"
[Yeah, I am.]
"Same here," Max replied, expression turning serious. "It's happening tomorrow. See you then."
[Tomorrow…it is.]
Max ended the call and turned back to the shower. His fingers brushed the long, diagonal scar across his back.
"I'm ready, too."