Dust and smoke still saturated the area.
The ground, cracked by the impact, creaked under the heat.
Two silhouettes slowly emerged from the opaque cloud.
Impossible to tell who had the advantage.
One thing was certain:
the collision had been monstrous.
Little by little, the storm of energy calmed…
The veil dissipated.
And then they saw the Beast, arm extended, fist closed…
…intercepting Reiboku’s attack.
One knee on the ground, the other leg locked like a pillar.
His arm was still streaked with black lightning, crackling faintly, residual traces of the [Demon Fist].
Reiboku’s gaze hardened.
Then, without a word, he jumped back, returning to his guard.
He clenched his teeth so hard that a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
Reiboku lowered his eyes to his arm.
A searing pain pierced through him.
Reiboku screamed, his throat tearing apart.
Unable to move it, his arm was drenched in blood.
His hand trembled like a leaf.
The Beast, meanwhile, burst into a hoarse laugh.
A laugh that echoed like the end of the world.
Still with his arm extended, he stared at his open palm.
He examined the scratches Reiboku had just inflicted on him… and his gaze darkened for a moment.
Thin marks. But real.
“Hahaha… You didn’t lie to me,” he finally said.
“You really do have your skills. Even with one arm missing.”
He exhaled, amused.
“So… it’s possible. Interesting… very interesting.”
His smile widened.
“We can keep our powers even after an amputation.”
“Good to know.”
“Because others have lost them for far less.”
He carefully observed Reiboku’s reaction.
“That’s it. Scream.”
“Get used to it.”
He raised his eyes and stared at Reiboku more seriously.
“Tell me… judging by your tattoo, you must be level V.”
“So logically… you have two skills.”
“What’s the second one?”
Reiboku didn’t answer immediately.
Torn by pain, unable to remain calm.
“I’ll answer you…
if you give me an answer too.”
Silence.
The Beast raised an eyebrow.
“Hm? Go ahead. I’m listening.”
Reiboku took a deep breath before asking.
“When we enter our subconscious… can we choose the skill we want?”
“Or is it imposed?”
“Tell me… can the Voice really speak to us?”
The Beast froze for a moment.
Then his gaze drifted into the void.
A long silence weighed in the air.
“You asked me two questions.”
His voice had changed. Deeper. Slower.
As if he were weighing every word with the weight of experience.
“The first one…”
He paused.
“The Voice forces nothing on you.”
The Beast locked eyes with Reiboku.
“But if you hesitate…
she will choose for you.”
He gave a dark smile.
“And believe me… that’s when your downfall begins.”
He looked away for a moment.
“She can filter. But only if your attributes match.”
He crossed his arms.
“If you go in there without a clear idea… she chooses. If you’re lucid and aligned… then you choose. And you can request a filter.”
His gaze hardened.
“But once you choose…
you can’t go back.”
A brief silence, then:
“As for the second…”
He lowered his eyes slightly.
“No. She cannot speak.”
He raised his head again, staring straight ahead.
“I kept my word.”
“Now it’s your turn. Reveal your second skill.”
Reiboku slowly straightened.
His gaze darkened.
His voice was clear. Sharp. Without the slightest hesitation.
“[Transcendental Heart].”
A short silence followed.
Then the Beast growled faintly.
“Hm… [Transcendental Heart], huh…”
“That’s not an attack skill.”
“Nor a defensive one.”
“It’s a skill… linked to the Body.”
“Something innate, rare… almost impossible to locate in the world of the Voice.”
He slowly raised his eyes toward Reiboku.
“You were lucky to stumble upon it.”
“Or maybe… you already had a natural connection with it.”
“Because believe me… even at my level, I still struggle to understand this damn system.”
He looked away slightly, staring into the distance.
“I’m level XXIII.”
“And I’ve been stuck here for five years.”
“I’ve had time to search. To train.”
“But I’m still in the dark.”
He chuckled.
“The cards are in your hands now…
and your life too. Hahaha.”
Then he suddenly turned toward them.
“Out of curiosity… how old are you?”
Reiboku and Yūshin looked at each other for half a second.
Then, in unison:
“20 years old.”
The Beast’s eyes widened slightly.
Then he nodded.
“I’m 25.”
“And my partner… he’s 22.”
He grimaced thoughtfully.
“We’re all around the same age… more or less.”
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
He narrowed his eyes.
“And you want to know something strange?”
“Since I’ve been here… I’ve never seen a child.”
“Nor an old person.”
“That’s true,” Yūshin replied.
“Even after wandering for days, we’ve only seen young adults.”
Reiboku clenched his teeth.
“This world… filters people?”
The tension rose slightly.
A cold wind filled with dust slid between them.
An eerie silence fell over the camp.
Reiboku frowned.
“This world. This Voice. Everything here tests us.”
The Beast gave a bitter smile.
“Yeah.”
“And no one has figured out who’s pulling the strings yet.”
Yūshin frowned, staring at Reiboku’s wrist.
“Your arm… it’s glowing. Did you just level up?”
Reiboku nodded calmly.
“I’ll keep that for later.”
“I want to reach level VI.”
His tone was calm, confident. No doubt in his voice.
Yūshin smiled slightly.
“One last question… Are there merchants in the northern city?”
The Beast answered immediately.
“Yes. But money… doesn’t exist here.”
“Everything is done through barter.”
“Crafted objects. Artifacts. Food. Resources extracted from monsters.”
“Useful things. Nothing artificial.”
Yūshin nodded respectfully.
“Thank you for your time… and your hospitality.”
“No problem. To reach the northern city, count ten hours on foot without stopping.”
“But with your companion… you’ll get there much faster.”
The Beast approached Reiboku, noticing him suffering in silence.
“Your shoulder is dislocated.”
He grabbed the arm and pulled sharply.
Crack.
Reiboku stifled a groan.
“There. It’s back in place.”
The pain receded… but did not disappear.
He stepped back.
“You can stay and rest. Leaving tomorrow at dawn would be wiser.”
Yūshin shook his head.
“Thanks for the offer, but we won’t abuse your hospitality.”
Without waiting, Reiboku and Yūshin climbed onto RAW.
“Northwest direction,” Yūshin said.
Their mount growled softly, then launched toward the northwest.
One hour later — in a dense forest.
The trees closed in.
Light barely pierced through the thick foliage.
The ground was soft, loaded with humus.
RAW suddenly slowed down.
His ears rose. His breathing became heavy.
His claws scraped the soil, as if searching for an escape.
Something was watching them.
He growled. His paws hammered the ground nervously.
“What’s wrong with you, RAW?” Yūshin asked.
But before he could finish…
Five creatures burst out.
Fast as lightning.
Their flexible bodies slid out of the bushes, surrounding RAW and his riders.
Their appearance was terrifying.
Medium size. Knotty bodies.
Slitted eyes like those of snakes.
And above all…
long, tightly packed teeth, like razor blades pressed against each other.
Every time they opened their jaws, their teeth clashed together with a metallic screech.
Huge claws.
Hybrid raptor-like creatures.
Intelligent.
Starving.
Reiboku felt a chill of terror.
No choice. We have to fight.
One of the monsters let out a shrill scream and lunged at him.
The weakest one? That’s what it thought.
A second immediately followed, forming a deadly pincer.
RAW, despite his still-fresh wounds, pushed the attackers back with a brutal sweep of his claws.
The three other raptors circled him, spinning around him like shadows.
They struck in small bursts.
Bites. Claws. Dry impacts.
One of them bit exactly where RAW was already bleeding.
Superficial… but methodical.
The attacks weren’t meant to kill.
They were draining RAW’s strength.
Reiboku jumped off RAW’s back and kicked the nearest monster straight in the head.
The raptor was thrown sideways, drooling, scraping across the ground for several meters with the sound of crushing bones.
The raptor staggered back up, its jaw twisted.
A trickle of black blood slid between its fangs.
Yūshin jumped to the ground, bow already drawn.
“They’re separating him! They’re thinking!”
Reiboku was already in position.
His clenched fist vibrated with a dark, heavy aura that distorted the air.
Red lightning hissed across its surface.
The ground trembled beneath his feet.
He inhaled slowly.
[Demon Fist] — Activation.
Let them come.
A raptor rushed toward Reiboku, darting between several tree trunks with monstrous fluidity.
Reiboku remained still, waiting for the breaking point.
The monster leapt, nearly reaching his height.
Its fangs snapped through the air.
Reiboku swung his fist with a whistle of pure power…
but the raptor slipped beneath the attack at the last thousandth of a second.
The unleashed energy struck nothing but empty air before crashing into the massive trunk just behind.
The tree exploded, snapped clean in two in a deafening burst of shredded wood.
But Reiboku was now exposed.
His momentum left him vulnerable.
A cry echoed.
RAW had been struck again.
Cuts, superficial, but too many.
His rear right leg was giving out.
Yūshin rushed toward Reiboku, his expression grave.
Three silhouettes were already streaking toward RAW, fangs low, spreading out in a fan.
“Take care of the other two. I’ll handle these three.”
Without waiting, he leapt back onto RAW to gain height.
In a flash, he drew his bow.
His fingers slid along the string, the veins in his arm bulging with tension.
“No matter how agile they are… my arrows never miss.”
He clicked his tongue.
RAW lunged forward with a bestial growl.
The ground exploded beneath the impact of his charge.
Yūshin didn’t even blink.
He held his line.
FLICK. TWANG!
Using the momentum, Yūshin pushed off RAW’s back and performed a forward flip.
Mid-descent, he released two arrows simultaneously.
Tchak… Tchak.
Both arrows struck the same raptor.
One pierced its neck.
The other lodged between its shoulder blades.
But the moment he landed, the two others lunged.
Their jaws wide open.
Too fast.
“Shit…” Yūshin muttered, eyes locked on their trajectories.
RAW reacted by pure instinct.
He pivoted with a leap, placing his massive body between the fangs and his master.
He took the hit head-on.
This time the bite was deep.
One tore open his already weakened rear leg.
The other carved a bloody trench along his back.
The mount growled, buckled…
but did not fall.
Yūshin remained calm, bow ready.
His voice snapped, brief and commanding.
“Hold on. I’ll deal with the rest. Stay back!”
RAW growled, stepping back to give him space.
His rear leg trembled violently.
Each step drew a low rumbling groan.
His breath rasped through the air, pain mixed with defiance.
His eyes burned with animal pride.
Like a sovereign refusing to fall.
Yūshin slid another arrow onto the string.
He whispered, focused.
“...[Double Arrow].”
A green aura pulsed around him, condensing at the arrowhead.
TWANG.
Two projectiles burst forward.
The first shattered the creature’s right arm.
The second impaled it through the chest, pinning it to a tree trunk.
To the left: RAW was panting, his body streaked with blood.
Still standing, but at the end of his strength.
To the right: Reiboku was backed against a massive tree.
Two monsters facing him.
Too fast.
A drop of sweat slid down his cheek.
No room for error.
Without my left arm… I’m too unstable.
Reiboku closed his eyes.
For a fraction of a second, the world slowed under the surge of adrenaline.
A mental window appeared.
[Demon Fist]: 2 strikes remaining.
He clenched his teeth as a dull pain ran through his recovering clavicle.
His right arm lit up in black and crimson.
[Demon Fist]… maximum activation.
The monsters remained motionless, on guard.
Their slit pupils tracked every movement.
Reiboku growled, forcing the system.
I’m reallocating my points. Compensate my imbalance.
Agility.
A mental window opened.
Strength: 18
Agility: 5
Endurance: 13
Reiboku grimaced, nerves burning.
Everything into agility.
+5 Agility.
Agility: 10.
Lock.
Meanwhile, Yūshin frowned.
Reiboku had just closed his eyes.
He understood immediately.
Me too… I never spent my level IX points.
Now’s the time.
His own window appeared.
Agility: 25
Endurance: 13
Spirit: 50
Yūshin inhaled without taking his eyes off the shadows.
Two in endurance. Three in spirit.
Endurance: 15
Spirit: 80
Reiboku opened his eyes again.
His body was already reacting.
He jumped, three meters in a single bound.
Activation.
His aura reignited.
Black and red.
Lightning burst in every direction.
The monster sensed the danger and tried to flee.
Too late.
Reiboku slipped around it in a blinding movement…
and unleashed the [Demon Fist] at point-blank range.
IMPACT.
A crimson explosion tore through the air.
The creature was blown apart.
Flesh and bone scattered across the trunks.
The second raptor, realizing the danger, stepped back abruptly…
then vanished between the trees.
But it wasn’t truly fleeing.
It was already circling them with the last survivor.
“You won’t escape me.”
Yūshin sprinted at full speed toward the last two monsters.
One tried to leap onto him.
He dodged with a stretched jump, his muscles strengthened by his newly gained endurance.
“[Double Arrow].”
He drew.
A green aura pulsed on the arrowhead.
Like a heartbeat.
He pulled the bowstring.
Released.
Two arrows shot forward.
But they moved so fast, so violently, that their trails merged.
A deadly spiral of light.
The first monster was pierced clean through.
The second was knocked down by the shockwave.
Reiboku’s arm began to glow.
A brilliant yellow light.
Pulsing like a heart.
Level Up.
Yūshin, carried by the momentum of the fight, continued his movement.
He moved like lightning.
Slipped into the shadow of the last monster.
And without using a skill…
he fired an arrow at point-blank range.
Direct impact.
The creature collapsed with a monstrous gasp.
At that moment, his arm lit up as well.
A golden light.
Blinding.
He had leveled up too.
Yūshin glanced back quickly.
“RAW…?”
He saw him still on the ground, licking his wounds.
Still conscious.
But weakened.
He wouldn’t survive another fight.
“We’re camping here.”
Yūshin’s voice was firm.
Final.
“We’re not going any further until RAW can walk.”
Reiboku nodded.
Silently.
His gaze hardened.
“And anyway… we won’t move without being able to use our skills.”
“Why didn’t you want us to rest at the Beast’s place?”
Yūshin adjusted his glasses.
His voice calm.
“We can’t trust the first person we meet.”
“I didn’t want us getting killed in our sleep.”
Reiboku sat down heavily.
“RAW is injured.”
“And me… every activation tears my arm apart.”
“We’re weakened.”
The two warriors, exhausted by the battle, stared at the horizon still stained with dust and blood.
Around them lay the smoking carcasses of monsters.
The smell of sliced flesh.
And the silence.
Heavy.
Visceral.
It was returning slowly…
but it smelled like death.
The wind slid beneath the foliage.
And already, the questions imposed themselves.
What would their next choice be?
What power would they dare unlock?
Because one thing had become obvious:
This world did not reward strength.
It simply revealed those who would survive.
Long enough…
to learn the truth.
