NEXAR — THE ANCIENT WARRIOR Chapter 6 — The Solar Furnace
The shrine was silent.
Nexar stood before the massive stone gate, staring at the golden symbol carved into its center.
There were no signs of human presence.
No footprints.
No weapons.
Nothing that suggested anyone had entered this place before him.
For fifteen years, Sector 0 had been his entire world. He had learned its forests, its beasts, its rivers, and its dangers.
But this place was different.
It felt old.
Not simply abandoned.
Old.
Nexar slowly raised his hand and placed it against the golden carving.
The moment his fingers touched it—
Thump.
Something pulsed through the stone.
Nexar's eyes narrowed.
A faint violet light appeared between his eyebrows.
His Third Eye Chakra was reacting.
"So you're connected to it too?"
He wasn't sure whether he was talking to the shrine or to himself.
The golden symbol suddenly lit up.
A warm sensation travelled from his palm to his shoulder, then down his spine.
Nexar's expression changed.
The energy was moving toward his chest.
He immediately stepped back.
Too late.
BOOM!
A powerful wave of energy erupted from the altar.
Nexar was thrown onto the stone floor.
"Urgh!"
He tried to stand, but his body suddenly became heavy.
His chest burned.
Something inside him was responding to the energy.
Then a familiar sound echoed inside his head.
Beep.
A translucent screen appeared.
Chakra Resonance Detected
Manipura — Solar Plexus Chakra
Nexar stared at the message.
"Another chakra?"
Before he could think further, another wave of energy struck his body.
His muscles tightened.
His breathing became difficult.
He dropped to one knee and pressed his hand against the floor.
The pain wasn't unbearable.
It was simply strange.
It felt as if something inside his body was being reorganized.
Nexar gritted his teeth.
"Not again..."
The golden light spread through his chest.
For several seconds, he couldn't move.
Then—
Synchronization: 20%
Nexar's eyes widened.
40%
His heartbeat became faster.
60%
The golden light became brighter.
80%
His entire body trembled.
100%
The light suddenly disappeared.
Silence returned to the shrine.
Nexar remained on one knee, breathing heavily.
He waited.
Nothing happened.
Slowly, he stood.
He looked at his hands.
They looked exactly the same.
No glowing armor.
No strange transformation.
No overwhelming power.
Nexar frowned.
"That's it?"
He took a step.
Then another.
His body felt different.
Not stronger in the obvious sense.
More stable.
His movements felt cleaner, more controlled.
He clenched his fist.
There was a strange warmth beneath his chest.
Nexar focused on it.
The warmth responded.
A faint golden glow appeared beneath his skin before disappearing again.
He smiled slightly.
"So that's what you were doing."
He looked back at the shrine.
For fifteen years, he had survived by being careful.
He couldn't overpower most of the beasts in Sector 0.
He had relied on traps, patience, observation, and preparation.
If this chakra could change that balance even slightly, it was worth understanding.
A low growl interrupted his thoughts.
Nexar turned around.
Three enormous creatures stood outside the shrine.
Iron-Hide Bears.
They were much larger than the bears Nexar had seen in the old world.
Six legs supported their massive bodies, while layers of hard armor covered their skin.
Nexar had encountered them many times during his fifteen years here.
He had never fought one directly.
They were simply too strong.
One of them lowered its head.
Nexar slowly reached toward his bow.
Then stopped.
He looked at his hand.
A thought crossed his mind.
Let's test it.
The bear charged.
The ground shook beneath its feet.
Nexar waited.
Ten meters.
Five meters.
Two.
At the final moment, he stepped forward and raised his palm.
BOOM!
The impact sent a shock through his entire body.
For a moment, Nexar thought his arm would break.
But he didn't move.
His boots scraped across the stone, yet he remained standing.
The bear stumbled backward.
Nexar stared at his palm.
"...Interesting."
The bear roared and charged again.
This time, Nexar moved.
He stepped aside.
The creature passed him.
Nexar turned and struck its armored side with his fist.
THUD!
The bear stumbled several steps.
Nexar's eyes widened.
That attack shouldn't have affected it that much.
The creature turned around angrily.
Nexar smiled.
"So I really did become stronger."
The bear attacked again.
This time, Nexar didn't try to overpower it.
He remembered everything he had learned from the Puppet.
Every failed attack.
Every mistake.
Every time he had been thrown onto the ground.
He waited for the creature's movement.
Then moved.
One step.
A dodge.
A strike.
Another dodge.
The fight continued for several minutes.
Nexar slowly understood the difference.
The Manipura Chakra hadn't turned him into an unstoppable monster.
It had given him something more useful.
Control.
His body responded faster.
His movements wasted less energy.
His attacks carried more force.
And most importantly—
He could finally fight something that had once forced him to run.
The bear eventually collapsed.
Nexar stood over it, breathing heavily.
He looked toward the other two.
They had already disappeared into the forest.
Nexar chuckled.
"Good decision."
He looked toward the distant mountain.
The highest peak of the island rose above the forest like a black spear.
Sovereign Peak.
For years, Nexar had avoided it.
Something lived there.
Something even the strongest beasts avoided.
And according to everything he had observed, the creature's presence was connected to the strange energy surrounding the island.
If he wanted to understand Sector 0—
and eventually find a way back—
he would have to go there.
Nexar looked down at his hands again.
"Fifteen years."
He had spent fifteen years preparing for survival.
Perhaps it was finally time to prepare for something else.
He turned toward the mountain.
"Let's see what you're hiding."
He took a step forward.
Then stopped.
A faint pulse came from his forehead.
Beep.
Nexar's expression changed.
A blue panel appeared before his eyes.
Status
Name: Nexar Luke
Race: Human
Tier: Non-Tier
Gene Points: 0
Primary Energy:
Third Eye Chakra — 35%
Manipura Chakra — 100%
Skills:
Mind Eye
Photographic Memory
Trap Formation
Nexar stared at the panel.
There was something different.
At the bottom, another line had appeared.
He had never seen it before.
Unknown Energy Signature Detected
Nexar's smile disappeared.
He focused his Third Eye.
The panel flickered.
For a brief moment, several symbols appeared.
Then vanished.
Nexar frowned.
"Unknown?"
He tried to analyze it again.
Nothing.
The message was gone.
For several seconds, he remained still.
Then he looked toward Sovereign Peak.
For the first time in fifteen years, Nexar felt something he hadn't felt since the day he entered Sector 0.
Not fear.
Recognition.
He didn't know why.
He only knew that whatever was waiting inside that mountain...
some part of him had seen it before.
Nexar pulled his hood over his head and began walking.
The forest swallowed him.
And far above him, beneath the dark clouds surrounding Sovereign Peak—
something ancient opened its eyes.