Thirteen days.
That was all the time Chris had before he was pulled into the Mars trial—the first step in what the system called planetary conquest. The phrase alone still sounded absurd in his head, like he was playing a role in someone else's dark fantasy.
But this wasn't a game.
His system didn't give XP. There was no safe zone. And losing didn't mean restart—it meant extinction. For Earth. For everyone.
He sat alone in his apartment, the air heavy with quiet dread. The old ceiling fan spun lazily above, stirring the heat. Dust clung to everything. His blinds were drawn tight. He hadn't left except to train. He hadn't needed to.
Food? Minimal.
Sleep? Uneasy.
The weight of the Tower's aftermath still lingered in his chest like an echo that refused to fade.
Chris opened the SoulForge interface again. The text burned softly in the air in front of him, pulsing with faint blue light.
> [Soul Count: 445 Lesser Souls]
> [Skill Upgrade Cost: 25 Lesser Souls]
> [Warning: Souls increase passive resilience. Upgrading reduces stored potential.]
The temptation to upgrade was always there. The system even offered him suggestions.
> [Recommended Upgrade: Sense Through Sound → Super Grade]
> [Estimated Effect: Greater directional awareness, enemy detection through walls, passive battlefield map based on noise.]
But Chris hesitated.
He had learned quickly that throwing souls away too early could leave him vulnerable. Holding them made him stronger. Faster. Harder to kill. He didn't know how it worked exactly—only that when he held back, he could feel it like a second skin around his muscles.
He'd seen a system message about that once.
> [Divine Reservoir Detected]
> [Stored souls empower the body passively until spent.]
It wasn't fair. It wasn't meant to be. Chris's solar system had only one planet with life. Every other god candidate out there would have dozens—hundreds—of teammates, allies, maybe even teachers.
Chris had no one.
Just a cursed sword and a system with secrets.
---
He stepped back into the Tower two days later.
It greeted him with the same haunting silence. Only now, Chris didn't feel small inside it. He didn't feel powerless. The walls still pulsed with the residual presence of death—but this time, he walked upright.
He made it to Floor 3 in under an hour, slaying the echo-beasts and sound-hunters that had once terrified him. Their blood was thin now. Their bodies weaker. He knew it was because of his divinity rising, altering the world around him.
Every kill dropped something.
He stuffed basic gear into his new inventory—rusty swords, potions, even torn cloaks with faint stat bonuses. Most were junk. But he was learning.
Learning how to build an advantage in a system that gave nothing for free.
On Floor 4, he encountered a new version of the tentacled warden from before—only this one was quicker. Smarter. Its tendrils had sharp hooks and its body carried eerie glyphs that pulsed with green light.
The sword killed it with a single clean cut when Chris focused.
The drop was different.
> [Item: Hidden Flame Core]
> [Effect: Temporarily doubles fire resistance. May be fused.]
Interesting.
But something else happened as the monster faded.
> [Passive Divinity Resonance Activated]
> [You have begun shaping the rules of your environment.]
> [Expect further alterations as divinity increases.]
He could feel it too—like reality was adjusting to *him*, not the other way around. Monsters dropped items because he expected them to. The Tower was beginning to mirror his subconscious belief in how things should work.
He wasn't sure if that was comforting or terrifying.
---
Back on Earth, time crawled.
He returned after clearing more floors, pockets full of loot, mind heavy with dread.
And someone was waiting for him.
"Yo," said the girl from across the hall.
She leaned against her doorframe, sipping coffee again. Hoodie. Slippers. Hair up in a loose bun.
Chris nodded but didn't stop walking.
"Don't suppose you're ever gonna tell me what's going on with you?"
"No," he said bluntly.
She grinned. "Didn't think so. You've been... different."
He didn't reply. He keyed into his door and stepped inside.
But just before it shut, she said, "You ever need to scream, like *really* scream, feel free to knock. Walls are paper thin anyway."
The door clicked shut behind him.
Chris stared at it for a long moment.
He hadn't thought about screaming.
But maybe he should've.
---
Ten days left.
The system opened without prompt now. It was becoming more responsive, like it could sense his mood.
> [Mars Trial – Entry Countdown: 10 Days]
> [Estimated Completion Difficulty: Deadly]
> [No terrain data available.]
> [Atmospheric Conditions: Non-Human Survivability. Buff Required.]
> [Preparation Suggestions:]
– Upgrade at least 2 more core skills
– Fuse current equipment into wearable set
– Acquire minimum 3 potions
– Secure one Great Soul if possible
> [Note: You may return to the Tower any time for training.]
The reminder was cold.
But necessary.
Chris reviewed his current skills again:
- [Echolocation – Perfected]
- [Mana Control – Normal]
- [Phantom Edge – Normal]
- [Sword Proficiency – Normal]
- [Sense Through Sound – Extreme]
- [Fire Resistance – Super]
- [Party Control – Passive]
- [Inventory – Passive]
He had no more Great Souls. And upgrading any one skill now cost 25 lesser souls. If he did two, that would cut him to 395—still safe, but getting lower.
He upgraded [Sword Proficiency].
> [Upgrade Successful – Extreme]
His hands pulsed with heat. The weight of the sword on his back lightened. It moved smoother now, almost reading his intent. No delay. No drag.
A second upgrade?
Chris hovered over [Phantom Edge].
He hesitated.
Then confirmed.
> [Upgrade Successful – Extreme]
The skill evolved instantly. It no longer felt like a technique—it felt like a *choice*. A hunger inside him, waiting to be unleashed. The next time he used it, he had a feeling something far worse than a clean cut would follow.
> [Soul Count Remaining: 395]
---
Chris walked to his window that night and looked out at the stars.
Somewhere out there, a planet waited for him.
Mars.
Once a world of potential. Now a trial of death.
Chris didn't know if he was ready. But he wasn't afraid the way he had been.
The Tower had beaten the fear out of him.
Now, only a cold drive remained.
He turned away from the stars.
And in the silence of his apartment, a voice echoed from deep within the system.
> [I'm getting stronger too, you know.]
Chris blinked.
"What?"
No response.
Only silence.
But deep in his soul, something smiled again.