He groaned as he pushed himself off the ground. The grass was soft, the air strangely sweet, and the sky... purple?
Around him stretched an ancient forest. Trees soared like towers, leaves shimmering with faint silver light. Insects buzzed, but none he'd ever seen. Some had crystal wings, others left glowing trails.
His body felt... different. Lighter. Stronger. Energy pulsed in his chest like a second heartbeat.
"Is this... cultivation energy?"
He sat cross-legged and tried to focus. He didn't know any technique, but instinct guided him. He inhaled, and strands of golden light trickled into his lungs. His skin tingled. His vision sharpened. He could hear a squirrel chewing a nut thirty feet away.
"This is insane," he whispered.
Then the ground shook.
A roar echoed through the woods, deep and guttural. Birds scattered. Trees trembled.
From the thicket, a beast emerged. A wolf—but the size of a horse. Its fur was pitch black, but its eyes glowed red. Two curved horns rose from its head, and every breath it exhaled scorched the grass.
> "Stage 1 spirit beast," a voice whispered in his mind.
He didn't question it. Maybe it was part of his gift.
The wolf growled and charged.
He jumped aside, narrowly avoiding claws that tore the ground open like paper. He didn't have a weapon, but as he raised his hand, a ripple formed in the air.
Space bent.
Without thinking, he clenched his fist—and the space twisted. A thin blade of void slashed forward.
> SHNK!
Blood sprayed. The wolf howled in pain, stumbling back.
He blinked. "Did I do that?"
The wolf lunged again. This time, he dodged and unleashed another slash—cleaner, sharper. It cut through one of the horns. The beast screeched, shaking its head wildly.
But he was already moving.
He appeared behind it—not running, but blinking through space. His hand pressed forward, and a pulse of void energy erupted.
The wolf's body hit a tree and didn't rise again.
He panted, not from exhaustion—but from shock.
"I won?"
A chime echoed in his mind.
> Spirit Core Formed: Initial Rank 1 Void Affinity: Stabilized Passive Trait Activated: Spatial Awareness
He didn't fully understand it, but he grinned anyway.
"Okay. Step one: survive. Step two: get stronger."
He looked down at his hands, which still trembled slightly.
"This world might be deadly... but I think I can live with it."