The first sensation was not of movement, but of profound silence. It was a silence so absolute it had weight, pressing in on Ash's eardrums before his new environment even resolved into view.
Then, the world bloomed into existence.
He stood on a vast, circular platform of white marble, so polished it reflected the cosmos above. And what a cosmos it was. There was no sun, no moon, only a breathtaking tapestry of swirling nebulae, distant galaxies, and countless stars, far brighter and more vivid than any seen from Earth. The air was cool and carried a faint, clean scent of ozone and night-blooming flowers.
Floating around him in a loose orbit were other structures—smaller platforms holding what looked like ancient, open-air Indian temples (mandapas), their intricate stone carvings depicting gods and demons locked in eternal battle. In the distance, a colossal, step-well-like structure descended into an abyss of stars.
[Welcome to the Sanctum of Eternity. Your personal training dimension.]
The voice of the Deva-Asura Nexus was calm here, blending seamlessly with the serene environment.
[Your primary quest objectives are now active. Would you like to begin Tutorial: Chakra Unlocking?]
Ash, whose mind was already analyzing the structural integrity of the floating temples and the nature of the non-Euclidean space, forced himself to focus. "Yes. Begin."
A holographic schematic of the human body appeared before him, with a brilliant point of light glowing at the very base of the spine—the Muladhara, or Root Chakra.
[The Muladhara Chakra is the foundation of your power. It is the seat of stability, survival, and primal energy. To unlock it, you must first feel the Prana—the lifeforce—within you and guide it to this node.]
"Instructions," Ash commanded, his CEO persona taking over. He needed data, a methodology.
[Assume the cross-legged position. Vajrasana is recommended for stability. Close your eyes. Breathe. Do not think. Feel. Sense the energy that courses through all living things. For you, it will feel like the hum of a server farm, the flow of code, the silent power of a star. Find that rhythm within your own body.]
Ash sat, his posture perfect. He closed his eyes, filtering out the astounding visuals. He was a master of focus. He began the mental process of shutting down his constant, background data streams—the stock tickers, the server status reports, the live surveillance feeds from his office.
It was harder than he anticipated. His intellect, his greatest tool, was the very barrier he had to transcend.
For an hour, nothing. Only the silent, impatient whir of his own thoughts.
[You are trying to command it. You cannot command Prana. You must invite it. You are not its master, you are its channel.]
The system's words clicked. He was approaching this like a programming problem. This was different. This was art.
He let go. He stopped trying and started listening. He focused on the memory of the light from the Vaimanika Shastra flowing into him. The warmth. The rightness of it.
And then, he felt it.
A faint, golden warmth, entirely separate from his bodily heat, pooling in his core. It was like discovering a new sense he never knew he had. With a gentle nudge of will—an invitation, not a command—he guided this trickle of energy down his spine, towards the dormant node.
The moment the Prana touched the Muladhara chakra, it was like a circuit completing.
CRACK.
A soundless, internal explosion of power rocked him. The point of light in his mental schematic blazed like a miniature sun. A surge of raw, grounding energy flooded his being. He felt more solid, more real, more connected to the very platform beneath him than ever before. The constant, low-level anxiety of maintaining his facades simply vanished, replaced by an unshakable sense of foundation.
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
[ Muladhara Chakra Unlocked! ]
[ CHAKRA +100 ]
[ VIT +5 ]
[ New Passive Skill Gained: "Rooted Stability" - Immunity to knockback effects and increased resistance to psychic fear.]
A genuine smile, the first in a long time, touched Ash's lips. This wasn't external power like wealth or code. This was his.
[Objective 1 Complete. Proceeding to Objective 2: Master the basic form of 'Vajra Fist' (I).]
A new hologram appeared—a stylized figure demonstrating a martial arts kata. The movements were simple but powerful, built on a solid stance, driving force from the rooted legs, and channeling Prana into the fist.
"Show me the physics behind the force generation," Ash requested.
[The Vajra Fist is not physics. It is metaphysics. It converts spiritual energy (Chakra) into kinetic force, bypassing conventional material durability. The 'Vajra' or thunderbolt, is unbreakable. So shall your strike be.]
No equations. No force vectors. Just belief and energy. It was maddening. And exhilarating.
He stood and began to mimic the hologram. His body, trained in every known human combat form, adapted easily to the movements. But without the Prana, it was just a empty shell.
"Channel Prana from your Muladhara," the Nexus instructed. "Through your meridians. To your fist."
He tried. The energy, so new and wild, flickered and died before reaching his shoulder.
Again. And again. For what felt like hours in the timeless Sanctum, he practiced. Failure was a foreign concept to him, and he attacked it with the same relentless determination that had built his tech empire.
Finally, on what must have been the hundredth attempt, he felt the energy surge, not as a trickle, but as a torrent. A faint, crackling gold aura flickered around his clenched fist.
He threw the punch.
There was no sound of impact, but the space where his fist terminated rippled, like a stone thrown into a pond. A wave of force shot out, invisible but tangible, and a hairline crack appeared on the pristine marble floor ten feet away.
[BASIC FORM 'VAJRA FIST' (I) MASTERED!]
[ New Active Skill Gained: Vajra Fist (Lv. 1) - Imbues your strike with unbreakable force. Cost: 10 Chakra.]
He was breathing heavily, sweat beading on his forehead, but he felt more alive than he ever had staring at a billion-dollar acquisition.
[All preparatory objectives complete. Initiating First Trial. Survive for 5 minutes.]
The serene atmosphere of the Sanctum vanished. The starry sky darkened, and the platform was suddenly surrounded by an oppressive, deep violet mist. From this mist, two creatures emerged.
They were vaguely humanoid, but made of shifting shadow and malice, with glowing red eyes and claws of solidified void. They were the antithesis of the golden Prana that now flowed within him.
[Manifested Phantoms - Level 1. Entities of corrupted energy. Your skills are their bane.]
Fear, cold and sharp, tried to pierce his new-found stability. The "Rooted Stability" passive flared, and the fear melted away, replaced by cold analysis.
Two targets. Agile. Melee attackers.
The Phantoms screeched and lunged.
Ash didn't flinch. He dropped into the Vajra Fist stance, his feet rooted to the marble. He sidestepped the first claw swipe, the movement efficient and precise. He didn't have the agility to outmaneuver them, but he didn't need to. He had to be an unbreakable wall.
As the second Phantom lunged, he pivoted, channeling Prana through his meridians and into his fist. It was smoother this time, faster.
"Vajra Fist."
His fist, glowing with a faint golden light, met the shadowy torso. There was a satisfying crunch, not of bone, but of dissipating energy. The Phantom exploded into motes of black dust that were swiftly burned away by the golden aura of his punch.
[ Phantom Defeated! EXP gained.]
The remaining Phantom hesitated, its malevolent intelligence recognizing the threat.
Ash didn't give it time. He advanced, his posture perfect, his breathing controlled. He was no longer a bullied teenager or a hidden CEO. In this moment, he was a warrior.
The Phantom lashed out. Ash took the blow on his raised forearm, grunting at the impact. It was cold and draining, but his VIT stat and rooted stance allowed him to absorb it. He grabbed the shadowy limb.
"Your turn."
He drove his other fist, empowered by Vajra Fist, straight through its core.
[ Phantom Defeated! EXP gained.]
[LEVEL UP!]
[ You are now Level 2! ]
[ All attributes have increased! ]
[ CHAKRA +50 ]
The violet mist receded. The serene starscape returned. Ash stood panting in the sudden quiet, the last remnants of shadow dissolving from his knuckles.
[FIRST TRIAL COMPLETE.]
[ Primary Quest: "The First Step on the Divine Path" - COMPLETE.]
[ REWARDS: Title [Novice of the Nexus], Permanent access to the Sanctum of Eternity.]
[TITLE: Novice of the Nexus - EXP gain increased by 5%.]
The Nexus's voice held a note of finality. [Your initial training is complete. You will now be returned to your point of origin. You may access the Sanctum at will through meditation.]
The star-filled temples began to fade. Ash felt a familiar lurch, and his bedroom solidified around him. He was back in his chair, the evening light still fading outside his window. Only minutes had passed.
He looked at his hands. No scratches, no trace of combat. But everything had changed. He could still feel the thrum of Prana in his veins, the solid anchor of his unlocked chakra, and the deadly potential in his fists.
He was still the world's richest man. He was still the head of Omnipotence.Net. He was still an E-Rank Awakener in the public eye.
But now, he was something more. Something the world hadn't seen since the age of myths.
He was a god, patiently waiting in the shadows.