Shinji let out a startled cry the moment he recognized the man standing before him.
"Ares!"
He hadn't expected to run into the very person who had helped him get this far. Ares looked at the boy, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. Seeing this, Shinji quickly spoke up.
"You're Ares, right? I would never forget your mame!"
"And you are…?" Ares tilted his head.
"Im Shinji! Shinji!"
After a few seconds of quiet contemplation, a light went on in Ares eyes.
"Ah! You're that kid with the memory loss from the Underworld. I didn't expect to see you here so soon."
Shinji's face lit up with pure excitement.
"Are you the judge for this exam?"
"I am,"
Ares said, his voice instantly shifting back to a professional, serious tone.
"Shinji, I will be the one personally testing you. The rules are simple: there are ten sections. Score at least twenty-five points total, and you pass. Are you ready?"
"Yes!"
"Ten trials. Do your best, young man."
As soon as Ares finished speaking, a wooden training dummy slowly rose from the floorboards.
"Your first task is to strike it down. Use your special ability."
Shinji's excitement vanished, replaced by sheer confusion.
"My… ability?"
"That's right. Knock the dummy back."
Shinji stared at the wooden figure. He took a deep, shaky breath. The world around him seemed to dim as he focused all his will into his hand. He clenched his fist tight and shouted:
"Fire!"
For a split second, Shinji imagined a devastating blast shattering the wood into splinters. But reality remained stubbornly still. Nothing happened. No spark, no gust of wind—nothing.
Ares looked at Shinji. Shinji looked back at Ares.
Zero points for the Ability Trial.
The remaining tests followed: strength, intelligence, and physical endurance. Truth be told, Ares had to go incredibly easy on the boy just to get him through. By the end, Shinji had scraped together exactly twenty-five points—the bare minimum.
Clutching his passing certificate, Shinji bowed deeply, his heart hammering with joy. "Thank you so much, Ares!"
"Don't mention it. You passed. Now, keep moving through the corridor to the back."
"I will!"
Shinji hurried away in the direction Ares pointed. At this point, the boy seemed clumsy and perhaps a bit dim-witted, but as Ares watched him leave, the Grand Commander felt something unsettling. It was a strange sensation he couldn't quite put into words—a hidden depth to the boy that defied explanation.
Ares' eyes turned sharp and grave as he watched Shinji's retreating back.
"That boy…"
Shinji walked down a long, cold metallic corridor, his fingers white from gripping his certificate. He was buzzing with happiness until he saw an old man walking toward him from the opposite direction.
The man was hunched over, walking with slow, deliberate steps. He had a magnificent white beard and eyebrows so long they reached his chin. Embedded in the center of his forehead was a pale yellow gemstone.
Thinking the old man might be a confused resident, Shinji rushed over.
"Excuse me, sir! Are you lost? Do you need help finding your way?"
The old man stopped. He looked surprised, his squinted, aged eyes widening as he studied Shinji for a long moment. Then, he let out a soft, amused cackle.
"Excellent, excellent, my boy. This generation of warriors is truly something special."
Without another word, the old man continued his slow walk, leaving Shinji standing there in total confusion. Shaking his head, he turned and continued toward the destination Ares had mentioned.
As he reached the end of the path, a sudden, brilliant light hit his eyes. Shinji instinctively shielded his face, slowly lowering his hand as his vision adjusted.
Before him lay a colossal metal dome. Inside, the world was a vibrant explosion of life. Towering trees reached for the ceiling, flowers bloomed in every color imaginable, and lush greenery carpeted the ground like a miniature forest. But what left Shinji truly breathless was the ceiling—far above, an artificial sun shone down, and white clouds drifted lazily across a fake blue sky.
He stared upward, his mouth hanging open. "What is this…? Clouds? Underground?"
Shinji stepped into the dome, feeling the life in the air—a sharp contrast to the cold, iron halls behind him.
This was the gathering point for the candidates who had passed the first round. The "monsters" of the generation were all there, their laughter and confident chatter filling the vast space.
But amidst the crowd and the beauty of the forest, a familiar coldness crept back into Shinji's heart. He looked around. Everyone seemed to have friends, rivals, or comrades to talk to. They shared stories and joked about the trials.
Shinji stood alone in his corner, silent and unnoticed. In the middle of this magnificent, living world, he realized a bitter truth…
He was still just a traveler walking this path all by himself.