He took the Gladius in his hand.
Aren, who previously felt as if he were merely holding a sharp piece of metal in his hand, could now feel the weight, balance, and sharpness of the Gladius at his fingertips.
The sword was no longer a foreign object to him, but like an extension of his arm.
Twisting his wrist slightly, he made a vertical slashing motion in the air.
The sound the sword made as it cleaved the air was deep and satisfying.
His stance, the position of his feet, his grip on the sword... All of it had been learned within seconds.
Aren suddenly dashed forward.
His steps were silent and fast. He had learned how to use his body weight and how to direct his balance.
His explosive speed at close range had increased.
He now knew how to attack, how to defend, and how to evade.
'This is really interesting. I didn't just learn it theoretically; the skills were engraved into my body as if I've been practicing for years. This thing called the System is truly interesting.'
Next up were human needs he had to take care of.
He headed straight for the bathroom.
He took off his clothes and tossed them aside.
When he stepped under the hot water, all the tension in his muscles released.
That terrible ache and the bruises on his arms slowly began to fade under the effect of the water and the room's magical atmosphere.
Cracked bones were fusing in seconds, and crushed tissues were regenerating. The healing of the Safe Zone was at least as impressive as its luxury.
When he stepped out of the shower, he found a black tracksuit set in the wardrobe that fit his body and wouldn't restrict his mobility. Getting rid of his old, bloody suit was a huge relief.
He sat at the dining table.
Because he was fired today, he hadn't been able to eat lunch. He was exceedingly hungry.
After stuffing his stomach full, he headed for the massive bed.
He placed the Gladius right under his pillow. He lay on his side in a way that his right hand could grip the hilt.
His eyes closed.
Beyond time and space, in a forgotten corner of the universe where darkness reigned in absolute silence and not even the light of the stars dared to reach, the fabric of reality was suddenly torn.
From this tear, a woman emerged, her very presence making even the surrounding void tremble.
Her blonde hair, reaching down to her waist, was crowned with a broken 'Phoenix Crown' adorned with rubies.
Her silk dress in shades of red and gold bore the ruthless marks of battle. On her milk-white skin visible through the tears, traces of golden blood gleamed.
The thin, transparent veil covering her face hid her features, but the aura she emitted possessed a noble and terrifying beauty that could bring even the galaxies in the universe to their knees.
"This is it. You have nowhere left to run. Surrender to me now."
With her golden-yellow eyes, the woman looked at the source of the voice, at the man walking in the middle of nothingness.
The man was as relaxed as if he were walking in the garden of his own palace rather than in the void of space.
He wore a spotless, pure white robe. This robe was insufficient to hide the statue-like sculpted, muscular body beneath it. His hair, as black as the night, fell to his shoulders.
On his handsome face hung that soothing yet deadly smile of a hunter who had cornered his prey. With his pitch-black eyes that resembled a pair of black holes, devouring even light, he scrutinized the woman.
He had clasped his hands behind his back with the demeanor of a ruler.
The man licked his lips as he looked at the woman's skin visible through her torn dress.
"You have truly exhausted me." the man said.
"But it was worth it. Look at you... Wounded, exhausted, but still the most beautiful thing in the universe."
The woman did not answer. She maintained her calm.
"You have no 'Mana' left." the man continued, slowly gliding toward the woman.
"You burned almost all of your blood essence to escape. I doubt you still have a trump card left to use."
With an inviting expression on his face, the man reached his hand out to the woman as if he were helping an old friend.
"Come with me. I will make you my queen. And you will make me the first 'God Emperor' in this universe." he said.
"I would rather fade into nothingness than share the same existence as you." the woman said.
That gentle smile on the man's face suddenly froze, giving way to an ice-cold expression.
"You speak as if you have a choice."
The man slowly raised his hand. Even this simple movement disrupted the balance of space.
An invisible, suffocating pressure emanating from the man's palm crashed down upon the woman like a massive ocean wave. This was pure power. An irresistible, crushing pressure.
"Stop resisting. I won't kill you; I need you alive. But if you continue to resist, I won't hesitate to cut off your arms and legs."
The woman gritted her teeth.
The cracking of her bones wouldn't be heard in the void of space, but she felt that pain in every cell.
In her golden-yellow eyes, there was the final, desperate yet proud gleam of a dying star.
Although her body was exhausted, that noble pride in her soul was perfectly intact.
"Never!"
The woman gathered the last crumb of energy left in her body, her life energy, her soul...
Everything into her palms.
A tiny spark appeared between her two hands. Within seconds, the spark grew, and grew, and transformed into a massive, crimson star.
Beside this star, the man and the woman remained smaller than even a speck of dust.
The man paused for a moment, then shook his head from side to side as if he were watching a funny street performance.
"A futile effort. To extinguish this star, all I have to do is blow-"
Before he could finish his sentence, an expression full of shock appeared on his face.
"What are you doing!? Stop that immediately!?" the man said.
The calm expression on his face had vanished.
The star continued to grow unstably, beginning to warp the space-time around it.
"ARE YOU BURNING YOUR SOUL! YOU WILL BE ANNIHILATED! YOU WON'T EVEN BE ABLE TO ENTER THE REINCARNATION CYCLE! CUT THAT OUT IMMEDIATELY!!!" the man shouted, having completely lost his calm by now.
With an immeasurable speed, he lunged toward the woman. He had to stop her.
On the woman's lips beneath her veil, a sorrowful yet peaceful smile bloomed.
"The Nirvana Extinction of the Phoenix."
The massive star collapsed inward with tremendous force and then exploded.
The explosion filled the void of space with a blinding, pure energy.
This was not merely a physical explosion. It was a destruction that shattered the fabric of space-time, the boundaries of dimensions, and the rules of reality.
In terror, the man tried to retreat, stacking defense barriers one after another, but when the shockwave of the explosion hit him, that seemingly unshakable white robe was shredded to pieces like paper.
His flawless, godlike body was scorched by the heat of millions of suns, his skin peeled away, his muscles melted.
"NO! STOP!"
With his melting hands, he made one final lunge to catch the woman.
However, the only thing he grasped was cosmic dust.
The woman's peerless, godlike body faded into the infinity of the universe.
However, there was something the man failed to notice while writhing in pain and anger, something hidden within the dazzling light of the explosion. A golden, transparent sliver shooting out from the very heart of the destruction at an immeasurable speed.
As the man's scorched body rapidly recovered with the terrifying healing ability he possessed, a new, clean white robe appeared on him.
Amidst the smoke and cosmic dust, he roared with fury.
"SHE DIED... SHE DIED. EVEN HER SOUL WAS ANNIHILATED... NO!!!!!"
But the woman could not hear him. She had already gone to a very distant corner of the universe.
The massive, colorful cosmic clouds left behind by the explosion resembled a gigantic 'Phoenix' that had spread its wings to the universe, capable of devouring even galaxies, as if bidding a final farewell to the woman.
It was uncertain how much time had passed.
The woman's consciousness was blurred. The ruthless cosmic winds of the universe were tearing away fragments from her soul.
She was like a rowboat drifting in a dark ocean.
'Cold... I couldn't find... anyone... suitable for... my soul...'
She was weakening. Her soul was at its limits. If she couldn't find a 'sanctuary' shortly, her soul would be erased eternally.
In the darkness, a spinning pale blue planet appeared. A small, insignificant planet with a mana energy so low it was almost nonexistent.
'I can't remember... which... planet... this is...'
With one last effort, the woman's soul entered the planet's gravitational pull. The noise of billions of souls was making her dizzy. To her, they were all ordinary and worthless.
But one was different. She felt an irresistible warmth from this soul. This 'warmth' was the sign she was looking for.
A lonely soul, having surrendered himself to the invisible arms of sleep in the silence of the Rest Area, in one of the isolated dimensions created by the System.
The woman murmured with her last remaining consciousness. 'I finally found it...'
The woman did not hesitate.
The golden-colored soul sliver glided through the ceiling of the luxurious room. It plunged into the body of Aren, who was in a deep sleep on the soft bed over the silk sheets, with the Gladius in his hand.
Aren's body suddenly stiffened within the comfortable bed. Cold sweat gathered on his forehead.
The woman's soul glided into Aren's Soul Sea, into the deepest and darkest corner of his consciousness. It was quiet here. It was safe.
There were no cosmic winds to wear down her soul.
Tossing restlessly in his luxurious bed, Aren took a deep breath. He wasn't aware of it yet, but he was no longer alone.
Aren's dream.
Baby Aren was drifting all alone in the middle of an endless, pitch-black loneliness. He felt cold.
Then suddenly, a sun appeared, illuminating this darkness. It banished the freezing cold, giving way to an indescribable, peaceful warmth.
'How... comfortable.'
Aren opened his eyes.
The first thing he did was check how much time he had left.
'I have 2 hours left.' he thought, after which he got out of his bed and headed toward the bathroom.
After taking care of his human needs, he chose a comfortable chair in the living room and sat down.
The moment Aren thought about checking his stats, a screen appeared in front of him.
Title: None
Level: 2
Name: Aren Khan
Race: Human
Bloodline: None
Age: 26
Height: 172CM
Weight: 73KG
Vitality: 5 -> 6
Strength: 6
Agility: 6 -> 7
Endurance: 4 -> 5
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 11
Soul: 6 -> 100
Mana: 2
Skills: Bloodlust (Passive), Basic Sword Mastery (Passive), Ghost Step (Passive)
'Hmm? Why is my level still 2? I thought my level increased after killing that girl. Still, some of my stats have increased. I suppose leveling up isn't the only way to increase stats.'
Suddenly, his eyes caught something that wasn't there before.
'What is this? How did my Soul stat suddenly increase by 94 points?'
Aren still hadn't figured out how the System worked.
'Based on my own stats and the power increase I felt after leveling up, any stat for an average human should be 5. Such a stat increase for Soul doesn't seem right. Could something abstract like the soul work differently?'
Following a few minutes of brainstorming, 'Whatever. I have plenty of time ahead of me. Eventually, I will learn everything little by little.' he thought, after which he suddenly stood up and started practicing with his Gladius.
As Aren swung the Gladius in the air, he didn't realize how time passed.
Normally, if he worked out at this pace for ten minutes, he would be out of breath.
But now?
Thanks to his sword mastery and Ghost Step, he had no unnecessary moves. Every move was aimed at injuring or killing the opponent.
An hour had passed, and there was not a single drop of sweat on his forehead.
Aren checked his remaining time. He still had some more.
'I guess it would be good to rest. I must be in my best form.' he thought, after which he sat down in his comfortable chair.
'I'm probably not the only one getting stronger.'
Among the 113 survivors, Aren was perhaps one of the most ordinary.
He closed his eyes and began to wait.
Minutes later, a screen appeared in front of him.
REST TIME IS UP.
Aren opened his eyes.
Aren tightly gripped his Gladius.
Just like his teleportation from the arena to the rest room, when he closed and opened his eyes, he found himself in a different place.