Elian found himself waking up in a vast grassland, a gentle breeze sweeping across the green grass that stretched as far as the eye could see.
"A safe zone…" Elian let out a small chuckle.
He knew this place extremely well.
This small world was divided into seven regions: desert, volcanic mountains, dense forest, ice wasteland, deep ocean, lightning land, and grasslands. Each region was inhabited by various monsters—except for the grasslands.
In this exam, participants were scattered across different locations. The strong would be sent to extreme regions, while the weak were placed in relatively safe areas, with some even being dropped directly into the safe zone.
But Elian knew one thing—regardless of the danger level, this world contained extremely valuable treasures, complete with clues to their locations. And since he was already here, of course he would take everything for himself.
Elian lay down on the ground. His eyes closed as he spread his power outward, sensing overlapping soul waves in the distance.
In an instant, his consciousness shot outward.
He transferred his consciousness into one of the soul waves, entering the subconscious of his chosen target.
Over the past few days, Elian had realized something—the dream world was almost identical to the human subconscious. That meant he could not only invade dreams, but consciousness itself, though it required far greater effort.
Without hesitation, he transferred his consciousness again, then released a wave of power to scan the surrounding area.
At the same time, within his dream world, a three-dimensional map slowly began to form—every detail of this small world being etched clearly.
He had ordered his soul to store everything he saw, not in temporary memory, but directly into his dream world, using a technique taught by Shiori.
The mechanism was simple.
When the body is injured, white blood cells work to reconstruct damaged tissue. Does a person truly understand the detailed process? No. It works automatically.
What he was doing now was the same.
Elian stimulated his brain to transfer information directly into long-term memory—both in his brain and in his dream world. As a result, a perfect 3D map of this small world was now imprinted.
He began jumping from one creature to another, recording region after region into his dream world. Even though the magic consumption was enormous, it barely mattered to him. His recovery speed while unconscious was extremely fast.
But suddenly—Elian felt something was wrong.
Elian immediately pulled his consciousness back into his body.
"So this is all you're capable of."
A voice filled with mockery and arrogance pierced his ears.
"I guess your previous duel was just luck. Or did you set it up on purpose to hide how weak you really are?"
When Elian opened his eyes, he saw a young man standing in front of him with a smug expression. Meanwhile, Elian was still lying on the ground, and pain began spreading from his left hand throughout his body.
"So you finally decided to open your eyes."
Elian ignored the rambling. His gaze was cold and sharp, locked straight onto the young man before him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?!"
The young man shouted angrily.
Elian made his decision in an instant.
His consciousness surged forward.
He slammed violently into the young man's consciousness.
"Argh—!"
The young man screamed as he clutched his head, his body staggering. Elian stood up, stepped closer, then grabbed the young man by the hair and yanked his head up to force him to meet his gaze.
Name: Edgar Montclair
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Sequence: 8
Magic Power: 12,000
Personality: Evil
Trait: Narcissistic, Calculative, Egoist
Rank: B
Strength: 900 (B)
Dexterity: 932 (B)
Agility: 867 (B)
Constitution: 642 (C)
Intelligence: 1200 (B)
Wisdom: 850 (B)
Charisma: Handsome
"So you're Edgar Montclair, huh?"
Elian reinforced his right hand, doubling its strength, then smashed it into Edgar's face without mercy.
"Ugh—please… stop…"
Edgar whimpered between blows.
Elian didn't care.
His attention was fixed on Edgar's status screen.
Charisma: Handsome → Ugly
A satisfied smile formed on Elian's face. He stopped punching. In front of him, Edgar looked pitiful—his face swollen and bruised purple, blood flowing down his cheeks.
Elian lowered his enhancement. In an instant, cramps shot through his hand.
"I'm going to take a nap now," he said coldly.
"You keep watch. Make sure no one bothers me."
He released his grip and spoke with a threatening tone.
"If that happens—or if you run—I'll hunt you down and beat your face until your parents can't recognize you anymore. Understood?"
"U-understood…"
Edgar nodded weakly.
Elian narrowed his eyes as he watched the young man in front of him.
Even though Edgar said he understood, Elian could clearly see his consciousness—visions of himself beating Elian in retaliation.
Elian's expression hardened.
He stepped forward and grabbed Edgar by the hair again.
"W-wait—what are you—"
Bugh!
Another punch landed on Edgar's face before he could finish his sentence.
"Please spare me!" Edgar cried, snot beginning to run from his nose.
When that mucus touched his skin, Elian's anger flared even more. He wrapped his hand in magic and started beating Edgar even harder.
Charisma: Ugly → Poor
"Listen carefully," Elian said coldly.
"If you think even one bad thought about me, I'll beat you again."
"Obey. Do your job."
Elian turned around, about to continue what he had been doing earlier, but suddenly realized something—he had a two-hundred-meter radius within which he could transfer his consciousness to any living being nearby. Now that he had pulled his consciousness back into his body, he would have to repeat the entire process from the beginning.
Annoyed, Elian stood up and approached Edgar again, grabbing his hair.
"M-Master…?"
Edgar trembled, already realizing what was about to happen.
The third beating session began.
Edgar's cries echoed across the grassland. Every time he was about to lose consciousness, Elian pulled his awareness back—forcing him to stay awake and feel every single blow Elian delivered.
Elian kept watching his status, making sure he didn't go too far and get Edgar eliminated from this world due to fatal injuries.
Until—
Charisma: Ugly → Poor
Elian froze.
So… charisma could drop permanently.
His punches might have completely destroyed Edgar's face. Even if it was healed with potions, it would never return to how it was before—at least, not in this world.
Elian stopped. He turned around, then lay down on the ground.
"Don't make me hit you again," he said quietly, closing his eyes.
"I-I didn't do anything…"
Edgar muttered indistinctly, his face covered in bruises.
Elian didn't respond.
The grassland fell silent once more—leaving one person asleep, and another standing guard in deep fear.
Note: For now, the concept of consciousness is like a magnet. In order to detach itself from the body, it needs another consciousness (magnet) to attach itself to. Otherwise, it will be absorbed back into the main body. Perhaps one day consciousness will be able to move freely, but the main concept remains the same, namely that it still has a connection with the body and can be drawn back to the body at any time. Consciousness is almost similar to the soul, but they are two different things. Think of consciousness as inten, rtc in the world of martial arts, while the soul is, of course, the soul.