The sun slowly began to rise as the moon gradually gave way to its counterpart. The stars were still visible in the vast sky, and in the midst of it all—inside a silent park at the break of dawn—a young man glowing with a faint bluish light was throwing punches into the empty air at a staggering speed.
He was practicing the Perpetual Cycle Art, a martial art accessible to everyone and known as the most basic martial art of all.
"You're still here, Shin?"
As Shin finished his sequence, he recognized that irritating voice instantly. As usual, Jack had come to train as well—never missing a single day.
"I never skip a training day."
Shin took a deep breath and continued without letting the unwanted guest distract him. Right now, the cold air burning his lungs and the freezing sensation crawling over his skin were far bigger problems.
Jack stood there for a moment, watching his friend closely, dissecting every single movement. With a sigh, he spoke.
"You've made some serious progress—for such a trash martial art."
Shin didn't even bother to reply, thinking to himself, That's because you stole the one I wanted.
"Why didn't you pick another martial art from the school library?"
"None of your business."
Avoiding Jack's gaze, Shin accelerated his pace. Fatigue was clearly written on his face—after all, he had been training with this "trash art" for two hours straight. But he had no choice.
Still, Jack's words echoed in his mind. It was true—there were many far superior martial arts in Myriad's library, and God knew how crucial a martial art was for Level 0 Awakeneds like them.
"Hey, are you going to answer me or what?"
Jack's insistence pulled Shin out of his thoughts, reminding him of a harsh truth: in this world, there were the Awakened—and then there were the others.
No one was born Awakened. Among the population, some individuals possessed the potential to become Awakened. They trained in martial arts to manipulate Aether, the fundamental energy of the world and the source of an Awakened's power.
Those talented enough formed a core and became true Awakened. Those still training and attempting to form a core were classified as Level 0 Awakened. Once a core was formed, they reached Level 1, followed by Levels 2 and 3 above that.
"You know the quality of the martial art you practice affects your chances of reaching the next level, right?"
"I know, idiot. I also know that the principal's martial art is basically a goldmine for Level 0 Awakeneds like us."
Shin knew perfectly well that practicing the Perpetual Cycle Art wasn't very beneficial for him—neither for Aether accumulation nor for combat efficiency.
For example, the art Jack practiced granted him an overall enhancement to his abilities during battle, along with three exceptional combat techniques. Shin knew just how powerful those techniques were—he had endured them with his own body.
"Either way, it's not a loss for me. And I'm still way behind you."
"Oh? You really think so?"
The arrogant smile on Jack's flawless face instantly filled Shin with murderous urges. But he knew that with Jack's monstrous talent and that incredible martial art, the gap between them would only continue to widen.
"Hahaha!!!"
Shin suddenly burst into frenzied laughter, much to Jack's surprise. A hint of madness shimmered in his eyes.
"I'll show you. Watch closely. I'll get into Mythopoiós before you do."
Jack smiled at his friend's inexhaustible defiance, a flame igniting in his own eyes.
"We'll see. I'm doing my internship abroad—in my homeland, England—so this is the last time we'll see each other for a while.And just to remind you… I'm the one in the lead right now."
As Jack finished speaking, his body seemed to ignite with a greenish flame, from which the roaring image of a tiger began to take shape.
The ground trembled slightly under the tiger's roar, and Shin shivered beneath Jack's overwhelming power. He could feel it—Jack was on the verge of forming his core.
Shin was torn between admiration and despair. The more time passed, the wider the gap became—and there was nothing he could do about it…
Yet he refused to give up. Even more so, he refused to stay on a loss—especially not while his opponent stood before him with such a sadistic smile.
"For now only."
Shin's voice burned with indescribable rage. Only after confirming that his rival's motivation remained intact did Jack finally leave for his internship in England.
After Jack's departure, Shin stood there for a long moment, staring into the void. If he wanted to surpass his rival, he would have to give everything he had.
"The Perpetual Cycle…"
The very first martial art invented by humanity to accumulate Aether and create a core. In far more primitive eras, only the most talented became Awakened by sheer luck—but the creation of the Perpetual Cycle marked a major leap forward for mankind.
Unfortunately, progress didn't stop there, and the art eventually became obsolete—especially since, unlike other martial arts, it required repetitive looping movements to accumulate Aether.
Still, Shin hadn't chosen to keep this art for no reason.
Taking a deep breath, his body ignited with a bluish flame.
"Boost…"
Unlike other martial arts, the Perpetual Cycle had no techniques of its own—so Shin created one himself.Boost allowed him, for a short period of time, to multiply his physical abilities fivefold while dividing his Aether consumption by five, using his heart as the engine.
"Cough"
The downside was the immense strain it placed on his heart during activation.
"At least it puts me on equal footing with that dog."
Exhaling as he watched the sun rise, Shin's determination burned brighter than ever.
"Just watch me. You won't understand a thing, Jack."