Silence is often terrifying, but this time, it was different. For Aryan, this silence was a balm. For hours—or perhaps days, he had no track of time—his ears had been deafened by the shrieking winds and the sound of space tearing apart. Now, everything was still.
He tried to open his eyes. His eyelids felt as if someone had placed heavy stones upon them. Every joint, every muscle, and even his bones ached with a strange, rhythmic throbbing. It wasn't the pain one gets from an injury; it was the exhaustion that comes when your body tears past its limits and reaches for something beyond.
"Am I still in that hell?" Aryan tried to move his parched lips, but no sound came out.
"No, you are out of that nightmare. But you are still with me," a deep, resonant voice echoed in his mind.
A faint smile touched Aryan's face. It was Vedna. During that horrific battle, Vedna's voice had sounded like a cold machine, but now, there was a trace of relief in it. "You did what was against the laws of nature, Aryan. You compressed Void Energy to such an extent that reality itself fractured to save itself. You are lucky your mind is still intact."
Aryan finally opened his eyes fully. He was no longer in that dark, fractured field. He lay in a boundless white expanse. There was no ceiling above, only a vast nebula swirling slowly in shades of gold and deep purple. This place was the Reward Room of the Death Trial—a space existing somewhere between reality and nothingness.
He tried to rise, but a sharp burning sensation flared just below his chest, right where his center was. He groaned, placing a hand over his abdomen.
"Do not move. Your body is still trying to digest the energy you absorbed during the trial," an external voice echoed. It wasn't Vedna, but a guide from the Trial System.
Aryan turned his head. A translucent screen floated before him.
> [Death Trial: Phase Two - Successfully Completed]
> [Evaluation Rank: S (Historical)]
> [Reward Description: The Void Orb]
From the glow of the screen, a small, black crystalline sphere drifted toward him. This was no ordinary stone. The orb seemed to pull the very light toward it, as if a tiny black hole were contained within. As soon as Aryan saw it, he felt a strange stir in the lower part of his stomach—his Dantian.
In the stories of Murim, the Dantian was where a warrior stored their 'Qi'. For Aryan, this space had been empty until now. He had functioned like a mere converter. He would soak up the surrounding Mana, turn it into Void Energy, and use it immediately. He had no vessel to hold the power. Without Mana, Aryan was useless.
But now, that was about to change.
The Void Orb hovered near his chest and slowly began to merge into his body.
A scream ripped from Aryan's throat. It felt as if someone had poured molten lava into his veins. The orb settled directly into the position of his Dantian. Suddenly, there was an explosion—not of sound, but of pure energy.
> [System Alert: 'Void Dantian' Construction Complete.]
> [Capacity: Void Energy Storage Unlocked.]
Aryan felt a deep, silent lake form within his stomach. The Void Energy that had been burning his body until now suddenly calmed down and began to settle into this newly formed Dantian.
"This is incredible," Vedna said with awe. "Now you don't need to look for Mana every single moment. This orb will function like an infinite battery within you. You can now store Void Energy... accumulate it."
Aryan clenched his fist. Until now, he could only reach 100% energy, which would deplete instantly. But now? The lake within him was so deep that he could store thousands of units of energy. He no longer feared running out of Mana mid-battle. He was no longer just a hunter; he had become a living reservoir of the Void.
He felt purple veins branching out from his Dantian, spreading through his entire nervous system. It was painful, but it gave him a sense of terrifying power. Every cell in his body was now in sync with the Void Energy.
"S-Rank... so this is what it feels like," Aryan said in a weary voice.
"It is not just a reward, Aryan. It is a responsibility," the System Guide's voice returned. "You are now outside the boundaries of what this world understands. The guilds, the rankers, and those hunters who measure strength with stones... they are now both a threat and prey to you."
Aryan thought of Rahul Mehra. He thought of the humiliation he had to endure because he was an 'F-Rank'. The world thought he was a glitch, a mistake.
Aryan slowly stood up. His body was still trembling, but the Void lake within him was calm and powerful. His eyes, once black, now occasionally flickered with a purple glow.
"The world thinks I am finished," Aryan said, his voice carrying a new depth. "Let them think so. By the time they guess my next move, I will be beyond their imagination."
Vedna's edge shimmered in his hand, sharper and more stable than ever before. "So, shall we return? The outside world is waiting for you... and Rahul deserves a little surprise too."
Aryan nodded. He took one last look at the nebula and pushed his consciousness back toward his own world. He was no longer the man who had entered the Death Trial. He now held an infinite void within him, and he was ready to go to any lengths to fill it.
He closed his eyes and let the silence swallow him whole.