The faint glow of my awakening still shimmered in the dark chamber. My chest rose and fell slowly as I steadied my breathing, the lingering sensation of thunder still crackling faintly under my skin. I could feel it — the primal energy coursing inside me. It was wild, pure, and frighteningly alive.
For the first time since coming to this world, I felt… different.
Not just physically, but in some deep, untouchable way.
As I exhaled, the air vibrated faintly, carrying faint strands of light — Prana. It drifted like mist before fading into nothing.
"Alright," I muttered under my breath. "Now that my primal energy's awake… let's try that breathing method again."
I crossed my legs and sat down on the cold floor. Dhanush rested beside me — silent, yet somehow watchful, as if the bow itself was aware of me. My breath slowed, and I guided the flow of Prana into my body.
Inhale energy. Exhale impurities.
It was working — faintly. I could sense the energy swirling inside, merging with my veins and muscles, but the pace was painfully slow. Like filling an ocean with a single drop.
I frowned. "Where do I even store this energy?"
Primal energy was vast, overwhelming. My soul could contain a small amount, but the body was far more limited. It was like trying to fill a cracked glass — no matter how much I gathered, it leaked away.
That's when a soft chime echoed in my mind.
> [ You have True Ego Leveling-Up System. You can upgrade your body. ]
I blinked. "…You mean, I can evolve myself?"
No response. Just that cold, impersonal glow of text fading into the dark.
Still, my instincts told me to trust it. After all, this system had already guided me through one awakening. Maybe it could take me further.
I straightened my posture and took a deep breath. "Alright, system. Level up my body ten times."
> [ Leveling up body ×10 ]
[ Lucky Draw… ]
[ Leveling up body ×200 ]
My eyes widened. "Wait— two hundred times!?"
Then came the pain.
It was as if every cell in my body decided to scream at once. My muscles convulsed, my bones cracked like shattering glass, and my vision turned white.
Something inside me broke — no, not broke. Transformed.
My consciousness wavered. The world dissolved into a swirl of colors and noise. I couldn't even scream.
Then, silence.
---
When I woke up again, I was lying face-first in something cold and sticky. My fingers sank into it — black mud, thick and foul-smelling.
I gagged and staggered to my feet. The stench was unbearable, a mix of blood, rot, and… something else. Something not from this world.
The chamber was gone. I was somewhere deeper — a cavern, maybe. The ceiling was lost in darkness, and the ground was a pool of that same black sludge.
"What… happened to me?" I whispered, my voice echoing strangely.
I looked down — and froze.
My skin was glowing faintly, a dull golden hue radiating from beneath the surface. My reflection shimmered in the dark liquid — sharp eyes, longer ears, faint tattoos of light crawling up my arms like veins of molten metal.
I could feel it. Power. My muscles no longer ached — they hummed with energy. My senses stretched further than before. I could feel the vibration of air, the heartbeat of the cave, the faint spark of energy flowing through every particle around me.
"Let's see if I can control it…"
I exhaled — and a whirlpool of darkness opened near my mouth. A black hole, no larger than my palm, but so dense it warped the air. The stagnant air of the cavern rushed toward it, carrying with it the scent of decay.
Then the energy poured in. Pure, unfiltered Prana.
It filled me. My skin shone brighter, my muscles tightened, and my mind… cleared.
Each breath made me feel more alive than I had ever been.
> [ Body upgraded successfully. ]
[ Your body is now at the level of a Meta-Human. ]
[ Magic Circuit — 1st Circle unlocked. ]
[ Aura Circuit — 1st Stage opened. ]
[ Chakra Pathway — 1st Chakra awakened. ]
> [ Abnormal Owner has reached the 1st Stage. ]
[ You have gained the privilege: Dimensional Marchant. ]
The messages flashed in quick succession, each one resonating deep in my bones.
"Dimensional… Marchant?" I muttered. "That's new."
No explanation followed. Of course.
I stood there in silence, the echoes of the system still lingering in my mind. Dimensional Marchant — a title? A power? It sounded almost… foreign. Like something that shouldn't exist in a human vocabulary.
But as I focused on it, a faint tremor passed through the air.
The world shifted.
The black sludge evaporated. The cave walls trembled as lines of light — intricate symbols — began to etch themselves into the stone.
And then, one by one, the doors began to open.
---
I stumbled back as the air filled with brilliance. Each wall, each corner of the cavern split open to reveal countless chambers. Within them floated weapons — glowing, humming, whispering to each other like living beings.
Swords gleamed like silver fire. Spears floated upright, humming with ancient runes. Shields gleamed with crystalline energy, staffs pulsed with elemental light. There were guns — strange, futuristic things — and gauntlets that seemed to breathe smoke.
There were even weapons I couldn't name — rings, whips, floating orbs, bracers that flickered with invisible force.
Each one radiated an aura of overwhelming power.
> [ Dimensional Marchant has opened the Door of Treasury. ]
The message flashed, and I felt something tug at my chest — like a connection.
Ripples of space appeared before me, thin as water, forming circles in the air. One by one, the weapons began to sink into them, like stones vanishing beneath the surface of a lake.
I watched, mesmerized, as the countless artifacts disappeared into those ripples, leaving only faint glimmers behind.
When the last weapon vanished, the space around me calmed. The doors sealed themselves shut. The chamber returned to silence.
"…So this is what Dimensional Marchant means," I said softly. "I can store… and access them."
It wasn't storage. It was ownership.
Somewhere — maybe beyond space itself — a treasury existed now. My treasury.