Jake was frustrated
"Arghhhh! What is this?" he shouted, his voice echoing into the emptiness around him. "Why is this not working!?"
He ran his hands through his hair, glaring at the endless space before him. His words came out half-angry, half-tired.
"When I woke up here and regained my consciousness, I thought I could finally breathe… but no!" he grumbled. "This place is filled with nothing but problems! I solve one, and another pops up. I hate it! I hate it the most!"
He sighed dramatically, throwing his hands up.
The kind of sigh that think — the universe is plotting against me personally.
After venting for a bit, Jake lifted his head and looked around.
Before him stretched a vast, endless landscape — silent, empty, and mysterious. It was beautiful, but in that moment, all he could think was:
'Even beauty is annoying when you're this irritated.'
Finally, he shook his head and muttered, "Forget it. For now, let's just focus on exploring this place. Who knows what's waiting here?"
A faint grin appeared on his face. "I'm… actually kind of excited."
With renewed spirit, Jake took a confident step forward — and immediately smacked into something invisible.
Thud!
He froze.
He feels like his nose squished and his forehead flattened. His dignity shattered.
For a second, he just stood there, face firmly glued against an invisible wall.
"…Huh?" he muttered, voice muffled. "What… what did I just hit?"
He slowly peeled his face off the unseen barrier, he groaned, "Oh great. I found my first enemy in this world — an invisible wall. Fantastic."
To test it, Jake poked the space in front of him — tap tap tap.
Nothing moved. The wall didn't even flinch.
He pushed harder, and the wall pushed back, as if it was laughing at him.
"Yeah, yeah, keep mocking me," he muttered, glaring at thin air. "First it's broken techniques, now invisible walls. What's next? Floating chairs that kick back?"
Jake sighed, half annoyed, half amused.
Somewhere deep down, he couldn't help but chuckle. The situation was ridiculous — but that was his life now.
He straightened his back, cracking his knuckles dramatically.
"Alright then," he said, staring at the empty air with determination. "You may be invisible… but I see you now."
And with that, Jake, the man who once faced cosmic destruction, declared war — on a wall that couldn't be seen.
Jake frowned at the invisible barrier in front of him.
He crossed his arms and muttered, "Alright, let's see if you can handle this one…"
Closing his eyes, he drew in a deep breath.
From within his chest — right from the Mirror of Tranquility, his core of soul power — a faint shimmer began to stir.
At first, it was soft… like ripples of sunlight dancing over calm water.
Then, in an instant, it ignited — a radiant, golden surge of energy shot upward through his chest, spiraling into his arm. His veins glowed faintly beneath his skin, tracing fine lines of golden light that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.
The energy gathered in his palm, bright and pure, like liquid sunlight trapped in flesh.
Jake opened one eye, smirking.
"Alright, wall… prepare yourself."
He thrust his hand forward.
"Mirror of Tranquility — Soul Impact!"
BOOOOM!
A brilliant flash of light filled the air — and the moment it struck, Jake expected the wall to crack, shake, maybe even shatter dramatically.
Instead—
Pffft.
Nothing.
Not even a ripple.
Jake blinked. "...Huh?"
He looked down at his hand — still glowing faintly — then at the invisible wall that looked exactly the same.
"Did… did I just slap it with enlightenment?"
He leaned forward, poked the air again. Still nothing.
Then tried pushing harder. Still nothing.
"Ugh—! Agh—! Ngh—!" he grunted, pressing with all his strength, his voice sounding more like a guy constipated with effort than a warrior of divine will.
Finally, he stepped back, panting, hair a bit messy from frustration.
"…This wall has no chill."
He waved his glowing hand in disbelief. "You didn't even push me back this time! Are you ignoring me now?!"
For a moment, silence.
Then a thought struck him — literally, like lightning in his brain.
'Wait… did it just absorb my power?'
He stared at his hand, feeling the faint emptiness in his chest where energy had once gathered. The glow was gone — completely drained.
Jake's jaw dropped. "Oh, come on! You're telling me this thing not only blocks me but also steals my power?! What's next, it's gonna start talking?"
He sighed heavily, defeated.
"Fine, you win. You're the wall, I'm the idiot. Congratulations."
Letting out a small laugh at his own misery, Jake dusted his hands and took a step back.
"There's no point trying to break it if it's just gonna slurp my power like a cosmic mosquito."
He crossed his arms again, thinking deeply.
'Wait a second… why are these invisible walls even here? Why can't I move anywhere beyond them?'
His eyes narrowed as he looked around.
'It's almost like… I'm being contained.'
The thought sent a chill through his spine.
Jake took a slow breath, the earlier humor fading just slightly into quiet curiosity — and suspicion.
Jake exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple. "Haa… what should I even call this place?"
He looked around again at the empty yet somehow troublesome space.
Then he raised a finger dramatically. "Right. From now on… I'll call you — The Place of Problems."
He nodded proudly to himself.
"Fits perfectly," he muttered.
Taking another deep breath, Jake sat cross-legged on the ground, eyes narrowing.
"Alright, let's solve this mess."
He entered a deep focus mode, the kind he usually used for cultivation or meditation — but this time, it was for survival. His mind started running through every possibility.
'Why is this happening? Is something trapping me here?'
The thought lingered for a second before he immediately shook his head.
"No, no, stop. Don't go into conspiracy mode again. Remove trash thoughts!" he said, flicking his forehead like he was deleting files.
He went quiet again, thinking hard.
Minutes passed… until suddenly, a faint spark of realization flickered in his mind.
'Wait a minute… what if this isn't a trap at all? What if this is… a law?'
His eyes widened slightly.
'Yes! A natural law — something that defines the space for souls themselves!'
A rush of clarity washed over him — that small but powerful enlightenment that made everything finally click.
Jake's lips curved into a half-smile. "So it is because of law…"
He nodded with confidence for two seconds… then froze.
"Wait," he muttered, tilting his head. "I don't know anything about law."
He stared blankly into the void, blinking twice.
Then he groaned. "Great. Solved one problem — unlocked another. Congratulations, Jake, you're now the proud owner of 'Next Problem!'"
He threw his hands up dramatically. "What's next? A cosmic customer care line? 'Press one to understand divine law!'"
Jake sighed, slumping back, and laughed helplessly.
"Universe, if you're listening — can I get a user manual, please?"