Joseph panicked, looking around quickly, trying to determine the source of the voice he had just heard. But all he could see was an endless void. No ground beneath him, no walls, not even a single point of light to break this terrifying darkness.
A chill crawled up his spine, an unsettling sensation telling him he was not alone here.
Suddenly, the space around him trembled, as if the darkness itself had begun to move. A cloud of black smoke gathered before him, swirling slowly before condensing into a dark wooden table in the middle of the nothingness. The sound of creaking wood was the only noise in this place, yet it rang unnaturally loud, as if it were alive.
Then, from within the mist, two hands appeared.
Their skin was a deep bluish-black, with long, slender fingers that moved slowly, as if tasting the air around them.
Joseph's stomach tightened, and he instinctively took a step back, his eyes locked onto the hands as if they carried an invisible threat.
"W-Who are you?! What do you want from me?!" he shouted, but his voice felt hollow in the oppressive silence.
No immediate response came. Only silence lingered for a moment, until a deep, cold voice finally spoke—one that seemed to resonate from inside his own mind.
"I am your soul, you weakling."
Another chill ran through Joseph. But this time, it wasn't from fear… it was from anger.
His brows furrowed as he stared at the outstretched hands, then exhaled sharply, trying to steady himself. Whatever this thing was, he wouldn't let it intimidate him.
"What do you want from me?" he asked firmly, trying to mask his unease.
The entity chuckled mockingly, its laughter echoing faintly inside his head.
"I want nothing from you… but you need me."
Joseph froze for a moment, his fingers loosening slightly before clenching again. "What nonsense is this? Where am I?!"
"You are inside your spiritual being."
Joseph struggled to grasp the meaning of those words, but he couldn't fully comprehend them. All he knew was that he was trapped here, inside this void that felt as though it was slowly consuming him.
Grinding his teeth, he snapped, "I want to leave! Get me out of here now!"
Once again, the entity laughed, but this time, there was a faint, threatening undertone to its voice.
"If you want to leave, you must first meet the requirements."
Joseph felt something heavy settle in his chest—a strange kind of anxiety, as if something terrible was about to happen. He swallowed hard and asked cautiously, "And what are these requirements?"
At that moment, something strange occurred.
On top of the wooden table, a deck of playing cards flipped over by itself, as if an unseen hand had scattered them, revealing three cards, each inscribed with cryptic writing.
Joseph stared at the cards, an eerie feeling creeping over him. Something about this game wasn't normal.
He hesitated for a moment, but his curiosity won out. Slowly, he reached out and picked up one of the cards. When he turned it over, he read aloud:
"Immerse yourself in boiling water for thirty minutes."
His eyes widened in shock, his heart pounding in his chest. "What?!"
He snapped his head up, looking at the entity as if expecting it to confirm it was joking.
But the entity showed no emotion, merely stating in a cold tone, "Didn't you say you wanted to become strong? Don't you want revenge? This is for your own good."
Joseph clenched his jaw in anger, but before he could respond, the entity spoke again—this time in a quiet yet venomous tone.
"You are so weak that everyone despises you, you pathetic trash."
Something inside his head snapped.
Joseph clenched his fist so tightly his fingers nearly broke, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. But he refused to let this thing provoke him further.
Then, right before his eyes, a massive basin of boiling water appeared.
Thick steam billowed from it, the heat seemingly scorching the air itself. He took a step closer and felt the waves of heat sting his face even before touching the water.
He hesitated… but only for a second.
Then, he exhaled slowly, closed his eyes… and jumped.
—
Pain.
It felt as if every cell in his body had exploded at once.
A scream caught in his throat, struggling to escape, but he forced it down. His body convulsed violently, every inch of him burning as if flames had surged through his veins.
He bit down so hard his teeth nearly cracked, his hands gripping the edges of the basin, fighting against the overwhelming urge to leap out.
"Thirty minutes…" he reminded himself, clinging to the thought like a lifeline amid this living hell.
Time crawled at a torturous pace, every second stretching into eternity. But despite it all, he endured.
—
When the time was finally up, he emerged from the water, gasping desperately for air. Steam rose from his body, his face tight with pain, yet… he did not collapse.
He stood firm, his breathing heavy but steady.
He looked at the entity with sharp eyes and demanded hoarsely, "What was the point of that?!"
The entity remained still, expressionless, and simply replied, "Boiling water improves blood circulation and relieves muscle pain. This will make your body more receptive to training."
Joseph said nothing, but he felt… something strange. Despite all the pain, his body wasn't as weak as he had expected. In fact…
He picked up another card.
"Do 99 sit-ups."
He inhaled sharply in disbelief but didn't object. He only exhaled sharply… and began.
One… two… ten… fifty…
His sweat mixed with his labored breaths, his muscles screaming in protest, yet he didn't stop.
And so, the training continued. The days passed, until weakness was no longer a part of him.
Then, on his final day, when he finally opened his eyes again… he was no longer the same person who had entered this world.
He was something different.
—
Joseph slowly opened his eyes. For a moment, he felt as if he were floating between a dream and reality, his consciousness not entirely stable. But the sensation that coursed through his body told him one thing: he had returned.
His brows furrowed in confusion. He had expected to wake up with a broken body, a crushing pain devouring his muscles. But… there was none of that.
He exhaled slowly and carefully lifted himself off the bed, expecting exhaustion, but was surprised.
His body felt lighter. Not obviously stronger, but his movements were smoother, his breathing more controlled. That constant, lingering fatigue he had always carried—gone.
He raised his hand in front of his face, examining his palm before clenching it slowly. His fingers weren't thicker or more muscular, but they felt steadier. More controlled. Less shaky.
He stood up, anticipating dizziness, but he remained stable. His body hadn't changed drastically, yet there was a new kind of balance—an efficiency he hadn't known before.
Walking toward the mirror, he studied his reflection.
He wasn't dramatically different. He hadn't become someone else, but the subtle differences were there.
His once pale skin had gained a healthier tone, as if freed from years of exhaustion. His facial structure hadn't changed, but it seemed a little sharper—not from weight loss, but from something else he couldn't quite define.
And his eyes…
They hadn't changed, yet in their depths, there was a new glint—a steadier gaze, one that no longer viewed the world the same way.
He stood there, contemplating himself, absorbing the changes that were barely visible but undeniably felt.
This wasn't a drastic transformation. But it was… a beginning.
—
Just as he was lost in thought, something unexpected appeared before him.
A new card, floating in the air just like before.
He reached out cautiously, flipping it over to read the words:
"Reward: Battle Instinct."
He raised an eyebrow. A reward? Battle Instinct?
Before he could fully process it, the card slowly dissolved into the air.
And then, he felt it.
Not a surge of strength, not a sudden increase in speed or power—but an awareness.
Something new had settled within him, a heightened perception of his movements, a sharper sense of his surroundings.
It wasn't a massive change, but it was another step forward.
Smirking faintly, Joseph muttered:
"It looks like I'm starting to understand the rules here…"
After absorbing the subtle changes that had occurred within him, there was nothing stopping him from leaving the hospital. He headed toward the door with calm steps, feeling his body slightly lighter yet still familiar, as if he were walking in a body he had not fully adjusted to.
As he stepped onto the street, he took a deep breath of the cold air, as if bidding farewell to that place once and for all. Despite everything that had happened, he didn't feel like a completely new person, but he was… different, even if just a little.
He began walking toward his home, his thoughts tangled between what had happened and what might come next. He had no clear plan, but he knew one thing—this world had changed for him, and he had to keep up with that change.
Then, suddenly, amidst his wandering thoughts, a new card appeared before him, floating in the air as if it had been waiting for him.
Joseph stopped and stared at it with wary eyes. This wasn't a sight he could get used to so easily.
He cautiously reached out, took hold of the card, and flipped it over to read the words inscribed on it:
"Mission: Kill 16 wolves."
His eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he had no time to dwell on it. The moment he finished reading the card, it vanished before his eyes, and soon after, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble slightly.
Before he could react, a bright white gate suddenly opened before him, a mysterious force pulling him in. He tried to step back, but the pull was too strong.
In less than a second, he disappeared into it.