Beyond The System Chapter 6: Stars

I found myself staring at the stone floor exhausted and battered, wondering what to do next. “I think I’m done. How about so more cultivation?”

Thea glanced at briefly, her stormy gray eyes sharp with thought.

“You could, but after you do, I really think you should focus on consolidating it and getting used to moving that new volu of energy. You might not be able to imdiately control it like your original amount. Maybe just practice with what you got.”

I nodded. “That makes sense.” I paused, smirking slightly. “But I wasn’t exactly used to my original energy either, you know, before you dragged to the floor several tis.”

Thea chuckled lightly. “Well, think how much better you’ll be getting at it.”

She smiled at , and for a brief mont, I forgot about the cold floor and the exhausting training.

Alright, back to focusing. No more gym bullies. No more crazy girls itching to fight . Just and this cold stone floor.

So cold… no, no. Forget it.

Breathe.

I felt it again, that faint hum of energy, sharper than before. Since the World Force had escaped during the fight I wasn’t as full, but so of it had fused with my Nexus.

I focused on it, starting from my Nexus, guiding it through my fingertips this ti. I continued, circulating it next throughout my entire body, letting it flow naturally. After a few minutes, I pushed harder, forcing it to flow in the opposite direction.

It felt… weird.

Kind of like trying to force yourself to pee after being trained your whole life to hold it in until you get to a bathroom. Trust , way harder than it sounds.

When I finally opened my eyes, my energy felt restored, and when I stood up, I actually did feel stronger. Like I could take on the world, or at least jog across the room without collapsing.

“Alright,” I muttered to myself. Now what?

More cultivation? Weight training?

I glanced over at Thea. She was completely absorbed in her own ditation, her brows slightly furrowed, her lips pressed into a firm line.

Better not bother her.

But before I could decide on my next move, heavy footsteps thundered from the doorway.

Our instructor, the hulking old man, was back.

The room fell silent as everyone froze in place, all eyes snapping to the towering figure in the doorway.

He walked to the center of the room, his deep voice rumbling like distant thunder.

“I hope you trained hard. Tomorrow we will begin survival training, so I hope your stamina has increased sowhat.”

A collective shiver ran through the room. So recruits visibly flinched, while others broke out into nervous sweat.

That… concerned .

If the system kids, who presumably had been gaining stats or at least sothing similar were nervous about what was coming, what chance did I have?

The instructor’s gravelly voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.

“Now, follow . I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.”

Without another word, he turned and began walking away. Around a dozen recruits fell in line behind him, shuffling forward with quiet obedience.

I glanced at Thea, still sitting cross-legged with her eyes firmly shut.

Should I wake her up?

Yeah, probably.

I crouched down next to her and gave her shoulder a gentle shake. “Thea. Grandmaster Thea. Wake up.”

Nothing.

“Hey, Thea!” I shook her a little harder. “Co on, we have to leave!”

Her stormy gray eyes shot open, sharp and piercing. For a split second, she looked like she was about to unleash so vicious insult or possibly throttle where I stood.

Before she could say anything, I raised my hands in surrender.

“Relax! Look.” I pointed toward the doorway, where the last few recruits were slipping out. “We’re heading to sleep spot.”

Thea blinked, her scowl softening into groggy confusion. “Oh… right.” She pushed herself to her feet, wobbling slightly before regaining her balance.

Together, we shuffled toward the doorway, falling into step with the last of the recruits as we followed the instructor’s broad back through the winding halls.

My thoughts buzzed with fragnts of what Thea had said earlier about consolidation, about energy, about tomorrow’s endurance training.

The path ahead felt impossibly steep, but… at least I wasn’t walking it alone.

We all walked through the twisting corridors and up several flights of stairs. I was really glad I’d started cultivating. Otherwise, even this climb would have been exhausting after everything else.

After a long stretch of silence, boredom started gnawing at . I glanced over at Thea, who looked equally bored, and decided to break the silence.

“Sooo why don’t you have your system yet?” I asked casually.

“The sa reason as you, Late Bloor,” she said with a chuckle. “Well, not exactly. I’m still only seventeen. Next week, I should finally be able to see it. How about you? Any special reason?”

My palms started sweating a little. “Haha, no… just an actual late bloor, I guess. I scream out status every day just to check.”

She smirked at that, but before the conversation could continue, we stepped outside.

And I froze.

“Holy… just, wow.”

Under the moonlit sky, countless stars stretched across the heavens. Tiny specks of light glittered against a velvet-black canvas, more than I’d ever seen in my entire life.

Back ho, light pollution choked the stars into near-oblivion, and once after that, with greater corruption of the world, asures were taken, hiding them away permanently. Sure, I’d seen photos of galaxies and breathtaking nightscapes, but seeing it with my own eyes?

It was… sothing else entirely.

“You okay?” Thea asked, her voice pulling back to the mont. She tilted her head slightly, clearly puzzled by my wide-eyed stare.

“Better. This is amazing!” I said, maybe a little too loudly, earning a few curious glances from the recruits ahead of us.

“What is?” she asked, genuinely confused.

“The stars! So many of them. I an, really! There are just… so many. I never knew. I an, I’ve seen stars before, but not like this. Not like this.”

Thea laughed lightly, her gray eyes softening slightly. “What, are you crazy? They’re just stars.”

I paused, realizing sothing. If you saw a sky like this every night, it wouldn’t be anything special. To her, this was just… normal.

But to ? It felt like a miracle.

We kept walking, the night air cool against my face, until we reached two large tents set up near the edge of a forested area.

I turned around, expecting to see so grand castle looming behind us. Instead, I was greeted by a square, cubic stone-brick structure. It wasn’t glamorous, but at least it was… functional.

Guess most of the structure is underground. Explains the maze of hallways and torches.

Speaking of torches… I rembered all the ones flickering in the gym earlier. That can’t be good for anyone’s lungs, right?

“Alright,” the instructor’s deep voice bood, pulling back to the present. “Girls, you get the tent closer to the building.” He pointed sharply to the two tents in a clearing a few dozen ters away. “Boys, take the other. Go in, stay out here, but don’t wander around. Anything else is fine.”

With that, the hulking man turned and walked away, his massive silhouette fading into the shadows.

The other recruits shuffled toward their assigned tents without hesitation, a few yawning, others muttering quietly to themselves.

I turned to Thea. “So, I guess… I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yep,” she said with a small stretch. “I’m getting pretty tired. Besides, tomorrow’s training is going to be rough. We should get so sleep.”

I nodded. “Yeah… sleep sounds good.”

We exchanged a brief smile before heading toward our respective tents.

As I ducked into the tent, I glanced back once, catching sight of Thea disappearing into hers.

The tent was pretty simple. Barebones, really. No furniture other than the ten or so bunk beds cramd inside. Honestly, it felt unnecessary considering there were only around eight boys and four girls in total.

I expected trouble, maybe a repeat of the gym bullies or so awkward stares, but to my surprise and relief, everyone just ignored . They went about their business. Chatting quietly, yawning, or settling into the thin sheets and straw mats that passed for beds here.

Maybe they really just wanted a mood boost earlier in the ring and I was the unfortunate casualty.

With a shrug, I chose the bottom bed near the back corner of the tent and lay down.

The thin sheet felt rough against my skin, and the straw mat underneath wasn’t doing my spine any favors. I stared up at the wooden slats above and thought about what I’d left behind.

Honestly? Not much.

Sure, I’d miss my foster brothers and sisters. They were good people, but I was already on my way out because of my age. My life had been fine. No major complaints anyway.

But, man, I was really starting to miss a proper comforter and a mattress that didn’t feel like soone had cramd hay into a sack and called it a day.

Ti passed slowly, and eventually, the tent filled with the sound of deep, resounding snores.

Loud and invasive. They rattled in my skull like soone revving up a motor next to my ear.

“I’m going to lose my mind,” I muttered out loud.

With a huff, I threw off the thin sheet, grabbed it in frustration, and slipped out from the bottom bunk. I shuffled past the rows of sleeping recruits, careful to step quietly.

Freedom.

The night greeted with open arms. The stars above were still impossibly bright, and the crisp breeze brushed against my face.

The world felt quieter out here.

I walked a short distance away from the tent until the chorus of snores was finally drowned out by the stillness of the night.

Once I was far enough, I sat down on the cold ground, pulling the sheet over my shoulders like a makeshift cloak.

The stars twinkled above, countless and brilliant.

They really are sothing else.

For a mont, I silently thanked whatever forces were listening that it wasn’t winter, or if it was, that it wasn’t a cold one.

The ground was hard, the sheet was thin, and tomorrow promised exhaustion and endless training, but at least, for now, under this infinite blanket of stars, I felt… at peace.

The sharp blare of a horn yanked out of sleep so violently that I nearly threw the thin sheet over my head in protest.

“Everyone, get up! Move it! You have two minutes!”