Victor groaned as he sat up in bed, blinking groggily at the dim light filtering through his bedroom curtains.
He had spent what felt like days inside the secluded realm training under Master Lingyun's relentless sword drills. Though in-game exhaustion wasn't supposed to carry over into reality, his mind still reeled from the constant repetition of the Shadow Crescent Strike and his frustratingly slow progress with the Phantom Mirage Step.
Yet, oddly enough, as he stretched his arms and rolled out of bed, he felt... incredible.
There was no hint of the fatigue he'd expected from pulling an all-nighter in the game. His limbs felt light, his breathing smooth, and his entire body thrummed with a strange energy he couldn't quite explain.
"I haven't slept a wink, but I feel like I could run a marathon," Victor muttered while staring at himself in the mirror. "Weird. But I'll take it."
Downstairs, the smell of breakfast greeted him as he padded into the kitchen, where his father was sipping a cup of coffee and reading a digital news tablet. His mother was at the stove, flipping eggs onto a plate.
"Morning, champ," his dad said without looking up. "Heading to school again, huh?"
"Morning," Victor replied before grabbing a piece of toast. "Yeah, gotta maintain my zero academic progress."
His father chuckled, but his expression grew serious as he set down the tablet. "Listen, I'm heading out on another mana crystal mining trip today."
Victor paused mid-bite. "Already? You just got back."
His father nodded while rubbing the back of his neck. "This one's special. They're sending us to one of the newly reclaimed zones—territory that used to belong to those... things."
Victor blinked. "Wait, you're talking about the land they just expanded the barrier to?" He remembered seeing it on the news recently—an area once crawling with the Drakenar, those reptilian humanoids who had claimed swaths of Earth as their new home.
"Yeah," his dad confirmed. "They say it's cleared now, but... well, you never know. Still, the pay is good, and we gotta make ends meet."
Victor tried to brush aside the small twinge of worry in his chest. Mana crystal mining was dangerous, but his dad had been doing it for years now. "Just... be careful, alright, Dad? Don't get eaten by any leftover lizard dudes."
His father laughed before ruffling Victor's hair. "I'll be fine. Now, don't you go slacking off at school while I'm gone."
Victor smirked. "Define slacking off."
His mom shot him a look, and he quickly grabbed his bag. "Alright, I'm out!"
This time, Victor actually made it to the mana-powered train on time. The vehicle zipped across the city, traveling along glowing tracks powered by refined mana crystals.
In mere minutes, he was at school, stepping onto the grounds to see the usual morning bustle of students milling about, gossiping, and showing off their newfound abilities.
Danny was once again the center of attention. This broad-shouldered friend of his was surrounded by a gaggle of giggling girls, flexing his arm casually while claiming his Berserker class had already advanced to level two.
Victor and his other two friends, Max and Jake, watched from the sidelines with mixed expressions.
Max nudged Victor. "Look at him. Four days ago, he was one of us. Now he's got groupies."
Jake snorted. "I can't decide if I'm jealous or disgusted."
Victor smirked. "Both. Definitely both."
Danny spotted them and waved them over. "Guys! You should've seen me at the gym earlier. My strength stat's already up by six points, and I could literally lift a car."
Victor raised an eyebrow. "Sounds exhausting."
"Not for me, it isn't!" Danny laughed while flashing a confident grin. "Level two, baby! And it's just the beginning."
Victor chuckled but secretly felt a pang of jealousy. Even though he hadn't awakened, something inside him was changing. He could feel it every time he moved, every time he breathed—his body felt... more.
Later that day, during Physical Education (PE), the class was lined up on the school's track for a running contest. The teacher, Coach Barkley, stood at the starting line with his whistle hanging from his mouth as he barked out instructions.
"Alright, listen up!" Barkley shouted. "We'll do the usual sprint today, but I think we all know who's gonna come out on top." He nodded toward Derek, Danny and the other awakened students, who stood confidently apart from the rest of the class.
Danny cracked his knuckles. "This won't even be fair."
Victor rolled his eyes but took his position at the starting line. He knew he was no match for the awakened students, but something in him stirred with anticipation.
Barkley blew the whistle.
The moment Victor's feet hit the track, it happened again—that feeling.
It felt like Qi was surging through his body and as a result, his movements were lighter and faster. His feet barely touched the ground, and the wind whipped past his ears in a blur.
The world around him expanded like rubber getting stretched...
Before he knew it, he had shot past everyone, leaving Danny and the other awakened trailing behind in shock.
By the time he crossed the finish line, the entire field was silent.
Victor stood there, blinking in surprise as he tried to process what had just happened. "Uh... did I just... win?"
Coach Barkley's mouth hung open. Danny jogged up to him, panting heavily with widened eyes. "Dude… what the hell was that?"
Victor scratched his head nervously. "Uhh… healthy breakfast?"
The crowd of students erupted into murmurs, whispering about how the "unawakened guy" had outrun an awakened. Victor could feel the eyes boring into him, but he forced a casual smile and shrugged.
-"Did Victor fake it the whole time?"
-"Is he an awakened just pretending to be normal?"
Voices could be heard in the background.
Coach Barkley narrowed his eyes. "Revenant… that was not normal."
Victor let out an awkward laugh. "Just... a fluke, coach."
Danny clapped him on the back, still in shock. "Man, I swear if you secretly awakened and didn't tell us, I'm gonna be pissed."
Victor swallowed. He was only suspicious initially but now he was sure...
Something weird was going on. His in-game cultivation... was it really affecting his real body? If so, how much more could he push it?
He gave Danny a sheepish grin. "Guess I just have hidden talents."
Danny shook his head with a grin. "You're one weird dude, Vic."
Victor chuckled, trying to downplay the growing excitement inside him.
'I need to confirm the theory after school...'