Awakening of the Mind Sovereign-Chapter 15: The test is simple

The disciples left the courtyard, completely discouraged. The dream they had tried to hold onto was crumbling before their eyes. For many of them, the sect was their last chance to escape weakness and live under the protection of a great power. But now, even their leaders were no longer confident in its success.

Elliot walked beside Kyber, furrowing his brows, lost in his thoughts. After a long silence, he spoke with a voice full of frustration:

"I really wanted to establish a sect... I thought it would be easy, like in the novels... where the hero starts from scratch, gathers disciples, becomes strong quickly, and then suddenly everything becomes great. But that's not true... these worlds are insanely difficult, nothing comes easily."

He looked at his hands, remembering all the suffering he went through just to learn one technique. Even building a rank-10 sect, the lowest rank among sects, felt like trying to build an empire with bare hands.

Kyber laughed cynically and said:

"Didn't you realize that yet? We live in a world of refining, but that doesn't mean we're heroes in a novel. Reality is much harsher than the stories you imagine."

The two continued walking, the sunset casting long shadows behind them. Both were more frustrated than they had ever been.

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Elliot and Kyber walked slowly, the shadows of the sunset stretching behind them, with frustration consuming them. It felt as though the universe itself was mocking their failed attempts.

But suddenly, in the middle of the deserted path, an old, mysterious man appeared.

His appearance was pitiful, his clothes torn as if he were a beggar of no worth, yet he possessed an undeniable, imposing presence. There was no aura of energy around him, but he seemed like an entity not to be trifled with.

He looked at them with sharp eyes, then laughed with deep sarcasm:

"You're talking about failure as if it's an honor? You don't even deserve this failure."

Elliot and Kyber froze in place. His voice wasn't loud, but it pierced their very beings as if it was the voice of truth itself.

Kyber, who feared no one, squinted and said cautiously:

"And who are you to judge us?"

The old man smiled a small smile and said:

"It doesn't matter. But since I pity your ignorance, I'll give you one last chance."

Before either of them could respond, the air around them exploded with mysterious force!

Wild black winds rushed out of nowhere, violently pulling Elliot and Kyber. They felt as though their bodies were being torn apart, but there was no blood, only an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

"What's happening?!" Elliot shouted, but his voice vanished into the void.

Everything around them faded. The world itself shrank into utter darkness, and all that remained was the old man's voice:

"Let's see if you really deserve to stay in this world."

Then, silence fell.

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Elliot opened his eyes.

Pitch darkness.

He tried to move, but he was bound. The air was heavy, and the profound silence around him seemed to whisper of an impending disaster.

Then, before he could comprehend anything...

—Pain exploded in his body.

A sharp blade pierced his chest.

A muffled scream escaped from his throat as he fell to his knees. But instead of dying... his body healed instantly. The blood that had leaked from him disappeared, the pain subsided for a moment, but he couldn't even catch his breath before...

—He was stabbed again.

An endless cycle.

The pain repeated over and over.

This wasn't a regular test. This was eternal hell.

He could hear Kyber's screams beside him, groaning in the same agony.

A cold voice echoed in the void:

"The test is simple... Who can endure more?"

Madness crept in.

Hours? Days? Weeks?

There was no death, no rest, just constant pain, renewing without stop.

Elliot's mind began to break. This wasn't just physical torture; it was a complete destruction of the soul.

But suddenly, amidst the torment, realization struck him.

All of this... was just an illusion.

If everything was repeating in such an impossible way, then this couldn't be real.

Elliot closed his eyes, breathed slowly, and decided: "I won't feel the pain."

And suddenly... the pain stopped.

He opened his eyes, the tormentor in front of him was ready to stab him again, but when the blade pierced his body... he felt nothing.

"Huh?"

He repeated it. No pain.

Elliot smiled. "I get it... This is all just a lie."

On the other side, Kyber was screaming in rage. But...

His screams weren't of pain.

They were of anger.

Kyber wasn't trying to escape... he was observing. Studying the torturer's movements. Learning.

Then, suddenly, he began to mimic the torturer himself.

He slowly stood up, and instead of trying to block the torture, he began to play the role of the torturer.

He raised his hand just like the torturer did... and suddenly, the entire dungeon shifted.

Kyber became the master here.

Elliot looked at him, then laughed.

Both of them had found their own way to break free from the eternal hell.

And suddenly...

The world around them collapsed.

They were returned to the darkness.

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But this time, they were free.

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After the eternal hell collapsed around them, Elliot and Kyber fell to the dark ground, gasping for breath, but this time there was no pain. Only a strange calm...

Then...

A deep voice boomed.

Out of nowhere, a huge black door appeared, its height extending until it disappeared into the darkness. It wasn't just an ordinary door, but it pulsed with a terrifying aura, as if it was a gateway to another world.

The old man stood in front of them, looking at them with a mysterious smile.

"There's someone waiting for you inside..."

He gestured toward the door and then continued coldly:

"Someone who wants to see you."

Elliot looked at Kyber, both feeling that this wasn't just another test. This was something bigger...

With cautious steps, they approached the door.

—And as soon as they touched it, the darkness swallowed them.

The Unknown Room

When they regained their senses, they found themselves standing in a massive hall, adorned with enormous black pillars and ancient symbols glowing with a dark crimson hue.

In the center of the hall...

There was a man sitting on a gigantic stone throne.

Elliot and Kyber immediately felt the immense pressure emanating from him. He wasn't an ordinary person.

The man raised his gaze toward them, stared at them for a moment, then smiled a small smile.

"Well done."

He then slowly stood up and approached them.

"I will take you as disciples in my sect."