He bit off the apple's stem with his teeth before tossing the fruit toward Arnold. “Here, have a snack!”

  Arnold, mistaking it for an actual apple, instinctively slashed at it with his sword. A grave mistake.

  The apple exploded on contact, the force of the blast sending Arnold tumbling across the ground. His protective flux flared in response, rippling like a shattered barrier.

  “You don’t like fruit?” Eden teased, his grin widening as he materialized an RPG out of thin air. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger. The rocket shot forward, streaking toward Arnold in a deadly arc—

  Then it vanished.

  The RPG in Eden’s hands disappeared as well, dissolving as if it had never existed. His amusement faded, replaced by a sharp furrow of his brow.

  “That trick won’t work twice,” Arnold said, bouncing lightly from one foot to another, his stance playful yet unreadable.

  Eden's mind raced. What just happened? He activated [Ethereal Vision], searching for the missing piece of the puzzle.

  “But you’re an odd one,” Arnold continued, watching him with intrigue. “For someone who’s not even a Vault Breaker, you can create illusions that reshape reality. Your parents must be really proud.” He smirked. “Say, are you interested in joining my Union, Epigron Magnus?”

  That name. Epigron Magnus. The No. 1 ranked Union in the country. The old Eden would have been floored by the invitation.

  But the current Eden? He was too stunned by what he had just discovered to care.

  “Technoflux?” he muttered under his breath.

  With [Ethereal Vision] active, he could finally see it—the subtle yet undeniable distortion in their surroundings. The trees, the earth, every material object around them flickered, their structures fluctuating between solid matter and streams of numerical data—0s and 1s. Reality itself was glitching, shifting between physical and energetic states.

  To process something like this required an inhuman mind and computational speed.

  Or… something simpler.

  An interference zone. A disruption caused by vibrations, frequencies, or a technological force counteracting the natural flow of energy.

  Technoflux. And its source?

  Eden's gaze snapped to Arnold’s head.

  So, that was it. Arnold wasn’t just genetically enhanced—he was able to affect the physical world, even though slightly. He was actively interfering with the binary code that made up the material world. Thus rendering illusion and materialization useless.

  A youth who can block illusion or reality altering attacks.

  They must've poured a ton of resources into his enhancements. Eden exhaled slowly. “Well… that’s annoying.”

  His senses jolted alive. Danger.

  Instinct took over. Eden spun around just in time, his arm—coated in mental power and flux—intercepting the serrated blade aimed at his back. His other hand snapped up, Tyago already aligned with his assailant’s abdomen.

  Bang! Bang!

  Two short shots flared out.

  Both bullets passed straight through, the figure’s body flickering like a glitch in reality. For a brief moment, its form wavered, revealing the presence of a small technological device—a cube—floating within its structure.

  A projection? A construct?

  Eden didn’t wait to find out. With a [Burst] of energy, he propelled himself backward, widening the distance.

  “What’s annoying? My invitation?” Arnold’s voice called out from the ground.

  “Your abilities.” Eden corrected, his gaze flicking between Arnold and the advancing double. “This copy of yours… does it work the same way as a shikigami?”

  “A what?” Arnold asked, visibly intrigued.

  Eden sidestepped another attack, then suddenly shifted forward. Catching the double’s wrist, he forced an opening and drove his elbow into its helmet—a clean, solid hit.

  Yet… nothing. No recoil, no stagger, no reaction at all.

  What is this thing?

  Activating [Ethereal Vision] once more, Eden examined it. Its energetic structure was identical to Arnold’s—too identical. No distortions, no clear separation between the original and the copy.

  Except…

  His gaze locked onto it. A pulsing energy signal roamed through the body, perfectly mimicking the flow of flux within a living being. That’s why it felt real. The cube wasn’t just controlling the double—it was replicating the natural movement of energy, fooling even his senses.

  Then I just have to disrupt it.

  Calculating its trajectory, Eden shifted his stance. Tyago’s revolver had one last bullet. He took aim—

  Bang!

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  The bullet struck true. The cube sizzled under the impact, jolting the double’s body into a flickering mess before it vanished, taking its weapon with it.

  Arnold’s eyes widened. “What the fuck…?”

  Before he could react further, Eden reached out with his mental power, snatching the damaged cube from midair. He examined it briefly before smirking.

  “I’ll claim this as my reward.”

  Arnold’s form blurred.

  Eden barely had time to focus on the connection with his raven shikigami before Arnold's body appeared before him.

  “You won’t claim anything!”

  A flash of gray steel. Arnold’s shimmering sword lunged forward, aimed directly at Eden’s abdomen—

  But he was gone.

  The blade pierced through a leaf that withered shortly after, its fragile form crumbling into dust. Arnold stilled, scanning the area before exhaling sharply. He sheathed his sword.

  “What a strange individual,” he muttered before turning away, walking toward the Vinorhine’s corpse.

  . . .

  “Mmm… That was close,” Eden muttered, exhaling through his nose. “Speed, speed, speed. Bothersome.”

  He pulled out Tyago’s barrel and loaded another eight bullets. No shells remained after firing—each bullet encased in a membrane that activated on impact, igniting the flux stored within to propel the energy forward. A compact, efficient design.

  Once his guns were ready, Eden retrieved two leaf talismans, channeling his flux into them. The assigned spirits took form—two ravens that took flight to watch over the area.

  Satisfied with his security, he leaned back, stretching on the ground. A strip of seasoned, dried meat and a few sips of water—that was all he had for eating and drinking. It was enough. His body, still recovering from the adrenaline surge, couldn’t handle much more anyway.

  Entrusting his safety to the shikigami, Eden shifted into a lotus position. Eyes closed. Breathing steady. He began absorbing the ambient flux, filtering out impurities as he replenished his reserves.

  Fortunately, the air here wasn’t polluted. Which meant less time wasted on purification.

  Half an hour passed. After taking care of his basic physiological needs, Eden got moving. The sun was high now. He needed to hunt a stronger beast—not only to pass the test but also to gather ingredients for a potion he planned to concoct.

  Then—

  “What’s that?”

  His shikigami had found something. A body. Or rather, half of one.

  Armor shattered. Bow broken. Water canisters crushed against the dirt. Blood splattered across the ground, drawing in swarms of insects to feast on the remains.

  Unfortunate.

  Eden arrived at the scene, staying concealed within the dense foliage. Another participant at the test was already there, inspecting the corpse.

  Truly unfortunate. Taking risks sometimes leads to nothing.

  Eden got up, continuing his search. His focus remained on his real target. A Root Serpent. This species wasn’t just a lethal predator—it was also a valuable resource. A single serpent could provide potent medicinal ingredients.

  Yet more often than not, the hunters became the hunted. It disguised itself as an ordinary root, lying motionless until prey wandered too close. Then—like a coiled spring, it would strike. Most people had no way of telling the difference between a Root Serpent and actual plant matter.

  But Eden? [Ethereal Vision] erased the deception.

  Taking out Puma, he scanned the tangle of thick, ancient roots. He inhaled. Aimed. Exhaled.

  Bang!

  The bullet struck the suspected root. No reaction.

  That, in itself, was a reaction. A regular root wouldn’t remain unscathed after taking a direct hit from a high-penetration flux round.

  Eden smirked. “Are you seriously going to keep pretending?”

  He pulled out a leaf talisman, infused it with flux, and assigned a spirit to it before tossing it toward the disguised serpent. The talisman flared—manifesting as a steel chain that coiled around the fake root.

  A single hand sign from Eden, and—

  The chain crackled, bursting with electrifying force. That, should’ve fried the serpent.

  Yet… nothing happened.

  Losing patience, Eden fired a few more rounds. Same result. Nothing.

  The serpent remained unscathed.

  “What’s wrong with you? Achieved nirvana or something?” Eden muttered, pulling out his remaining talismans. “Vex.”

  Summoned by his master, the damned spirit entered the leaves. The sigils flared to life, shifting as the talismans transformed into a humanoid figure—resembling Eden.

  “Patron.”

  “Walk near the roots over there.” Eden gestured toward the cluster of tangled roots. “A serpent tougher than a morning hangover is lurking there. It’ll try to attack you. I want you to kill it—but don’t damage its upper half. Can you do that?”

  “A serpent, Patron?” Vex’s gaze swept over the area.

  “Yes, Vex, a serpent.” Eden sighed. “Don’t underestimate it. I’m out of talismans, so I’ll have to use the spirits to create a barrier if things go south. So please, HELP ME OUT IN THIS TIME OF GREAT NEED!” He gestured dramatically.

  Vex tilted his head. “Is everything alright, Patron?”

  “It’s been way too long since I’ve had a proper nap.” Eden grumbled. “On top of that, I ran into some strange guy earlier. It’s been a full damn day. I might be a little irritable—so bear with me.”

  Vex studied Eden’s face as if searching for deception. Then, without another word, he turned and strolled toward the cluster of roots. The moment he was within reach—like a coiled spring snapping free—the serpent struck.

  Its fangs darted toward Vex’s neck, only to be stopped by a black layer of flux.

  “As expected. This species really is vicious.” Eden observed from a safe distance.

  The serpent flicked the tip of its tail free from the ground, swiftly slithering through the roots after its failed assassination attempt.

  Lightning-fast— Vex snatched the snake’s body, yanking it upward. The beast coiled around his arm in retaliation, squeezing with crushing force while its fangs repeatedly bit at his flux barrier.

  Vex studied the serpent calmly. “Good skin.”

  With a precise movement, he raised two fingers—a sharp flux blade materialized at the tips. He sliced along the snake’s body with surgical precision.

  The serpent convulsed violently. Vex then lifted its head to eye level, meeting its gaze.

  Abyss met nature.

  Something dark and incomprehensible flickered within Vex’s existence—the serpent froze.

  A single, shuddering breath. Then, silence.

  Eden watched with frustration. Vex had handled it effortlessly. And just as easily, he peeled the skin away from the body—something Eden knew he would have struggled to do on his own.

  “Patron!” Vex turned, presenting the intact leather and blood-dripping corpse.

  “Harvest.”

  [ Harvest Results:

  +1 Spirit Wisp

  +1 Soul Residue

  +1 Blood Essence ]

  Eden exhaled, extending a hand. “Thank you for your hard work, my dear Vex.”

  Vex tilted his head. “For some reason, you don’t look too happy, Patron.”

  Eden loaded the materials into his pack, grumbling, “I’m just jealous. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Jealous, Patron?” Vex blinked. “Of me?”

  “How strong would you actually be if you had a physical body?” Eden countered with a question of his own.

  Vex considered for a moment. “If the compatibility is high and the body is in good condition, I could likely regain over 70% of my original strength from when I was alive in the material world.”

  Eden clenched his jaw. Seventy percent?

  “Yeah… I don’t even want to know how strong that actually is. Thanks.”

  “Is something bothering you, Patron?”

  Eden let out a slow exhale. “Ahh. You just reminded me how insignificant my power really is. That’s all.” His lips curled into a wry smile. “I was starting to believe I was strong… just because of a few successes and a weak environment. But that’s the thing—it wasn’t that I was strong. It was that those around me were weak. And that’s a massive difference in perspective.”

  For the rest of the test, Eden did nothing but meditate. Not to accumulate flux, but to clear his mind. Thoughts churned relentlessly, a storm he couldn’t silence.

  But if he couldn’t even control his own thoughts—how could he heal the split in his consciousness? How could he ever be free… if he was still trapped in a prison of his own making?