Physical Test (3): Sword of the Mind in Absolute Darkness
Darkness cloaked my eyes. The world was shrouded in shadow. Nothing was visible. In a realm of utter blackness, devoid of even a single pinpoint of light, I stood alone.
This is…
Stage 80. Vision completely sealed off, endless traps manifesting without cease—surviving amid them. Only then did I grasp why just two players worldwide had cleared it.
So this was why.
Some six thousand players had passed stage 70. Sure, difficulty ramped up brutally every ten stages, but only two making it through? Hard to swallow. Yet the instant sight vanished and light fled the world, acceptance hit like a hammer.
No, if anything…
It was a miracle two had pulled it off. Clearing this proved one irrefutable fact.
Super-senses. Evidence of a being half unshackled from mortal coils, transcending racial limits. One hallmark of the superhuman who vaults mortal walls. A faculty bestowed upon those who attain the Master realm.
—Shiiik!
I twisted my upper body on instinct. Even with vision gone, the incoming arrow etched itself clearly in my mind. Spears and axes thrusting from blind spots no normal eyes could catch—I sensed them vividly.
Doesn't matter to me.
Super-senses amplify the base five senses to superhuman extremes. Sight may be null, but hearing, touch, smell, and taste gather data, reconstructing the world from it. Even non-Masters with innate acuity and specialized training could mimic it somewhat, but conquering stage 80's hellish traps without true super-senses? Possible, maybe, but brutally tough. At least in normal circumstances.
And yet two already cleared it…?
I marveled absently while dodging the weapon barrage pouring like rain.
Asteria Online had been out three years and six months. Factoring the 3:1 time dilation versus Earth, that equated to about a decade and a half. No one logged in 24/7, so real playtime was under ten years. Reaching Master in that span? Undeniably prodigious talent.
Not quite on my level, though!Ahem.
Anyway. If those two truly hit Master, they'd know Asteria Online was no mere game. Master was that kind of realm. The soul transcends, ascending. Existence elevates outright, so enlightenment from another dimension wouldn't matter. They'd likely awakened their power on Earth too. I'd love to meet them someday, but…
Entering stage 84.
Time marched on amid my musings, the alert for stage 84 popping up. Time per stage now hit 50 seconds—five times the start. But.
Still too easy?
I had margin. And not just now. Accounting for the exponential spikes every ten stages, I was confident holding steady past 90. Unless… the sole wildcard—
Entering stage 85.
New pattern.
Ugh, gross…!!
Stage 85 kicked off with an indescribable stench paralyzing my nose. Like rotten durian shoved in my face—infamously vile. In that split-second focus lapse from the horror, a dagger grazed my skin. Blood trickled from the shallow cut.
Right, rank 1 stalled at 85.
Makes sense now. Vision already gone, every nerve on other senses, then this hits? Rattling. Nasty trap. Whoever designed it—nah, the System, obviously. Dirty bastard.
Anyway. Stage 80 blocks sight, 85 numbs smell. Next pattern's predictable.
This thing's torture hobby?
Entering stage 87.
Spot on. Alert rang, and a revolting taste warped my tongue. Not stage 90 was the surprise, but it fit—senses left dictated it. Forewarned this time, I held focus. Plus, smell already deadened the blow. Taste leans heavy on smell anyway.
Swap order? Nah.
Sight, smell, taste sealed.
Touch and hearing remain.
Next up…
Entering stage 90.
─────.
Hearing cut. No arrow whistles slicing air, no rustle of cloth, no iron mace clanging floor. Half the world's data—gone. And hitting the ten-stage spike, weapon speed and volume exploded. Even I couldn't slack now without risking death.
This tension… how long since?
I licked my lips. Isolated amid False Gods? Seven-day deathmatch with the Beast King? Years lost in demonic illusion traps? Life on a knife's edge, every instant dancing death's line. Never knowing when it'd end.
Still… not quite peak form.
Far off yet. I grinned, moving with joy. Sword my sole companion, facing mighty foes—echoes of old glories.
Entering stage 95.
All five senses blocked. Mental anomalies possible. Connection terminates if brainwaves exceed danger threshold.
Finally. Last bastion, touch, vanished. Airflow over skin, wind's caress, ground's vibrations—all gone. Pure nothingness. Traps. My body. Even time's flow.
Nothing registered. In void's embrace, mind alone wandered shadows.
But…
Expected. Stage 80 sight gone. Smell, taste numbed. Stage 90 hearing sealed. Senses stripped one by one—I'd foreseen this.
And.
I've… been through similar before.
The Void. Prison sealing gods. Jail for False Gods, fallen deities. Its environs mirrored this. Difference? There, space eroded self outright. Far worse than now.
And I'd escaped that hell.
So I…
Vision drowned in black, smell erased. Damp air's tang, iron's tang—gone. In timeless pitch, mind burned hotter, honed sharper. Heightened psyche unraveled my insights. In sensationless void.
If only the mind remains…
Then forge it into a single sword.
Absolute Authority
Transcendent Technique — Mind Sword
Entering stage 100…
System voice pierced severed hearing, faint in my ears—then.
Capsule session expired. Thank you for using High Ranker Capsule Room. Goodbye.
…
I blinked blankly. Jerked from peak focus, mind fogged. Thoughts stuttered, unlinked. Slow to process—capsule time up?
Damn it…
I swallowed the curse rising unbidden.
This fucking…
At that exact moment, Asteria Online communities detonated across the board.