Virtual Ascension

Luna tidied everything up and returned to her monitor.

On the other side, Venix rested in a glass chamber.

Venix felt as though his body was being crushed by an invisible weight. Every movement was slower, heavier—not due to a lack of energy or nutrients, but because he had lost his Astral Body. The exhaustion ran deeper than he expected, as though a part of himself was missing.

Luna experienced something similar, but her strength was far superior to Venix's, allowing her to maintain her normal state.

After leaving the Origin Fragment Realm, Venix's thoughts returned to the real world, and his expression darkened.

What had happened to his body in the real world? Venix hoped it was unharmed and without complications.

At the same time, a system notification popped up, reporting the completion of his quest, followed by another unexpected alert.

[ Quest "Seed Origin" Completed ]

[ Reward: 200 Resource Points Earned ]

[ New Quest Unlocked ]

[ Quest: Perfect—Early Stage Awaken ]

[ Reward: 500 Resource Points ]

[ Hidden Quest Completed ]

[ Hidden Quest: "A New Hope #1" ]

[ Reward: 100,000 Resource Points Earned ]

Hidden quests existed in the Numan World! Somehow, Venix had completed one!

And the reward was staggering—100,000 Resource Points!

Although Resource Points couldn't yet be utilized, the sheer number displayed on the screen left Venix stunned. One hundred thousand! It was more than he had ever imagined. For a brief moment, his body felt lighter, as if some of the burden on his mind had lifted. He knew this reward would be immensely useful when the time came.

Venix traced his actions in the Numan World and found only one possible trigger for the Hidden Quest: helping with Luna's research.

"Was Luna's research heading in the right direction? If I continue assisting her, will she succeed?" Venix wondered with a sense of excitement.

Despite the virtual nature of this world, everything within it felt real to Venix. Even Luna seemed like a genuine human, not just a collection of data.

Luna had helped him significantly during critical moments. As someone who always repaid kindness, Venix felt compelled to assist her further if he could.

Luna busied herself in front of her monitor, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.

Venix watched her with anticipation. His expression was serious, though his heart raced as he awaited her response. He yearned to hear that her research was progressing well, but as time dragged on, a palpable tension filled the air.

Thirty minutes later, Luna approached Venix, carrying her monitor with an elated expression.

"Are the results promising?" Venix asked.

Luna's broad smile was almost uncontrollable, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

"Promising? They're not just promising; they're extraordinary! We've gathered so much valuable data!" Luna's hands trembled slightly, unable to contain her excitement.

Venix was stunned; he hadn't anticipated results this good.

"You understand the core of my research, don't you? Using the principle of survival of the fittest to strengthen the Seed Origin.

"Even with your help, I still need to collect more data and conduct tests with other Awaken to refine the research direction further.

"But the battle between Vulture and the Tentacle Monster exceeded my expectations!" Luna beamed with excitement. "The process of competing for the main Seed Origin provided incredibly valuable data."

Venix nodded, his gaze fixed on Luna. "Can this data truly help your research?"

"Not just help," Luna replied, her eyes gleaming. "This data could change everything!"

"With it, I can modify a Meditation Technique more suited for developing the Seed Origin. The final battle proved my theory that the principle of survival of the fittest truly can strengthen the Seed Origin significantly!"

Luna passionately explained her research while Venix listened intently.

Luna looked at Venix seriously and exhaled slowly. "The issue is that your case is unique. That Tentacle Monster isn't as simple as we thought. Even after using Astral Bond, Vulture struggled against it.

"Thanks to all of this, I now have an idea for my next research phase. And it's all because of your help, Venix!" Luna exclaimed excitedly.

"I'm glad I could help," Venix replied with a faint smile.

Luna continued, "The modification technique I gave you before was merely a preliminary step. Its purpose was to form a second and third Seed Origin to grow stronger through competition. But now, I have a new idea."

The Modification Technique Luna had developed was still basic and rudimentary, lacking the strength needed for more significant effects.

Luna sighed, glancing at her monitor. "The fight between Vulture and the Tentacle Monster truly opened my eyes. I realized that only battles with evenly matched opponents can fully maximize the Seed Origin's potential. For that reason, I plan to create Meditation Technique 2.0.

"With this new technique, I'll divide the Origin Fragment Realm into 100 separate areas. In each area, level-1 Seed Origins will battle each other until only one victor remains in each zone.

"Then, the 100 victors will fight again in 50 areas, and so on. This way, only Seed Origins of the same level will compete, igniting their full potential!"

Luna explained in detail, her eyes alight with passion.

Hearing her explanation, Venix was both surprised and impressed.

"That's a brilliant idea," Venix said.

However, Luna's expression turned somber for a moment. "But I have bad news for you, Venix."

"What is it?" Venix asked, curiosity flickering in his eyes.

Luna looked at Venix gently. "Since you've already undergone Astral Bond, you can't directly participate in battles in the Origin Fragment Realm anymore. This new modification technique won't work for you."

Venix waved his hand dismissively and smiled. "It's fine. I'm already satisfied with what I've achieved so far."

In the Origin Meditation Technique, it was stated that 90% of the Seed Origins in the second and third Origin Fragment Realms would remain consistent.

As such, it was highly likely that the Tentacle Monster would also be present in those realms, making it unnecessary for Venix to do the same things as before.

Even with the new modification technique dividing the 100 enclosed areas, Venix believed the technique wouldn't be very helpful if the Tentacle Monster were present in the Origin Fragment Realm.

During the final battle, no other Seed Origin would be capable of challenging the Tentacle Monster without Astral Bond. They simply wouldn't be strong enough to corner it.

Moreover, if the Tentacle Monster evolved further and became more powerful, the situation could become disastrous for Venix. Its normal form was already incredibly challenging—what if it mutated to a higher level?

For this reason, Venix felt no need to use the new modification technique. The current version was sufficient for him.

Despite the high likelihood that the Tentacle Monster would dominate the second and third Origin Fragment Realms, Venix wasn't worried.

After all, if the previous main Seed Origin had been a dragon, then the Seed Origin that defeated the dragon would possess strength equivalent to a dragon.

The same logic applied to Vulture now. Its strength was roughly on par with the Tentacle Monster. Even if, in the final stages, Vulture faced two Tentacle Monsters, it could potentially trigger a new mutation level for itself.

Seeing Venix remain calm, Luna felt somewhat relieved. From the first Seed Origin process, she had also realized that her latest modification technique might not significantly impact Venix.

Luna explained that although Venix couldn't directly participate in the meditation process as before, he could still observe and control the Seed Origin Vulture to avoid targeting the second and third Origin Fragment Realms. This would allow new Seed Origins to form naturally.

With Venix and Vulture's current bond, achieving this was a simple matter.

Additionally, the meditation technique helped expedite an Awaken's training process.

Without an Astral Body, Venix couldn't accelerate energy absorption into his soul or process it.

However, because of Venix's unique Seed Origin, his energy absorption rate remained the same as it had been when the Tentacle Monster was his main Seed Origin.

Thus, Venix's training speed hadn't decreased at all.

After understanding the overall situation and confirming everything was fine, Venix began to worry about his condition in the real world. He decided to rest and sleep.

At the same time, Venix continued receiving the Awaken Elixir fluids connected to his body.

The fluid worked automatically, supplying raw energy to his body even while he slept.

After bidding farewell to Luna, Venix exited the virtual world. His consciousness was pulled back to the real world.

---

Returning to the Real World

In the real world, with his eyes still closed, Venix slowly began to feel his own body as each of his senses gradually reactivated.

He opened his eyes and saw a white ceiling above him.

"Venix is a good man. I still remember how he begged me, calling me Big Brother Nan, asking for help with the huge mess he was in," Ronan's voice echoed throughout the room, his tone barely masking the anger he felt.

"Once, Venix got into trouble with six big guys! As his Big Brother, how could I let my little brother suffer like that!?" Ronan continued passionately.

"So, what did you do then?" asked a woman, her voice soft and pleasant to the ears.

"What else? Of course, I helped Venix! I fought all six of them! Even though I got pretty banged up, I managed to teach them a lesson. They wouldn't dare mess with Venix again!" Ronan replied, clenching his fist triumphantly.

The woman looked at Ronan with an expression of admiration.

Ronan exhaled slowly, trying to calm his anger, then said, "But I'm sure those guys didn't take their defeat lightly. They must've come back for Venix and caused him to end up like this. Look at him... I..."

Suddenly, Ronan realized that, at some point, Venix's eyes had opened.

Now, Venix was silently staring at him.

"Eh? Venix? You're awake? Hahaha! Great!" Ronan quickly stood up, his demeanor shifting dramatically.

Venix looked at Ronan with a puzzled expression, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Since when did I get into trouble with six big guys!? Not a single word of that story is true! Venix thought.

His anger flared instantly.

His thoughts raced, and his body instinctively wanted to rise, his fists ready to teach Ronan a lesson. But as his eyes caught sight of the IV needle inserted in his hand, the surge of anger dissipated momentarily, quickly cooling his temper.

Seeing Venix attempting to sit up, Ronan reflexively stepped back, keeping a safe distance.

After a brief moment of thought, Venix let out a long sigh, deciding to ignore Ronan's words.

He turned to the young woman standing beside Ronan and said with surprise, "Aren't you Jiyu, our junior?"

"That's right. I came to accompany Big Brother Ronan. I'm sorry if I intruded," Jiyu replied politely, bowing slightly.

"Eh, of course not! I'm just curious, since when have you been close with Ronan?" Venix asked. Then, he shifted his gaze to Ronan and continued, "What happened? Why am I here?"

Ronan scratched his head and coughed lightly before responding, "You've been asleep for a whole day, and we never saw you wake up. Even the food you bought earlier was left untouched.

"We tried to wake you up, but all our efforts failed. In the end, we reported it to the school authorities, and you were brought here."

Hearing Ronan's explanation, Jiyu shot him a sharp glance, realizing she had just been fed a lie.

Venix smiled bitterly after hearing the story. He realized he had neglected the real world, becoming too absorbed in the virtual world.

After checking his own body, Venix didn't feel anything amiss.

He slowly moved his fingers, feeling the warmth in his body gradually return. The tension that had weighed on his muscles in the virtual world seemed to evaporate. However, a lingering worry remained in his heart—was he truly safe in the real world?

If he became too engrossed in the virtual world and lost touch with reality, he might not even know why he'd been attacked.

"When the doctor examined me, did they find anything wrong with my body?" Venix asked, trying to gauge his own condition.

"Even the doctor was puzzled by your condition," Ronan replied. "No illness or abnormalities were found. They said your body was completely normal and healthy. They have no idea why you fell into a coma."

Venix nodded slowly, feeling more at ease knowing his body was fine.

Since Venix was now awake, Ronan asked Jiyu to inform the doctor.

Ten minutes later, a doctor arrived to check on Venix once more.

After confirming everything was in order, the doctor allowed Venix to go home if he felt well enough.

Naturally, Venix didn't want to stay in the hospital any longer and decided to leave right away.

---

On the Way Home

Half an hour later, Venix left the hospital with Ronan and Jiyu. The distance between the hospital and the school wasn't far—it took less than ten minutes on foot.

Jiyu didn't mind the walk. However, Ronan seemed a bit worried since Venix had just been discharged. He was concerned something might happen to his friend during the journey.

"I'm fine," Venix reassured Ronan. Besides, he didn't have the money to take public transportation or a taxi.

Borrowing money from Jiyu or Ronan felt too embarrassing for him, so he reasoned that walking was a good way to get some exercise and recover his strength.

Along the way, Venix noticed several people wearing black police uniforms.

The uniforms were distinctly different from the usual gray ones.

The farther they walked, the more frequently Venix saw officers in black stationed at various points.

"Since when did the police become so active?" Venix asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Oh, right, you probably haven't heard about this yet," Ronan replied. "Two days ago, the new head of the Police Department assigned many officers to guard various locations throughout the city. They said it was to prevent chaos in case something happens."

"Chaos?" Venix narrowed his eyes, his expression turning serious.

The meaning of "chaos" understood by Ronan was vastly different from what Venix envisioned.

For Venix, the term might imply a specific threat—a shift in the real world unknown to most people.