The pendant pulsed softly in Arin's palm.
It wasn't warm or cold it's just there, like a tiny heartbeat wrapped in black metal. Even though the System had marked it as dormant, he could feel something inside it. Watching. Waiting.
He didn't like it.
But he couldn't ignore it either.
As the morning sun filtered through the forest canopy, casting long golden streaks over the twisted trees, Arin continued forward. His body ached, his clothes were stained with dirt and dried blood, but his eyes burned with focus.
> Status Update
Name: Arin
Level: 1
EXP: 42 / 100
Kill Points (KP): 2
Cultivation Level: Body Tempering Stage (4)
Qi Core: Blocked (50%)
Strength: 17
Agility: 15
Endurance: 13
Intelligence: 17
Willpower: 28
Passives: \[Resilient Mind], \[Spiritual Resistance (Minor)]
Key Item: Pendant of the Hollow Eye (Cursed – Dormant)
Arin let out a breath. "Just a little more and I'll reach Level 2."
But first, he needed to find a proper place to rest and recover.
His encounter with the Verdant Stalker had left him too alert to sleep, but now that the mist had cleared, the deeper parts of the forest seemed… quieter. Less hostile.
Still, he didn't let his guard down.
As he moved, he noticed something strange about this side of the forest.
The trees were straighter, more orderly. The vines didn't hang wild, and strange symbols were carved into the trunks every few meters. Some glowed faintly like the Spiritleaf plants but colder, silvery blue instead of green.
> "Runes detected. Unknown script. Possibly protective or boundary wards."
> "Warning: You are entering a Sealed Grove. These are ancient zones left behind by powerful cultivators or clans."
Arin paused.
"Dangerous?"
> "Not inherently. But caution is advised. These zones may contain traps, puzzles, or sealed remnants."
Still, something pulled him forward.
Deeper into the Sealed Grove.
The pendant pulsed once more.
The world turned white.
Then gray.
Then dark.
Arin stood inside a circle of swirling shadows.
All around him, visions blinked in and out like candlelight. Not of monsters. Not of enemies. But of *himself.*
Different versions.
One was kneeling, broken and sobbing. Another stood proud, bloody blade in hand and eyes cold. A third watched silently from the shadows, a hand reaching toward a throne made of bones.
And in the center of them all a version of Arin in chains.
He was breathing hard, face full of fear and regret.
The whispers returned.
**"These are all you."**
**"Which will you become?"**
**"Which must you defeat?"**
The chained version of himself looked up.
"You're not ready," it said. "You're still weak. You couldn't protect Lira. You couldn't stop them. You still don't even understand why they killed you."
Arin's fists clenched. "I will. One day."
The chained Arin laughed bitterly. "Hope. That's cute. But hope alone won't survive the Upper Realms."
"Then I'll have more than hope."
The shadow-Arin the one near the throne-spoke next.
"Power changes people. Even you. You say you'll be different, but we both know that when the choice comes, you'll take the easy path. The cruel path."
"No," Arin said firmly.
"You'll *have* to," the shadow replied.
Then all the illusions charged at once.
Arin didn't flinch.
He closed his eyes, centered his breathing, and activated his \[Resilient Mind] passive.
The flood of thoughts slammed into him—fear, regret, hunger, pride—but he *stood*.
He held his ground.
> "Passive \[Spiritual Resistance] has reduced mental stress."
> "Willpower holding steady… Trial at 76% completion…"
Arin opened his eyes, eyes glowing faintly blue now.
He drew on everything he had learned. The Whispering Woods. The Hollow Creek. The pain of the cave. The betrayal.
"I'm not just those fears. I'm more."
"I'm not who I was."
He stepped forward into the wave of illusions—
And they shattered like glass.
[Hollow Eye Ritual – Complete]
> +7 EXP
> +2 KP
> +1 Willpower
> Pendant of the Hollow Eye — Seal One Broken
> New Ability: Whispered Sight I – Can faintly sense hidden entities and spiritual objects nearby.
> EXP: 49 / 100
> KP: 4
> Willpower: 29
Arin dropped to one knee, panting.
His mind felt like it had been stretched and rewoven.
But it also felt *stronger*.
The pendant on his chest glowed softly less threatening now. Almost like it accepted him.
> "System Note: First level of spiritual attunement unlocked. Further seals remain."
He stood up slowly, blinking.
Everything looked the same but also different.
He noticed faint glows in the trees. small sparks of energy left behind by beasts. Tracks that weren't visible before. Even the monolith had a second mark now—one only visible through \[Whispered Sight].
It showed… a path.
Leading deeper.
Arin followed it.
It wound through the forest, through a tunnel of trees whose branches twisted together above his head. Strange blue butterflies flitted through the air, leaving trails of light as they moved.
For a while, it was almost peaceful.
Until he stumbled into another clearing.
This one wasn't quiet.
It was filled with low, rhythmic breathing.
A den.
A beast's den.
He ducked behind a tree and activated \[Whispered Sight].
Three faint outlines.
Beasts burrowed into nests of moss and leaves. Large, but not ass cheeks terrifying as the Verdant Stalker.
> "Beasts Identified: Lurking Clawbeasts – E-Rank – Moderate threat. Sight based. Weakness: fire and light."
Arin considered his options.
He needed only one more fight to push closer to Level 2.
"Just one," he whispered.
He crept forward, took a stone from his pouch, and lit a small fire against the bark of a nearby tree. Then he threw the burning stick into the far side of the den.
The flame flared. The Clawbeasts growled and moved toward it.
Arin struck.
Quick. Clean.
One down.
> "Beast killed. +3 EXP | +1 KP"
He turned to escape, but the second beast noticed him.
It charged.
Arin leapt back, dodging just as the claws grazed his side.
He rolled, grabbed a sharp bone from a broken antler nearby, and used it to stab upward into the beast's eye as it lunged.
A shriek.
Then stillness.
> "Beast killed. +3 EXP | +1 KP"
> EXP: 55 / 100
> KP: 6
Arin stood over the bodies, chest heaving.
But a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He wasn't strong yet.
But he was getting there.
He sat on a flat rock nearby, watching the stars appear one by one, the pendant resting quietly against his chest.
He still didn't know what the Hollow Eye truly was.
But he knew it had chosen him.
And he would master it or die trying.