Space.
It was continuous, mysterious, and dangerous.
Outer Space was where the solar system and the world humans knew resided.
Thus, one couldn’t fault the general populace for thinking Inner Space also had bustling life. In fact, a life form higher than their own.
It was one of the most sought-after topics in the scientific community. But unlike other pursuits, the answer to this question depended not on the ingenuity of scientists and their breakthroughs, but on the Space Awakeners.
To be precise, it was dependent on the first celestial space awakener.
Only a celestial space awakener could enter the inner space by crossing the layer space.
The layer space, which was full of chaotic space currents.
The layer space, which was a distinct grey compared to the black space all around.
The same layer space that every awakener who intends to be a level 7 must enter and that very space that Varian was about to enter.
Whoosh!
As his body slid in from outer space, Varian reached the boundary—the gap between outer space and inner space.
His space power circulated quickly and in the blink of an eye, he went from the edge of outer space to the edge of inner space—the layer space.
Looking at the grey space, Varian held his breath.
Blue Flash carried him to layer space and he trained there. So, it wasn’t a new experience for him.
He survived in the dangerous space currents as a level 6 and he was sure of doing the same as a level 7.
But.
To be a level 7 space awakener, he needed to develop a ‘Space Body’.
It could only be achieved when his body developed a strong sense of affinity to space.
Right now, due to his other paths, the affinity wasn’t where it should be.
The same situation was also faced by other space awakeners who had two or three paths.
Reportedly, they took more time than usual to establish this space body.
Varian didn’t want to spend so much time. So, he took a better route.
‘System, turn off all my other paths.’
With those words, Varian entered the layer space.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Fierce grey winds hit his body from all directions. With each swirl, the space twisted and cracked.
Varian stood in the seemingly endless grayness as he took the dangers head-on.
His space power seeped out and formed a protective layer around him. But it didn’t end there, it also started to interact with the dangerous space currents.
Sometimes, it was sliced apart by the sharp space cracks. The others, it was blasted into pieces by the unstable space currents.
But it surely started to gain a sense of connection.
Ka! Ka! Kacha!
The space currents frequently broke through Varian’s space barrier and struck him.
Blood gushed out of his wound while the space currents rushed in.
Varian calmly set up another barrier and continued.
In a few moments, the space barrier broke down more than a dozen times.
Technically, he was still a level 6 space awakener. He should’ve been seriously injured and depleted when the space barrier broke the second time.
But due to the purple orb, he had a lot of space power. So, he put it to good use and continued to stay in the layer space.
Whoosh!
He couldn’t stay in forever and was teleported back to outer space, to the golden room.
Whoosh!
But Varian immediately went back to the layer space and continued.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The back and forth travel continued. With each time, Varian’s body began to emit a silvery grey light.
During the twentieth time, Varian’s body in layer space shone with a grey light.
Boom!
Varian’s body opened like an empty reservoir and drank all the space power in his body, and in the layer space.
Unlike the normal times where space power only existed in his body as a separate entity, a fundamental change occurred.
It began to integrate with his body. From organ to organ, droplet to droplet, nerve to nerve, and cell to cell, space power rushed in.
In the blink of an eye, Varian’s body turned completely grey and then silvery before it returned to normal.
“Huh?”
Varian stood in the layer space and at some point, the space barrier came off.
But contrary to his expectations, the space currents didn’t hurt him much.
They still stung a bit, and there were cuts here and there, but that was it.
Varian looked at his hands in confusion. “Is this…”
He clenched his fist and felt the space around it tighten. Varian didn’t need to make any effort for this to happen.
It was natural as if the space power had always been a part of his body, like his blood.
Varian’s lips curled up and he punched out.
Kacha!
Space shook and the chaotic winds in the region were blown off.
Whoosh!
Varian returned to the golden room.
He looked up at the space and just like that, he was a hundred miles above the room.
It felt as natural as breathing. As if his whole body was not only accustomed to space but even made for it.
Snap!
Varian snapped his fingers and the space around him began to crack.
Ka! Ka! Kacha!
A huge silverly crack spread across the sky, like the mouth of a mythological creature.
Varian looked at the space crack and clenched his fist.
Boom!
The sky shook.
Everything in the area of the crack vanished as if it never existed.
“Wonderful.” Varian smiled and looked below. His space sense reached the golden room and he lowered his foot.
His foot landed on the room’s floor as Varian teleported naturally.
‘System, unlock my paths.’
Varian’s senses returned back to a superhuman level. ‘I still need some time to get used to this. I feel like I’m watching a lifelong high quality movie.’
As he was about to check his status, the water mana in his body stirred.
‘Oh right.’ Varian clicked his tongue and channeled his water mana.
Compared to what the level 7 advancement needed, this was a child’s play.
In a matter of seconds, Varian assimilated the water mana from the purple orb, digested the insights, and progressed in his water path.
‘Status.’
[Superhuman Level 7: 0/10000
Space Level 7: 0/10000
Lightning Level 7: 0/10000
Plantae Fighter Level 7: 0/10000
Psychic Level 7: 0/10000
Macrokinetic Level 7: 0/10000
Water Level 6: 3/6]
As he expected, his body path went for the balanced superhuman rather than the unbalanced extreme path.
His Plantae path also picked the route of personal fighting than creating smaller plants and commanding them.
The same with his telepath which picked psychic over technocrat. Finally, since he didn’t focus on micro things with his telekinetic power, it was natural that he had the macro kinetic path.
Varian clenched his fists. He had never been stronger.
With 6 low-level 7s, what was the extent of his strength?
‘I should find out.’
Varian’s body blurred and he appeared at the exit.
With grace, he left the golden room.
The space twisted and fluctuated for a brief moment. Varian appreciated the finesse of this space entry.
It had been thousands of years since its construction. Yet, here it was, working perfectly fine after its creators were long gone.
Swish!
‘Hide my aura.’ Varian said.
*** *** ***
“So, who won the bet?” A serious voice sounded.
Outside the gate, there was a crowd of thirty princes and princesses outside the gate. They had bet on their performances.
“I cleared the seventh stage!” A woman with long and soft platinum hair smirked. A red orb appeared in her hand before it quickly disappeared.
“Wha—”
“Really?!”
“Holy shit! I couldn’t take it and quit.”
‘Wait, you could quit?’ Varian seemed to have selectively forgotten about it.
“Guys, this is our earth’s ruins! Did anyone of you clear stage 7?” A Prince from earth asked his companions.
They all shook their head, obviously dispirited.
“I was very close to ending my opponent, but he sacrificed both his limbs and was about to kill me. I quit.” A man with brown hair sighed.
“Told ya. Earth is very close to Neptune, but we are obviously a step ahead.” Princess Ria smirked.
“For a single path awakener, the seventh stage is ultimate.” She shrugged and turned to Venus princes and princesses.
“You were expecting dark horses, right? Dark horses don’t appear ever—”
Her words abruptly stopped as the golden gate began to glow.
It shone with a golden light.
“Oh? Someone else entered?” Princess Ria raised a brow.
The light indicated the stage they cleared.
“Stage three, no, stage four…wait!”
The gate’s golden glow began to brighter and brighter before it turned light red!
“What?!” Princess Ria gawked in shock. Someone else cleared stage 7?
She quickly turned around and checked everyone. The rest did the same.
But everyone had the same confused expression.
They were all here.
So…who was inside?
The gate’s glow turned dark red and the group of elite geniuses took a step back.
Then it turned deep scarlet and everyone gulped.
“There is no way this is true…” Princess Ria muttered.
The gate turned purple and a man appeared in front of them.