310

4 Months Earlier

When the time finally expired on the incubator, the void that had swallowed him whole for six relentless months peeled away, and his senses snapped back all at once, harsh and unforgiving. The world didn't just return—it flooded him, pouring in like a tidal wave breaching a dam, every sound, scent, and sensation screaming for his attention. If he had to pick one word to describe it, it would be intense. After six months of nothingness—no sight, no sound, no feeling—each sense felt heightened, magnified, like he was experiencing the world for the very first time, but with all his nerves dialed to max.

Reflexively, he reached out, trying to grasp onto something, anything, to steady himself against the assault. His hand shot forward, slamming into the metal canister he'd been encased in with a force he hadn't meant to exert. His knuckles punched a solid dent into the reinforced steel. He blinked, staring at the impression his hand had left in the metal, the shape of his fist embedded there. It wasn't just a mark; he'd left a deep, unmistakable punch without even trying. "What the…?" he muttered, voice hoarse and unfamiliar even to himself. There was something unnerving about it. He hadn't even tried to hit hard.

He shifted, lifting his head, and bam! His forehead hit the top of the incubator with a solid, metallic thud. He froze, bracing himself instinctively for the sharp pain that would follow. But… nothing. The spot where he'd hit only registered as a faint pressure. He rubbed his head, more out of habit than actual need, his fingers brushing against his skin, surprised by the dullness of the sensation. Everything felt… strange, like his own body had betrayed him, existing on some slightly off-kilter frequency he hadn't tuned into yet.

Standing up, he was struck with an awkward sense of displacement. The floor felt farther away than he remembered, his stance slightly off as he adjusted. He glanced down at his limbs, his torso—everything seemed… bigger. "Am I… taller?" he muttered, the words slipping out unbidden. His own voice sounded foreign in his ears. A deeper echo to it. Taller? He hadn't expected to grow, but here he was, his feet grounding him in a way that felt almost foreign, like the very act of standing was a new experience.

It was the balance, he realized. He'd always had a near-perfect sense of his body and motor skills, a trained awareness that kept him sharp and steady. But now, his body felt off, his center of gravity shifted. It was like his frame had grown around him, and he was still catching up, as though learning his own form for the very first time. He took a step forward, testing his weight, his foot landing with an unfamiliar heaviness. His muscles twitched, adjusting to this new reality, but each movement felt strange, unpracticed.

It was as though the body he'd entered the incubator with had been replaced by someone else's—someone taller, stronger, heavier.

And then the smell hit him.

An overpowering, gut-wrenching stench invaded his nostrils, nearly flooring him. It was the kind of foul that bypassed disgust and went straight to gag reflex. He staggered back, his stomach turning, a dry heave clawing up his throat. "God, that's awful!" he choked, his voice thick with revulsion. His nose scrunched up, trying to block it out, but there was no escaping it. The smell clung to him, thick and unrelenting, like it had been waiting there, festering, just for this moment.

He'd smelled his share of horrors before—training fields after rain, old blood, corpses left too long in the sun. But this? This was like all of those wrapped in one and left to ripen for half a year. "Wasn't this hibernation chamber supposed to keep me from… rotting?" he muttered, disbelief fighting with nausea. There was no way this smell was real—he couldn't be the source of this horror. Right?

He took a hesitant sniff, testing the air, and gagged again. No mistake—it was definitely coming from him.

He grimaced as he took another whiff, realization dawning on him through the haze of nausea. His body must have responded too well to the enhancement treatments, adapting in ways he hadn't anticipated. Thanks to his tier 3 stamina, his system had apparently doubled down on the enhancements, pushing his growth into overdrive. The smell—ugh, that horrible smell—was likely the byproduct of months of accelerated growth in the confines of the chamber.

Before he'd entered the hibernation chamber, he'd been a tall twelve-and-a-half-year-old, his build promising but still a ways from maturity. But now, looking down at himself, he realized he was practically a different person. He was just a nick under six foot, limbs elongated, shoulders broader, and balance slightly skewed from the sudden stretch. His body felt powerful, but the changes were jarring, like he was a stranger in his own skin.

"Great," he muttered, wrinkling his nose as the stench hit him again. "Enhanced strength, enhanced size, and apparently, enhanced stink." He sighed, half impressed, half disgusted.

As he struggled to recalibrate to reality, his senses still reeling from the influx of stimuli, he felt the familiar, almost clinical sensation of the system activating within him. Its cold logic swept through him like a calculating machine, parsing through the months he had endured without his senses, as if ticking off items on a list. Notifications began to appear, one after another, stacking up with a sense of efficiency that almost made him laugh in spite of himself.

Basic Reward Available…

Hidden Rewards Unlocked:

• Choose to go without one of your five senses for six months: taste

Reward: Upgrade 1 sense

• Choose to go without one of your five senses for six months: touch

Reward: Upgrade 1 sense * 2

• Choose to go without one of your five senses for six months: smell

Reward: Upgrade 1 sense * 3

• Choose to go without one of your five senses for six months: sight

Reward: Upgrade 1 sense * 4

• Bonus Reward for Completing Each Sense

Reward: Upgrade 1 sense * 5

Hidden Reward Unlocked:

I Am Void and the Void Is Me

Go without all 5 senses for six months consecutively

Reward: Affinity Upgrade

He stared at the notifications, blinking at the list. The rewards hung there before him, each more staggering than the last. Five sense upgrades, a basic reward, and an affinity upgrade. He took a deep breath, feeling his mind buzzing with the endless possibilities that these rewards unlocked. The sheer scale of it all was dizzying, and he could feel his thoughts spiraling, racing over what he might be able to do now.

Focus, he reminded himself, taking a moment to ground himself and process the power he was about to claim.

But first, he needed a bath. Badly.

An hour later, after scrubbing himself raw and practically battling the filth his body had accumulated, he emerged from his bathroom, feeling like he had peeled away a layer of grime along with any lingering traces of the hibernation chamber. His hair, which he had cut to shoulder length, was thick and vibrantly black, still slightly damp and clinging to his neck. He had tied a bandage around his eyes, knotted securely behind his head, a simple but deliberate choice.

He stepped out of the bathroom, the lower half of his robe tied loosely around his waist, leaving his upper body exposed. His physique had transformed into something undeniably striking. His once wiry frame had filled out, every muscle now honed and defined, creating a balanced yet powerful silhouette. His chest was broad and smooth, each muscle sculpted with precision, and his shoulders had grown wider, giving him an imposing upper frame that tapered down to a slim, toned waist.

He was no longer just a slightly tall 12 and half year old, he grown a foot in 6 months.

His arms were strong yet refined, each sinew visible under his skin without unnecessary bulk. His biceps and forearms looked both sturdy and agile, hinting at a strength made for swift, controlled movements. Every muscle along his torso was etched with purpose—his pectorals, flat and defined, led into a tight abdomen where each muscle seemed almost carved, his core firm and unyielding. There was a natural taper from his chest down through his waist, highlighting a physique that was built for both endurance and speed.

His skin, naturally pale, had an almost porcelain quality—smooth and unblemished, save for the faint scars hidden beneath the dark bandage wrapped securely over his eyes. The bandage, tied neatly behind his head, created a stark contrast against the cool tone of his skin, drawing attention to the sharp lines of his face. His jawline was strong and angular, with a slight roundness near the chin that hinted at traces of lingering youth beneath the structure of a mature, disciplined build.

His hair, once shorter and unkempt, had grown out during his time in hibernation. Now, thick and dark, it fell in loose waves that reached just to his shoulders, framing his face in a way that enhanced the sharpness of his features. His neck, sturdy and corded with lean muscle, connected seamlessly to his broad shoulders, adding to his balanced, powerful frame.

Even without visible eyes, the rest of his face carried a quiet intensity. His cheekbones were high and well-defined, giving his face a slightly hollow look, as if the last remnants of youth had been refined into something harder and more resilient. The lines around his mouth were subtle but gave him an expression of calm composure, with lips set in a neutral line, neither soft nor overly harsh.

Every inch of him seemed purposefully crafted, a form designed not just for aesthetic strength but for movement, agility, and precision. His physique now held a commanding balance—a body that had shed its adolescent awkwardness to reveal a frame that was lean, chiseled.

Next he focused on the rewards. He honed in on his Echo Sense, upgrading it to the maximum level in an instant. The effect was almost immediate—a tidal wave of information washing over him, crystal clear, each sound filling the air around him in a vivid, three-dimensional map. His surroundings came alive, pulsing with reverberations, every tiny noise forming a picture in his mind.

He could "see" his environment, sense every detail in vivid clarity: the soft flutter of a moth's wings as it flitted through a distant room, the slow, steady drip of water from a pipe several rooms away, the faint hum of the electrical circuits behind the walls. It was all painfully, beautifully clear, each sound creating a pulse of information. Even outside his mansion, where he had carefully insulated every inch with Fuinjutsu to block out sound and unwanted eyes, he could sense the faint, steady heartbeat of creatures moving outside.

Heartbeats thudded just beyond his fortified walls, each one a clear, distinct echo that cut through the insulation and Fuinjutsu layers as if they weren't there. It was more than just detection—he could isolate them, each beat its own rhythm, every breath its own pattern. It painted a picture so real, so detailed, that it was almost like seeing with his eyes. He'd gained a sense as powerful as sight, maybe stronger, and it felt natural, like breathing.

For a moment, he wondered if it would be too much, if the constant influx of sound would overwhelm him. But as he focused, testing his new abilities, he noticed something fascinating: the system seemed to have woven in a natural filter, dampening unnecessary sounds and amplifying the ones that mattered most. It was as if he'd been granted the ability to control sound itself, to let information in at his own pace, free from the risk of overload.

Testing this newfound control, he activated an explosive tag and tossed it across the room, watching it land with a light thud before detonating. The blast ripped through the air, filling the room with a deafening roar, but instead of feeling like a hammer to his eardrums, it was simply… data. A pulse of information. Sound waves bounced back, painting every detail in his mind with surgical precision. Every line, every corner and surface of the room was outlined as though he had taken a snapshot with his senses, a crystal-clear sonar map etched into his memory.

For now, he focused on his rewards, honing in on Echo Sense and pushing it to its maximum—level three—using two of his five sense upgrades. The moment he activated it, a surge of awareness burst through him, a flood of sound and vibration that turned his surroundings into a living, breathing map. Each corner of the room became so detailed, so intimately present in his mind, it was as though he could reach out and feel the texture of every surface. And it wasn't limited to what lay in front of him; it was a full 360-degree perception, wrapping around him in all directions, capturing every nuance of his environment.

It was like becoming Daredevil from Marvel on steroids, but with three sense upgrades still left to explore. The strength and clarity of his perception expanded in waves, making every sound a distinct pulse of information, each one adding dimension and depth to his understanding of the world around him.

The faintest noises became vivid brushstrokes on this new canvas of awareness. Somewhere in a distant room, a moth's delicate wings beat in soft, regular intervals, each subtle shift sending a ripple through his senses, transforming shadows into shape. Farther off, he picked up the slow, deliberate drip of water, each drop tracing a path through the walls, echoing as it fell, and the hum of electrical circuits vibrated in the background, forming intricate webs within the structure of his mansion—like glowing threads marking the flow of hidden energy. Every angle, every surface, each hidden layer fed into his perception, painting the entire scene around him in three-dimensional clarity.

Even beyond the thick, Fuinjutsu-insulated walls, which he had carefully designed to block out unwanted noise and attention, his Echo Sense sliced through effortlessly. The steady thud of heartbeats drifted into his awareness, faint but distinct, just outside his fortress. Each heartbeat carried its own rhythm, each breath its own pulse, almost as if he could feel the lives just beyond the walls as unique presences. The creatures moving outside were mapped in his mind as distinct, pinpointed pulses, each heartbeat an individual echo in his awareness, forming a vast, interconnected web of sound, leaving no life hidden from his perception.

For a brief moment, he wondered if it would be too much—if this ceaseless influx of sensory data would overwhelm him, drowning him in sound. But almost instinctively, he felt a natural filter embedded within his mind, dampening irrelevant sounds and amplifying those most important to him. It was as though he held control over sound itself, navigating through the layers of information with the ease of someone long accustomed to this level of awareness.

Testing his mastery, he activated an explosive tag and tossed it across the room. It landed with a soft thud before erupting in a blast. But instead of a deafening roar, the explosion unfurled as pure data—a ripple of information radiating outward, each sound wave bouncing back to form a perfect 360-degree map. The room etched itself in precise clarity, every line, every surface captured as if he'd taken a mental snapshot of his environment.

A slow, satisfied smirk spread across his face. He still had one more sense to fully upgrade.