He then noticed he was still in his original form, so before anyone could notice anything, he reverted his body to its normal state. He checked his slightly long blond hair, neatly tied in a single ponytail, and his green eyes harmonized perfectly with his overall appearance. Afterward, he lay down in bed and started preparing for his training.
He had already planned to undertake six simulations in the form of trials. In each trial, he would enhance his will in using various factors. Planning to complete each trial consecutively, he considered that his soul's limitless energy capacity allowed him to finish all the trials in order. Following this, he intended to leave the place, but not before scanning the city library; he didn't want to lose so much valuable data.
Satisfied that everything was in order, he entrusted his safety to the system's safety protocols. He closed his eyes and found himself in a space where numbers floated from top to bottom. This was his Soul Space, shaped by codes due to his Codified soul.
With a snap of his fingers, he transformed the space into a beach scenery, preparing for his first simulation trial.
"Simulation World."
[Please choose the kind of simulation you desire, Master.]
"Use the endless desert as a base and construct this trial to last for 15 days. Each passing day, intensify the difficulty of the trial," he instructed the system.
[Creation of trial simulation in process]
[Trial of the endless desert successfully created]
"This trial is for my will, so implement a loop. If I fail, send me back repeatedly until I succeed," he specified.
[Command Accepted]
'Remove all my abilities from me. Make me a normal person in the trial, providing just enough food and water to prevent me from dying—nothing more, nothing less,' he specified.
[Restriction has been placed]
'Until I finish the trial, do not stop it,' he declared.
[Restriction has been placed]
'Start the trial.'"
[Trial initiation in progress]
[Trial initiated]
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[ Simulation World]
[ Trial of endless desert]
Azkar found himself in the vast and endless desert, and he was alone, surveying the surroundings to strengthen his will. He noticed that his body resembled that of a normal human. This was the first time he couldn't feel his abilities after awakening, leaving him with a sense of emptiness.
He saw that his clothes were just normal white attire covering his body. In his hand, he held a bag containing 1 loaf of bread and 1 bottle of water – the minimum food for survival for one day in this endless desert.
He walked for 12 hours straight, and now his entire body was dehydrated to the point where his lips became dry. At this moment, he felt immense hunger and thirst, so he took out the bread and water he had saved for 12 hours straight for this very moment.
After finishing his meal and quenching his thirst, he continued his journey. He had to walk in a straight line with no stopping point, knowing the importance of completing this trail. Additionally, he noticed that he couldn't summon the system, realizing that he had to finish this trial; otherwise, the loop would persist, trapping him in the desert.
[Three days have passed.]
Azkar walks in the desert without direction; his clothes are tattered, and his shoes are burned by the desert sands, causing his feet to be full of blisters. He feels immense pain to the point where he wants to commit suicide, but he cannot do this because if he does, how is he going to achieve his dream?.
His body has burn marks; his clothes are already tattered, and sand particles are cutting his skin like mini blades. Throughout the day, he has to endure an immense amount of heat, and at night, his whole body freezes because the temperature drops below freezing point. It is very painful to endure the frosty wind at night.
He had enough food for every day, sufficient for him to survive because the system refilled his food once every day. He was going crazy because this is a literal hell, but once he thought the word "hell," he remembered what he went through before he came to this world; he had to do it. He continued walking, and there is no stopping point, so he has to walk.
At this point, his mind began playing tricks on him. He started hearing voices telling him to stop, not to endure this torture, as he had his OP abilities; he could easily become stronger. But he snapped out of it because he knew that if he couldn't handle this, there was no point in dreaming about achieving something. There is always a price to pay for everything, but as a selfish person, he wanted everything without paying a price or finding a way to pay the price without losing anything important to him.
Because if he wants to go to a place where people only kill each other due to a stronger background or someone holding power, then he cannot go with his half-ass resolve. No matter how powerful his abilities may be, he cannot do anything if his will is not strong enough to support his dream.
[Soon, seven days passed.]
Azkar's body is slowly losing its function; his clothes have become loose. If someone examines his body closely, they cannot even find his skin because there is nothing there; he looks like a mummy walking in the desert.
The skin under his feet is burned with existing blisters, and his muscles can be seen when he walks. However, every time he takes a step, only bloody footprints are left behind. At this point, his body is losing its function, and it simply does not function properly. He is just walking with pure willpower and determination.
[Soon Nine days has been passed]
Azkar lay in the desert, attempting to move forward despite his completely crippled feet. He dragged his body across the desert, refusing to lose everything once again. This reluctance was also the reason he avoided forming any relationships. His strong will prevented him from giving up, and he continued dragging his body through the endless desert.
However, he eventually succumbed and died. Until the last moment, he dragged his body, leaving behind bloody markings resembling the trails left by snakes as they move.
[You have failed the trial ]
[ You'll be sent into starting point of the trial ]
-------
[Second Attempt]
He found himself back at the point where he started his trial. Everything appeared the same, and he already knew that if he didn't finish the trial, he would never be able leave. He didn't want to leave before completing the trial, so he started walking in the hope of finishing it.
However, he died on the 12th day of the trial, and as a result, he was sent back to the starting point.
[Third Attempt]
He died again on the 12th day of the trial.
[ Fourth Attempt]
[ thirteen days passed.]
Azkar walked in the desert with worn-out clothes, his skeletal form visible. He discovered that as long as he didn't lose faith in himself, he wouldn't die, no matter what happened. At this moment, he was walking solely with his will and determination.
His body began to decompose due to sand particles cutting his skeleton, yet he persisted in walking. As he started losing consciousness, he saw a prompt appear in front of him.
[You have passed the trial of the endless desert.]
[Congratulations, Master. You can now leave the simulation world.]
Azkar smiled and exited the simulation world, returning to his soul space where everything returned to normal. He no longer felt hunger or thirst; he was refreshed. Knowing he couldn't go outside immediately, as he had to leave the city, he began to prepare for his next trial.
But before that, he snapped his fingers, and the scenery changed. It became a modern room with a large display. He sat on the bed surrounded by chips and other snacks. In this space, he could create anything from his memories, so he decided to watch anime. In his soul space, where the concept of time didn't exist, he intended to enjoy something to let his mind relax for a bit. Then he'll start his second trial.
Because he knew the anime plot and everything, remembering every single second, he decided to restrict his memories about the anime from the Codex. He wanted to enjoy this anime as if he were watching it for the first time. The large display began to play his favorite anime, linked to his Codex, so he didn't know what was going to happen next in the episode. He began to enjoy his time with snacks.
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[Author Note: If you like my novel, please save it in your collection because with every chapter, I'll try to improve my novel.]