Seung's brows furrowed as he stared at the screen. The mechanical male voice he had heard in his sleep was stern and devoid of emotions.
"[5, 4, 3, 2, 1…]"
As the countdown reached zero, he felt his body suddenly devoid of energy. Out of his control, he was lifted from the bed as if he were a piece of paper.
"What's going on? Why have I become light?" he shouted, trying to steady himself.
***
A hush fell over the scene. The sky, which had been dark and dimly lit by the silvery moon, turned into an orange expanse. It resembled a sea but was orange instead of blue. There was no moon, no clouds, no birds—just an empty, orange-hued sky.
Lee Seung stepped forward cautiously, his eyes scanning his surroundings while covering his mouth. He felt a cold warmth under his feet as he walked. Although the floor was dry, it gave a cold sensation.
"Where is this godforsaken place? What am I doing here?" he muttered, still looking around.
The grasses were withered, the soil very dry. It seemed impossible for such soil to grow grass unless it had changed recently. Mosses crawled over the cold, dry floor.
The land stretched endlessly, with towering hills and leafless trees about two hundred meters away. Disassembled metallic parts, like broken robotic limbs, were scattered around.
Except for the damaged parts, trees, and hills, there was nothing else despite the vastness of the place. As Seung continued to walk, he frequently turned back, sensing a presence behind him, only to find nothing.
"Damn!" he cursed. "It's as if this place is haunted. The AI should have asked for my input on the training ground…"
He halted instantly, eyes fixed ahead. A faint light shone on him up to chest level, his eyes darting around continuously.
"[Welcome to your Domain. This is an artificial space created from your memories, which will serve as your training ground. The main purpose of this operation is for you to master all moves, gain more knowledge on using your skills, and strengthen your physique.]
[Training in the Domain is a compulsory daily mission. You will automatically be teleported here when the time is reached.]
[Please select Difficulty: Easy, Hard, or Crazy.]"
Seung smirked. "What else can it be?" He chose, "I will go with Crazy."
The screen switched urgently:
"[Warning: Mutant, you haven't fully recovered from your injury, so it's suicidal to choose that.]"
"What's suicidal about it?" Seung scoffed. "This place is made from my memory, so I can't get injured. It isn't even real. Let's get to it, system." A smile played on his lips, and he rolled his shoulders, shaking off the fatigue.
"[Sigh… if you say so.]"
Seung's brows furrowed in curiosity at the remark, but he shrugged it off. This situation wasn't new to him; he had seen something similar in a movie when he was ten. The actor also traveled to a memory-fabricated place during a war but didn't get hit by the missiles.
"[Training has begun. The aim of this round is to survive for two hours without using a weapon. Note: most of your abilities have been restricted inside the Domain, especially your deadliest one.]"
Seung murmured, "Deadliest…?"
BRIM!!!
An automated sound signaling an opening made him glance back, low pants escaping his lips.
Creak!
A hatch opened in the cold, moss-covered ground, and sleek humanoid robots emerged. They moved with mechanical precision, eyes glowing ominously red. They clenched their fists tightly, clinking sounds emitting from their joints. Seung's skin prickled as they stepped closer, every instinct screaming at him to back down.
He held his punch forward, swallowing his fear. "Bring it on, geezers. I have fought bastards far worse than you."
One robot lunged at him with lightning speed. Seung dodged, rolling to the side and coming up in a defensive stance. He threw a punch at the robot's torso, but his fist met unyielding metal. Ignoring the pain, he pivoted, using the robot's momentum to throw it off balance.
Two more robots charged at him in a zigzag pattern. He sidestepped the one in front, got to the middle, and stamped the second one's chest with maximum force, throwing it off balance. When the first lunged again, he seized its arm and slammed it to the ground. The robot's metallic build clattered, although it rose back as if nothing had happened.
Before he knew it, the robots had surrounded him. His heart pounded under the hospital dress, being alone and unarmed.
'Damn it! There's no way my arm can penetrate through them! What do I do?'
His eyes fell on his own metallic left arm. He raised his brows and glared at the robots. 'Have a taste of this!'
He threw a punch at the one in front and knocked it off balance. His grin widened, seeing his arm finally proving useful.
Wham, wham!!!
Metal clattered constantly, and in a blink of an eye, all the robots were sprawling on the ground, but the red light in their eyes remained on. Seung was on the brink of feeling victorious when they rose back to their feet, surrounding him again.
His eyes widened, and sweat gathered on his forehead. His heart pounded, and the air was thick and heavy, almost suffocating.
'I think it's best to summon my clones now. That can change the outcome of only me fighting,' he thought, swallowing hard. He just thought of doing it, so the screen should open.
The display showed:
"[Cloning access denied. Please recall the important notice given at the beginning of this training.]
[You have survived for just ten minutes. The next phase will begin right now.]
[Robots remaining: 20]"
He glanced around in surprise. The robots surrounding him were not more than ten. So why did the system report the number as twenty? Perhaps, it was to confuse and frustrate him?
One of the robots vaulted with fluid movement and punched him straight in the chest. His back thumped against those behind him, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Pushing himself up, he quickly jumped out of their midst.
Seung panted heavily and wiped the blood from his face. "Dang, I really can get hurt here. Fighting metal unarmed? Nah, that's very crazy."
BRIM!
Another hatch opened, and more robots emerged. The distance between them and Seung was less than five meters. He hadn't been able to dismantle one, yet more robots joined. The system had put him at a lot of disadvantages; he couldn't use a weapon, stats reduction for energy refill was not allowed, and he couldn't summon his clones. He was just alone.
"Damn, the robots are closing in on me. I have no other way of engaging them for the next two hours; it's either I surrender myself as a punching bag or run away. Poof, God! Even if I choose to run, I will run out of energy in the next five minutes because of my last fight's wound. I must think!" he fretted, rubbing his palm nervously and swallowing hard.
Before he could blink, one of the robots was already in front of him. But he managed to seize its punch. The robot pressed him backward, but he resisted, summoning every ounce of strength he had.
"EHH!" He screamed violently, pushing the humanoid backward as well. His brows contracted, teeth gritting barely.
Glaring at its red eyes reminded him of the Soul Devourer, bringing back memories of the rank C team. His teeth gritted further, and he yelled louder.
"Damn you!"
Fortunately, he won the strength-testing push. Then the robot charged again; Seung gripped its shoulder and neck. He violently pushed them apart, and the robot's trapezius snapped.
SPARRGH!
The red light in the robot's eyes went off, and it crashed to the ground.
Seung panted heavily and bent, pinning his palms to his knees. Raising his head a bit, he saw the others charging at him. He mumbled, "I have found out how, so it's time you got your asses on the ground. Who cares if you are made of metal?"
He rolled his shoulders again and then charged towards them. His yell echoed through the expanse, and the frequency of clattering metals increased. With each passing moment, Seung's punches became more intense. He realized that not every time would a weapon be available in a fight. With a sudden adrenaline push, he began to feel the energy in his hand and punched the robots more effectively.
As he fought, memories of his family flashed through his mind. His mother's smile, his father's jokes, his sister's laughter. He couldn't afford to be inferior to anything or anyone, not now. Not ever.
The screen displayed:
"[Robots remaining: 2/20]
[Time remaining: 10 seconds]"
"Hee-hee," he panted heavily, swallowing his dry saliva. Sweat trickled down his hair to his nose, and his heart pounded from exhaustion. "Bring it on… BASTARDS!"
He ran to their front; he dodged one's attack and instantly retaliated, lifting it and slamming it to the ground, turning it into wreckage.
WHAM!
His view turned blurry; nevertheless, he managed to lift his leg and land a crushing blow on the last robot. When it fell, the display showed:
"[Time remaining: 0 seconds.]
[Training completed. Welcome back.]"
Seung's body crashed back into his hospital ward with a loud thud. He lay weakly on the tiled floor, his clothes wet and clinging to his body.
"Mr. Lee Seung?" a nurse called, opening the door. Seeing his state, she shouted, running to his aid, "Mister!!"