Ethan crouched down, lifted the bedsheet, and carefully checked under the bed.
"Nothing."
He stood up, walked over to the closet, and pulled the door open.
"Still nothing."
Next, he opened the fridge and gave it a quick glance.
"Nothing here either."
Finally, he took off his shoes and checked inside, just to be sure.
"Ugh, they stink!"
"Shadow, where the heck did you run off to?" he called out in frustration.
Just then, he felt something strange and spun around quickly. A dark figure slowly materialized out of thin air, as if it had been born from nothingness.
Ethan rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache. "Where did you go? Can you turn invisible now or something?"
The shadow didn't speak, just gestured with its hands. Ethan frowned, completely clueless about what it was trying to say.
"Grab a pen and write it down," he said, pointing to the pen on the desk.
The shadow walked over, picked up the pen, and quickly scribbled two words: Boundary Passage.
Ethan stared at the words, his mind racing. "Boundary Passage?" he muttered to himself, suddenly realizing something. He looked up at the shadow. "What were you doing there?"
The shadow picked up the pen again and wrote a single word: Push-ups.
Ethan blinked, then burst out laughing. "You went there to do push-ups? Why?"
The shadow wrote again: Workout.
Ethan rubbed his chin, deep in thought. Could it be that working out in this so-called "Boundary Passage" had better results?
He recalled the description of the Shadow Clone ability. It did mention that having the shadow work out could be beneficial. Maybe this was its way of doing that.
"Alright, whatever floats your boat," he said, waving his hand, signaling that the shadow could continue its "workout."
Night had fully fallen, and the moonlight draped the streets of Mesa Safehold like a soft veil.
There were few cars on the road, and the occasional vehicle that passed by only highlighted how quiet it was compared to the bustling city Ethan had known before the time jump.
As the night wore on, the streets would become even more deserted. After 11 PM, aside from the patrols from the Aegis Operations Division, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone walking or driving around.
Ethan watched as the shadow faded back into the air, shook his head, and walked over to his desk. He pulled out a chair and powered on his computer.
Besides being a 12th-grade student, Ethan had another identity—he was a wildly popular web novelist.
His favorite thing to do was weave the strange experiences from his life into his stories.
Ever since the Divine Punishment event, the world's entertainment industry had taken a nosedive. But when Ethan's novels hit the market, they exploded in popularity.
His pen name,Peppy_Penguin, became a household name.
"After taking a two-week break, it's about time I start working on a new book," Ethan muttered to himself.
He opened his notes app, scrolling through a long list of potential story ideas.
The Allure of the Female Teacher, My Busty Sister, The Smoking Hot Dorm Manager, The Neighbor Girl's Weakness, Fantasy Fetish Streaming, The Gym Trainer with a Massive DICK, Seductive Stepmom, Cute Classmate...
Ethan looked at the titles and couldn't help but sigh. "Having too many options can be a real headache sometimes."
...
The next morning.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of rapid knocks shattered the early morning silence.
Ethan's eyelids twitched slightly as he slowly woke up at his desk. He'd gotten so caught up in writing last night that he'd fallen asleep right there.
"Ethan, open up!" A familiar voice called from outside the door.
Yawning, he shuffled over to the door and casually opened it.
[HP: 89%, SP: 99%, Soul Energy (SE): 10, Normal Woman, Women have a few uncomfortable days every month...]
Standing outside the door was a short-haired girl with an excited smile. Before Ethan could even fully open the door, she squeezed her way in.
This was Samantha, the girl next door who had grown up with Ethan. She'd always had a soft spot for him, and the two were incredibly close.
Samantha's eyes sparkled like stars, her eyebrows curved delicately, and her nose was small and perfectly shaped. Her lips were glossy and soft, making her look especially cute.
Ethan glanced at her status bar and noticed her health was lower than usual. He checked the calendar and immediately understood.
"Women have a few uncomfortable days every month..." he thought to himself, rubbing his nose before shifting his gaze away.
"Hurry up! Last night, I saw your TikTok video where you said you were starting a new book. Have you decided on the plot yet? Let me see the concept notes!" Samantha said excitedly.
Before Ethan could respond, there was a sudden bang as the front door slammed shut with a loud crash. Dust fell from the walls, and small cracks appeared around the doorframe.
Samantha's face went pale. She turned around, eyes wide, staring at the door. "Ethan... even if you didn't want to show me, you didn't have to slam the door like that."
Ethan didn't answer. He was staring at his own arm, completely stunned.
His muscles were now clearly defined, radiating strength. With just a slight flex, his arm muscles tightened, hard as steel.
Samantha noticed and her eyes widened in shock. "Have you been working out?!"
Her gaze shifted to Ethan's chest and arms. He was wearing a thin T-shirt that did nothing to hide the firm contours of his chest and shoulders. While he didn't have the exaggerated bulk of a bodybuilder, his physique now clearly showed power.
Samantha stood at the door, hands on her hips, her expression a mix of unease and suspicion.
"Ethan, did you take some weird supplements?" Her voice had a hint of nervousness, her eyes locked onto Ethan's noticeably more muscular frame, which had changed dramatically in just a few days.
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Can you not be so dramatic? I didn't take anything."
Samantha clearly wasn't convinced. She crossed her arms, her tone becoming more serious. "I'm the daughter of the Phantom Sentinel captain from Aegis Operations Division, Ethan. I've seen way too many cases of people messing themselves up with strange substances. If you stop now, it's not too late. My dad deals with several cases like this every year."
Ethan sighed, rubbing his temples. "Can you chill? I'm fine."
"Then how do you explain this?" Samantha's eyes were still full of doubt. "Five days ago, you didn't have muscles like this. Now, suddenly, you're built like a tank. Are you hiding something from me?"
Ethan shrugged helplessly. "I've just been working out, that's all. It's not a big deal."
Samantha's hand suddenly moved toward her waist, and Ethan's heart skipped a beat. "Whoa, whoa, you're not seriously about to pull out a weapon, are you?"
Samantha paused, a flicker of embarrassment crossing her face. She then pulled out a small device from her waist and handed it to Ethan. "It's not a weapon. It's a scanner. Clip it to your wrist and check yourself."
Ethan took the device, frowning. "What is this?"
"It's an infection scanner," Samantha explained, her tone still serious. "After the Dark Portal appeared and the Anomalous Creatures invaded, a lot of people got infected by coming into contact with those creatures or certain substances. If your infection level gets too high, it can lead to corruption, mutation, or even losing your sense of self."
Ethan stared at the device in his hand, feeling a bit uneasy.
He knew the "chip" inside him gave him special abilities, but he'd never considered the possibility of being infected by something like this.
"Alright, fine, I'll check." He sighed and clipped the device to his finger.
A few seconds later, a faint electric current ran through his fingertip, spreading up his arm and across his body.
Ethan felt a slight tingling sensation, followed by a mild sting. The numbers on the device's screen began to rise rapidly.
5, 15, 25, 35, 45...
Ethan's heart raced, and a thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead.
He touched the chip embedded in his forehead, trying to calm himself, taking a deep breath.
The numbers soon began to drop, eventually settling within a safe range.
"See? I told you I'm fine." Ethan let out a sigh of relief and handed the scanner back to Samantha.
Samantha still looked skeptical, glancing between the device and Ethan before finally lowering her guard.
"Alright, I guess you're clean... for now."
"Wait… a knife?"
Ethan's eye twitched slightly. "Were you seriously about to use a knife on me just now?"
Samantha shrugged, her tone casual. "Just in case."
Ethan shook his head in disbelief. "You're way too cautious."
After some explaining and convincing, Ethan finally agreed to watch a movie with Samantha, which was the only way to get her to leave.
Once back in his room, Ethan immediately pulled up his status panel.
[Your 'Shadow' has entered the 'Boundary Passage' and started working out.]
['Soul Consume' activated. First absorption of 'Soul Essence.' Your shadow has grown stronger.]
[Working out... Strength +1]
[Working out... Strength +1]
[Skill 'Soul Consume' activated... Soul Essence +1]
[Skill 'Soul Consume' activated... Soul Essence +1]
Ethan stared at the workout log on the panel, completely dumbfounded.
He stood there for a few seconds, processing what he was seeing, before finally snapping out of it. He waved his hand, summoning his shadow.
"You've been working out all night?" he asked.
The shadow nodded.
Ethan's expression became a mix of disbelief and amusement. "That's just ridiculous."
He stared at the shadow, and slowly, a gleam of excitement appeared in his eyes. "But, just doing push-ups isn't enough."
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Ethan pondered for a moment before a mischievous smile spread across his face.
"Shadow, it's time for a new challenge."
Clearing his throat, he adopted a more serious tone. "From now on, forget regular push-ups. We're moving on to more intense training."
The shadow tilted its head, looking a bit confused.
Ethan's grin widened. "Are you ready? Next up: High-Speed Jump Rope Sprints, Explosive Push-Ups, Commando Crawls, One-Arm Handstand Push-Ups, Handstand Clap Push-Ups, Planche Push-Ups, Human Flag, Pistol Squats, Bear Crawls, Hanging Leg Raises, and Dragon Flags."
He patted the shadow on the shoulder, his voice filled with excitement. "Come on, Shadow, it's time to show what you're really made of."