"Sss! Sss!" The life-support pod opened. Jackson sat up inside.

His mind was foggy at first. Then, clarity returned. His soul had fully reconnected to his body.

Jackson glanced at the data on the pod lid. His soul wave frequency showed 314. This was the same as when he first arrived in this alien world. He felt relieved. His soul had returned safely through the network.

"Finally, you're back! I've been waiting for over an hour. We need to hurry!" Li Feng, slightly overweight, rushed toward Jackson.

Jackson checked the time. Only twenty minutes remained before lights out. He and Li Feng sprinted out of the entertainment center.

"Li Feng, why didn’t you go back first? You didn’t have to wait for me. If we don’t return before lights out, Huffman will punish us." Jackson spoke while running.

"Come on! I’m not that kind of guy. We’ve been friends since childhood. We fought together, chased girls together, and if we get punished, we’ll face it together!" Li Feng shouted.

Jackson felt warm inside. A childhood friend who stood by him was rare.

"Sir, Joker reporting!"

"Sir, Li Feng reporting!"

"Hmph! You two got lucky. Just one second later, and you'd be late." Sergeant Huffman glared at them.

Next came the usual routine. The entire squad lay in bed and sang "The Rifle Song." Then, they rested.

The next morning, something unusual happened. Huffman and his two assistants did not wake them early. For the first time since joining, Squad 7 slept until 6 a.m. The base's morning bugle woke them. They washed up, dressed, and cleaned their weapons.

"You maggots better not slack off. Keen, your boots aren’t shiny enough. Ralif, your belt is crooked. Gatsby, don’t point your CL2053 rifle at your squadmates!" Jackson checked each soldier. He performed his duty as acting squad leader.

"Instructor approaching! Attention!" Jackson called out as Huffman entered with his assistants. Their uniforms were crisp, their expressions stern.

Huffman nodded at Jackson, acknowledging his performance. Then, he let Jackson rejoin the squad.

Huffman saluted sharply. "So far, your performance is barely acceptable. Even the weakest soldier, Keen, meets the basic fitness standard for space paratroopers. But strength alone is not enough. A great paratrooper also needs courage and willpower. Your next test will be brutal and dangerous. No one will help you. For the next twenty-eight days, you will stay inside the 'Nightmare' training program. You will develop courage and sharpen your will."

"Ah!" someone shouted. Bayer interrupted Huffman.

Huffman exploded. "Who made that noise? Step forward! One thousand push-ups!"

Bayer groaned and dropped to the ground, doing push-ups. Huffman continued speaking. Jackson noticed some soldiers breathing heavily. Fear was spreading.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"You get the morning off. Take care of personal matters. Training begins this afternoon!" Huffman finished his speech and left with his assistants.

The dorm erupted into chaos.

"Oh, great cosmic god! How will I survive this? Help me!" A physically fit soldier prayed to the Origin Church.

"I heard 'Sin' is a modified version of the terrifying game 'Hell.' Is that true?" Some recruits whispered among themselves.

"Can I quit? I don’t want to enter that nightmare." Keen asked Jackson.

Jackson scolded him. "Don’t be scared, Keen. Remember, it’s all fake."

Xiao Yi overheard and smirked. He pulled Jackson aside and explained the origins of the 'Sin' training program.

Years ago, a game called 'Hell' appeared. It sold fear as its main feature. Players connected their souls to the network. They experienced all kinds of horrifying scenarios.

During testing, one thousand volunteers participated. Nine hundred went insane. The remaining one hundred suffered permanent soul damage. The game company compensated the insane players. The company also hired top soul doctors to heal the damaged players. Despite countless treatments, none recovered.

Soul damage meant something terrifying. If a monster in the game cut off a player's hand, their soul believed it was real. When they returned to their body, their brain refused to control the unharmed hand. It became paralyzed.

The game was almost banned. But later, the developers reduced its horror level and released it. It became a global sensation. The company, Yujia, rose to the 13th rank among all gaming companies.

Fear fascinated intelligent life. People craved it, like ghost stories, horror movies, and scary novels. That was why 'Hell' became so popular.

Later, military forces discovered its potential. They used it to train soldiers. Yujia modified 'Hell' into the 'Sin' program. Some say 'Sin' is the original 'Hell' version, capable of driving soldiers insane or damaging their souls. Yujia never confirmed or denied this.

"Can't civilians play 'Sin'?" Jackson asked.

Xiao Yi sighed. "Of course not. The program is exclusive to the military. Anyone outside the army who owns it is breaking the law. They will face severe punishment. Also, Yujia customizes 'Sin' for different armies. Rumor says it adjusts based on each soldier's fears. Every recruit faces a unique scenario."

Jackson's heart skipped a beat. "A few days ago, Huffman asked me to collect everyone's likes and fears."

Xiao Yi's face paled. Sweat dripped from his forehead. "Did you... give him the data?"

"Of course! I follow orders. Don’t be scared, brother. Face it with courage!" Jackson patted Xiao Yi's shoulder like a true leader.

Both of them realized the truth. Huffman didn’t care about their interests. He only wanted their fears. He fed that data into 'Sin' to create personal horror scenarios for each recruit.

"Damn that Huffman! He tricked me! I listed my real fear! What should I do?" Jackson hid in the restroom, muttering to himself.

That afternoon, 3,350 recruits stood in formation at the training plaza. They waited to enter the Brain-Assisted Training Center. Each squad formed a separate block.

Huffman roared, "Now, I announce the start of Squad 7’s twenty-eight-day courage and willpower training! If anyone has questions, speak now!"

Silence. No one moved. After discussing all morning, they accepted their fate. Fear and worry wouldn’t help. There was no way out.

Jackson felt his fear fading. Curiosity grew. He wanted to see just how terrifying 'Sin' really was.

The recruits entered the vast training center. They found their designated life-support pods. These pods looked similar to normal life-support pods but had extra functions. They contained translucent golden fluid. This liquid seeped into their bodies, keeping them nourished for twenty-eight days.

Jackson removed his uniform, put on a nano-suit, and lay down inside.

The fluid felt warm. He could breathe in it. It was strange.

The pod was not connected to the universal network. Instead, it linked to the military's private system. Soldiers wouldn’t enter their usual network spaces. They would go straight into the program.

"Click." The lid shut. A mechanical female voice spoke. "Recruits of the 202012th batch, 11th Regiment. Your souls will enter the 'Sin' training program in ten seconds. Countdown: 10... 9... 8..."

Jackson took a deep breath. He prepared for the unknown challenge ahead.