Had it not been for the overwhelming sense of emptiness, Ark might have misunderstood the experience as a product of his imagination.

The silent, lightless world felt so familiar, rousing unwanted memories and emotions.

Then it was gone, like it never existed.

Leaving him infuriated, helpless, pained, and bloodthirsty.

He threw the white sword hard, with enough precision and momentum to be inserted exactly into the hole that was unveiled.

Others looked at him, but he ignored them. The world shook as a stabbing pain rushed in his head. After everything that happened, his mental fatigue reached a level that couldn't be ignored, frustrating Ark even further.

Mana Drain activated, dominating a vast amount of magic power. Those sensitive to mana stopped in place, shaking with fear, and even those insensitive felt a chill, sensing so much power gathering.

Next, Aqua Potentia activated, blue energy seeping out. Using his spirit, Ark tried to direct the flow of energy to his brain.

It couldn't properly replace sleep yet, but it had the potential.

Right now, the waste of mental energy outweighed the mana acquired, but in the future it might even reverse.

(I could obtain infinite stamina...) His attempts to distract himself failed miserably, and his face was drained of emotions.

It was time to explore how the Potentia series reacted to the Void Spirit, learn of its abilities more deeply, and master that supercharged spellcasting and Synchronization. There's a lot to learn about Synchronization. Not only did it apply to Natural State and Mana Drain, but also supercharged spellcasting...

Nothing.

This was Ark. Obsessed with strength to the point it overtook every other desire.

But now he didn't want to think about it—to think about anything.

He just wanted to let it all go.

◇◇◇

Silvia's Perspective

He just stands there, expressionless and unresponsive.

Scarlet ties to approach him, tease him, and even give him a frostbite. Nothing worked.

“Ark,” I called out.

I do so even as I fear he won't answer. The thought of him ignoring me makes him feel so far away.

“Yes?”

He answers, and I can't stop myself from smiling.

“You dazed off and didn't respond, even after Scarlet gave you a frostbite. Are you fine?”

Looking at his injury, his eyes widen as if he registers the wound only now. It's merely a first-stage frostbite, just cold and not serious, but that's just it. Not noticing something made solely to elicit a reaction is straight-up weird.

“Yes.”

“How about you try a different sword?”

“Not yet.”

Ark is so eager to test himself, reluctant to let the opportunity go—a tunnel vision blocking everything out of sight. Now he looks at me like I alone am on his mind.

His pupil and iris are both black, indistinguishable from one another. It's a color that only pure-blood Easterners possessed.

It's so stark, like the darkest night.

I don't care that others look at us; I am pulled inside those eyes, and nothing else matters.

But I can see his confusion. I can see that 'thing' lurking beneath the eyes, and a weird feeling creeps into me.

I feel the way he gazes at me changing.

Ark takes a step back.

I take a step forward. “I just realized that we should check if two could enter the sword challenge together. Won't it be safer if others wanted to take the challenge?”

I knew I was right, and so did Ark, but it's sad that there was such a need to turn to logic.

When he smiled at me, the same gentle smile I have seen so many times, it felt uncomfortably fake...

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Suddenly the smile felt real, and I was left with a secret dissonance in my heart.

◇◇◇

(Right, I could have told her we could do it later.)

Such a simple solution, but it was already too late.

“This place is weird.”

“Yup, it is. A subspace filled with weird magic.”

Ark and Silvia examined the area, each with their own methods; the rules of this room and its composition became clear.

“Like in the other subspace, we will have infinite mana only bound by our original capacity,” Ark said, slightly irked. “I can't rely on external mana, but that won't be a problem for you.”

“The complexity of the magic interwoven is really out of this world. Just studying this room would lead to countless developments in the study of magic.” Silvia sighed in admiration.

“Don't forget, this is what we found in the middle floors. The real prize is at the bottom floor.”

“Right. Shall we then?”

They turned their attention to the main attraction: the board with the test information written in ancient language.

Ark translated, “Test of Speed. Hit the target while it glows.”

A momentary surprise flickered in Silvia's eyes and then turned into understanding and respect.

“Honestly, that's easy,” she said, looking at the target glowing incessantly.

Of course, not just Silvia; even Ark couldn't see the challenge. They both used instantaneous spellcasting on a regular basis, capable of turning the battlefield upside down in a matter of seconds.

“There's definitely a catch.” Silvia raised her arm and chanted, “Arrow.”

A spell so rudimentary even children are taught, but at the hands of this particular genius, the arrow broke the sound barrier with a deafening roar. An arrow-shaped magic power shimmering silver exploded on the target, which somehow withstood the tremendous shockwave.

Unfortunately, Ark observed that the light quickly died before that, meaning Silvia's lightning fast spell was too slow.

She tried a few more spells, some even using the fast lightning attribute, but the light quickly faded like a fragile butterfly struck down in a storm.

(Fuck, that's terrifying.)

From the side, Ark felt bewildered at Silvia's potent magic. He didn't get to see her cast any spell since their duel one month earlier. Most would feel elated if a single spell became slightly stronger after a month of repeated practice, but to increase the mastery of several spells to such a degree was something only a Sage level of talent could just barely do.

This otherworldly talent left no place for envy; it was too far beyond human comprehension.

Ark felt a strong wave of envy wash over him, but he quickly suppressed it and went to show his own abilities.

In a sense, his ability to still feel such envy is admirable. It meant he believed he could keep up.

Ark compressed his mana and circulated it throughout the mana veins. He ignored the searing pain and pushed further.

Lightning erupted from his palm, ionizing the air and hitting the target with a thunderous roar.

“It disappeared even before the lightning formed,” Silvia informed him.

That meant the countdown started as soon as they moved their magic power in the body.

(But still, this...) Ark attempted to delve deeper into the intent of the room. A frown formed on his face.

He decided to share his theory: “I think the test was recently modified to make us fail. The red sword led me to a test of damage output, but it was meant only for someone with an extremely powerful fire attribute. This test of spellcasting speed is for someone with an extremely powerful wind attribute, so logically, the speed equivalent to the power enough to pass the other test should suffice. But it isn't.”

“There is something else, isn't there?”

“Yes, I met the projection of the dungeon master in the other test.” He pasued for a moment to let it sink. “I sensed him at every floor somewhat vaguely, so I knew someone was watching. He revealed himself after I threatened to destroy the room.”

“Is he here right now?”

“He cut off the connection. He can't come even if he wanted to, and he made the test unnecessarily harder. I don't know what changed, but we cannot trust that suspicious guy.”

“I see. So you are saying someone has been looking at us since we entered the dungeon? Everyone?” Her eyes drew cold.

(Oh, did she also realize that guy is a perverted bastard peeping on girls?)

“There were casualties.”

Needless to say, Ark didn't think about the casualties even once. Even now, as he remembered, he cared not for them one bit, unlike Silvia.

“We will meet at the bottom and settle everything.”

“Even before. He is everywhere, but I will make sure he won't be able to hurt anyone even from afar.”

“That's good.” She looked around. “So, how do we get out?”

“Should we really?” Ark smiled mischievously. “We are in an isolated room all by ourselves. Even time passes more slowly here. Such an environment should be put to good use, don't you think?”

Silvia instantly blushed, and Ark cursed while regretting his confusing phrasing.

“Training. Infinite mana is perfect for some serious magic exercises.”

“Oh.”

(What 'Oh'? Just what went through that pretty head of yours?)

Ark once again regretted failing to be alone.

His emotions became a mess since he touched the white sword. He wanted time to sort his own heart, but Silvia just glanced at him, and the maelstorm of emotions swirled chaotically.

Rage, fear, frustration, confusion, and more. All logic was lost, and emotions sprouted without order or reason.

But what really annoyed him was the calmness that seeped into his heart and melted everything away.

The cause was obvious: it was Silvia, or more accurately, her Primordial Wind.

(It's radiating like a field, and the effects are stronger by proximity... Everything now makes sense.)

A field that was created solely due to the presence of the Primordial Wind, rather than being made of it.

Ark hated his emotions being manipulated like that, even by mistake. However, whenever he tried to muster any anger toward Silvia, it would soon dissipate into the ether.

He wouldn't have noticed that if not for the feeling when she called for him, like a spark of calmness to wash the emptiness away, but now that he did, the way he looked at Silvia changed considerably.

(She is so freaking pretty.)

For starters, he only now noticed her ethereal beauty that has been revered since Silvia was just a baby.

Basically, he finally gained a functional pair of eyes.

(Honestly, it's to the point where my tastes might change.)

That much has happened and will continue to happen to many men, but to shamelessly think of it showed how much a piece of shit Ark was.

“For the training, I will teach you how to deactivate Ventus Potentia,” Ark spoke as he continued to cast a variety of spells at the target. “First, start by separating parts of your magic power to run for a few minutes each and have one targeted for the spell at a time. Repeat the process until you get it.”

She waited for him to continue. “That's it?”

“Yup. My mastery over the Potentia series is honestly pathetic. I know it could be much better, but it's hard.”

“I practically sold my family's treasured secret technique, revered by allies and feared by enemies.”

“I have a sure-fire method as a backup.” Ark gave a very cheeky smile. “You know, in case the genius Silvia fails to learn on her own.”

Ark used 'cheap provocation'.

It's super effective.