GODGAME

The Sparring Void

[Countdown For Training Initiation:]

[311 Hours : 58 Minutes : 59 Seconds]

Ren stared at the floating blue display.

"...What is this exactly?" He reached out, his hand passing straight through the light. "It's not solid."

He paused, lowering his arm.

"I remember it flashed on when I was at death's door from Za's Crash Punch. And when I woke up, the message said Supreme Boxing System... So, it's a System. A System designed to make me the strongest fighter? Talk about irony."

Ren carefully adjusted his position on the mattress, ensuring the intravenous cannula in his arm wasn't under any strain.

To his surprise, the digital screen shifted with him, maintaining a perfect distance from his face.

"Huh?"

He turned his head left, then right. The projection followed his gaze. "Okay... so it's locked to my field of vision. Maybe I should just—"

DING!

The abrupt sound made his heart skip a beat.

[NOTIFICATION:]

[Warrior's current combat attributes are significantly below average.]

[To compensate for the remaining time before formal training begins, Warrior must partake in the Sparring Void...!]

"Eh?" Ren raised an eyebrow. "Sparring Void? As in fighting in total darkness? What the hell?"

[...GOOD LUCK, WARRIOR!]

The blue screen flickered once and snapped shut.

Ren dropped heavily back onto the pillows, rubbing his eyes. "The system is crazy. But in all, Monsters, the ZZE championship... it’s all way too hard to believe. What kind of world have we actually been living in?"

The calm breeze filtering through the open window was the only thing that felt grounded in reality right now.

He closed his eyes, letting his tense muscles relax. "It won't kill me to take a nap."

Darkness covered his sight as usual, but the moment he opened his eyes within the dream, Ren found himself standing on a platform suspended in a vast void of shadows.

DING!

[Welcome, Warrior, to the Sparring Void!]

[Do you wish to initialize training?]

[YES / NO]

"What? You can't just drag me into a fight the second I close my eyes! I need to recover! Hell no!"

He reached out and tapped the [NO] option. The screen immediately buzzed with a harsh red tint.

[Error!]

[Warrior must complete the initial trial of the Sparring Void!]

"Then why did you put a 'No' option there when it's not going to be effective?!" Ren ran a hand through his hair in frustration, forcing himself to take a deep, stabilizing breath. "Fine... whatever."

He slammed his finger onto [YES].

[Congratulations, Warrior! You have accepted the trial of the Sparring Void.]

"Yeah, congratulations to me. How wonderful," Ren mumbled.

But as he took a step forward, he stopped and stared down at his arms, torso, and legs.

"Huh? The injuries from my waking body... they aren't here. I'm completely healthy in this space. Alright, that's a win."

[Conditions of the Sparring Void:]

Ren’s eyes rapidly scanned the fresh lines of text materializing before him.

[1. Warrior must complete successive rounds against designated opponents. Each bout at the current phase develops muscle memory. Once the leveling function is unlocked, experience points (XP) will be granted.]

A faint smile touched Ren’s lips. "So it really is a leveling system. Muscle memory training... that means this place acts as a simulator to increase my body's reaction time and alertness. Not bad."

[2. Terrains and environments will dynamically change based on the Warrior's progression.]

Ren looked around the dark, blue-lit platform. "Various locations, huh? This could get interesting."

[3. Warrior may voluntarily exit the Sparring Void once formal training commences. Pausing a match is subject to specific performance criteria. However, Warrior must re-enter the Sparring Void within a 24-hour window. Failure to comply will result in Penalties.]

Ren’s smile vanished at the last word. "Penalties? Great, so this simulator has extending rules."

[4. Training opponents are categorized by Divisions, Distinctions, and Class Attributes.]

"Just call me stupid for not understanding whatever data format that is," Ren muttered, though his eyes carefully tracked the words. Divisions, distinctions... what does that mean? Are there different categories of monsters? Is the System implying there are multiple factions out there?

[5. Access to advanced or multiple opponents is strictly locked behind specific milestones and met conditions.]

Ren nodded. "Yeah, I understand standard progression. But what exactly are those conditions?"

[6. Warrior is permitted to utilize unlocked System abilities throughout the Sparring Void sessions and is not restricted to baseline human capabilities.]

[GOOD LUCK, WARRIOR!]

Ren rolled his shoulders, stretching his arms out until his joints popped with a satisfying click. He kicked his legs out, testing his center of gravity. "A training ground inside my own subconscious."

He bent sideways, "Each fight builds muscle memory, and once the system unlocks the rest..."

He bounced lightly on his toes, warming up his stance. The lingering fear from last night began to turn into something else—a gritty, familiar determination. "Okay. I'm ready!"

[BEGIN!]

A few yards ahead, particles of pixelated light began solidifying into a distinct shape.

Ren's pupils dilated instantly.

He took a sharp, involuntary step back. "What the hell?!"

Standing across from him in the center of the platform was the unmistakable, terrifying figure of Za.

It wasn't the actual organic monster, but a pitch-black shadow personification of the beast.

"W—"

Before Ren could even voice his shock, the shadow moved.

It didn't just step forward—it vanished, covering the distance with the exact same physics-defying speed Za had displayed in his house.

The shadow's long, slender fingers curled into a massive fist, drawing back as a visible distortion of force gathered around its knuckles.

It’s the exact same move.

The Crash Punch!

Cold sweat erupted across Ren's forehead. Before his brain could coordinate a dodge, the fist struck him squarely in the solar plexus.

The absolute, monumental force of the impact felt like his internal organs were being violently rearranged.

Ren violently gasped, coughing up as the sheer momentum launched him clean off the platform, plunging him into the abyss—and snapping his consciousness straight back to reality.

"Ahhh!"

Ren sat bolt upright in the penthouse bed with a panicked jolt.

He immediately doubled over, clutching his stomach and rolling onto his side, barely remembering to avoid ripping the IV line from his arm.

"What... what the hell was that?!" he wheezed, his chest heaving as he forced air into his lungs.

DING!

[Warning: Warrior must complete the Sparring Void sequence to avoid active Penalties.]

With his entire body trembling from the psychological shock, Ren forced himself to sit back up against the headboard. "Penalties? I literally couldn't feel my torso down to my legs..."

But as he sat there, the pain from the simulation rapidly faded. Within less than a minute, the blinding pain disappeared completely, leaving behind only the dull, manageable ache of his healing, bandaged ribs.

Ren's brows furrowed in deep thought. 'The simulation pain didn't transfer to my physical body. It vanished. Does that mean the trauma only exists while I'm inside the unconscious space? Or does it just fade quickly once I wake up?'

He stared blankly at the white silk curtains. "The only way to figure that out... is to go back in."

A cold, involuntary shiver ran down his spine. The memory of that fist hitting his gut made his stomach turn. The pure pain of it was terrifying.

He paused, when he had a thought:

'If the System sets the baseline difficulty this high right from the start, that means as I unlock actual levels and progress, the real fights are going to be...'

He swallowed hard, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his temple.

That also means the ZZE competition isn't going to be a normal tournament at all.

"Tch." Ren tightened his right hand into a fist, ignoring the restriction of the gauze. "Nothing in this life is ever easy to begin with."

He held his hand up, staring at the bandages. "All my life, I thought I was strong. Everyone praised me, everyone feared my strength... but this new reality showed me the truth. I am weak. Exceptionally weak."

He squeezed his fist until his knuckles groaned under the pressure, a sharp, fierce fire in his eyes.

"There will always be situations that try to make you feel helpless. But I refuse to accept being weak. If this System wants me to be the strongest... then I'll become the strongest."