It took a couple of seconds for the weight of it to settle in.
Three whole days.
Victor sat there in stunned silence, staring at the bunk below. His body felt like it had recovered from a brutal beating, sure—but three days?
He whispered under his breath, voice low and shaky. "How am I still alive?"
Somehow, despite the low volume of his voice, Caelum heard him clearly.
"What exactly were you doing during your three-day 'training' that could've killed you?" he asked, with a curiosity that felt very grounded.
Victor paused. He hadn't planned on talking about it. But after a moment, he figured... why not?
Caelum was the only one here who seemed to have a clue. If Victor wanted to survive, he needed information. And right now, Caelum was the best lead he had.
So he started talking.
He told him everything. From the moment Jeffrey gave him the food to the first time he saw the hare. The way the cold seeped into his skin. The hours of endless chasing. The mental breakdowns. The near collapse.
He described the overwhelming hunger, the frustration, the growing rage. How he had to study its movement patterns to catch it. Like it was some predictable mob.
He even explained how he finally caught it. Bit it. Killed it.
Caelum listened without interruption. Not even a twitch of disbelief.
"And then," Victor said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Jeffrey came in, looked at me like I was some kind of animal... and tossed me a piece of meat and bread. Told me the hare would be sent to the cooks. Said it was all just stamina training."
He let the silence stretch for a bit.
"Sounds insane when I say it out loud," he added quietly.
Caelum didn't react immediately. He didn't laugh. He didn't smirk. He just nodded slightly.
"Not as insane as you think."
Victor tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"I mean your reaction isn't that rare. Training like that is... brutal. But not unheard of. Some factions do it to push bodies past normal limits."
Victor frowned. "Yeah, but I shouldn't be alive. I mean, I was already weak when I started. That much strain... starvation... I should've passed out, or worse."
Caelum finally sat up and looked at him.
"It's possible the meal they gave you was rich in mana," he said. "Beast meat, probably from a low-level creature. It helps repair damage and slows hunger for a while. And the atmosphere here—it's saturated with mana. Even ordinary mortals, when they're healthy, and at the peak of their physicality can survive three to five days without food in an environment like this. It's rare, but not impossible."
Victor took it all in. His mind swirling with various thoughts and emotions as he listened.
Confusion. Curiosity. Even shock.
He didn't say anything right away. But all the while, he was checking.
Caelum's emotions.
Completely honest.
No deceit. No mockery. Not even a hint of arrogance when he used the word 'mortal.'
Victor picked up on that right away.
It was strange. Most people who had power—even back on Earth—tended to carry themselves with a bit of pride, whether they meant to or not. But Caelum just... talked. Like it was all normal.
Victor squinted at him. "Why do you keep saying 'mortals'? You some kind of god?" he asked, chuckling a little.
Caelum's eyes didn't waver. He looked right at Victor, dead serious.
Victor stopped laughing.
"What?" he asked, the humor in his voice fading.
Caelum didn't speak right away. But the weight in the air changed.
"It's because I'm not one," he said. "Not a god. But I'm also not an ordinary mortal."
Victor blinked. "What does that mean?"
"I'm an awakened one," Caelum said calmly.
Victor's brain froze.
That term...
He knew it. From the memories in this body.
Awakened Ones.
Humans—or other races—who had pushed their physical bodies to the limit. Who had shattered the ceiling of what a normal being could achieve. And in doing so, unlocked something new.
The ability to interact with mana.
The first step to power in this world.
"You're... awakened?" Victor asked quietly.
Caelum nodded.
"I reached Tier 1 a while ago. Early stage. Not strong enough to do anything flashy, but enough to stand out in a place like this."
Victor leaned back against the wall.
Tier 1.
The first real threshold.
Everything before that—Tier 0—was basic. Training. Prep work. Once someone became Tier 1, they were no longer just physically enhanced. They could start learning how to shape energy. Build a foundation.
"I've heard of awakened people before," Victor said slowly. "But I thought they were rare."
"We are," Caelum replied. "Most don't make it. Either their bodies fail before they reach the peak... or their minds do."
Victor thought back to his own training. The pain. The hunger. The sheer mental exhaustion.
He could see it now.
"What about you?" he asked. "How did you do it?"
Caelum looked away for a second, as if debating whether to answer.
Then he spoke.
"I didn't have a choice."
Victor didn't press. Something about the way he said it told him there was a story there—one he wasn't ready to share.
But still, Victor felt something shift inside him.
Admiration, maybe.
Not just for Caelum's strength, but for how grounded he was. No bragging. No flexing.
Just facts.
And honesty.
Victor exhaled, staring up at the ceiling again.
"Guess I've got a long way to go."
Caelum gave a quiet snort. "You're not as far as you think. Most people don't survive their first real training session. And definitely not three days of it."
Victor smirked a little. "So... I'm special, huh?"
"Don't let it go to your head."
Victor just laughed him off.
They both sat in silence after that, the kind that didn't feel awkward.
Victor closed his eyes for a moment, letting it all settle.
Tier 1.
Mana.
Awakened Ones.
He was starting to understand the kind of world he was in.
And maybe, just maybe...
He could get some fun and excitement out of this new life.