Wei Shen was lying inside the hollow of a tree trunk.
Consciousness was leaving him, like a tide receding from a desolate shore. Wei Shen felt the coldness of death creeping into his limbs and heard the whisper of oblivion in his ears. His broken body, lying in the mud and rotting leaves at the edge of the "Forest of Lost Souls," had reached its absolute limit. His fist still clutched the remains of his broken ivory dagger, a humiliating memento of his near-total defeat.
He closed his eyes, surrendering for a moment to the fatal exhaustion that threatened to swallow him whole.
But what greeted him was not the darkness of annihilation, but a different light… a cold, white light that filled a futuristic training room with polished metal walls.
He was no longer the broken Wei Shen. He was Arthur again. A young man in his twenties, wearing the elegant black uniform of the "Apex" High Academy for Strategy and Asset Management, the most prestigious institution in his old world, which trained the leaders of great corporations and the generals of private armies.
He was standing before a massive holographic screen displaying the results of a complex economic battle simulation. Beside him stood his mentor, an old man with eyes as sharp as a hawk's, known only as the "Former CEO" of the largest industrial conglomerate in the galaxy.
"You crushed them, Arthur," the mentor said in a quiet voice, looking at the red numbers that filled the opponent's screen. "But you sacrificed the entire energy sector of your virtual company and bankrupted three of your loyal allies in the process. It was an exceedingly ruthless move."
The young Arthur looked at his mentor, his cold eyes holding no trace of regret or hesitation. "Loyalty, sir, is an unstable variable dependent on emotion and momentary interest," he said, his voice calm and terrifyingly logical. "The ultimate goal was complete market domination, and it was achieved. Sacrificing one sector, or temporary allies, is an acceptable price for absolute victory. They were assets that were consumed with efficiency. There is nothing to regret in an equation that only recognizes results."
The old mentor was silent for a moment, then a faint smile touched his lips. "You don't see the world as a playground, Arthur. You see it… as an equation. And that's what makes you so very dangerous."
The memory faded, and the cold white light dissipated, replaced once again by searing pain and damp darkness.
Wei Shen opened his eyes. He was still in his broken body, still potential prey. But that memory had rekindled something in his soul. It wasn't a memory of physical strength, but a memory of identity, a memory of that steel will that sees the world as nothing but problems awaiting solutions, and variables awaiting control.
"An equation…" he rasped. "This situation… is just another equation."
But before he could analyze the variables of this equation, he was interrupted by a new sound, a sound not from his memories. A sound of low hisses, cautious sniffing, and the rustling of leaves that was not caused by the wind.
He forced himself to move his head slightly and looked through a crack in the hollow log where he was hiding. His heart, which had been beating slowly, settled into a cold, steady rhythm. Fear no longer had a place. What he felt now was an icy rage. Rage at the humiliation of the situation.
It was a pack of spiritual beast hounds of the second level at most, resembling slender wolves with black fur that blended with the shadows, their eyes glowing with a faint, malevolent green light. There were five of them, moving as an organized pack, sniffing the air, clearly drawn to the scent of his blood emanating from his hiding place.
"To be cornered by wild dogs like these… this is an insult that cannot be tolerated," Wei Shen thought, his eyes narrowing with lethal focus. "The body is injured, and the Qi is almost nonexistent. A direct confrontation is suicide. But surrender… is not an option."
His mind began to work at lightning speed, analyzing, planning. "Five… second-level at most. Individually weak, but their strength lies in their numbers and their coordinated attack. I must separate them, or use the environment against them."
He scanned his immediate surroundings from within the log. There were some scattered sharp rocks, a pile of flammable dry leaves—but how would he light them?—and the log itself was old and decaying.
Meanwhile, the "Shadow Hounds" were getting closer. The one in the lead, the largest among them, stopped in front of the hollow log, raised its head, and let out a low, deep growl, revealing two rows of sharp fangs. It had located him.
The lead hound placed its paws on the edge of the log and began to peer its head into the darkness where Wei Shen was hiding. Its glowing green eyes were searching for its trembling prey.
But the prey was not trembling.
In that moment, instead of retreating deeper into the log, Wei Shen did something completely unexpected.
He went completely still, opened his eyes wide, and allowed that faint crimson glint, the glint of his "Blood Qi," to glow in the darkness, like two smoldering embers. He stared directly into the eyes of the lead hound, not with a look of fear, but with a gaze of absolute dominance, the gaze of an emperor looking at an insolent insect that had dared to enter his kingdom. He didn't release any Qi, he didn't show any power, just that cold, confident stare that carried the weight of a soul that had ruled worlds.
"Insolent dog."
The lead hound stopped for a moment. It was confused. It had expected to find terrified prey, begging, trembling. But it found something else. It found the eyes of a predator, a predator far mightier than itself, even in its weakest state.
The hound let out a low growl, but this time, it wasn't the growl of an attack, but one of confusion and doubt. It took a step back, still staring at those crimson eyes glowing in the darkness.