My first challenge came almost immediately after we reached the military facility.
I was sitting with Ciri, who was still struggling to eat after days of surviving on nothing but bread and water. There were about two hundred of us crammed into one hall, rows of metal tables, thin bowls, and soldiers watching from every corner.
"You need to eat," I told her quietly. "You were the one telling me to save my strength back on the road. You need that strength too."
"Give me a little time," Ciri murmured. "I'll eat."
"If you're not gonna eat that, you might as well give it to someone who needs it," a deep voice rumbled beside me.
I turned my head. The man was massive, arms like tree trunks, a neck thick as a tire. He had the kind of face that said he was used to getting his way. He must've heard us talking, which made it even more annoying.
"She's going to eat it once she's ready," I said evenly.
But the big guy just smirked and stood up, towering over the table. The chatter around us faded. Everyone nearby went silent.
"What are you, twerp? Her spokesman?" he sneered.
"Dude, what's your problem?" I asked, trying to keep calm but already feeling that familiar burn in my chest.
"You're from Base 9, aren't you?" he said.
"What if I am?"
"Trash," he spat. "Dirty trash! Base 9 filth shouldn't talk back to me."
Ah. There it was. The usual garbage.
Base 8 bullies thinking they were better than us because their streets rotted slower than ours.
"We're all trash under the Dominion's rule," I told him.
His face turned red. His hand shot out, thick fingers wrapping around my throat. Pain exploded in my neck as he squeezed and twisted, then hurled me across the table. Metal trays clattered. Prisoners shouted, some cheering, some laughing.
I hit the floor hard, the breath leaving my lungs. The big man stomped over and grabbed me by the shirt, slamming his fist into my face once, twice, three times.
[Vigor Growth +0.16%]
[Muscle Density +5]
[Pain Threshold +0.8%]
Power surged through my veins like molten iron. My heart pounded. Ciri was moving toward us, I saw her out of the corner of my eye.
She'd get hurt.
I caught the man's next punch mid-swing. His fist froze in my palm. The look on his face was priceless, shock, confusion and fear.
I grinned up at him, blood dripping from my lip.
"Hey, trash," I said, tightening my grip until his knuckles cracked.
"Eat this."
I felt the air split as my fist connected cleanly with his jaw. The sound was sharp and satisfying. His head twisted violently from the impact, saliva and bits of barley spraying from his mouth. The weight behind the punch sent him flying nearly ten meters across the hall, crashing through a table before collapsing in a heap.
For a heartbeat, everything froze. Then chaos erupted.
Prisoners screamed and scattered. The clang of trays, the roar of voices, it was madness. I searched frantically for Ciri, but she was nowhere in sight. My head throbbed, my vision blurry from the blows. I was just starting to rise when the floor beneath us came alive with a pulse.
A blinding crack of electricity surged through my body.
Pain tore through every muscle, every nerve. I dropped to my knees, unable to even scream. Around me, others convulsed, writhing on the metallic floor. That's when it hit me, why they made us take off our shoes. The entire facility floor was a weapon.
I could barely think through the pain, but one thought clawed through the haze.
Ciri… where the hell are you?
The world dimmed. My body trembled once, then went still. The pain faded into blackness. In the end, I couldn't withstand it either. Like the rest, I collapsed into the void.
When I woke up next, I found myself inside a white cell. The walls were spotless, too clean to be real. There was no door, only a shimmering electric barrier that hissed faintly, daring me to try stepping through.
I sat up slowly, my head heavy but clear. My throat was dry, my muscles stiff. The hum of electricity echoed in my ears like a constant threat.
I summoned the system tab and watched as it blinked to life before me, lines of glowing blue text forming neatly in the air:
---
[Vigor: 3.1% / Infinite]
[Strength: 10]
[Speed: 15]
[Endurance: 10]
[Regeneration: 19]
[Agility: 10]
[Stamina: 12]
---
"Good," I whispered, a smile creeping across my face. I was getting stronger, faster than I should be. When the time came, I'd be ready.
The bed beneath me was little more than a slab with a thin mattress. I pushed myself up, my feet meeting the cold, sterile floor. Across the corridor, I could see another prisoner lying on his cot, dead asleep.
I turned toward the barrier. Its faint hum filled the air, almost like it was alive.
"I hope I can endure this," I muttered, clenching my teeth as I extended my hand toward it.
The moment my palm made contact, a violent surge of power ripped through me. It was agony, white-hot and endless. My body convulsed as if struck by lightning. The stench of burnt flesh filled my nostrils. I could feel my skin blacken where the current tore through.
Still, I didn't scream.
I wouldn't give them that satisfaction.
---
[Pain Threshold +6%]
[Nervous Resistance +3%]
[Vigor Growth +4%]
---
I dropped to the floor, gasping. The pain didn't fade, it lingered sharp. But I stayed conscious. My muscles twitched, my nerves trembled, yet I endured.
Then I felt a warmth spreading from my chest, crawling down to the scorched parts of my arm. My flesh began to knit back together. Slowly, painfully, but faster than before.
My regeneration was evolving.