Breakthrough Part 1

A young man was meditating in a garden filled with flowers. Michael had been training for the past two weeks while ignoring all other obligations. He had not even gone to the office to check on his employees. Right now, his breakthrough was the most important event.

Of course, he could not train all day so he had spent the rest of his time learning about hacking. The results of the technical skill were astounding. In two weeks, he had developed enough expertise to compete with hackers who had decades of experience.

Michael had already tested the equipment he got from Synonymous and made sure that there were no traps. Synonymous had a very profitable business involving multiple websites on the dark web. Michael shut down the child porn site but sold all the others for nearly 100 million dollars worth of bitcoins; which he immediately transferred to the system.

Michael checked his stats to make sure that he was ready to attempt his breakthrough.

Name: Michael Rodriguez

Strength: 9.1

Intelligence: 9.2

Stamina: 9.0

Agility: 9.0

Status: Healthy

Credits: 102,430,000

The system had already informed him that this time he will have to do more than just meet the stat requirements in order to enter Supreme tier.

[ Are you sure you want to attempt to breakthrough into Supreme tier? There is a risk you might fail and die. You have already achieved so much; why not be satisfied with what you have? ]

Michael considered the system's question. He could not determine whether the system was testing him or was genuinely warning him out of concern. Either way, he did not intend to stop now. He would never forgive himself if he gave up.

" I want to attempt it. I do not fear failure, I only fear being filled with remorse for not trying in the first place." Michael replied. The system did not respond.

Michael continued to meditate, suddenly he was assaulted with pain from all sides.

Boom!

Every muscle in his body was being torn apart and reinforced, his bones were remolded. All the veins in his body were strengthened and his organs were being reinforced. The pain of the whole process was unlike anything Michael had ever experienced. He felt like his whole body was being refined in a furnace.

After thirty excruciating minutes, the pain receded and Michael felt his body embrace the changes. However, when he opened his eyes he could not recognize where he was. He looked around and only saw white space as far as his eye could see.

" System where am I?" Michael desperately asked, hoping for some answers.

[ You are currently inside your Mind. This is the second part of breakthrough process. You must complete one more trial in order to enter Supreme tier.]

Michael was taken back by the response. He thought he already passed since his physical body was reformed. However, it looks like he will have to overcome one more requirement. " What is the last test?" Michael asked.

[ You must solidify your consciousness in here so that you can leave.]

" What happens if I fail?"

[ Your physical body is currently in a comatose state because your mind is not connected to it. If you cannot form your consciousness and take control of your body then eventually your body will cease all functions and you will die.]

Michael shuddered in fear. He did not expect the breakthrough to be so challenging. "How can I solidify my consciousness?" Michael asked hoping for some answers.

[ Consciousness is often defined by scientists as your awareness of your thoughts, memories, feelings, and environment. However, is that really all there is to it? In order to solidify your conscious; you must define yourself in terms of existence. ]

Michael frowned at the System's cryptic answer. He wished that he got a clearer answer but he knew that he was on his own now. He slowly started retrieving all his memories and embarked on a journey to define himself.

In a Faraway place at the edge of the Universe

Three orb like figures were gathered in a room. It was too dark in the room to distinguish any features. The only light came from the orbs that gave of a soft glow. A crystal sphere was in the middle of the three orbs. The crystal was showing different scenes occurring throughout the universe. Suddenly, the scene shifted and showed Michael attempting his breakthrough.

" Hmm… Interesting, It looks like a candidate is trying to break into the third stage. Eärwen, do you think this candidate will breakthrough?" The orb with a green glow spoke.

One of the other figures with a purple glow spoke. ' It is hard to tell, the third stage is a major obstacle in passing the trials. I still think the candidate of the Takergan species has the highest chance of being the successor."

" It does not matter which candidate passes. As long as one overcomes the trials and ascends. We are in desperate need of an Emperor to revive us and rebuild all that had been lost." The last figure with blue glow chimed in.

" It has been too long since Emperor Araime Entayta passed away in battle. Since then we have been suppressed and living in fear of annihilation." The green figure lamented. Unfortunately, the trials were created by a force far superior to them. Therefore, they could not interfere in any way.

There was silence in the room as all the figures reflected over the past events. The Emperor and former champion Araime Entayta had led them in a battle for more resources. However, they were betrayed by allies. Araime fought all the enemies head-on and bought time for the rest of them to escape. However, he perished in battle after wiping out nearly all of the enemy forces.

They thought that the enemy would leave them alone since both sides sustained brutal casualties; however, the enemy kept attacking. The ruthless defensive war had been going on for countless eras. However, the war might soon be over because the enemy had already recovered most of their forces.

" We are being attacked again. Let's hurry, we must reinforce the forces in the battle." The purple figure informed the others.

" I hope a candidate will pass the trials and be crowned champion soon. We can only hold on for so long." The green figure thought before leaving.