In the distance, two towering mountains rose from the endless grasslands, their peaks piercing deep into the clouds above. Drawn to them, Winston made his way across the vast plain until he reached their base. He scanned the area and quickly recognized two large boulders. They were the same rocks he had hidden behind during his first visit to this strange place.
Turning away from the mountains, Winston gazed across the endless expanse of golden grass. The lush blades swayed gently in the wind, creating waves that rolled across the horizon as far as the eye could see.
Remembering Haruto's instructions, Winston took a slow, deep breath—then another—and another.
The fresh air filled his lungs, and with each breath, the tension in his body gradually melted away. For the first time since arriving, his mind felt truly calm.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Without a care in the world, Winston lowered himself onto the soft golden field and lay on his back, allowing the gentle breeze to wash over him as he stared at the motionless clouds overhead.
What Winston didn't realize was that the Nethen Essence was actively drawing in the surrounding air, purifying it, and circulating it throughout his body. Streams of energy raced through him like glowing neon currents, flowing along every pathway within him. As they traveled, they cleansed and strengthened his cells.
The tornado-like swirl he had experienced at the Celestial Hotel had merely been the first sign of his awakening.
Now, the transformation was deepening.
The Nethen Essence was intertwining with his internal organs, veins, muscles, and bones. It wasn't harming him; it was becoming a part of him.
For the first time, Winston could truly feel the wind coursing through his body.
More importantly, he understood it.
The realization struck him so suddenly that he shot to his feet. A tingling numbness spread across the back of his head—touching his abdomen, Winston focused inward.
There it was.
Tiny streams of air were slipping into his body, merging with the Nethen Essence before spreading throughout his internal pathways—and he could sense every movement.
If he could feel it, then perhaps he could control it. The thought sent his heart racing.
Recalling the countless experiments he had conducted over the past few days, Winston immediately sat down and put his theory to the test—With a single bicycle-kick motion, he channeled the wind-like essence through his body.
Boom.
His body launched upward Winston performed three rapid backflips before crashing onto the lush golden field.
Thud.
For a moment, he simply lay there—then a giggle escaped his lips.
The giggle became a laugh—the laugh became uncontrollable.
Winston threw his head back and laughed toward the motionless clouds overhead. He had finally made a breakthrough.
No longer did he need to push his body to the brink of collapse to access his speed.
Haruto, who had been sitting beside Winston, slowly opened his eyes. Stretching his arms, he rose to his feet and walked toward the small kitchen area to pour himself a cup of coffee.
As he waited for the kettle, his gaze drifted toward Winston. The young player remained seated cross-legged in the center of the room, his body covered in golden needles.
Haruto's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Earlier, when Winston had suddenly begun trembling violently during meditation, Haruto had immediately inserted the golden needles into several pressure points—The result had shocked him.
The moment the needles entered Winston's body, a foul-smelling black liquid had begun seeping from his pores, coating his skin. Haruto had nearly jumped from his seat when he witnessed it—Excitement had surged through him. For years, he had studied the limits of the human body and the hidden potential of human senses. His research had led him down countless paths.
Some traditions claimed that enlightenment could be achieved through relentless physical training. Others believed that the body had to be pushed beyond its limits through extreme exercise and discipline. When word of his research spread, a colleague invited him to participate in a special project dedicated to unlocking these latent abilities.
Haruto spent five years on the project—five years of tests—five years of failures. Every athlete eventually collapsed before achieving anything significant—In the end, the project was abandoned.
Most researchers moved on. Haruto didn't—he continued searching.
Over the following years, he studied different philosophies, religions, and cultivation practices from around the world. Yet no matter where he looked, he found no proof that any of them worked.
That changed when he visited a Buddhist temple. There, he met an elderly monk who introduced him to the concept of the Dao—the Way. The monk described it as the natural order underlying all existence, the invisible current that connected heaven, earth, and every living thing.
Ancient scholars believed that true harmony came from aligning oneself with this flow rather than resisting it. At the time, Haruto had dismissed the explanation as philosophy.
After that first visit, Haruto found himself returning to the Buddhist temple again and again. He spent years studying its teachings, comparing the principles of modern medicine with the ancient philosophies preserved within the temple.
His research eventually became well-known in certain circles.
Some people even began referring to him as a miracle doctor—a physician capable of healing patients through a combination of modern medicine and acupuncture techniques that seemed almost supernatural.
Despite his dedication, Haruto never formally became a disciple of the temple.
However, the monks recognized his hunger for knowledge and his unwavering determination to understand the path of cultivation.
As a result, one of the elders agreed to pass down the fundamentals of the Golden Needles Acupoint Technique. The lessons began with the basics of acupuncture, breathing exercises, and introductory teachings about the Dao.
According to the elders, the human body contained twelve primary meridians through which life energy flowed. To perceive and understand these pathways, one had to spend years refining both body and mind through meditation and disciplined breathing.
Haruto devoted ten years to those teachings—ten years of practice—ten years of breathing exercises, ten years of meditation.
Yet despite all his efforts, he never managed to achieve a breakthrough in the Twelve Meridian Teachings. And then Winston appeared. When Haruto first treated him, he had only stimulated the first meridian—the abdominal meridian. What Haruto hadn't expected was Winston's reaction.
The moment the golden needles touched the acupoints, Winston's Nethen Essence responded. The energy hidden within him began to circulate along pathways it had never traveled before.
In a sense, Haruto hadn't awakened Winston's power. The awakening had already existed. What the golden needles had done was help Winston perceive it.
For the first time, Winston could feel the flow of his Nethen Essence.
For the first time, he could understand it. And understanding was the first step toward control. Standing by the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee in hand, Haruto stared at the motionless youth.
A thought crossed his mind.
After spending decades searching for proof that the ancient teachings were real, had he finally found it sitting in the middle of his office?
Haruto had heard rumors about special pills circulating throughout the underground world. They were said to stimulate the body's hidden potential and accelerate the awakening of the human senses.
However, obtaining one was nearly impossible.
Most were tightly controlled by powerful conglomerates, criminal syndicates, and organizations that guarded them with extreme secrecy. Over the years, Haruto had attempted to track down individuals who had supposedly used these pills for his research.
Yet every lead ended the same way.
The subjects would vanish from society without a trace. Some disappeared into private organizations. Others simply ceased to exist in public records. Eventually, Haruto gave up pursuing that avenue.
Now, however, Winston sat in front of him. A boy who had seemingly awakened without pills, drugs, or experimental treatments.
Only training—Relentless exercise, endless discipline.
Haruto slowly swirled the coffee in his cup as he considered the possibility. Could awakening the hidden senses require the body of an athlete?
The theory sounded reasonable at first. Yet the more he thought about it, the less sense it made.
Professional athletes existed all over the world. Elite soldiers pushed their bodies beyond human limits every day. Special forces operatives trained harder than most athletes ever would. If physical training alone were enough, awakenings should have become commonplace long ago.
So why Winston? Why was he different? Who exactly was this boy? And why had he succeeded where countless others had failed?
Haruto took another sip of coffee, his gaze never leaving Winston. The youth remained seated cross-legged in the center of the room, completely motionless.
Meanwhile, the dark, foul-smelling liquid continued seeping from his pores. Fortunately, Haruto had opened the windows earlier. Even so, the odor gradually spread across the office.
Glancing at the growing puddles staining the floor, Haruto let out a weary sigh. Setting down his coffee, he grabbed a mop. If Winston was going to continue shedding impurities for another hour, Haruto wasn't about to let his office suffer for it.
When Winston opened his eyes, he found himself back in Haruto's office. Haruto was casually mopping the floor nearby. Confused, Winston looked down at himself. He raised an arm to his nose and took a cautious sniff.
Instantly, his face twisted in disgust.
A foul odor clung to his clothes and body. The smell was so strong that he nearly gagged. Embarrassed, Winston quickly scrambled to his feet. The sudden movement caught Haruto's attention—Haruto paused and shifted his gaze toward him.
"You've finally woken up, kid,"
"How long have I been asleep?" Feeling embarrassed, he rose to his feet and offered to mop the floor.
Resting both hands atop the mop handle, Haruto leaned on it and said, "Don't worry about it, so tell me how you are feeling?"
Winston raised his arms and stared at them in wonder. For the first time, he could clearly feel the Nethen Essence coursing through his body. The energy flowed through him like a living current, weaving through his veins and muscles. More importantly, he could sense the reservoir of essence gathered within his abdomen.
He could even gauge its amount.
With a simple flex of his muscles, Winston felt the flow respond to his will, allowing him to direct streams of Nethen Essence toward a specific point within his body—internally, of course. The sensation was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Looking up at Haruto, Winston struggled to find the right words.
"Well, it's hard to explain," he said. "I feel amazing. Like I'm a completely different person."
He clenched and unclenched his fists, marveling at the feeling.
"All the exhaustion I've been carrying around is gone. It's like my body has been refreshed from the inside out."
"Is that so?" Haruto asked. "Other than feeling like a new person, what else do you feel?" A spark flashed across his eyes. In one swift motion, he pulled out a notebook and flipped it open. Any trace of his relaxed demeanor vanished as his full attention settled on Winston. Pen poised above the page, Haruto stared at him expectantly, ready to record every detail.
Winston stroked his chin as he tried to put the experience into words.
"Mmm…"
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"I was in this vast, windy field. At first, the wind was fierce—it felt like it was cutting into me. But after a while, it calmed down."
A thoughtful look crossed his face. "Then something strange happened. The wind stopped hurting me. It felt like... we became one."
Rubbing his chin, Winston frowned as he searched for the right words.
"You know, this isn't the first time I've been to that isl—"
He abruptly stopped himself—His eyes widened slightly. Clearing his throat, Winston looked away and fell silent. He had almost revealed more than he intended.
Noticing the hesitation, Haruto asked, "Do you know what just happened to you? Do you know about human senses?,"
"Yeah, I think there are about five human senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch,"
"The five senses people are born with are only the beginning," Haruto said. "There are deeper senses dormant within every person. Most go their entire lives without ever touching them."
His gaze sharpened.
"Yet those who awaken them gain access to powers beyond ordinary human limits."
He tapped his notebook thoughtfully. "I believe you've opened one of those dormant senses."
Leaning forward slightly, Haruto asked, "Tell me, Winston. Do you know what an awakening is?"
Confused, Winston furrowed his brow and asked, "Awakenings? Never heard of a awakenings,"
"Well, an Awakener is someone who has awakened senses beyond those of an ordinary human," Haruto said enthusiastically.
As he spoke, he twirled his pen between his fingers like a miniature flying saucer.
"Some people believe that awakening those hidden senses grants access to supernatural abilities far beyond the five basic human senses."
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"According to my teacher, once a person fully opens those dormant senses, the possibilities become limitless."
Haruto waved his pen dramatically through the air. "A single breath could shatter mountains. A person could soar through the skies alongside the birds. Some even claim that one can transcend mortality itself—casting aside their humanity and ascending into something greater."
He grinned. "A deity. An immortal. An angel among the heavens."
The pen spun once more between his fingers as if illustrating the fantastical image he was describing.
Winston fell silent—his mind drifted back to the last time he had opened the Core System. The challenges—the training. Everything suddenly began to make sense. A cold realization washed over him. The system hadn't merely been training him to become a better football player. It had been guiding him toward an Awakening. Toward those supernatural senses Haruto had just described.
Sweat formed on Winston's forehead despite the cool air in the room. Lowering his gaze, he stared at his hand. He could feel it now—the streams of Nethen Essence flowing through his body and gathering beneath his skin.
The sensation felt natural and foreign at the same time. Honestly, Winston didn't know how to feel about any of it. His thoughts became a tangled mess.
He had spent his entire life chasing one dream: football. Now, suddenly, he was being told that he might be becoming something beyond human.
"Can it be stopped?" Winston asked quietly.
His voice trembled slightly. "Can these awakenings be reversed?"
He looked up at Haruto, confusion and uncertainty written across his face. "I don't want to be an Awakener. I just want to stay human and play football."
Seeing that Winston wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as he was, Haruto paused to think.
"Mmm..."
He tapped his pen against the desk and frowned. "To be honest, I don't think there's a way to reverse an Awakening once it has begun."
Haruto scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "Still, I'll ask my teacher. Maybe he'll know of a method to revert it."
He let out a helpless shrug. "The problem is that it'll take some time. The temple is overseas, and I only recently joined the Federation. I signed a contract, so I can't just leave whenever I feel like it."
Looking at Winston, Haruto gave an apologetic smile. "You'll have to hang in there for a couple of months. In the meantime, I think it's better if you learn more about Awakenings rather than worry about reversing them."
As he spoke, Haruto opened a desk drawer and rummaged through its contents. A few moments later, he pulled out a thick, worn book. The cover was titled: Human Meridians and the Path of Awakening. He placed it on the desk with a soft thud and slid it toward Winston. "Start with this."
Hearing Haruto's words, Winston let out a sigh of relief. At the very least, there was still a possibility that his condition could be reversed. Reaching forward, he took the book from Haruto and glanced at its cover.
"Okay," he said quietly.
The word trailed off as his mind remained clouded with uncertainty. Who could blame him? Just a few months ago, his biggest concern had been making it as a football player.
His dream had always been simple: become a professional footballer, earn enough to lift his family out of hardship, and one day stand among the greatest players the world had ever seen. Now he was being told that he might be awakening supernatural senses and walking a path that could turn him into something beyond human. The thought left him feeling more lost than relieved. Staring at the book in his hands, Winston wondered whether football and these Awakenings could truly coexist—or if, someday, he would be forced to choose between them.