Infinite System Inheritor Return From The Abyss

Minseok's eyes widened. "W-we're not?"

"No. One hour in Earth equals one full day here. This is where you will push your limits without wasting too much real-world time."

He continued, "This place is tied to my hidden profession. In Earth terms, it's called a hidden job. A version 2 of Class."

Minseok was still adjusting to the strange, heavy atmosphere of the Ethereal Grounds. Every step felt like he was walking through water, his body weighed down by invisible chains. The others around him—Hannah, Jinhyu, and Nayoung—were already moving normally, stretching, warming up, or preparing their weapons.

Seojun stood in front of them, his expression calm but serious.

"In this hidden profession of mine," Seojun began, his voice firm and clear, "I have a responsibility. I must choose students—students who can grow stronger through special training. That's why you're all here. Only the ones I select are allowed inside this space."

Minseok listened closely, trying to stand a little straighter even though his muscles screamed.

Seojun continued, "Second, I've placed something on all of you. A Barrier—called the Astral Ward."

His eyes met Minseok's. "Minseok."

Minseok straightened up as best he could and looked at Seojun.

"You remember the time when Hannah accidentally pierced your stomach?"

Minseok nodded slowly. His hand instinctively went to his side, remembering the sharp pain. Beside him, Hannah lowered her head, clearly still feeling guilty about what happened.

"In that moment," Seojun said, "I activated the Astral Ward on you. It healed a fatal attack and teleported you to safety. That's what the Astral Ward does. But since I used it in an emergency and can't be give to a person multiple times. it will take time before I can give it to you again."

Minseok took a deep breath and nodded. "It's alright, Professor. I'll be more careful this time. I'll stay out of danger."

Seojun gave a slight nod in approval. "Good."

He looked around at the rest of the students and raised his voice. "Now, begin your training."

He pointed toward Minseok. "Yoora. Help him adjust to the gravity. Let him get used to it first before anything else."

Yoora, who had been standing nearby with her arms crossed, let out a sigh and walked toward Minseok.

"Alright, alright," she said, rolling her eyes a little. "Looks like I'm your training wheels for now."

"Lucky me," Minseok muttered with a weak smile.

Yoora grinned. "Hey, don't be like that. You'll thank me later."

She helped him walk toward a clear space on the field while the others began their training. Jinhyu practiced swinging his wooden. Hannah sat cross-legged, meditating as her black insect wings shimmered faintly behind her. Nayoung was already running laps, her mana creating a trail of sparks behind her as she laughed.

Minseok looked at all of them, his chest tight with a mix of awe and pressure. He had a long way to go to catch up—but at least, he wasn't alone.

As he moved slowly across the field, he muttered to himself, "This gravity… is insane."

Yoora smirked beside him. "Welcome to the Ethereal Grounds, rookie."

About three hours had passed since they began training in the Ethereal Grounds, and Minseok could finally move around without needing Yoora's support. The strange, heavy gravity no longer pushed him to the ground. His steps were slow but steady, and though sweat covered his face and arms, he felt proud.

As he practiced walking and stretching, he turned to Yoora, who was standing nearby with her arms crossed.

"Hey," Minseok said between breaths. "How long did it take for you to move properly when you first came here?"

Yoora looked at him, then tilted her head a bit. "Hmm. Not too long, maybe around three hours."

Before Minseok could react, Nayoung shouted from a distance with a teasing grin, "That's because she's amazing! Yoora only took three hours while Hannah, Jinhyu, and I were crawling for a whole day! Hehehe!"

Jinhyu simply nodded with a light chuckle.

Minseok blinked and turned back to Yoora. "Ohh... So I'm not that slow then?"

Yoora smirked. "Not really. But you're not me either." She gave him a quick wink, then added more seriously, "It's probably because I'm already awakened. People like us adapt faster than regular bodies. Don't worry, you're doing fine."

"Thanks," Minseok said, feeling a little better.

Suddenly, Seojun snapped his fingers.

The sharp sound echoed across the field, and everyone immediately stopped what they were doing. Even Minseok froze in place and turned toward their professor.

"That's enough warm-up," Seojun said, his voice calm but loud enough for all of them to hear. "Time for the next step."

Minseok wiped the sweat from his eyes and walked closer, still a little behind the others.

Seojun's eyes scanned the group before speaking again.

"You're going to be paired up now," he said. "This next phase will be focused on sparring and adapting to combat in this atmosphere."

Yoora raised an eyebrow, while Nayoung bounced on her heels, clearly excited. Jinhyu remained calm, and Hannah quietly stood beside him, her wings folding neatly behind her.

Seojun continued, "Yoora and Hannah, you'll be one pair. Jinhyu and Nayoung, you'll be the other."

Then his gaze landed on Minseok.

"As for you, Minseok, you're not ready for sparring yet. Your body still hasn't fully adapted to the gravity, and you could get hurt if you rush."

Minseok frowned slightly but nodded. "Understood, Professor. I'll keep going at my pace."

"Good," Seojun replied, then turned back to the others.

"For those in pairs, your job is simple. Spar with each other. I'm not expecting you to win or lose. What I want is for you to adjust your combat style to the weight of this place. Fight how you would in a real battle—but control your power. No killing blows. This is training, not war."

He raised one hand and pointed toward a wide, open area nearby where the ground was even and surrounded by smooth stones.

"You'll spar in that field. I'll observe and give feedback. This is also a test of teamwork, especially for those who haven't worked together much before."

Yoora and Hannah exchanged glances. Hannah nodded slightly, while Yoora smirked.

"Oh, this will be fun," she said, rolling her shoulders.

Jinhyu and Nayoung were already walking toward the sparring area. Nayoung was grinning from ear to ear.

"Let's make this fun, Jinhyu!" she said cheerfully.

Jinhyu gave a calm smile. "As long as you don't go too wild."

Minseok stood to the side, watching them prepare. He tightened his fists slightly but quickly reminded himself that he needed to be patient. Rushing would only slow him down in the end. He took a deep breath, bent his knees, and returned to his training—moving, stepping, and adjusting his balance under the invisible weight pressing down on him.

As the pairs stood across from one another and took their stances, Seojun crossed his arms and watched them carefully.

"Begin."