The following morning arrived far sooner than Yevhen expected.
Although he had spent the night thinking about the empty necklace, he felt surprisingly refreshed.
More importantly...
His determination had never been stronger.
After breakfast, the hospital staff completed their routine examinations before leaving him alone.
The room fell silent.
Yevhen reached toward the VR headset resting on the table beside his bed.
His fingers paused for a brief moment.
Normally, logging into Divine Nexus would immediately transport him to Mistvale.
But the necklace...
The missing runes...
The warmth that had disappeared...
Questions lingered in his mind.
"...There's only one place I'll find the answers."
He placed the headset over his eyes.
The familiar startup sequence began.
Darkness enveloped his vision.
A gentle female voice echoed through the void.
Connecting to Divine Nexus...
Verifying User Identity...
Synchronization Complete...
Yevhen waited for the scenery of Mistvale to appear.
Instead...
Nothing happened.
The darkness remained.
"...?"
Then—
The void shattered into countless fragments of light.
The pieces gathered before him, reconstructing a place he thought he would never see again.
The Character Creation Hall.
The endless white expanse.
The floating mirrors.
The countless glowing runes suspended in the air.
"...Why am I back here?"
His character had already been created.
There shouldn't have been any reason to return.
Suddenly—
The mirrors surrounding him cracked simultaneously.
Instead of breaking apart, they transformed into ancient stone tablets covered in familiar golden runes.
The same runes that had vanished from his necklace.
A pulse echoed throughout the hall.
Not from the world.
From his heart.
An ancient book slowly materialized before him.
The Primal Codex.
Its cover no longer appeared faded.
The runes decorating its surface now burned with a brilliant silver-gold light.
The book opened by itself.
Ancient pages turned one after another before stopping at a blank page.
Words engraved themselves without ink.
Host Verification Complete.
Yevhen remained silent.
The next line appeared.
Virtual Host Established.
Another followed immediately.
Physical Host Established.
His eyes widened.
"...Physical?"
The pages continued writing.
Synchronization between Host and Primal Codex has reached its first stable state.
Soul
Mind
Body
Now recognized as one.
A chill ran down Yevhen's spine.
He instinctively touched his chest.
"The necklace..."
The Codex answered before he could finish.
The vessel has fulfilled its purpose.
The physical artifact is no longer required.
The Primal Codex now resides within the Host.
Silence filled the endless white hall.
The realization slowly settled inside him.
The necklace hadn't been emptied.
It had completed its task.
It had become part of him.
Not merely inside Divine Nexus.
But in reality as well.
The pages turned again.
This time...
A completely new section revealed itself.
Primal Codex
New Function Unlocked
Soul Synchronization
Description
The Host now exists as a unified existence across both realities.
Knowledge obtained through the Primal Codex will no longer remain confined to Divine Nexus.
Several additional lines appeared beneath it.
Synchronization Effects
Physical Body Synchronization
Improvements made to the Host's physical body within Divine Nexus will gradually synchronize with the Host's body in reality.
Includes:
• Increased physical constitution
• Improved balance
• Enhanced coordination
• Better stamina
• Faster recovery
Yevhen's breathing stopped.
"...What?"
The Codex continued.
Exception
Material possessions cannot cross realities.
The following remain confined to Divine Nexus:
• Weapons
• Armor
• Currency
• Consumable Items
• Quest Objects
"So..."
"I can't bring equipment back..."
The answer appeared instantly.
Correct.
Only the Host may transcend both worlds.
Yevhen's heartbeat quickened.
His gaze fell upon the next section.
Skill Synchronization
Skills permanently comprehended through the Primal Codex are no longer limited to Divine Nexus.
Once a Truth has been inherited...
Its principles may be practiced in reality.
The Host may continue learning, refining, and improving synchronized skills outside the virtual world.
Yevhen froze.
"...Outside?"
His mind immediately recalled Iron Body Foundation.
Breathing.
Posture.
Balance.
Harmony of movement.
Those weren't magical abilities.
They were principles.
Could he really practice them...
Here?
In the hospital?
The Codex answered before doubt could grow.
Truth transcends worlds.
Only illusion remains imprisoned within one.
Aster slowly lowered his head.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The Primal Codex never copied magic itself.
It copied understanding.
Understanding belonged to no world.
A sword technique was still a sword technique.
Proper breathing remained proper breathing.
Knowledge...
Could exist anywhere.
The pages continued.
Warning
Synchronization does not ignore the Host's natural limitations.
Growth in reality follows physical laws.
Patience remains necessary.
Yevhen smiled faintly.
"I wouldn't expect it to happen overnight."
Even so...
Hope blossomed within him.
If Iron Body Foundation truly synchronized...
Then perhaps...
One day...
His weakened body would slowly become stronger.
Not through miracles.
Not through magic.
But through genuine growth.
Tears gathered in his eyes.
For years, doctors had told him what he couldn't do.
The Primal Codex wasn't promising impossible healing.
It was offering him something far more meaningful.
A chance to improve.
Even if only one step at a time.
One breath.
One movement.
One Truth.
The final page turned.
Only a single sentence appeared.
Walk both worlds.
Grow in both worlds.
Become whole in both worlds.
The Primal Codex gently closed.
The Character Creation Hall dissolved into countless particles of light.
The familiar scenery of Mistvale slowly materialized around Aster.
Birds sang in the distance.
The village bustled with morning activity.
It was exactly where he had logged out.
Yet everything felt different.
Aster quietly looked at his own hands.
Then, unconsciously, he mirrored the breathing rhythm of Iron Body Foundation.
It felt more natural than ever before.
For the first time...
He realized his journey was no longer divided between reality and Divine Nexus.
Every lesson learned in one world would shape the other.
The boundary between the two had begun to disappear.
And so had the limits of the boy named Yevhen.