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Chapter 3 - Origin Eater

I stood before a vast, pitch-black core—so massive I felt like an ant before a god. Within its depths, galaxies of blank cores drifted in silent isolation.

But one of them pulsed.

It wasn't empty.

Shaped like a Yin-Yang symbol, it gleamed with a brilliant, star-like glow. The words escaped my lips before I realized it.

**"Galaxy of cores…"**

I was entranced. Then, a silent force wrapped around me, dragging me out of the vision and back to reality.

---

**\[Race Change Complete]**

**\[Touch Learned]**

**\[Origin Eyes Gained]**

**\[Origin Core Awakened]**

**+10 Physique**

**+10 Strength**

**+5 Mana**

**+100 Origin**

---

My eyes snapped open.

The woman who tried to steal my sword was gone.

Bones cracked and reshaped as I slowly sat up. A familiar voice echoed in my mind—Inerous.

**\[Congratulations on becoming the Origin Eater.]**

Then the system screen materialized:

---

**\[The One Who Devoured the Origin Whale]**

**\[As the first Origin Eater and first offspring of Origin, you've been granted the title: *Father of Origin.*]**

---

*Father of Origin…*

I frowned. *What exactly is Origin?*

As if in response, multicolored threads appeared—stretched across the world like a hidden web. I reached for them. My fingers passed through—real yet unreal, visible but untouchable.

Shapes formed within the strands—beasts, monsters, entities unknown. None approached. Heads bowed low, as if in reverence.

**Tina.**

She peeked from my shirt and nuzzled my cheek. I placed her gently on my palm. Within her chest, a green flame flickered—life, essence.

**"This is the source…"**

My gaze dropped through the earth itself—and suddenly, I stood before a **cyan flame**, breathing, pulsing, alive. Threads of every element swirled around it in chaotic harmony.

**"World Core…"**

Then it struck me.

A crushing weight slammed down. My lungs compressed, vision blurred. It felt like the world itself had turned against me.

**"Is this how I die again?"**

System alerts chimed:

---

**+20 Mana**

**+20 Mana**

**+20 Mana**

**+20 Mana**

**+20 Mana**

**+100 Fire Affinity**

**+100 Water Affinity**

**+100 Earth Affinity**

**+100 Wind Affinity**

---

My body glowed—shifting red, blue, brown, and white as elemental energy surged through my veins. The pressure lifted slightly.

A voice like the wind whispered,

**"It's an honor to house the Child of Origin."**

I turned. No one. Then I looked down.

A small girl with twin blue pigtails stood at my feet, glowing faintly. Her presence radiated authority.

"Sorry," I muttered, scratching my head. "Didn't see you there."

She pouted.

**"Child of Origin, you're so disrespectful."**

Then she reached up, gently cupped my face, and kissed my forehead.

The world shattered.

---

I returned to the meditative space before my Origin Core.

As I had suspected—**six cores** now orbited it, spinning like planets: water, fire, earth, wind—elemental forces embodied.

**"This is insane… I actually have mana."**

A grin split my face.

I focused, willing mana to flow. Cyan energy surged outward. I tried summoning a fireball—nothing.

*Tch. Crude method.*

Instead, I drew from the fire core directly, letting the strings of mana interweave. The moment I redirected the energy—

Flames erupted from my palm.

I snuffed it out before I could roast myself.

Next, I began channeling an old technique from my past life—my masterpiece:

**Galaxy Gathering.**

A black hole-inspired pull that devoured all energy around it.

The trait core spun first. One by one, the others joined in orbit—devouring ambient energy.

Hours passed in focused stillness.

Then I opened my eyes.

---

### \[STATUS]

**Name:** Dax Godfall

**Race:** Origin Eater

**Level:** 2

**Title:** Father of Origin

**Bloodline:** None

**Elemental Affinity:** Fire, Water, Earth, Air

**Traits:** Origin Devourer, Synthesis

**Attributes:**

Strength: 15

Intelligence: 20

Mana: 105

Aura: 0

Agility: 5

Physique: 11

Dexterity: 2

Luck: -1

Origin: 100

**Skills:** Air Step, Touch, Origin Eyes

**Meditation Art:** Dark Gathering

*A technique that keeps the core in constant absorption.*

**Origin Eyes:** See all traces of origin. *(Nothing escapes its gaze.)*

**Touch:** Interact with anything visible.

**Father of Origin:** Dominate the strings of Origin. Father of ####.

---

"Tch… this system just keeps feeding my madness."

I reread the title: **Father of Origin**.

"I guess I'll keep the name."

I stood, stretching as my bones snapped like the chords of a rebirth symphony.

I activated **Origin Eyes**—threads exploded into my vision, painting the world in luminous strands.

Where the mana was dense… powerful beasts waited.

I turned the other way—toward peace.

Soon, the sound of water trickled through the air.

**"A stream."**

But I wasn't alone.

Six goblins crowded the stream, bone knives in their crude hands.

Hiding in the underbrush, I grabbed a stone and hurled it—striking one square in the skull.

**"Teru Ilak,"** it snarled, pointing toward me.

It crept closer.

As its hand brushed the bush—I yanked it in and rammed my sword into its chest.

**"Store."**

My eyes locked onto the next target. I willed my sword to float.

**"Pierce."**

It shot forward, impaling the second goblin like a guided missile.

**"Kirik Targulag!"** the largest one howled.

Then—something strange.

A white orb floated out from the goblin's corpse. It cracked—releasing a strange energy.

The other goblins' bodies surged with light. Their veins glowed like lightning paths.

Their eyes burned with unnatural glow.

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