"Sir Hero," the scientist leaned forward, eyes burning with curiosity, "I've been meaning to ask you… how far has your world reached in the field of science?"
The hero smirked despite his restraints. "We've gone far. We've traveled to the moon. Walked on another planet. And we've destroyed millions of lives with a man-made weapon called the atomic bomb."
The scientist's jaw dropped slightly. "Your world is… terrifyingly advanced."
The hero chuckled darkly. "That's nothing. We've begun unlocking secrets of the universe itself, dark matter, time, quantum mechanics, and even consciousness."
The scientist frowned. "I don't know of these things… but time? What is there to study? It simply exists. Only magic can bend it."
The hero's eyes sharpened. "That's where you're wrong. Time isn't still, it moves. It flows, even if we can't feel it. And it moves at the speed of light."
The scientist blinked. "The speed of light…? What are you saying?"
The hero leaned forward, his voice low and dangerous. "If someone could reach that speed… time itself would stop. For them, at least. Or perhaps..." his lips curled into a grin, "the entire universe would collapse in on itself."
The scientist's face lit up in awe, equal parts fear and fascination. "So you're saying… to control time, you don't need magic at all. You just need speed."
"Exactly," the hero said, his voice heavy with certainty. "In my world, science is our magic. And trust me… the day we truly master time, not even gods or demons will be beyond our reach."
'I got excited and said too much. Why am I telling him all this?' the hero thought, eyes narrowing at the scientist.
"So… this changes everything I've learned over the years," the scientist muttered, pacing back and forth, his voice trailing off as if lost in some revelation.
'I was always more interested in studying consciousness,' the hero's thoughts spiraled, 'It was crazy but fun. I know nothing about it, but still… so full of mystery. The voices in the head… wait—'
His heart skipped a beat. Voices in the head?
Then it hit him, the voice he heard when he first arrived, the one that guided him during translation.
'If something like a system exists here… then maybe I can find a way out of this place. But how do I activate it?'
The scientist suddenly turned to him. "Please don't do anything stupid until I come back," he said quickly, then left the chamber without another word.
'Alright… a perfect chance.'
The hero's lips curled into a sly grin. 'Time to find out.'
"Open status," he whispered.
Instantly, a shimmering blue box materialized in front of his eyes, glowing faintly in the dim light of the cell.
[Current Level: Unknown]
[No Special Powers Achieved]
[Hero Type: Mage]
A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face. 'Well, well… finally, something useful for the first time.'
He clenched his fists as the veins of red light around him pulsed faintly, as if responding to his excitement.
Then the screen glitched. Letters twisted into jagged symbols, flickering crimson like fresh blood.
[Warning: Restricted Data Accessed]
[Corruption Rate: 7% → 8%]
[Hidden Attribute: █ █ █ █]
[Observer: Online]
The last line pulsed. Then, for a brief moment, he felt it, eyes. Not human eyes, not even demonic, but something vast and formless pressing against his mind, as though the system itself was peering into him.
A voice, cold, metallic, and yet terrifyingly alive, hissed inside his skull:
<…Subject detected…>
The hero's smirk faltered. 'What the hell is this? This thing… it's alive.'
The text blinked out, vanishing in an instant, leaving only the normal screen behind as if nothing had happened.
He exhaled, jaw clenched, his veins glowing faintly in rhythm with the phantom words.
'No matter what you are,' he thought, narrowing his eyes, 'if you're testing me… I'll break you.'
'Now I can find a way to win.'
His eyes gleamed like a predator's. "The game starts now."
The night was cold, and the princess felt uneasy, as though something was about to happen. The hours dragged by, and soon the kingdom began to sleep. One by one, the lights in the city went dark. Shops closed, doors were barred, and families extinguished their lamps, leaving the streets swallowed by shadow.
Up on the wall, a knight nudged the younger recruit beside him. "Hey, you're up next. I'm gonna sleep. Make sure everything is fine. Keep an eye on everywhere."
The younger knight muttered under his breath, "Ditching all the work to a newbie… such a useless senior."
"What was that?" the older knight asked, half-asleep already.
"Nothing," the newbie answered quickly, shaking his head.
At first, he stood tall and proud with his spear, scanning the dark horizon. But soon, fatigue began to creep in. His eyelids grew heavier, his grip weaker. He shook his head, muttering to himself. "Oh no… I can't fall asleep now."
He forced himself to walk along the wall, hoping the movement would keep him awake. His boots clicked softly against the stone. His steps carried him toward a bucket of water set aside. Without hesitation, he splashed a handful onto his face. The cold sting brought him back for a moment. "That's better… stay awake, stay awake…"
Still restless, he paced back and forth along the wall, glancing out into the vast forest that stretched beyond the kingdom.
That's when he heard it.
Thud.
He froze, his heart skipping. He waited, holding his breath.
Thud… thud…
Heavy. Rhythmic. Each sound sent a faint vibration through the stone beneath his boots.
The newbie knight's mouth went dry. "…No, no, no… it's nothing. Just me being sleepy. Just my head messing with me," he whispered, trying to calm himself.
But his grip tightened on the spear. His eyes widened as he leaned over the edge of the wall, peering into the darkness.
Only trees. Only shadows swaying in the night breeze.
Yet the sound came again. Louder. Closer.
Thud… thud… thud…
The knight's body tensed, his pulse racing. He glanced back down the wall, the others were asleep, their torches flickering weakly in the cold night wind.
"…What is that?" he whispered, fear tightening his chest.
And still, the sound kept coming.
From the silent dark night, a sudden light tore across the sky. It was blinding for a moment, like a star falling straight to earth, and then it vanished, leaving behind only a trembling silence.
Then it began.
Whispers. Low, unsettling voices echoed from beyond the walls, carried by the cold wind. The young knight's breath quickened as he strained his ears. "What… what is that?" he muttered, clutching his spear tighter.
The clouds parted. The moon broke free from its shroud, spilling silver light across the land. And in that pale glow, the truth was revealed.
Thousands. A sea of demons stretched across the fields, charging straight toward the walls like a living tide of shadows. Their roars shook the earth, their claws scraping against the stone ground as they advanced.
The knight's eyes widened in horror. But before he could even call out, the night was split again, this time by a monstrous shape descending from the heavens.
A black dragon.
It burst from the clouds with wings wide as mountains, scales glimmering like obsidian. The moon was swallowed once more as its massive body blotted out the sky. With a single, blood-curdling roar, it shook the kingdom to its core. The young knight fell to his knees, voice breaking as he screamed:
"D-Demons! The demons are here! Sound the alarm!"
The horns blasted through the night. Knights bolted from their sleep, weapons drawn, rushing toward the gates and walls. The ground quaked as they scrambled into formation.
The dragon swung low, its wings cutting the air with thunderous force. The wind howled as if the sky itself was breaking apart. Then, with a deep inhale, the beast unleashed its fury.
A torrent of fire spilled from its jaws, scorching the city below. Houses and temples ignited instantly, collapsing under the inferno. Screams filled the night as people fled through the burning streets. The dragon's roar was deafening, a sound that pierced bone and spread terror like a curse.
The knights stood frozen for a heartbeat, staring at the destruction raining upon their kingdom. The sight of flames devouring their home paralyzed them, their eyes glued to the sky.
But then it struck.
The first wave of demons slammed against the outer walls with a thunderous crash, claws digging into stone, battering it with raw force. The entire fortress shook under the assault.
A captain's voice broke through the chaos. "Incoming! Defend the gate!"
The knights jolted back to life, raising shields, leveling spears, and bracing themselves. The air was filled with the clash of steel, the roar of fire, and the guttural cries of the approaching horde.
A knight screamed in terror, his voice echoing across the walls as the gates thundered under the relentless assault. The demons were slamming into it with monstrous force, each impact rattling the stone towers above.
Archers rushed to the battlements, loosing volley after volley into the black tide below. Arrows rained down, piercing flesh, but for every demon that fell, three more clawed their way forward.
The knights guarding the gate trembled, shields raised, sweat dripping down their brows. "Do not fear!" one of them shouted, his voice shaking but firm. "These gates won't fall! It is impossible for demons to break through!"
Then, silence.
The hammering ceased. The entire fortress fell into a dreadful stillness, broken only by the crackle of distant flames. The knights exchanged uneasy glances.
And then the warning came.
"WATCH OUT!" a soldier cried from the wall.
The gates exploded under a new impact, shaking ten times harder than before. The wood splintered, the iron creaked and groaned. Again, silence. And again, another devastating strike. This time the gate could endure no more.
With a deafening crash, the fortress doors burst apart, shattering into the courtyard. Dust and shards of wood filled the air as the light from the burning city revealed the monster that had struck the killing blow.
A giant.
Five times taller than a man, its body was like a mountain of flesh and muscle, crowned with two enormous horns that curled upward like scythes. Its eyes glowed red, its roar sent shivers down every knight's spine.
The demon army surged through the opening, shrieking with bloodlust. They tore into the knights, cutting down the first line of defenders without hesitation, ripping through steel and flesh alike. Blood sprayed across the stones.
And then, the sky burned.
A massive shadow swept overhead, wings blotting out the moonlight. The black dragon roared, descending like the embodiment of death itself. Its scales shimmered in the firelight, its body so vast it dwarfed the buildings beneath. With one breath, it unleashed a torrent of flame, engulfing entire streets, temples, and homes. The firestorm lit the night in a sea of red and orange, screams echoing as people fled in terror.
On its back stood a figure.
Armored in ancient steel, etched with symbols long forgotten, he radiated a power that froze even the bravest knight where he stood. His form was larger than any man, his aura crushing. His eyes gleamed with malice, an Apostle, one of the strongest commanders in the Demon King's army.
He raised his blackened blade high and spoke in a guttural tongue that made the very earth shudder:
"Hugam fugan… asendha elami…"
At his words, the demons below let out an inhuman chorus, their frenzy multiplying. They struck harder, faster, stronger, spreading like a plague through the kingdom's streets.
The dragon descended with a thunderous impact, its claws crushing stone like sand, its massive form towering over the houses like a living mountain. Its jagged teeth, each as long as a man. It opened its maw and expelled another inferno, vaporizing everything before it. In a single breath, entire blocks of the city were reduced to ash.
The Apostle's glowing, yellow eyes narrowed. Slowly, his head turned toward one place, the prison. His lips pulled back into a gruesome smile, exposing jagged teeth, still dripping with blood.
He leveled his blade at the dark tower, his voice echoing through the wind.
"Fouuuund… yoooou…"