Embercall!
A bright wall of flames erupted before my eyes. I channeled my mana and shoved it toward the herd of Howls that had surrounded me.
CRACKLE! SIZZLE!
The Howls recoiled from the impact, their eyes glinting in the reflection of the blazing flames. They snarled, their claws tearing through the black, rocky soil and sending sparks flying.
Oh, this isn't enough—well then…
AHHHHH—
The flame wall blazed even brighter, swelling in size.
WHOOM! WHOOSH!
I pushed myself to the limit. Pain tore through every inch of my body, my mana draining faster and faster. The circuits started cracking under pressure.
SHI—!
Then something sharp ripped through the flames.
Before I could react—
SPLURT!
Blood sprayed from my side as a Howl's claw pierced straight through my abdomen, flinging me backward.
I hit the ground hard, coughing blood, my vision blurring. My body screamed, refusing to move, my mana was nearly gone, The stacking effects of Bleeding and Mana Overuse tore through me together. The air grew heavy—cold.
But in that fleeting moment between life and death, I felt it—
That same loneliness.
That same helplessness.
That same endless cycle of working, struggling, and never being enough.
It was never enough…
How hard I tried, I always ended up at an end
A hollow laugh escaped my lips as my mind started fracturing.
Something inside me cracked—
And from that crack, something darker ignited like a hidden fire.
A second personality I didn't even know existed… leaked out.
The surroundings dulled, as if time itself had stopped.
A twisted smile spread across my face. My heart throbbed with excitement, my emotions tangled with despair, and a crazy demonic laugh escaped my lips.
Ha—ha—HAHAHAHH!
I started floating in the air, pressing a hand against my face as I glanced sideways at the prowling Howls. With a glint in my eyes, an immense bloodlust scraped out through my soul.
Sensing death, they all instinctively stepped back. And then a bright blue triangle suddenly appeared in the air, mana flowing in and out of the forming circle inside it. I traced incantations through the air. An immense surge of mana rippled through the circuit, and I shouted like a madman:
"Why are you running now!?
Are you scared!?
You're about to kill me, right?
Then what are you waiting for!?
Just kill me! Make me suffer!
Make me suffer more and more and more!
MUHAHAHA!"
***
"Where am I? "
I found myself in a flooded dark space, a place where there is no place of return
No start. No end
Well, It doesn't even matter—I am already dead inside.
What would it matter even if I survive?
If I die nobody will care
I'm just a nobody, no one to support my back.
I have just spent my whole life serving under bricks with no light to escape
What even is my worth?
"Why was I even born"
"Why I was given the talent of coding!?"
IT JUST MADE MY LIFE EVEN WORSE!?
Why…
***
In a burning forest I stood alone, floating in the empty sky and below my domain the demonic howls stood, growling and trembling from fear.
Why are you hesitating now? Just kill me…
Hey—
I'm done waiting …
With a low, humming voice, I chanted:
VOID ECLIPSE: NOCTILUX!
The world tore apart. Dark and light collided, bending reality itself.
A bright blue light emerged from the cracks, mana and dimensional rifts flowing around. The force crushed the surroundings with unyielding pressure, sucking everything into itself.
From the small hole, another dimension opened. Screeching faces, twisted mouths, and corrupted hands seeped through the gaps, holding each Howl and scraping their bodies with flesh and blood, devouring them all.
And then, with a thud, everything went silent. The rain poured down, My face void of emotion, standing alone in the silence, confronting the inner self I never wanted to see. The held-back emotions, the pain and rage I'd buried for so long.
***
In the complete darkness
A creeping, demon-like figure stood against me.
It extended his hands towards me.
As I lost in the inner darkness, I looked at it
My body limp and cold. But—
Then, a light shot through one corner of the dark space. Ignoring the dark figure, I reached toward it, and everything blurred between then and now.
When I awoke, I was lying on my back, the rain pelting on my face, thunder cracking above between dark clouds. I gritted my teeth against the pain coursing through my body and tried to stand.
Ughhh…
I growled, forcing myself upright. "W-what happened? How long was I unconscious?"
Looking around, I saw the destruction I'd caused. My chest tightened at the realization.
A sudden surge of unpleasant memories hit me, emotions flooded in like water. I froze, blank, unable to process it all.
I felt my soul clenched.
And then I again normalized as I myself
Sensed my deepening emotions and my own immense power, I sighed. I had to grow stronger and take control of this, or else… I didn't even want to imagine what would happen if I didn't.
I folded my hands behind my head and began walking, when a sudden crack hit me.
Creak…!
My body cramped, and I fell to the muddy ground in pain.
Shi…
I held my legs, rolling in agony, then collapsed, limp. I thought: maybe this is it, this is my end.
Sigh.
I slapped my cheek. "What are you thinking, Ren?"
Ahhhh…
I forced myself up, gripping my head. Time to call Arc.
"ARC!"
[Finally, I'm out again.]
[So, what happened?]
[And don't forget the money.]
"Yes, yes, I'll give you… now, how long was I out?"
[You were collapsed for almost a week.]
"What!?"
Calm down, Ren… fhew…
"So, ahh what do I even ask?"
Hmmmm… "Yes! Tell me the path out from the forest, and here's your 5 EXP."
[Just this much? Really? At least spend a little more, brotha.]
[I'm giving you so much precious info and you give me so little… I'm disappointed.]
A vein bulged on my forehead as I shouted, "Are you my guide or a money hustler? When did I become your bro, you damned system?!"
As soon as I shouted, the system disappeared.
"Hey, where the f*ck did you go?"
I growled, then forced my calm. Ugh… he didn't even tell me the way out.
I opened my stats and noticed a map. A map?
I opened it and found the path out of the forest. At least he completed his work—whatever, I guess I can forgive him for now.
Curiously, I glanced back at my stats. No change.
But then my eyes fell on the mana and skill tab.
[MANA: 10,000]
[NEW SKILL: PORTAL; allows user to travel any distance they have visited before at a cost of 1,000 mana per second of use]
Ey…
"…"
What—!! How in the hell did my mana grow so much in just a day? Maybe a week… maybe more. Ugh… I don't even get it.
…Wait. Could it be because of that? Hmmm… I'll think about it later.
But—how the hell am I supposed to claim my reward now?
I sank down into a corner, resting my elbows on my knees, head spinning. I demolished those beasts… and now what? Nothing. No proof. Nothing to show at the guild. Hours passed—or maybe it was minutes? Time felt weird. I kept turning it over in my head, frustrated.
Then… a thought struck me.
Hunt another one. Another demon. Take it down. Show it. That'll count as proof. Yes. Yes, that's it.
I forced myself up, my muscles sore, body still stiff from the previous fight. I readied the new skill.
WHOOSH!
A bright spiral of blue energy erupted in front of me. Reality tore open like thin paper, forming a jagged gateway. Then, without thinking, I stepped in.
The moment I crossed it, the dimensions around me twisted, the dark and light particles danced like stars through it and with that immense pressure
I nearly blacked out before landing on the other side, barely keeping my balance I stood. The path behind me closed instantly, vanishing into nothing.
I staggered to my knees, clutching my head and moved.
"Ugh… it feels like hell… What the f*ck was that?"
I opened my eyes, looking at the same barren land where I fought. Gathering my thought, I started looking around, searching for any more Howls which I could hunt, and soon I found one.
Digging through a dead animal's flesh, the blood splattered all around, and looking at the chance, I lunged forward, launching a light-afflicted spell.
Light Spear!
A burst of light emerged, forming a light spear as it moved forward with great speed, striking through the beast's body.
Splash!
Its flesh shattered, leaving it dead.
I quickly glanced at its dead body and moved forward to prick out its parts.
So you little Howl, I will be presenting you to the guild. Hehehe.
With a demonic smirk, I pierced its forehead to pluck out a glowing crystal.
I guess it will be enough for proof.
I smiled, looking at the crystal, and quickly used my portal skill to get back to the guild.
WHOOSH!
Stepping again back into the sun, I stretched my back.
Now I can get my award.
Chuckling to myself
I walked my way to the guild, just to be disappointed.
"WHAT..!!"
"Sir, please calm down."
"What do you mean this task had expired a week ago…!"
I moved down on my knees, sulking in the corner.
"Ma-My reward…"
"Sir, we can replace that crystal for coins."
"Really!?"
The girl at the counter smiled back at me awkwardly, then she took my crystals I had collected and gave me 3 silver coins.
I jumped from joy and happiness just from that and ran out of the guild like a kid.
Finally, my first earning in this new world.
I cried the tears of happiness
I can finally buy some stuff, but before that, it's time for some coding.
It's been ages since I've done that.
I can't blame magic—it was more fun than coding—but I have to try something new.
If I think about that thing…
Ahhh, yes, that blue string that healed my wound. Could I control it at will, or was I just lucky?
Whatever. If I don't try, I won't know the result.
I decided to change myself, so I should change.
That's the vow I took when I first stepped into this world.
So…
I closed my eyes and focused the mana in my body,
trying to form that same thread that saved me when I was on the verge of death.
After minutes—or hours—I felt nothing.
Until, slowly, I started to see blue particles flowing around me.
But that's not what I wanted, so I forced my senses to focus inside my body, trying to sense the flowing energy within me.
My focus kept increasing as time passed,
until I saw something that I wasn't supposed to—and I had never expected.
THE CODE OF THE WORLD