"Hey! That's my name!" he shouted at the screen. Nobody turned to look at him. Devon was about to run toward that strange, large oval screen, but suddenly, parts of the enveloping darkness moved, coiling around his wrists and waist, pulling him back hard.
Devon staggered backward. He slammed onto a chair that also seemed to be made of that same deep darkness. The screen before him continued to display the next scene, unblinking.
"Anubis. Your final champion candidate will be from the human race. His name is Devon Adams Lambert. Remember, the required time for all of your champions is three months, before the competition between these champions begins."
A voice, sounding exactly like a cold, monotonous machine, announced the chilling sentence. It made the hair on Devon's arms stand up straight.
'What the hell does that mean? Champion? Competition? What does any of this have to do with my name?'
He tried to wriggle free from the strange, dark coils that held his limbs, but it was completely useless. The grip was impossibly strong, rendering him utterly immobile. He couldn't move an inch.
While he struggled in vain, the screen in front of him blinked out of existence. Total darkness enveloped his surroundings, a moist, dead-world kind of dark. Strangely, the vast void did not frighten Devon.
Then, a sudden, blinding golden light erupted from where the screen had been. His eyes instinctively squeezed shut. He couldn't cover them with his hands, of course; they were still tightly bound by those weird, massive dark ropes.
The light softened, losing its agonizing brightness. Devon opened his eyes slowly. His vision still swam, spots of light blooming and fading from the glare.
Standing before him now was a humanoid figure, impossibly tall and broad, like a giant of old. He had the head of a jackal.
Anubis. The famous Egyptian God of Death now stood directly in front of him. Even if this was just some elaborate fever dream, meeting a deity of this magnitude still filled him with pure, slack-jawed awe.
"Whoa... That is straight up dope..."
His mouth hung wide open, a stupid grin fixed on his face.
Anubis simply stared down at him. The god's animal eyes, with their unsettling vertical pupils, seemed to be coldly assessing Devon. Then He spoke. His voice boomed and echoed in the boundless darkness, deep, resonant, and overflowing with authority.
"Devon Adams Lambert."
Devon stammered, feeling like a little kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "...Y-Yes, my Lord?"
"You have been chosen to be one of my champion candidates. You will compete against the candidates of the other devils and gods."
Devon was stunned into silence. He swallowed hard. "Wait, you mean physically compete? Like, fighting and stuff?"
Anubis narrowed his jackal eyes, staring intently at Devon far below. "Correct. I will bestow upon you some of my power, as I will for the other chosen champions. I expect you to use it wisely, and not for acts that would make you indistinguishable from those demons."
Anubis's words held a very clear threat. If he committed evil acts, he would be no better than the devils? The demons? But why were the gods and devils even playing such a risky game with human lives?
Anubis gave a small, rumbling snort, as if the god had clearly heard Devon's internal questions. He ignored the profound thought, however.
"I will give you my power in stages. You must master the first stage within one week. Only then will I grant you the subsequent level of ability."
Anubis's voice began to fade, growing distant and faint. The god's towering form, too, was slowly being swallowed by the relentless darkness.
"You must become strong, and you must do it quickly. The lives of your people are in your hands."
"What? What do you mean the lives of my people are in my hands?!"
Anubis had vanished completely. Devon's frantic question simply hung in the silent, empty void, unanswered.
"Hey! Anubis! Oh, wait... My Lord? My God? Come back!"
He tried to call out to the jackal-headed god one last time. Silence was his only reply. Then, abruptly, he felt his back smack against something hard.
He hit the ground with painful force, jolting him awake. Devon sat up gasping, his heart hammering wildly in his chest, struggling to normalize his breathing.
He remained seated on his worn-out mattress. Once his breathing calmed, the pain in his chest and back felt intensely real. Far too real for just a nightmare.
'What in the actual fuck just happened? Did I seriously meet Anubis?'
He glanced to his left. Raline was fast asleep, curled up tightly under her thin blanket. He reached out, his hand hovering, then gently resting on her forehead to check her temperature.
He let out a long, shaky sigh of relief when he felt that his little sister's fever was finally breaking. It was going down.
His hand was still resting on Raline's head when a golden, transparent panel suddenly materialized right in front of him. Bright, shimmering black text glowed within the gold frame.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[Welcome, Heir of Anubis]
"Huh? What is this bullshit?"
Devon wasn't unfamiliar with the concept of a system panel. The problem was, these were supposed to exist only in trendy fantasy novels or LitRPG comics. Not in real life.
[You can access your Status Window by calling it.]
The text on the panel shifted. Devon was utterly speechless. "Status Window...? Seriously? This is straight out of a manwha..."
He hadn't meant to say the words out loud, but as soon as he did, the panel changed again. The initial welcome message vanished, replaced by a detailed, glowing display.
[STATUS WINDOW]
[Name: Devon Adams Lambert]
[Title: Heir of Anubis]
[Rank: C — Adept Absorber]
[Level: 1]
[Experience (EX): 0/100]
[Health: 220/220]
[Mortuary Essence (ME): 100/100]
[Statistics:]
* [Strength (STR): 14]
* [Agility (AGI): 13]
* [Vitality (VIT): 15]
* [Intelligence (INT): 16]
* [Wisdom (WIS): 17]
* [Charisma (CHA): 10]
* [Defense (DEF): 13]
* [Luck (LCK): 11]
[Skills:]
* [Death Sight (Passive): Detects the presence, movement, and residual aura of souls, both living and dead, within 200 meters. Clarity of vision depends on spiritual resistance and environment.]
* [Essence Siphon (Active): Draws Mortuary Essence (ME) from corpses or defeated enemies. ME yield depends on victim's rank and soul integrity. Can be channeled into healing or skill evolution.]
* [Minor Life Drain (Active): Transfers a portion of an enemy's life-force into the heir, restoring 5-10 HP and 5-15 ME per second of contact. Overuse induces fatigue, hallucinations, or soul strain.]
* [Spectral Hand (Active): Materializes a shadowy hand capable of grasping or channeling essence from afar (range: 30m). Can manipulate light objects or draw lingering energy.]
* [Ephemeral Shift (Active): Briefly phases the heir into the boundary between life and death. Grants 2 seconds of intangibility and +50% evasion. Cooldown: 60 seconds. Costs 25 ME.]
[Passive System Effects:]
* [Soul Fragment Counter: 0]
* [Anubis's Favor: Dormant]
* [Corruption Gauge: 0%]