Dark. Ominous. Buzzing with murmurs and uncertain whispers, such was the atmosphere blanketing a vast clearing surrounded by dense trees, in a strange place resembling an untamed forest. In the center, a large bonfire burned brightly, casting flickering light on the tired, confused faces of hundreds of people who had just been transported into this place.
Eryon stood among them, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
If this really was Oblivion Ark, the world promised by that strange hologram, then it looked far too ordinary. No jagged castles clawing at alien skies. No crimson moons. No monsters lurking in plain sight. Just trees, dirt, and firelight. So normal, in fact, it almost felt like mockery.
But the quiet didn't last long. A series of holographic messages once again lit up the air:
[Welcome to Beginner Village No. 1143. This is your spawning point. Each village contains 1,000 individuals]
[Beginner villages are fully protected from all monster threats. They are also blessed with five times faster healing compared to other regions]
[You may now access your peronal information through the system interface]
The words faded, leaving behind silence thick enough to choke on. But silence, like glass, is fragile. The next second, it shattered.
"What the hell is this!? I was supposed to pick up my kid from school!"
"Did I read that right? Monsters? As in actual monsters?"
"This is insane… so it's true. All of humanity really got dragged into this goddamn Oblivion Ark world?"
Panic surged. Shouts collided with curses, and disbelief bled into hysteria. A thousand people, each with their own lives stolen mid-stride, reacted in a thousand different ways. Some trembled, some wept, some cursed the sky.
And yet, here and there, faces lit up. Not with fear, but with a thrill they had never found on Earth. For a few, the thought of leaving behind their broken world was not a curse at all.
Eryon belonged to them.
The moment he thought of the system, a sharp chime echoed in his mind. A holographic screen unfurled before his eyes.
[Name: Eryon Cain]
[Age: 25]
[Level: 1 (0/100)]
[Strength: 18]
[Agility: 13]
[Energy Point: 34]
[Talent: Unawakened]
[Note: The average human has 10 points in each attribute]
He studied it carefully, his brow furrowing. If ten was the average, then his body wasn't just healthy, it was above par. The hours he had poured into training had etched themselves into his numbers. But that Energy Point: 34 snagged his attention. Too high. Too strange. Whatever it meant, he knew instinctively it wasn't ordinary.
At the corner of the screen was a [Chat] icon. He tapped it.
A new window opened, flooded with messages. Still chaotic, but mostly filled with people who actually seemed excited to be here.
[Holy shit, this world is awesome. I was so done with that boring-ass Earth, no dragons, no magic. I'd give it a 3/10 just for graphics. But this world? Let's see]
[Can this system really see our stats? My strength is 30—I'm a beast! Hahaha]
[My Energy Point is 165! Anyone know what the hell that means?]
Profile pictures flickered into view beside each message, men and women, old and young, faces from every corner of Earth. Different races, different languages, now united in one thing: the impossible was real. Humanity had been uprooted, transplanted wholesale into another world.
Not long after, the system displayed a new message, this time with a more solemn tone:
[In one minute, your fate will be decided. The Talent Awakening process will begin]
[Each person may receive a unique ability, from elemental control, physical invincibility, to transforming into something entirely new]
[Talents are ranked across 9 tiers: F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS. The selection is completely random. Your past status, wealth, or influence no longer matters]
[Good luck]
And like rain falling on dry soil, excitement surged through the crowd.
"Holy crap, we're getting superpowers!"
"This is just like a fantasy world! I'm actually hyped!"
"I'm great at fencing, hope my talent's related to that."
"Really hoping I don't get stuck with a garbage-tier ability…"
"Anything but F-tier, I'll take it!"
"Same here…"
The bonfire's crackling was drowned beneath a storm of anticipation. Hope, fear, hunger, they all tangled together, rising like smoke into the night.
Eryon's own heart was racing. He didn't know what awaited him. Computers, coding, logic, that had been his life. But here? In a world of monsters and talents, what use was silicon and software? Unless this world blurred the line between magic and technology. Unless fate decided differently.
Before he could think further, it began.
A golden light wrapped around his body. Warm, radiant, alive. It poured into him like sunlight breaking through endless night, seeping into bone and blood, filling the void left by despair.
And then, the message that would change everything:
[Congratulations. You have obtained an SSS-tier talent: Essence Reap]
Eryon froze. His lungs refused to work. His heart thundered. His eyes widened, drinking in the impossible words.
An SSS-tier talent. The highest. The rarest.
For a man who once considered ending it all with a coil of rope, the irony was unbearable.
For the first time in his life, the darkness bent. For the first time, fate had reached down, not to strike him, not to mock him, but to lift him.
And in that single moment, Eryon Cain believed.
The world was no longer ordinary.
The fire was no longer cold.
And he… was no longer powerless.