Seed of Darkness

A planet drifting through the void of space...

The entire planet lay still, its buildings reduced to rubble, lifeless and silent. The structures and ruins here were eerily reminiscent of Earth.

Suddenly, a dark rift split open in the stillness of the planet's atmosphere, and from within it, a woman dressed in black robes emerged. As soon as she stepped outside, she scanned the area carefully, assessing her surroundings. After a brief look, she began walking toward a nearby building with a closed door, her steps purposeful.

She then took out a black key made of bone fragments and used it to unlock the door. Beyond it, an expansive field of green flames stretched out, burning brightly across the landscape.

Without hesitation, the woman stepped into the field of green flames, and the door closed behind her. Despite the flames roaring fiercely, they posed no threat to her.

"As the higher-ups instructed, I've found the Soul Fragment this time… but I've encountered an unexpected problem…" The woman walked deeper into the field of green flames, her voice filled with frustration as she knelt and sent a report.

"What happened?"

With a loud, thunderous crack, the calm sky split open, and a massive eye appeared, glowing with an ominous light.

"I followed the signal from the compass, just like I was told, but instead of a Soul Fragment, I found a wandering spirit… I couldn't locate anything else that seemed out of place… That's why I decided to bring this strange spirit back to the higher-ups…"

With those words, the woman retrieved the Eclipsion lantern, and from within it, she extracted Jiho, who had been trapped inside. To her, spirits were little more than mere toys—nothing of real significance.

As Jiho was pulled from the lantern and brought outside, a powerful surge of anger began to build within him. The last thing he remembered was the woman in black robes holding the lantern that had sucked him in.

But before he could voice his frustration, a crushing weight pressed down on him, pinning him to the ground. The ground itself seemed to crack beneath him as he struggled to regain control. As his anger subsided, he became aware of his surroundings, realizing that the place he had arrived in was no longer the lush green meadows and grand palaces he had seen before.

Before him stretched a vast open field of green flames. And overhead, a giant eye in the sky still hovered, watching him intently. Where was this place? Was it a place where spirits like him were to be judged?

Despite trying to remain calm, the fear creeping into his heart made it impossible to speak. Even the anger from earlier had dissipated like smoke.

The gaze of the giant green eye fixed on Jiho as he emerged from the Eclipsion lantern.

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[... .... ..... ... ... .....]

The overwhelming sound that filled the air made Jiho feel as though he were being lifted from the ground, his body swaying uncontrollably.

After a few seconds, the noise quieted down.

The giant eye in the sky vanished as well.

At that moment, the woman in the black robe approached Jiho and infused him with some purple energy.

As the purple energy entered his body, the pain he had been enduring subsided. Though he had been unable to think clearly due to the pain, he now regained his mental clarity.

"Do you hear me?"

Suddenly, he heard the woman's voice inside his head.

Telepathic communication...

It was real.

Jiho nodded in response.

"From now on, if you don't want to die, do as I say. First, you need to understand how this world works. If you don't, you'll be stuck. I'll show you."

The woman spoke as she moved closer, touching his forehead with her hand.

The soothing purple energy flowed into Jiho's mind. Along with her voice, images of slow-moving, intricate patterns began to unfold one after another, like the entire universe being born before his eyes.

In the beginning, this entire cosmos was peaceful, with many gods residing on a vast island, each ruling their own domain. However, one day, competition among the gods arose, triggered by sudden Blue Screens, and tensions began to rise.

Soon after, a great war broke out, and the island where the gods gathered shattered into pieces, scattering across the cosmos. From that time onwards, the gods created their own realms and began ruling over them.

The fragments of the shattered island flew to the farthest reaches of the cosmos and eventually became planets where beings could live. However, no gods resided on these planets, and only the ruins and records of their blessings remained. These places came to be known as the Abandoned Lands of Gods because the beings living there were not granted the gods' blessings.

Then, the scenery changed once again. Jiho found himself staring in astonishment at everything. The things he was facing now seemed to throw away everything he had known. No words even came to mind to describe it.

System, Blue Screen, Status Window…

Though many names appeared, only a few knew the true origins of that. That had existed for countless years, and the entire cosmos had been under its control.

The system set up "Hundred Trials," a series of tests that required participants to pass and has prepared rewards suitable for each level of Trials in various territories. Moreover, those who succeeded in all one hundred trials could make any wish they desired.

When a person begins the first trial, they are recorded as a character. The character's strength and status are measured according to the Trials Realm Level they have reached.

However, even after many years, no one had yet succeeded in overcoming all of the hundred trials. As a result, those who succeed in thirty or more trials are classified as Transcendent, and those who pass over fifty trials are called High-lords.

Those who succeed in more than ninety trials are known as Fate-bearers. Fate-bearers stand at the peak of the entire cosmos and are granted power beyond measure. However, even they remain under the control of the system.

Additionally, those who surpass fifty trials or more are prohibited from entering realms of lower-level trials without the system's permission. Anyone who enters without permission will be warned by the system first, and if the warning is ignored, severe penalties await.

This is done to prevent chaos and ensure that no disruptions occur in the trials.

Currently, trials have begun in almost every realm, except for the Abandoned Lands of Gods, which lie at the edge of the universe. Most trials are brutal, and failure leads to deadly penalties, which no one can refuse.

Gradually, the gentle energy Jiho was feeling began to weaken, and the scenery around him came to a halt.

Currently, the place Jiho is in is the base of an organization founded by a powerful being from another world, where the system does not exist. In other words, it's one of the organizations that have been trying to destroy the system's trials and ensure the failure of the trials. However, this organization is extremely secretive, and its members only know the hidden identities of each other.

As Jiho watches, the images slowly begin to fade away.

The woman then retracts her hand.

"That's enough, you should know all you need to by now... What's left is for the seed of darkness to be planted in your soul..."

As she spoke, a small black speck appeared from her fingertip and shot toward Jiho's body. The black speck entered Jiho's body, and soon it seemed to merge with him, disappearing completely as though it had become one with him.

Jiho, having already faced the worst, no longer felt any fear. After dying once before, what was there left to be afraid of?

Instead, he felt excitement. For a fantasy novel writer like him, weren't these early visions the kind of dreams one could spend a lifetime chasing?

The true reality hidden behind the vast universe…

These were the answers he had always sought in his life. If given the chance, he too wished to witness the end.

"First, I'll find you a suitable body... and then you can start your first task."

The woman finished speaking, then removed the dark hooded cloak she had been wearing. Beneath it was her beautiful red hair, and she was a woman with the most enchanting features.

With her delicate nose, clear eyes like snowflakes, and golden skin that matched her red hair, she exuded otherworldly beauty.

Such beauty could easily win the title of Miss on Earth.

However, for Jiho, who had already seen countless beautiful faces on Earth with just a glance, it wasn't something particularly special. He only looked because she was beautiful, nothing more.

"Let's go... Follow me."

The woman changed her appearance and began leading the way toward the door. Jiho, not staying behind, followed her closely from the rear.

When the door was opened, the view beyond was no longer a destroyed building or a barren planet. Instead, there were towering mountains and a vast forest.

Under the woman's guidance, Jiho followed her into the dense forest.

[Warning…]

[Warning…]

[Intruder Detected…]

[A character that doesn't belong to this area has broken through…]

[Elimination Penalty will commence in 30 minutes…]

As soon as the door opened, multiple warning messages accompanied by blue screens appeared. The texts caused a visible shift in the woman's expression. She waved her hand to dismiss the continuous notifications and turned toward Jiho.

"This is the world where the first trial of the system will soon begin... You have until tomorrow night to find a new body and make it your own. If you fail before time runs out, the seed of darkness within you will awaken… If you don't want to die, make sure you succeed."

"When the time for the System's test arrives, I'll contact you again about the tasks you need to carry out afterward…"

Just as Jiho was about to respond, the woman, now wearing an unwilling expression, stepped back through the door and disappeared. The door vanished behind her as if it had never existed.

He was left alone in the forest. He never found out the reason behind the woman's sudden outburst of anger. Moreover, there were other questions he wanted to ask, but he couldn't.

But wasn't there only one day left to find a body and make it his own?

He still wanted to live.

Fortunately, the world he arrived in this time resembled Earth. The forest he found himself in was not far from the city. In the distance, he could see large rain towers, and from this spot, he decided to head toward the city where the towers stood.

End - 9