The world faded into crimson light.
Kaelen's lungs burned as if molten iron poured into them. Every heartbeat echoed like war drums in his ears. He couldn't see the sky anymore—only the shadow of the man who had struck him down.
The man didn't speak. He simply turned, his black cloak brushing the cracked stone floor, and walked away as Kaelen's vision collapsed into darkness.
So this is death…?
No.
An icy voice, neither male nor female, whispered directly into his thoughts.
> "Death is but a locked door, Kaelen. I am the key."
Suddenly, Kaelen was standing—no, floating—in an endless void. Countless symbols shimmered in the distance like stars. Each one pulsed with an unfathomable aura, whispering secrets in languages his mind could not comprehend.
A black circle appeared before him, carved with runes that bent reality itself.
> "You have been chosen."
Kaelen narrowed his eyes. "Chosen? By who? For what?"
The voice answered as if it had been waiting for that question for eons.
> "I am the Sovereign System. All who bind with me shall rise beyond the limits of the mortal and the divine."
Light erupted from the circle, swallowing him whole. When it faded, he was standing on a mountain peak beneath a sky split in two—one half day, one half night. Below him stretched a realm that was… wrong. Cities floated in the air, rivers flowed upward into the clouds, and creatures of pure flame hunted in the frozen forests.
Kaelen's mind reeled. "Where… am I?"
> [Ding!]
You have entered the Sovereign Trials.
Time Limit: 30 Days.
Objective: Survive.
Reward: System Binding.
Before he could even process the words, a shadow leapt from the treeline. Its body was made of bone and black smoke, its eyes glowing with hunger. It lunged.
Kaelen moved on instinct, diving to the side. His body felt lighter, faster than it had in his old life, but not enough. The creature's claws grazed his shoulder, sending white-hot pain through him.
> [Warning: Vitality -12]
Gritting his teeth, Kaelen scanned the rocky ground. A broken spearhead lay nearby, its shaft long gone. He grabbed it.
The monster lunged again. This time, Kaelen met it head-on, driving the spearhead upward through its jaw. Black smoke erupted from the wound, and the creature dissolved into nothing.
> [Ding!]
Trial Kill: +10 Sovereign Points
Sovereign Shop Unlocked.
Kaelen blinked. "Shop?"
A transparent screen appeared before him:
—[Sovereign Shop]—
[Basic Survival Pack – 5 Points]
[Iron Dagger – 8 Points]
[Beginner Cultivation Manual – 10 Points]
He didn't hesitate. The moment he selected the cultivation manual, a rush of energy flooded into his mind, filling it with breathing patterns, meridian diagrams, and ancient chants.
And just like that… Kaelen knew this was not just about survival.
If he could master this world, if he could master this System—he could rise far beyond the man who had killed him.
Perhaps even beyond death itself.
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