Marlon's eyes fluttered open in an unfamiliar surrounding. He quickly discovered he was lying on rough and moist ground, facing a dark sky that held three full moons reflecting bright crescents.
Before he could lift his body from the ground, his nose was greeted by the strong metallic stench of blood.
His brows furrowed as he gradually lifted himself up and observed his surroundings more closely.
Around him were corpses of men dressed in thick armor. The state of the bodies was grotesque—some had their torsos split into several parts, many were missing their heads, and others had large chunks of flesh gone. The wounds didn't look like anything that could've been done by humans.
Marlon soon realized the moisture on the ground he was sitting on came from the blood pooled from the corpses around him.
He quickly looked down to observe his own body, and to his surprise, he was wearing the same armor as the corpses around him. The armor was soaked in red, and on the stomach area, there was a gaping hole. Nonetheless, the flesh beneath the hole was fully intact.
Marlon frowned deeply, though not out of confusion about his current attire or condition. It was a well-known fact that most trials could make participants take on new identities and experience strange but dangerous stories — most of which ended in unavoidable death, depending on the difficulty.
Rather, his frown was more about the situation around him.
"These corpses... what could've happened here?" he wondered aloud as he rose from the ground.
Now standing, the gore became clearer, and he realized the corpses were far more than he had imagined.
There were at least five hundred of them, and from the look of the surroundings, they were in the middle of a vast forest. The tall trees seemed to pierce the sky, while the cries of insects and birds echoed faintly as the gentle night wind brushed against his face.
As though answering the questions in his mind—
[ You've selected 4-star difficulty ]
[ Your trial has begun ]
[ Trial: Defeat the Dark King and his legion. ]
[ Details: You've arrived at Vale Kingdom, a land currently undergoing a rare, once-in-a-decade event with the all-powerful Dark King, where bloodshed and death are inevitable. Within this cursed kingdom, a large percentage of its citizens suffer under one of his powerful hexes that drains their life force during the day and turns them into mindless monsters at night.
You are one of the king's soldiers who ventured deep into the Dark King's territory, tasked with putting an end to his reign. But the mission took a grim turn. Ambushed by his dark army, you watched as your comrades fell one after another. Now, as the sole survivor, the fate of the mission—and perhaps the kingdom itself—rests entirely on your shoulders.
You must gather the three Treasures of Fate in order to raise your chances of defeating the Dark King. ]
[ Notes:
– The Church of Light currently holds the map to these treasures.
– Each map is protected by a powerful entity and deadly traps.
– You must find the treasures within three days before the Dark King ascends into godhood.
– Once the Dark King ascends, all Treasures of Fate are nullified.
– You must be baptized to prevent contracting the life-draining hex.
– Every twenty-four hours, the Dark King's legion doubles in strength and numbers.
IMPORTANT NOTE: 1 day in this world equals 24 minutes in the real world. ]
Marlon read all of these, and his expression slowly crumbled.
He had unexpectedly landed in a plot similar to most of the medieval fantasy novels he used to read back on Earth.
"This... the Dark King's legion managed to defeat all these soldiers. If their power doubles every twenty-four hours, they'll become much stronger and far harder to defeat. I need to act fast," he thought.
Before making a move, he called out his system to confirm if his talents and skills had transferred into this world. To his relief, they had. There were no restrictions on any of his stats or skills, and even his inventory remained intact.
"I'm pretty lucky," he murmured.
But just as he was about to move, he heard a rattling sound coming from the bushes not too far away, causing him to tense up slightly, fearing he had been found by one of the Dark King's legion.
Nonetheless, a young man in a long white robe appeared. Under the moonlight, his expression was visible — his face grew solemn as he took in the sight of the soldiers' corpses scattered across the field, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
Then his gaze met the lone figure standing in the middle of the slaughter, and he shivered in fear, thinking it was one of the Darklings—the Dark King's soldiers—or one of the mindless monsters from the life-draining hex.
Marlon observed the white-robed young man from head to toe. "He doesn't look like a threat," he muttered. "Maybe I can use him to find the Church of Light."
He had read enough novels to know how scenes like this usually played out, so he quickly came up with plans in his mind to explain his situation and get the young man's help.
But first, he had to calm the young stranger's frightened heart so he raised a hand and gave a small, friendly wave, forcing a faint smile.
The young man's terrified expression softened slightly as he saw the gesture. A Darkling wouldn't wave at him.
Only now that his fear began to fade did he notice the armor Marlon was wearing which was very similar to the ones worn by the fallen soldiers and the distinctive armor of the king's special unit. Then he spotted the gaping hole on Marlon's stomach area and froze in shock.
"How did you survive with such a ghastly wound?" he asked in confusion as he cautiously approached.
Marlon glanced down at the hole once more and let out a quiet sigh before responding in a calm tone.
"How I survived is a long story," he said. "Actually, I died. But before my soul was judged, a bright figure appeared before me and told me I had to return and save Vale Kingdom from the Dark King. He even foretold that a righteous man would come to me when I awoke."
...
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