(Loading data... Complete.)(Connecting communication channel: YUNNY – ON)
"Hello, hello? 1, 2, 3… Mic check. Good, can you hear me?
Don't look around for a speaker; I am speaking directly into your heads—you curious 'Readers' from another dimension. I am Yunny, and welcome to the universe's greatest cesspool: Artheria.
Before you ask 'Where am I, who am I?', let me give you a crash course. Don't fall asleep, because this knowledge won't help you pass an exam; it helps our main character not die.
Listen closely.
This world wasn't born from the whim of some bearded god. It started with an explosion—The Primordial Burst. A single point denied itself and—BOOM! Four heavyweights were born: Mana (Life), Time (Motion), Space (The Container), and Concept (The most troublesome one) .
Why do I call 'Concept' troublesome? Because Artheria is the nexus of the universe, where 9 Primal Currents collide. Here, the laws of physics are merely... suggestions. The thing that truly runs this world is BELIEF.
If you believe that harmless rabbit over there is a monster, it will grow 2-meter fangs and chew your head off. What do monsters eat here? They feed on your Fear and drink your Faith . The more you fear, the bigger they get. If you believe they are invincible, they become Gods. A truly 'wonderful' logic for survival, isn't it?
Look at the map. See that pitch-black spot that looks like spilled ink? That is the Land of Eternal Darkness. The old home of Acnologia. Who is he? He is 'The End of the System,' the Final Boss, the dragon whose name makes everyone wet their pants. But now? He's sitting there, depressed. Why? Because of a thing called The Void—a massive system error glitch that is gnawing at his home every day. Even the Final Boss is helpless, so you can understand how 'hopeless' this world is.
War is everywhere. The Noxut Empire is crazy about technology. The Lux Imperium is crazy about divinity. The Dragonvale is melting. In short: This is Hell. And Hell needs a 'Savior'... or a madman who dares to jump into the fire.
And our number one candidate is standing right there."
[Scene Change: Edge of the Elvenwood – Coordinates X:?? Y:??]
The wind shrieked through the cracks of the rotting wooden walls, creating a mournful howl. Beneath the ancient canopy of the border forest, a small wooden house stood desolate, like a discordant note in a symphony of death.
The door creaked open.
A figure stepped out of the twilight. It was a young man, tall, draped in a black cloak that was tattered at the hem. Messy black hair fell over his forehead, covering a part of his cold, emotionless face.
Is he handsome? Yes (by gloomy standards). Is he cool? Very. But look closely at his eyes. The left is the deep blue of a wild wolf; the right is the crimson red of blood . Heterochromatic eyes that see things that should not be seen.
Akachi Sito.
His left hand rested loosely on the hilt of the sword strapped to his waist. A sword pitch-black from sheath to hilt, with a handguard shaped like two crescent moons.
The Fang of the Lone Wolf. Legend has it that it was forged from the bones of the ancient variant beast, Yharon. A weapon so sharp that just by unsheathing it, the surrounding space would be cut like tofu. Sounds overpowered, right? But its master... well, let's just say he is 'a work in progress'.
Sito stood there, taking a deep breath of the air filled with the smell of mold and menace. He didn't look back at the wooden house—his last safe haven.
In his right hand, a torch burned brightly.
"It ends here."
He muttered, his voice deep and hoarse. His arm swung decisively. The torch traced a brilliant arc through the air before crashing onto the dry thatched roof.
"WHOOSH!"
Fire erupted violently, swallowing the past, swallowing the false peace. The heat breathed against the back of his black cloak, casting his long, monstrous shadow onto the ground. He didn't burn the house because he was bored of life, but because he knew: In this damned world, if there is a way back, people will never dare to move forward.
Sito adjusted his cloak and turned to walk away. Before him lay the path leading deep into the darkness, where the growls of Void creatures began to echo. Where monsters born from nightmares were waiting to test his paper-thin defense stats.
He is not a hero. He is just a lone wolf looking for a reason to live... or looking for death.
(Yunny interrupts: "Oh my, look at that swagger. Cool. I hope he survives Chapter 2. Good luck, boy; the audience is betting on your life!")
The young man's back gradually disappeared into the thick fog. The journey into the darkness... BEGINS.