A few minutes earlier, in the Forest of Trial.
The very moment Samuel flew out of the forest, the deers that had been inching closer to Andrew immediately pounced at him from all sides.
But before any of them could reach him, a loud—yet strangely tiny—voice boomed through the forest.
"STOP."
Every deer froze mid-air.
The birds Andrew hadn't even noticed halted in place.
The world drained of colour, turning black and white. Everything was suspended—neither advancing nor falling—locked in absolute stillness.
Everything… except Andrew.
He alone could move. He alone could think.
Before he could speak, a speck of light appeared within the grey world, slowly drifting closer. As it neared, its shape became clearer.
"Wait," Andrew muttered, squinting. "That's a fairy. But why does he look kinda… out of it?"
"Sorry… huff… for… huff… that… huff…" the fairy tried to speak, clearly more exhausted than Andrew was confused.
"Please," Andrew said instinctively, "catch your breath before you speak."
"That's… huff huff… impossible," the fairy replied.
In the next instant, it shot upward, hovered above Andrew's head, then latched onto him.
"Saw… huff… Sawp."
Immediately, Andrew and the fairy vanished from where they stood.
In their place, two ordinary stones dropped to the ground.
Andrew and the fairy found themselves at the opposite edge of the Forest of Trial, having swapped places with the two stones.
"Wait—what just happened?" Andrew muttered. "Today has been nothing but different things altogether."
His mind was reeling, and the only person he could think to question had already flown off.
The fairy, still clinging to Andrew, took a few deep breaths before finally speaking.
"RESUME."
The grey world Andrew had witnessed instantly regained its colour. Everything that had been suspended resumed exactly as it had been, as though nothing strange had ever occurred.
The deers and birds that had lunged at Andrew collided headfirst with one another in a chaotic mess.
"I'M BACK!" the fairy yelled joyfully, as if the earlier exhaustion had been nothing but an act. "Man, that Sammy—bringing a weakling straight into the heart of the forest. Seriously, I can't forgive this!"
The fairy crossed its tiny arms mid-air, fuming.
"I only just started gaining a glimpse into the Law of Time, and I'm already being forced to create a localised Suspended World. Ughhhh—SAMUELLLLLLL!"
"Uhm… I'm Andrew," he said slowly. "Not Delafies. Which I'm pretty sure is the goddess."
"That doesn't matter," Pixie replied, landing comfortably on Andrew's shoulder as if it were their rightful perch. "You see, this forest is the final testing ground, not for beginners, but for seasoned veterans."
Pixie gestured vaguely around them.
"You, on the other hand, are not."
Andrew opened his mouth, then closed it again.
"Because of that," Pixie continued cheerfully, "the trial is going to change how it works."
They snapped their fingers.
Before Andrew's eyes, a blue, transparent square appeared out of thin air. Lines of text and numbers filled it—symbols and layouts he somehow recognised, yet completely failed to understand.
"Seriously," Andrew muttered, leaning back slightly. "What is all this?"
He pointed at the floating screen. "Pixie, what's this blue square thingy with my name on it?"
Pixie glanced at it like it was nothing special.
"Oh, that? That's a gift from Lady Delafies. It's a System Window."
They paused, then added, "Well, it's outdated, but also the latest version."
Andrew stared harder. It didn't help.
"And with everything that's been happening," Pixie went on casually, "I'm not even sure the era of status windows and system windows will ever resurface again. So you can say," they smiled, "this is the latest and the last version."
Pixie dropped that bombshell as if they were talking about the weather.
Andrew just stood there, blinking at the blue square, understanding absolutely nothing.
"Listen here, kid," Pixie said, tugging sharply at Andrew's ear. "Your physique is special—there's no lying about that. However, it'll only carry you so far. That's why the system window is here in the first place."
They pointed at the translucent screen floating before him.
"The system has many functions and uses, but in your case, it has just one purpose." Pixie folded their arms.
"You—who possess no mana, no spiritual power, and no divine force—are an empty, yet clogged-up vessel."
Andrew mentally checked out halfway through that sentence.
"The system exists to gradually introduce divine force into your body," Pixie continued matter-of-factly, "while simultaneously unclogging it."
"Now then," Pixie said, ignoring him, "let's take a look at your stats, titles, and skills."
They pulled the screen closer.
> Name: Andrew McAndy
Race: Human??
Age: 17
Titles: Apostle of—
Pixie froze.
"WHATTT!?"
Their tiny yet thunderous voice snapped Andrew right back to reality.
"Wah—wah—!" Andrew flinched. "What happened?"
"What do you mean what happened?" Pixie spun toward him, eyes wide. "What are you?"
"…What do you mean what am I?"
"Look here!" Pixie shoved the screen directly into Andrew's face. "The system is questioning whether you're even human."
"What are you talking about?"
"Right there!" Pixie jabbed at the display, never taking their eyes off Andrew.
"It says Race: Human—with not one, but two question marks. Even the system is doubting your race."
Andrew squinted at the screen.
"…What are you saying? It clearly says Race: Human. I don't see any question marks questioning my race."
"What are you saying? They're right—" Pixie turned to look at the screen again.
The question marks were gone.
Pixie froze.
"…I know what I saw," they said quietly. "Your identity was being questioned."
"You sure?" Andrew asked, now genuinely perplexed. "Since the moment this thing appeared, it's always said Race: Human. There were no question marks."
He hesitated, then added, "Pixie… is something wrong?"
Pixie looked away.
"No," they said quickly. "Forget I said anything."
A stern silence hung between the two for a while before Pixie finally broke it.
"Okay! Moving on," they said, clapping their hands.
"Titles: Apostle of Rahemo Delafies Phi of ??, Goddess of ??, Special Unit Vice Commander, more>"
Pixie tilted their head. "There are more titles. You must really have done a lot."
Before Pixie could continue, Andrew raised a hand.
"Hey, Pixie. You were freaking out about my identity, but can you explain why there are question marks attached to the goddess's title?"
Pixie looked at him flatly.
"Didn't Samuel give you a rough breakdown of how gods are referred to? Lady Delafies has just ascended. She doesn't have a defined role or job yet, so those slots are blank. Once she gains a role and/or a job, it'll update."
"Got it, thanks for clarifying," Andrew said, then hesitated. "But can you do me a favour?"
Pixie sighed. "What is it?" Their tone made it clear they were eager to move on.
"Can you keep the special unit stuff a secret? It's something not even the royal family knows about—only the ruler."
"Oh, that?" Pixie waved it off. "That title won't matter anymore. Paperwork is already being processed to officially relieve you of all duties. In a few days, those titles will change to former."
Andrew stared at them.
"This is moving way too fast. I haven't even had a breather yet, and I'm already being relieved of all my active duties and positions?"
"Don't sweat it too much," Pixie replied breezily. "Okay, moving on."
They scrolled further down the screen.
"Your Strength, Agility, Defence, Intelligence, and Wisdom are all around 600,000. That's really interesting. You're about as strong as an eight-core aura knight—possibly even stronger."
Pixie move down a little.
"Your Mana, Spiritual Power, and Divine Force are all 0," Pixie continued. Then they paused.
"Wait."
They leaned closer to the screen.
"This normally doesn't appear on a person's stats—especially if it's zero. Yet it's here." Pixie read slowly, carefully.
"Nature's Energy: 0 (+300)."
They turned to Andrew, who had remained quiet the entire time, and examined him from head to toe.
"Sammy really took an interest in you," Pixie muttered. "To go out of his way and make armour and weapons using the meagre Nature's Energy he had access to."
Andrew swallowed.
"…Should I be honoured, or worried?"
"Neither," Pixie replied flatly. "It was his choice. Now onto the main topic."
They snapped their fingers, and an image materialised in the air—a colour-coded arc, vaguely rainbow-like, yet clearly not a rainbow. The hues were unfamiliar, layered in a deliberate gradient.
"As I already told ya, the forest is being restructured to fit you," Pixie said, gesturing at the image. "And this is what came out of it."
They pointed at the smallest curvature at the bottom.
"Blue is your starting zone and also the tutorial area. This is where your actions decide which route you've taken."
Their finger traced upward along the arc.
"Each colour after that is the real deal. The higher you go, the more dangerous it gets."
Then Pixie pointed beneath the entire curvature, where a calm, muted green rested like a foundation.
"And this here is your safe zone. This is where we're standing right now. Honestly, it might be your only safe zone."
They clapped their hands once.
"That's that. Any questions?"
"I have a ton," Andrew replied, rubbing the back of his neck, "but I feel like I won't be getting answers to most of them."
"You figured that out fast," Pixie said approvingly.
"Anyway," Andrew continued, "how do I decide which route to take?"
"Your actions or inactions," Pixie replied. "Your choices, your decisions, and other factors will accumulate into the route you end up walking."
"Can you give me a more concrete answer?"
"That is the concrete answer, kid." Pixie paused, then added, "Oh, I almost forgot. You'll get our help three times during this trial. Use them wisely."
They leaned closer.
"And I'm sure Samuel already said this, but let me repeat it, 'See the truth before it sees you…'"
"I've heard it already." Andrew cut them off.
"Let me finish," Pixie snapped back.
They cleared their throat dramatically.
> "See the truth before it sees you.
For in Truth there are Lies, and in Lies there are Truths.
Truth is a Lie, and a Lie is a Truth.
Truth is true and a Lie is false.
See with your ears, and listen with your eyes.
Listen with your ears and see with your eyes.
Eat with your nose and smell with your mouth.
Smell with your nose and eat with your mouth.
Kick with your fist and punch with your leg.
Punch with your fist and kick with your leg.
For in Something there is Nothing,
and in Nothing there is Something."
Silence fell.
Andrew waited.
And waited.
"…Are you done?" he finally asked.
"Pretty much," Pixie said with a shrug. "The rest is too hard for us to recite. But what we do understand is this: there are halves, and there are contradictions. And there are contradictions, and there are halves."
They tilted their head.
"That's all I got so far. Hope it helps."
Pixie said it casually—fully aware that Andrew understood absolutely none of it.