"We've already given him the poison. In one more minute, he'll be dead."
Those were the faint words heard by a young man with blood-red hair, a thin body, and a face full of slash wounds.
"Argh," a second later, he groaned in pain. The poison in his body began to react, destroying each of his organs.
Suddenly, a kick landed squarely in his stomach. The man who had just poisoned him was the prime suspect. Slowly, that man stepped away with a satisfied laugh.
Gradually, his consciousness faded, his eyes closing little by little. The pain gnawed deeper into his body, his chest burned, and his heart felt as if it were about to explode. It hurt so much!
"You bastards! For the sake of money, you dared to poison all the villagers. I will take my revenge in hell," the young man was ready to meet his end. But he swore he would carry out an even crueler revenge. They would pay for this!
And then he lost consciousness. A tragic death!
---
"Jyu, wake up!"
Darkness. There was only darkness, but now his soul had awakened.
"Where am I?"
Jyu slowly opened his eyes. Vaguely, he saw a man standing before him. His figure was truly mysterious, wearing a black robe that covered his entire body. He even wore a hood so that his face could not be seen.
"Who are you? Don't tell me you're the angel of death?"
The mysterious man removed his hood. Now his identity was clear: an older man with white hair and wrinkles covering his entire face. His mustache was long and curved upward. But something was terrifying—his right eye was perfectly white with a gray pupil.
He extended his hand, trying to help Jyu stand.
"I am Yomi, the guardian of the spirit realm. You have now awakened in the spirit realm."
Jyu grasped Yomi's hand and stood up. He looked around. He was now inside a cave in the middle of a forest. There was only a stretch of towering trees with faint rays of light, whether from the sun or the moon, he could not tell. Jyu could only guess. "I suppose the spirit realm isn't as frightening as I once imagined."
"Come with me. Your time is limited," said Yomi. The older man immediately walked away from the cave where he had found Jyu.
Limited time. Of course, this made Jyu curious. Without waiting for another command, he followed Yomi, walking through a forest whose tree roots rose from the ground. The uneven terrain made the journey feel extremely heavy. Repeatedly, Jyu had to climb tree roots that stood up to two meters high.
But strangely, this hardship was felt only by Jyu. Yomi walked calmly without struggling over the obstacles. His steps seemed to float; he appeared able to fly like a bird.
As exhaustion began to set in, Jyu tried to catch up with Yomi to ask something.
"Why are you different from me? And what do you mean, my time is limited?"
Yomi kept walking, ignoring Jyu's questions. Not long after, a glimmer of light began to appear—at first dim, but gradually becoming very bright. Moments later, Yomi stopped atop a large rock.
Jyu continued chasing him. Soon, he emerged from the forest, and bright light now shone upon him. It turned out the light came from the moon. Jyu looked at the sky. The moon shone brightly, yet its light was very different from that of the mortal world; here it was softer and more soothing.
Of course, Jyu had to ignore this because he needed to catch up with Yomi. He climbed the large rock and saw a vast village bustling with activity.
"What is this?" he said in shock at the sight of such a beautiful village.
"This is the spirit realm. In truth, the spirit realm is no different from the mortal world, only a different dimension," Yomi explained as Jyu stood beside him.
Then Yomi pointed to a spot at the edge of the village, something like a cave in the hills.
"Over there?"
Jyu looked at Yomi seriously; confusion was clearly written on his face. "Why do I have to go there? You haven't answered all my questions."
"It is not yet your time to remain in the spirit realm," Yomi said firmly.
"What do you mean?"
"The spirit realm is only meant for souls that have found peace. Those who die by murder or suicide and still possess a strong desire to live will be given one more chance, as long as… as long as they awaken the power of a demon."
"But your time is limited—only three days. Within three days, you must obtain the power of a demon and return to the human world. Otherwise, you will be trapped in the realm of Darkent, the place where demons gather."
"What?" Jyu could only stare in shock upon hearing those words.
---
In truth, the spirit realm will never accept human souls that have not yet found peace—those who still carry ambitions and grudges they wish to fulfill. Anyone who still possesses such things is not much different from a demon. That is why the spirit realm grants them a chance to live again by awakening the demonic power within themselves.
But this is not like a door prize. Every person whose soul remains trapped in ambition—commonly called a Surcy—must strive for their demonic power on their own. The method is simple yet deadly.
The Surcy must enter the cave that will send them to the realm of Darkent. There, they must search for demonic power. If, within three days, they fail to awaken it, their souls will be trapped in the realm of Darkent, where demons and devils gather—trapped there forever, becoming slaves to those wicked beings.
Like it or not, three days is the limit. It is not only about demonic power, but also about the condition of their human bodies. The bodies of the Surcy are considered dead by people in the mortal world. Therefore, their corpses have been buried in the ground. Three days is the most reasonable time because the body has not yet fully decayed or rotted due to natural factors or insects within the soil.
When the Surcy succeed in awakening their demonic power, they will live again—instantly possessing terrifying awakened strength.
---
Now Jyu had to enter that cave immediately, alone, without Yomi accompanying him. Yomi's task was finished; he only gave directions. As for the future, it was in Jyu's own hands. Awaken demonic power or be trapped in the realm of Darkent—who could know?
In haste, Jyu descended the hills, running swiftly over the rocks. He leapt from one stone to another, his steps quick as he sought to reach the cave at the edge of the village. Unfortunately, the distance was great; it might take half a day to get there.
There was no room for surrender. He only wanted to live again and fulfill his ambition in the world—to take revenge. After that, even if he died, it would not matter, for in truth, Jyu himself was already tired of living. That was why the determination to live again shone clearly in his eyes.
Three days! Whatever obstacles awaited him, Jyu was ready.
After struggling down the hills, he finally reached the village area of the spirit realm. Jyu kept running; the cave Yomi had mentioned was still far away. His steps remained fast along the footpath that ran through the middle of the village.
Though it was night, the inhabitants of the spirit realm were still active as usual. They joked outside their houses; some were eating, others even played with their pets. Uniquely, everyone here remained youthful, like the best version of themselves during their lifetime—beautiful and handsome.
Everyone who passed Jyu greeted him and gave him a sweet smile. They seemed to know already that Jyu was racing against time to return to the human world.
"Keep your spirit, young man!" some of them even shouted encouragement.
Jyu could only return a smile. "It feels strange being cheered on by ghosts," he thought.
Jyu had run very far, yet the distance to the cave still felt unbearably long. Now fatigue filled his body; his muscles tightened, his blood flowed heavily, his heart kept pumping rapidly. Jyu stopped for a moment beneath the shade of trees.
The wind of the spirit realm blew gently, soothing him with every breath that touched his skin. He leaned his shoulder and head against a tree trunk. His breathing was still fast, but gradually it became steady and slow.
Many spirits walked around him, yet they were indifferent. Jyu tried to speak to them, but none responded. There was only one sentence: "Sorry, I cannot help you," and then they left just like that.
Before long, the sun had risen. Its rays were bright but not hot—refreshing to see and feel. Truly, the spirit realm was a comfortable place for peaceful souls to dwell.
Jyu did not want to waste any more time. Immediately, he stood and ran toward the cave. His steps once again followed the footpath in the spirit realm village, surrounded only by wooden houses with a classic nuance.
When the sun had climbed high above his head, Jyu finally reached the edge of the village. Now the distance between him and the cave was blocked only by fairly tall hills. Jyu had to climb; this was the only way to reach it.
"I haven't even entered the cave, and my stamina is already gone. Can I really complete this mission?"
With strong determination, Jyu finally began to crawl upward. But this was not easy; the rocks were very fragile. When held or stepped on, stones would break loose and roll down. Jyu had to search for sturdy rocks to use as footholds carefully.
He even slipped down several times. His fingers were covered in blood from grasping hard stones. His face gained more wounds from constantly pressing against rough surfaces.
"Damn it! Why didn't Yomi give me the power directly? He seems strong enough."
In truth, this was no different from rock climbing. That was why, before stepping, Jyu would first search for solid stones, striking them with his hand to test their brittleness.
But it was not that simple either. Both his hands were covered in blood, making his grip slippery. Enduring the pain, he rubbed his hands against the sand of the shattered rocks. That way, his grip was no longer slippery.
After climbing with this strategy, Jyu finally reached the top of the hill. The atmosphere was silent; only trees flanked a large cave whose interior was pitch-dark. Jyu stepped inside, ready to face whatever trials awaited him.