The silence that followed Lirien’s lifeless body hitting the ground was suffocating, sharper than any scream. Yuki stared at the fallen elf, her mind locked in denial as her heart fractured under the weight of grief. The violet glow in her eyes flickered and dimmed, consumed by sorrow and rage that churned like a storm within her. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe—her entire world was reduced to the stillness of Lirien’s motionless form.

  The muffled voices of the padin and priestess drifted toward her, meaningless whispers in the distance. Yuki’s world was narrowing, her thoughts fracturing as her remaining strength ebbed. The air around her warped, heavy with the oppressive weight of loss, but it was not only grief that began to well up within her. Hatred festered, cold and corrosive, as her resolve hardened.

  Her body trembled as she dug her finger nails into her hands tightly as she activated [Conversion], [Foreign Energy Absorption], and [Overwhelmed]. Her body, already failing, was wracked with pain as she drained the holy magic that burned her, forcing it into her veins to amplify her dwindling magic. The cost was immense, her Spirit reserves nearly obliterated as she converted it into magic, while her health plummeted. She would not fall without a fight.

  Hakura, the hero, saw the shift in Yuki’s aura and acted swiftly. Her sword glowed with radiant light as she unleashed [Bzing Arc], a powerful cleave that left a trail of searing fmes in its wake. Yuki twisted her body, barely dodging the brunt of the attack, but the fmes licked her skin, leaving deep burns. Before Yuki could counter, Hakura stepped forward, activating [Holy Step], a skill that momentarily increased her speed and precision.

  The hero’s bde came down in a sharp arc, but Yuki met it with a desperate swing of her own hand. Sparks flew as their weapons and flesh cshed, the force of the impact driving Yuki back. Her legs buckled, her body refusing to support her any longer. Hakura pressed her advantage, using [Divine Smite] to send a shockwave of radiant energy directly at Yuki. The explosion knocked Yuki to the ground, her body shaking under the strain. Yuki heard the sound of a notification but grit her teeth and ignored it.

  Yuki’s attributes fshed before her eyes, a cruel reminder of her limits:

  Vigor: 36/2270

  Magic: 880

  Strength: 30/2110

  Spirit: 0/1295

  Her body was crumbling, her strength nearly gone. But as her mind dulled, her resolve burned brighter. If I’m going to die, I’ll take you with me. Activating [Survivor], she braced herself as Hakura’s final attack descended—a piercing strike imbued with holy light. Yuki’s defenses crumbled under the blow, her torso caving in as bck ichor poured from her wounds. Yet, the skill kept her alive, restoring a fraction of her health just long enough to let her stand one st time.

  Yuki roared, her voice filled with defiance as she lunged forward to strike Hakura. She straightened her hand while coating it in void, arced toward the hero, but her body betrayed her. Her legs gave out, and she crumpled to the ground. She y there, trembling, as her vision blurred.

  As her head lowered, an eerie calm washed over her. She saw Lirien’s face in her mind, her warm smile untouched by the corruption of the world. I’m sorry, Lirien. I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t save anyone.

  The st of Yuki’s body began to crumble, bckened bones breaking apart as Void ichor hissed and pooled around her. The liquid writhed and bubbled, a manifestation of the hatred and sorrow she left behind. The priestess fell to her knees, clutching her staff as tears streamed down her face. Hakura’s bde fell from her trembling hands, her face pale as she stared at the remains of her former friend.

  The padin, sword still raised, muttered, “It’s over.” But his words rang hollow, heavy with uncertainty and regret.

  Yet the Void was never silent. Even as Yuki’s body was no more, it's presence seemed to linger in the deepest parts of her mind, with a faint whisper carried on the wind.

  You’ll never be rid of me.

  In the depths of an endless void, Yuki floated, her body weightless and her mind unraveling. It felt as though she were submerged in water, the sensation both calming and suffocating. She could no longer fight against it—the pull of despair was too strong, and her will to resist had long since eroded. Her memories, like faint whispers in the dark, began to surface, fshing before her eyes in vivid, painful detail.

  The first memory came with the faint clink of gss and muffled sobs. She saw her father, hunched over the kitchen table te at night, a half-empty bottle in his hand. His shoulders trembled as he spoke softly to a photograph of her mother, his voice thick with sorrow. The words were incoherent, but the pain was clear, etched into his every movement. The image faded, repced by the sound of giggling.

  Yuki was a child again, pying with her sisters in the backyard. Their ughter rang out as they chased one another, the grass cool beneath their feet. The memory seemed so distant, so unreal, yet it carried a warmth she hadn’t felt in years. Her sisters stopped and looked at her, their eyes wide with innocence and trust. “Promise us you’ll never leave us, Big Sis Yuki,” they said in unison, their voices overpping. The scene blurred, the ughter echoing into silence.

  Another memory emerged—a park on a warm afternoon. She and Hakura pyed in the park ughing and giggling as they pyed in the sand pits. They were inseparable then, full of dreams and promises of forever. The memory blurred before pying once more with a scene Yuki would forever have a hard time forgetting she and Hakura Crossed there pinkies as they promised to each other “We’ll always be friends, no matter what,” Yuki heard herself say. The words rang hollow now, a cruel reminder of how easily promises could be broken.

  The memory unfolded with startling crity, as if Yuki were reliving the moment rather than recalling it. The sun bathed the forest clearing in a golden light, casting long shadows that danced gently with the swaying trees. The air was crisp and carried the faint, earthy scent of moss and blooming wildflowers. Yuki stood there, her heart pounding with a mixture of apprehension and vulnerability. Across from her, Lirien stood poised and serene, her emerald eyes glowing with an intensity that made Yuki feel both seen and understood.

  This was the day she had told Lirien the truth—the day she admitted she was an otherworlder, plucked from her ordinary life and thrust into a realm of chaos and survival. It was a truth she had carried like a weight, one that made her feel alien and isoted in this unfamiliar world. She had expected disbelief, perhaps even fear, from her only friend. Instead, Lirien had listened, her expression thoughtful and her posture steady, as if the revetion was merely another piece of a puzzle she had long suspected existed.

  “So,” Lirien had said after a long pause, her voice calm but edged with curiosity, “you came from a pce without mana, without systems, and yet you’ve been pulled into this game?” She tilted her head, the sunlight catching her auburn hair, making it gleam like polished copper. “How curious.”

  Yuki had nodded, unsure how to respond. It wasn’t the disbelief she had feared—it was an unnerving acceptance. “You… believe me?” she asked hesitantly, her violet eyes searching Lirien’s face for any sign of doubt.

  Lirien smiled faintly, a small curve of her lips that held both amusement and resolve. “I do,” she said simply. “The worlds are vast and full of mysteries. Why wouldn’t there be others beyond what we know?”

  The conversation shifted then, from Yuki’s confession to a topic that would forever change her perspective. Lirien began to expin the structure of the worlds, her voice steady and ced with the wisdom of someone who had spent years seeking answers. “The world we’re in now,” Lirien began, gesturing to the forest around them, “is just one of many. Each world is like a step in a dder, governed by its own rules, its own limits. Here, no one can surpass Level 4. It’s the cap set by the system to maintain bance.”

  Yuki frowned. “So… even if someone became the strongest Level 4, they’d still be trapped here?”

  Lirien nodded. “Exactly. That’s why so many dream of breaking through—to ascend to the next world. But it’s not as simple as leveling up. Each transition requires immense strength, resources, and, most importantly, the will of the system itself.”

  Her emerald eyes darkened slightly as she continued, her voice lowering to almost a whisper. “But there is one world where those rules don’t apply. A world without restrictions, where even the gods themselves reside. The First World—Lumea Mor?ii.”

  The name sent a chill down Yuki’s spine. “Lumea Mor?ii…” she echoed, the words feeling heavy on her tongue.

  Lirien’s gaze was unwavering as she spoke, her passion clear. “It’s said to be the origin of all things—a realm of infinite possibility and boundless power. Those who reach it can transcend mortality and become gods themselves. But it’s not a pce for the weak. The path to Lumea Mor?ii is littered with the broken dreams of countless warriors and mages who dared to seek it.”

  The gravity of Lirien’s words settled over them like a heavy fog. Yuki couldn’t deny the allure of it—a world without limits, where she could find the answers she so desperately sought. But the thought of reaching such a pce seemed impossible. She gnced at Lirien, who now stared at her with an intensity that made her chest tighten.

  “You said you’re looking for a way back to your world,” Lirien said softly. “If there’s anywhere you could find the answers, it would be in Lumea Mor?ii.”

  Yuki swallowed hard. “And you? Why do you want to go there?”

  Lirien’s expression softened, and for a moment, the fierce determination in her eyes gave way to a quiet vulnerability. “Because that was my fathers dream. he always wanted to go for more —to see beyond the limits, to carve out a pce where we could truly be free. And if that means walking the path to Lumea Mor?ii, so be it.”

  The two of them stood in silence, the weight of their conversation hanging heavily between them. Then, slowly, Lirien extended her hand, her emerald eyes locking onto Yuki’s. “Let’s do it together,” she said, her voice steady and sure. “Let’s reach Lumea Mor?ii. Let’s break free of this world and find what we’re searching for. And maybe... You could take me with you?”

  Yuki stared at the outstretched hand, her heart racing. In that moment, the fear and doubt that had pgued her seemed to fade, repced by a fragile but growing sense of hope. She reached out, her fingers trembling slightly as they closed around Lirien’s. The warmth of the touch was grounding, a reminder that she wasn’t alone in this. Yuki Grinned and then she spoke "We'll make it, together."

  The memory began to fade, but its echoes lingered, filling Yuki with an aching sense of loss. That promise, once so bright and full of hope, now felt like a cruel reminder of how far she had fallen. The warmth of that moment had been repced by a cold, empty void. Lirien was gone, and Yuki was adrift, a fragment of what she once was. Admit it. I'm sorry... Everyone.

  Yuki thought before her eyes began to close for the st time a familiar voice sounded out in her mind and she managed to process the words just as her eyes shut.

  “Disappointing,” the voice boomed, resonating like a thousand voices speaking in unison, reverberating through the void and into the very fabric of her being. It wasn’t loud in the conventional sense—it was all-encompassing, a presence that seeped into her thoughts and demanded attention.

  Yuki’s closed eyes twitched. That voice carried with it a weight she couldn't ignore, but it wasn't just its power that stoked her rage—it was its tone. Dismissive. Condescending. Like a god addressing an insect.

  The voice continued, the multitude of tones weaving into something incomprehensibly vast.

  “I Expected More From One Of HER Fragments.”

  A fsh of fury surged through Yuki’s fragile psyche. Her eyes snapped open—not that it mattered in this lightless void—and her voice screamed, raw and unfiltered, in her mind.

  “WHAT COULD I HAVE DONE?! THEY WERE TOO STRONG! THERE WERE THREE OF THEM, ALL BLESSED! THEY HAD THAT GODDESS—EVERY ADVANTAGE! AND I HAD NOTHING! NOTHING!”

  Her anger spilled into the void, her words a chaotic maelstrom of despair and frustration. For a moment, it felt as if the darkness recoiled from her outburst, quivering under the force of her fury. But then, it returned—steady, calm, unrelenting.

  “Then What If I Offered You Something?” the voice replied, unperturbed, as if her defiance was nothing more than an insect’s futile buzz against a hurricane.

  Yuki faltered. The sudden shift in the voice’s tone caught her off guard. It wasn’t mocking anymore. It was... calcuting. She hesitated, her anger now mingling with suspicion.

  “W-what?” she stammered, her voice trembling in the silence.

  “What If I Offered You Something? An Accord.”

  The darkness around her rippled, and for the first time, Yuki felt something tangible—a shift in the air, a weight pressing down on her chest. Then, with an unceremonious chime, a series of glowing words appeared in the void before her:

  [K■■■■ Y■■■■■ Is Offering You A Divine Quest]

  [Quest: Kill The Hero & Members of the Light & Healing Church]

  [Upon accepting the Quest, User Will Be Resurrected]

  [Completion of this Quest Results in the following reward: [Divine Skill] – [K■■■■ Y■■■■■’s Favor]]

  [Condition: Achieved by earning K■■■■ Y■■■■■’s personal favor through an act that aligns with their enigmatic will.]

  [Effect: Boosts all attributes by +200% and amplifies the effectiveness of skills and abilities by +300% for the duration. Grants temporary access to unique abilities tied to K■■■■ Y■■■■■’s authority, allowing the user to override certain system limitations.]

  [Drawback: Each second of activation increases Soul Instability by +5%, with prolonged use (over 20 seconds) causing potential permanent soul damage and eroding fragments of the user's identity.]

  [Do You Accept This Quest? Yes/No?]

  Yuki stared at the glowing text, her mind a storm of conflicting emotions. The offer dangled before her like forbidden fruit, tempting and repulsive in equal measure. For a fleeting moment, she wondered—did she even have a reason to go on? What was the point of fighting, of enduring, when everything she had tried to protect was gone? Lirien was dead, her hope extinguished. Could she keep going? Did she even want to?

  “No,” she whispered hoarsely, the word barely audible even in her own thoughts. “I can’t… I’m too broken.”

  “HHHMMM... Not Enticing Enough For You?” The voice returned, louder this time, its tone ced with amusement. “How About This?”

  New text materialized in front of her, shimmering with an eerie light.

  [K■■■■ Y■■■■■ Offers Additional Completion Quest Rewards:]

  [Knowledge on The Soul: Method of Resurrection, Soul Mending, and Soul Strengthening]

  [3 Low-Grade Probability Coins]

  [2 Skill Tokens]

  Yuki clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. The mention of resurrection stirred something in her—a cruel flicker of hope. Could she really bring them back? Could she fix the shattered pieces of her existence?

  The voice sensed her hesitation and pressed further. “You Could Save Her. You Could Bring Back The One You Promised. Is That Not Worth Fighting For?”

  Tears streamed down Yuki’s face, hot and silent in the void. The weight of the offer was suffocating, but beneath it simmered a fury she couldn’t contain.

  “Why?” she snarled, her voice trembling with anger. “Why now? Where were you when I needed help? Where were you when I was fighting to survive, when THEY were tearing me apart?! You watched, didn’t you? You watched me lose everything!”

  The voice chuckled—a sound that sent shivers down her spine. “Of Course I Watched. And Now I Am Offering You The Power You Lack. I Am Offering You Redemption. Vengeance. Isn’t That What You Crave?”

  “I don’t trust you,” Yuki spat, her anger burning brighter. “Why should I trust someone who treats me like a pawn in their game? What’s in it for you?”

  The voice was silent for a moment, and then it answered, its tone softer but no less unnerving. “You Are Correct To Doubt. Trust Is Earned, Not Given. But Consider This: What Do You Have To Lose? You Have Already Lost Everything. All I Offer Is The Chance To Take Back What Was Stolen From You.”

  Yuki’s breath hitched, her resolve wavering. The words were cruelly logical. She was adrift, broken, with nothing but regret and anger to anchor her. Slowly, her trembling hand reached toward the floating words. Her finger hovered over the “Yes” option, her mind screaming in protest even as her heart ached with desperate hope.

  “Lirien,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, “would you hate me if I did this?”

  The voice interjected, its tone smooth and almost coaxing. “She Would Thank You. She Would Want You To Fight. To Win. To Live.”

  Her eyes snapped open, the void receding as a blinding light filled her vision. Pain coursed through her body, a searing heat that burned away the despair. She felt her bones shift, her flesh warp, as the system’s notifications began to flood her mind once more. Then system prompts appeared in front of her in rapid succession, each one hitting her like a hammer against her soul:

  [System Notice: Nameless User Has Chosen To Accept A Divine Quest]

  [System Notice: Nameless User Will Now Resurrect]

  [System Notice: User Has Gained The Title Enemy Of A Church]

  [System Notice: User Has Met The Conditions For The Second Ascension]

  [System Notice: You Have Received Your Second Ascension]

  [System Notice: User Has Achieved the Impossible—Ascend Again In Less Then A Year From Your Previous Ascension]

  [System Notice: You Have Received the Acknowledgement of Graknor the Goblin (Noble)]

  [System Notice: You Have Been Given the Moniker {Hero of Monsters}]

  [System Notice: You Have Completed The Conditions For The King Modifier]

  [System Notice: You have gained the skill King TI]

  [System notice: User Has Made An Achievement First King of Their Race]

  [System Notice: User Has Met the Conditions for a Job Css.]

  [System Notice: [Void Infection TI] Tier Up Conditions Met! ■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■■■■■]

  [System Notice: [Void Infection] Has Now Tiered Up to Tier II]

  [System Notice: [Survivor] Skill: Tier Up Conditions Met! You Have Survived a Fatal Attack Using This Skill!]

  [System Notice: [Survivor] Has Now Tiered Up to Tier II]

  [System Notice: [Conversion] Skill: Tier Up Conditions Met! You Have Converted 1000 Or More Stats 10 Times]

  [System Notice: [Conversion] Has Now Tiered Up to Tier II]

  [System Notice: [Void Resonance] Skill: Tier Up Conditions Met! ■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■■■■■]

  [System Notice: [Void Resonance] Has Now Tiered Up to Tier II]

  [Rarity: World Css][Name: Disaster]Conditions:Survive a Certain Death ScenarioAcquire Title {Enemy Of A Church}Reach Ascension Level 2 Without a Job Css

  [System Notice: The Following Titles Have Been Acquired: [Disaster], [World Css Holder], [Anomaly], [Nameless King], [Follower of K■■■■ Y■■■■■]]

  [The Following Titles Are Reacting to the Existence of the title [Disaster]:[Summoned Hero][Infernal King][Unknown Celestial][Nameless King]

  [The Following Skills Are Reacting to the Existence of the Job Css [Disaster]:

  [Hero]

  [Infernal]

  [Celestial]

  [King]

  Round Two I Guess.

  Kiera_Yanagi