Venix felt tears streaming down his cheeks, yet a joyful smile still adorned his face, as if the world could not be any more beautiful.
The people of Numan World had played a significant role in his journey from the very beginning to this moment, enabling him to eliminate the Seed of Chaos.
At that moment, Venix noticed Grandmaster Orion, Grandmaster Ardyn, and the others suddenly becoming vigilant. Their expressions shifted, revealing caution toward Venix.
Venix opened his mouth, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke, "I... I won!" Even if it meant repeating himself multiple times or undergoing extensive scrutiny to prove his identity, Venix wouldn’t mind.
Deep in his heart, Venix had developed a profound attachment to Numan World! Even if it was a virtual world, it didn’t matter! There was no harm in making Numan World his second home.
But in the next moment, Venix sensed that something was amiss—something incredibly important felt as though it had been lost.
Looking at Grandmaster Orion, Grandmaster Ardyn, and the others, Venix saw their expressions frozen, maintaining the same wary look on their faces.
With nervousness and a mixture of joy, Venix said again, "I—I... I won!"
His voice echoed throughout the room, but their expressions remained unchanged, frozen in place.
Venix didn’t know what was happening, confusion rising in his heart.
\---
\[ Hidden Mission: Numan World has been completed ]
The system interface appeared, notifying Venix that a mission he had long ignored had suddenly been marked as complete.
\---
\[ Evaluating mission completion level ]
\[ Detecting that Numan World is a specially modified Tutorial World ]
\[ Tutorial completed. Numan World will be permanently deleted from the system ]
\---
"What!?" Venix exclaimed in shock.
Numan World being deleted from the system just like that? This made Venix feel as if the system was deliberately doing this to him!
After forming a special bond with Numan World, was the system simply going to erase it? How could Venix accept this?
"Cancel it! Cancel the deletion of Numan World!" Venix shouted, desperately trying to halt the process.
However, from start to finish, the system remained passive and never responded to Venix's pleas.
The system only ever followed his commands to open menus, view profiles, or enter the Virtual World. Beyond that, it ignored him entirely.
\---
In front of Venix’s eyes, the world suddenly turned silent and lifeless.
Crack \~ Crack \~
The sound of fracturing echoed around Venix. Simultaneously, the world before him seemed to morph into a three-dimensional image. He could no longer sense any trace of life within it.
Crack \~ SHATTER!
The world before Venix shattered into fragments of glass, scattering in all directions.
The chains binding Venix also broke, leaving his body free to move.
\---
His eyes red with sorrow, Venix moved forward. His hands reached out, desperately trying to grab the fragments of glass drifting further and further away from him, as though he was trying to hold onto remnants of his memories.
Among the fragments, Venix saw the faces of Grandmaster Orion and Grandmaster Ardyn.
He reached out toward the shards, but as soon as his hand touched them, the pieces pierced through his skin and fell into the void below.
Venix tried to grab them, extending his hand further toward the abyss.
Yet his hand struck an invisible floor, unable to reach further.
Though the void surrounded his body, somehow Venix did not fall; instead, he felt his body resting against an unseen surface.
\---
All of Numan World was reduced to countless fragments of glass.
Venix sat still, enveloped by confusion. His fiery red eyes stared at the destruction of Numan World, each flying shard cutting deeper into his heart.
At one point, he saw a fragment that displayed Luna, a figure he had not seen in a long time.
Through the shard, Venix saw Luna’s bright and cheerful face as she gazed at a monitor.
Seeing this, a pang of pain struck Venix’s chest.
"No! Cancel this deletion! Cancel it now!" Venix yelled, waving his hands as though he could halt the destruction.
But the system ignored him, and the process of annihilation continued unabated.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
The once vast and beautiful Numan World turned into an endless expanse of shattered glass, replaced by infinite emptiness.
\---
Venix’s body grew limp as he collapsed, sitting on the invisible floor amidst the surrounding void.
His vision blurred as tears streamed down his face.
\---
\[ You have successfully resolved the core issue of Numan World! ]
\[ You demonstrated to Numan World’s civilization that the Seed Origin can be fully controlled by an Awaken, raising the mission completion level. ]
\[ You revealed the alternate form of Astral Body and Seed Origin: True Origin! The perfect fusion of the two. ]
\[ You have completed the Numan World mission with a 300% completion rate! ]
\[ You received 3,000,000 Resource Points as a reward. ]
\[ Tutorial World completed. Unlocking access to the next Virtual World. ]
\[ Host has unlocked access to two Virtual Worlds: Beast Carnage and Four Castle Association. ]
\[ Detected that Tutorial difficulty exceeded standard levels. ]
\[ Calculating compensation for Host. ]
\---
The system interface delivered good news, but Venix no longer cared. He stared blankly at the destruction of Numan World.
Sensing Venix’s unstable emotions, deep within his soul where his True Origin resided, Vulture moved closer, gently nuzzling the form of Venix’s True Origin.
With his current level, Venix could instantly transfer his consciousness to his True Origin’s body with a mere thought.
Placing a third of his consciousness into his True Origin, Venix managed a faint smile, stroking Vulture’s head as it tried to comfort him.
"I’m fine; you don’t need to worry," Venix said, forcing a smile.
But Vulture didn’t stop, continuing its attempts to cheer Venix up.
Seeing Vulture’s endearing behavior, Venix felt a small measure of solace.
"Numan World is a replica of the real world out there."
A familiar voice echoed around Venix, seemingly coming from outside his body.
Turning to the side, Venix spotted his "Future Self," standing not far away, translucent as though it could vanish at any moment.
Venix shook his head slightly. "They’re not the same people."
Even if there was an original Numan World somewhere out there, Venix hadn’t connected with its inhabitants, and the people he knew wouldn’t recognize him either.
"But their dreams are the same," said Venix’s Future Self. "What they fought for, what they sacrificed to help you—all of it was for one purpose: to escape the prison that confines their civilization."
Venix fell silent, listening intently without offering a response.
"If you want to thank them, fulfill their dreams in the real world," his Future Self urged, his face solemn. "Even if they aren’t the same people you knew, you can at least honor their sacrifices by proving that their ideals and dreams have been realized."
Venix pondered his Future Self's words, digesting them carefully.
Truthfully, achieving something like that seemed a far-off possibility for Venix.
"Do you know the coordinates of Numan World?" Venix asked softly.
Though he had no knowledge of interstellar travel, knowing the coordinates would make it easier should he ever gain access to advanced technology in the future.
"No," his Future Self replied, shaking his head. "All I know is that I once landed in Numan World. How I got there, I don’t remember."
Venix’s gaze grew rigid as he stared at his Future Self before sighing softly.
After contemplating for a while, Venix closed his eyes and made a silent vow: if he ever gained the capability, he would search for Numan World and offer his help.
At the same time, Venix recognized the need to grow stronger—strong enough to surpass the Primecore level and ensure his own survival.
Although Venix trusted Luna, Grandmaster Ardyn, and Grandmaster Orion, he reminded himself that all of these events had unfolded in a Virtual World, not the real one.
He couldn’t be certain whether he’d forge a bond with them if he ever managed to reach Numan World.
"This Virtual Ascension System..." Venix opened his eyes slowly. "Did you create it?"
"I’m not that brilliant," his Future Self replied with a bitter smile, raising his head to gaze at the ruined remains of Numan World. "The Virtual Ascension System is a treasure known as the Primordial Dream Treasure. Somehow, Seed of Chaos obtained it."
Venix raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised to learn about the system’s extraordinary origin.
At the same time, he felt a flicker of doubt. "You managed to steal this treasure from Seed of Chaos? How?"
Hearing this, his Future Self grinned proudly, a flash of hatred crossing his face. "That fool brought about his own downfall and suffered grave injuries! I used the technique I taught you to reclaim control of my own body!"
A glimmer of understanding flickered in Venix’s eyes as he nearly forgot that his Future Self had once been under the control of Seed of Chaos.
"I regained control of my body after so long!" his Future Self exclaimed excitedly. "But I didn’t have much time; Seed of Chaos could awaken and reclaim control at any moment."
He recalled the harrowing scenes of that time, a tense memory etched deeply in his mind.
"At that moment, I realized I was in the River of Time," his Future Self said softly, continuing, "I seized the opportunity to use the Primordial Dream Treasure to return to the past and embed the Virtual Ascension System within myself in the present."
His voice grew hoarse, as if he were on the verge of exhaustion.
"The Primordial Dream Treasure requires only a person’s imagination to create whatever they desire," his Future Self explained, waving a hand to project an image of a gloomy world above the surface and a brighter world beneath it.
Venix stared at the image, puzzled by its meaning.
"Fighting Seed of Chaos would only bring misfortune to my body," his Future Self said gently. "So, I envisioned a Virtual World to separate misfortune from fortune. Using that, I imagined a system like this—to channel all misfortune into my real-world body and all fortune into my Virtual World self."
Venix’s heart jolted as he processed the explanation.
Was this why he felt everything had escalated so quickly around him since becoming Awaken, as though the world was rushing to eliminate him?
"I also retained some memories of Numan World and felt it was the perfect place to aid my growth against Seed of Chaos," his Future Self continued softly.
Venix remained silent for a moment before rasping out, "Could... misfortune affect others?"
His Future Self turned to look at him. "Yes. Misfortune and fortune can influence those around you. If strong enough, it could impact entire nations."
Venix froze, raising his head to meet his Future Self’s gaze. "Ronan’s death might have been because of me."
His Future Self sighed deeply. "So, in the end, he still died."
Venix clenched his fists, anger burning deeply within him. He couldn’t explain why, but a wave of guilt and fury toward himself surged stronger than ever.
Perhaps Rael had also been affected by him, unable to become a chosen Awaken in the Origin Era because of his misfortune.
"I don’t have much time left," his Future Self said, his voice barely audible. "The timeline has shifted. I can’t stay any longer."
Relaxing his fists, Venix stared at his Future Self. "If you’ve truly altered the timeline and returned to the past, why am I still here? If you control everything, the outcome would surely be better!"
At this, his Future Self laughed wildly, almost mockingly.
"Why do you think I did this?" he asked, fixing Venix with a piercing gaze.
"To change the past, right? And to exact revenge on Seed of Chaos?" Venix replied.
"That’s part of it," his Future Self admitted with a nod. "But my ultimate goal is to bring an end to everything."
Venix stared at his Future Self, doubt flickering in his eyes.
"Can you imagine living for countless years, trapped in a cramped, dark space, occasionally catching glimpses of the outside world? You’re forbidden from dying, yet you’re not allowed to truly live!" His Future Self laughed maniacally, his emotions spilling over in one last burst.
In the next moment, his Future Self’s body disintegrated into particles of energy, shattering rapidly.
"Live your life well. I don’t care what you do afterward, as long as you cherish every moment."
His Future Self’s voice echoed in Venix’s mind as the energy particles merged with him, adhering like magnets.
The next moment, Venix experienced the memories of his Future Self’s entire life.
