1.
The System’s First Command
Where am I now?
Ah…
This is bad!
When I saw the System for the first time, I was completely stunned.
Unable to understand what I was looking at, I reached out my hand and tried to touch it.
But nothing happened.
My hand passed straight through empty space.
Just then, a strange voice echoed inside my head.
[WELCOME TO THE AWAKEN WORLD.]
[YOU WILL BE GIVEN A TASK.]
[FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE TASK WILL RESULT IN YOUR DELETION.]
“What?”
I stood there speechless for a moment.
Then I twisted my face in annoyance.
What a pain!
All I wanted was a little peace.
After everything I had been through, didn’t I at least deserve a few days to live as I pleased?
But no!
The moment this stupid System awakened me, it had already burdened me with a task.
I sighed.
“Fine.
Let’s see what kind of nonsense you’re going to show me next.”
Just then, the voice rang out again.
SYSTEM: BEEP…
[DETERMINING YOUR TASK.]
[LOCATION SELECTION COMPLETE.]
[TRANSPORTING YOU TO THE DESERT.]
[SYSTEM LOADING…]
“Wait a minute…
What did you say?”
Before I could finish speaking, the scenery around me changed.
The ground beneath my feet, the view in front of me, even the feeling of the air—all of it seemed to disappear in an instant.
And in the next moment…
Everything had changed.
2.
An Endless Sea of Sand
The moment I opened my eyes, it felt as though someone had poured fire directly into them.
The sunlight was so intense that keeping my eyes open was painful.
There was nothing but sand around me.
Sand dunes in front of me.
Sand dunes behind me.
And as far as my eyes could see, an enormous desert stretched toward the horizon.
There were no roads.
No houses.
No people.
Not even a distant rock or a patch of bushes.
I stood there for a while, staring at my surroundings.
Then I muttered in irritation, “Where the hell has this stupid System brought me?”
I had heard that the System transported every newly awakened person to a specific location.
But a desert?
Was there really nowhere else in the entire world?
“What am I supposed to do here?”
Of course, there was no one around to answer my question.
Above me, the sun burned as if it had decided to roast me alive.
“Ah…
It’s unbearably hot!”
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and looked around.
Where should I go?
Which direction would give me the best chance of survival?
I had no map.
No water.
No food.
I didn’t even know exactly where I was.
After thinking for a while, I chose a direction based on the sun’s position.
When there was no other option, moving in one direction was better than standing still.
So I started walking.
One step.
Then another.
Nearly thirty minutes passed like that.
Before long, I began to feel sick.
My head grew heavy, and my throat had dried up completely.
I stopped.
I won’t last long if I keep going like this.
Perhaps I had enough strength to walk for another two hours.
But before that, I needed to find somewhere to rest.
I needed shade.
I needed water.
And I needed food.
Without even one of those things, my future wouldn’t look particularly bright.
“Damn it!
This is miserable!”
Still, standing around wouldn’t help.
I started walking again.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
The sand beneath my feet was scorching, the air was hot, and the sun above me showed no intention of having mercy.
Time seemed to have stopped.
Finally, after walking for nearly an hour, I noticed something in the distance.
I stopped.
Squinting, I stared ahead.
Was that…
A pond?
And trees surrounding it?
For several moments, I couldn’t say anything.
“Is that…
real?”
I had heard that people lost in the desert sometimes saw things that weren’t really there because of the extreme heat.
A mirage.
Perhaps the same thing was happening to me.
I didn’t immediately rush toward it.
Instead, I continued walking in my original direction.
But after taking a few steps, I looked back.
The pond was still there.
So were the trees.
I stared at them for a long time.
Then I slowly began walking toward them.
A few minutes later…
I finally reached the pond.
It was real!
Before my eyes lay actual water, surrounded by several trees.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, glittering across the surface.
I stood there in disbelief.
If I had dismissed it as a mirage and ignored it, I might still be wandering through the desert, waiting for death.
“Finally…”
An involuntary smile appeared on my lips.
“I found water.”
I wasted no time.
Kneeling beside the pond, I drank my fill.
As the cool water passed down my throat, it felt as though life had returned to my body.
Then I picked several dates from a nearby tree and ate them.
After filling my stomach a little, I sat beneath the tree and rested.
For a brief moment, I felt that perhaps the world wasn’t entirely cruel.
But that feeling didn’t last long.
Because one problem remained.
How was I supposed to get out of this desert?
I had no food, no sufficient supply of water, and no idea which direction would lead me out.
I leaned against the tree trunk and closed my eyes, trying to sleep.
But my thoughts kept spinning inside my head.
Why had the System brought me here?
Wasn’t I supposed to fight monsters or something after awakening?
Or was there another kind of trial hidden somewhere in this desert?
The more I thought about it, the more irritated I became.
“This System really is a pain…”
I looked up at the sky.
The sun was slowly descending toward the western horizon.
And I still had no idea that this night was about to become one of the most terrifying nights of my life.
3.
Visitors in the Night
Night fell.
Strangely enough, nothing happened at first.
No monsters attacked me.
I didn’t encounter any immediate danger.
Honestly, I felt relieved.
At least I could spend the night in peace.
But there was one thing I hadn’t realized.
Danger was already approaching me.
Suddenly—
Rustle…
Clack…
A strange sound reached my ears.
I opened my eyes.
The sound was coming from a distance.
It sounded like someone walking.
No…
not just one person.
Many.
My body instantly went on alert.
“What is that?”
I quickly got up and moved behind a nearby tree.
Then I carefully peeked around its trunk.
The next moment, my entire body stiffened.
Skeletons.
A group of skeletons shaped like humans was slowly approaching.
They had no flesh.
No skin.
Only bones.
Some of them even carried broken weapons.
A scream nearly escaped my throat.
But at the last moment, I clamped my hand over my mouth.
Stay calm.
Don’t make a single sound.
I tried to control even my breathing.
My heart was pounding so violently that I felt they might hear it from where they stood.
I kept watching them.
Now I could see them more clearly.
Several skeletons had no arms, as though someone had forcibly ripped them off.
Others had broken ribs.
Deep cracks ran through different parts of their bodies.
A few looked as though they had been torn apart by the attacks of dead monsters.
A chill ran down my spine.
If they discover me…
I couldn’t look away.
Will I die here?
One thing was clear: I had no chance of fighting these monsters directly.
I had no weapons and no combat experience.
I couldn’t even tell how many of them there were.
So instead of thinking about fighting, it was far more sensible to find a way to escape.
After observing them for a while, an idea came to mind.
What if I could make them fight each other?
Perhaps if they started fighting among themselves, I would get an opportunity to escape.
The idea wasn’t foolproof, but what harm could there be in trying?
I carefully climbed up a tree and settled on a branch from which I could see most of the surrounding area.
Then I waited.
However, after observing them for some time, I realized that my assumption had been wrong.
The skeletons pushed one another around.
If one blocked another’s path, it simply shoved it aside.
But none of them attacked the others.
Not even once.
I frowned.
Are they part of the same group?
Or was there something behind their behavior that I didn’t understand yet?
I had no answers.
Occasionally, strange noises came from their bodies.
Their bones clattered against one another, producing an unsettling sound.
Every time I heard it, my body involuntarily flinched.
Time passed.
Nearly thirty minutes later, something strange happened.
All the skeletons suddenly stopped.
Then, almost simultaneously, they turned their heads and looked in the same direction.
The next moment, they began moving that way.
It seemed something in the distance had caught their attention.
Sitting on the tree branch, I watched them leave.
One.
Two.
Ten.
One by one, most of the skeletons disappeared into the distance.
A few, however, remained near the pond.
I looked down.
Is this my chance to escape?
If I could find a way out of here, that would be great.
But the monsters below were still blocking my path.
So I waited.
Another ten minutes passed.
Then I noticed two figures approaching in the distance.
Someone was coming this way.
I narrowed my eyes and stared.
At first, I couldn’t identify them because of the darkness.
But as they drew closer, their shapes became clearer.
Humans.
At least, they looked human.
Perhaps they had arrived here through the System just like me.
But seeing them didn’t make me want to help.
Why would it?
Helping them might put my own life at risk.
I had no intention of doing something as foolish as risking my life for strangers.
I wasn’t a good person.
Had I ever been one?
I couldn’t even remember.
In this world, if I wanted to survive, I had to put my own interests first.
At least, that was what I had learned.
So I remained hidden behind the tree.
Within moments, the situation changed.
The two people suddenly started running.
And behind them—
Dozens of monsters were chasing them!
The skeletons must have sensed their presence long ago.
Judging by the way the two were desperately running, it seemed they would be caught within moments.
Even so, I didn’t move.
If they die here, that’s not my problem.
If I help them, I might die too.
My life was precious to me.
And who was I to those two?
Nobody.
They wouldn’t do anything for me.
So why should I risk my life for them?
I gritted my teeth and remained hidden behind the tree.
I would live for myself.
No one else.
That was my decision.
4.
Unexpected Strength
The two people were fighting desperately.
The number of skeletons surrounding them seemed to increase.
The clattering of bones echoed in every direction, and the occasional clash of weapons produced sharp, metallic sounds.
I sat on the tree branch, observing everything.
After some time, the fight suddenly stopped.
Then—
Silence fell over the area.
I stared down in disbelief.
What happened?
Where were the monsters?
Slowly, I leaned forward and looked more carefully.
Then my eyes widened in astonishment.
A pile of skeletons lay scattered across the ground.
Not one or two.
Nearly fifty skeletons!
And standing before them were the same two people.
Only moments ago, they had been running for their lives.
Now they had killed every single monster!
Impossible…
I couldn’t believe my own eyes.
Fifty monsters.
Two people.
And the result of the battle—every monster was dead!
I continued staring at them.
Just how powerful are they?
One question after another raced through my mind.
Had the System given them some kind of ability that I didn’t have?
Or were they already trained fighters?
Whatever the answer, one thing was certain.
I couldn’t afford to mistake these two for ordinary people.
5.
The Girl
After the battle ended, both of them collapsed onto the desert sand.
Their bodies were exhausted.
Their heavy breathing could be heard even from a distance.
I had no intention of approaching them.
Instead, I remained where I was, hidden in my spot.
What if they see me and ask—
“You saw us.
Why didn’t you help?”
I didn’t want to answer that kind of question.
Because the truth was simple.
I hadn’t wanted to help them.
And I had no intention of explaining my decisions to anyone.
After a while, the two slowly began moving toward the pond.
I understood their intentions.
Water.
And food.
That meant they had probably been wandering around this desert for quite some time, too.
I quickly climbed down from the tree.
Then I lay down near the edge of the pond, closed my eyes, and pretended to be asleep.
The two noticed me.
However, they didn’t approach me immediately.
First, they drank their fill from the pond.
Only after recovering a little did they slowly walk toward me.
There were two of them.
A boy.
And a girl.
The boy stopped beside me.
Then he reached out his hand, seemingly intending to wake me up.
But before he could touch me, the girl grabbed his wrist.
“Wait.”
The boy looked at her.
The girl didn’t answer.
Her gaze remained fixed on me.
She was examining me from head to toe.
There was no curiosity in her eyes.
Only caution.
And behind that caution was a coldness that made me uncomfortable.
“This could be a trap,” she said.
I silently agreed with her.
She’s smart.
Very smart.
She hadn’t blindly trusted a stranger.
Instead, she was carefully analyzing the situation.
After a few moments, she slowly drew her sword.
The metal blade glinted beneath the moonlight.
Then she pointed it directly at me.
“There’s no point pretending anymore.”
I didn’t move.
The girl’s voice was as cold as ice.
“Get up.”
I remained still for a few seconds.
Then I slowly opened my eyes.
My gaze first fell on the sword.
Then I looked at the girl holding it.
There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in her eyes.
She really might attack me.
I slowly raised both hands.
The girl narrowed her eyes and stared at me.
Then she asked—
“What are you doing here?”