The creature was watching me.
Even from beyond the forest, I could feel its gaze locking onto mine.
An invisible pressure settled over my shoulders, making it difficult to breathe.
Then…
It disappeared.
“…”
I blinked.
The massive silhouette hidden among the towering trees had vanished without a sound.
“What was that thing?”
No answer came.
Instead, the translucent blue screen floating before my eyes flickered once.
Main Quest
Survive the First Night
Time Remaining: 17 Hours 42 Minutes
Reward: Origin Core Stage One
Failure: Permanent Death
I clenched my jaw.
“So this isn’t a dream…”
A second notification appeared.
Additional Warning
Host’s existence has been exposed.
Host is currently marked by The Void Hunter.
Threat Level: Unknown.
A cold chill crawled down my spine.
“Marked?”
“What does that even mean?”
The Origin Core remained silent.
Outside, frightened voices echoed through the village.
“Everyone to the square!”
“The hunters have returned!”
“Protect the children!”
I took a deep breath.
Panicking wouldn’t help.
If I wanted to survive, I needed information.
I stepped outside the small wooden house for the first time.
Ashwood Village was exactly as Kael’s memories described.
Dozens of wooden homes stood along dirt paths.
Smoke rose from stone chimneys.
Children clung to their parents in fear.
Old hunters sharpened iron spears while younger men carried bows and axes toward the village gate.
This world felt alive.
Real.
An elderly woman rushed toward me.
“Kael!”
Grandma Mira.
Although she wasn’t related by blood, she had raised Kael since he was six.
Tears welled in her eyes.
“You shouldn’t be outside!
Elder Rowan said your injuries were fatal.”
I forced a weak smile.
“I…
feel much better.”
She touched my forehead.
“No fever…”
Then her expression darkened.
“You were lucky.”
“The Shadow Fang Wolf almost tore your heart apart.”
Shadow Fang Wolf…
Kael’s memories surfaced once more.
A First-Tier Spirit Beast.
Fast.
Cruel.
Far stronger than an ordinary human.
If even one entered the village…
Many people would die.
A horn echoed across Ashwood.
Every villager froze.
One blast.
Two.
Three.
Elder Rowan’s voice thundered from the watchtower.
“Monster tide approaching!”
The peaceful village erupted into chaos.
Women hurried children toward the underground shelters.
Hunters formed defensive lines near the wooden walls surrounding the village.
Some were terrified.
Others simply looked resigned.
They had seen this before.
A middle-aged hunter tightened the strap on his spear.
“If we’re lucky…”
“It’s only wolves.”
No one answered.
Everyone knew luck rarely favored Ashwood.
Grandma Mira grabbed my arm.
“Come.”
“The shelter.”
I shook my head.
“If monsters break through…”
“The shelters won’t matter.”
She stared at me in surprise.
Kael had always been timid.
Always avoided danger.
Yet now…
Something about me felt different.
Before she could speak, another notification appeared.
Side Quest
Investigate the village.
Progress: 0%
Reward: Basic World Knowledge.
“So the system wants me to explore…”
Interesting.
I gently squeezed Grandma Mira’s hand.
“I’ll be careful.”
Without waiting for a reply, I moved toward the village square.
The Origin Core wasn’t giving me random tasks.
There had to be a reason.
As I walked, Kael’s fragmented memories gradually became clearer.
Ashwood Village was one of hundreds of settlements under the Azure Kingdom.
Every child awakened their cultivation talent at the age of fifteen.
Those with talent entered sects or academies.
Those without…
Spent their lives farming, hunting, or gathering herbs.
Kael belonged to the second group.
No Qi.
No Mana.
No future.
Until today.
The village square came into view.
A stone monument stood at its center.
Unlike the surrounding buildings, it was ancient.
Covered in strange symbols.
The moment I stepped closer…
The Origin Core reacted.
Thump.
Golden light pulsed beneath my skin.
The monument trembled.
Tiny cracks spread across its weathered surface.
No one noticed.
Everyone was too busy preparing for the incoming attack.
Only I could hear the whisper.
“Origin…”
I froze.
“…Who said that?”
Silence.
Then another whisper.
“Return…”
The voice wasn’t inside my head.
It came from the monument itself.
My hand slowly reached toward the ancient stone.
The instant my fingers touched it—
A flood of visions invaded my mind.
Towering cities floating among the stars.
Warriors splitting oceans with a single strike.
Dragons larger than continents.
And at the center of it all…
A colossal golden tree whose branches stretched across entire galaxies.
Then I saw…
A man.
He stood beneath the tree wearing black robes.
His face was hidden.
But before the vision ended, he turned toward me.
And smiled.
“You’ve finally arrived.”
Everything went dark.
When my vision returned, I was lying on the ground.
Villagers surrounded me.
“Kael!”
“He’s awake!”
“What happened?”
I sat up slowly.
Blood trickled from my nose.
The monument looked exactly as before.
No cracks.
No light.
No whispers.
Had I imagined it?
No.
Because a new notification floated before me.
Hidden Quest Discovered
The First Origin Monument
Status: Activated
Progress: 1/9
Before I could process those words—
A deafening explosion echoed from the northern gate.
Wood shattered.
People screamed.
A hunter was thrown through the air like a broken doll.
Then a terrifying howl echoed across Ashwood.
The monster tide…
Had arrived.