[Standing beyond the ravages of time, the Karkonic Temple formerly hosted an ancient civilization. Humanoid creatures of diverse appearance with great ambitions. Each dreamed to remove their race's shackles and soar past the confines of this planet.

When medicine and artifacts did not help, they yearned for evolution. Unfortunately, the Heavens lacked empathy.

Struggling to achieve greatness, stuck experimenting deep into their laboratories and testing grounds, the now modern Hagjion Race would disregard their thousands of years of research, unhopeful with its potential down the line, to find another way. Weapons capable of evaporating mountains within moments, healing methods regenerating lost limbs, medicine transcending the mortal thoughts, nearly granting immortality.

Nothing could truly be dimmed worthy. The difficulty of breaking through the tiers of civilization nothing to scoff at.

But what if there truly existed another way?

Throughout thousands of years, the magnificence of their progress remained emptiness lacking their ancestors' imagination. Their science had attained the limits of what this world could offer, but they still had no clue on how their past race managed to rarely gain tremendous strength. They had yet to revive their mediocre cultivation path.

Met with this truth, the remaining priests of the Karkonic Temple foolishly decided to tempt fate. They thought nothing of it, not believing in ghosts, demons or gods. They only saw two outcomes : Failure or transcendence.

They had failed to account for a success producing a nefarious result.

During the following decades, the priests and residents would subject themselves to forbidden rituals their ancestors had protested against. Esoteric methods of the past none of their race dared to attempt.

But one day, as the useless candles flickered and the priests shouted words of confusion, a dark mist began to form above their grand altar. At its base, supported by hundreds of believers, a glimmering scythe formed. Its edge rattled the minds of all present, before the altar's weight itself rivaled a mountain.

Still underneath, hundreds of believers were immediately crushed, wailing their terror into vengeful ghosts. The priests lacked the ability to defend themselves, slaughtered mysteriously.

Unbeknown to all, they had summoned a fragment of divinity unable to grant mercifulness.

A fraction of Death had appeared, cursed under their forbidden ritual to remain chained in this forsaken place for the next hundred thousand years.]

"..."

"Let me get this straight... the thing I just fled from... that's... Death? As in... Death?! The grim reaper!?" At least I wasn't as embarrassed anymore. "I'd say it's a pride to have pissed my pants at Death itself..." But it didn't make me at ease, the part I escaped was just the entrance. Unless... but that wouldn't look right. No, the place I'm in is already countless times more appropriate to host such a ritual.

Strangely enough, the system wasn't done yet.

[Tasked with investigating the Karkonic Temple, you must explore its depths and escape Death's maddened fragment. Being part of the Dual Tower, you are confident in your abilities to make it back unscathed. Find the Cursed Jewel and shatter the remaining altar.]

"Confident? Are you blind or what? I pissed my pants! What's confidence to you?? What is not confident then?!" Pushing the mess away, I examine the grand hall of aged stone, like an old church. Once done, I rest on one of the broken wooden benches soon realizing my luck, as Death's stats should have been more than enough to catch me. Without answers, I just let it go and thanked my lucky star.

.

.

.

I ended up sleeping it seems, as I open my eyes to the calmness amidst flickering candles. I don't get how they are still lit, but since it's another world, I won't mind it. Now it's time to progress.

Gazing at the distant darkness deep into a tall corridor, I shiver unconsciously. The closer I get to this place, the more intense the smell is. Old, decrepit air filled with the smoke of the candles behind. I also smell residual tobacco, though it probably isn't from a cigarette, or tobacco for that matter. But who knows, it's another world, right? I don't recall such a place existing on Earth, despite the dungeons getting a bit crazy sometimes. Reminds me of the tower in the Sun Territory, one hell of a place.

"Didn't Almeon Gallion go there or something?" That guy is a rather noble superhuman. His blonde hair don't match mine, his entire self filled with confidence. Meanwhile I pissed my pants at a shadow...

But that's not a fair comparison, for now. I'm a mid B-Rank while he's a star ranker. I just don't remember if we know how many of his stats are S+. I think he had at least three S-Rank or Stars. What a lucky son of a bitch. But it's perfectly fine. He may have the luck of the draw, but I have the luck of having cheats!

Well, it's been a couple minutes of random thoughts, maybe I should grab my fear by the horns and actually go forward? I've been standing in front of the corridor like a pussy. "Here I go... yay..." Without a thought, I grit my teeth and enter the darkness. But I go back only a few seconds later. "If I'm gonna think about random bullshit, maybe I should spend that time thinking about useful stuff too!" With an exasperated sigh, I go and grab two candles. They don't feel hot, even when I touch the flame. Clearly it's ordinary fire, which has no chance of burning a body with F+ endurance. It may burn my clothes though... probably not to be fair, but I won't mess with it.

Graced by the small candles' illumination, I can finally see what lies into this corridor. The ceiling is rounded, and everything is built with grey stone bricks. I could probably stand three times height-wise, but only lay once or less width-wise. Not only so, but it's creeping me out each step. There are no turns for a dozen or so seconds of slow walking, before an old wooden door stands in my path. "Should I knock or..." Scratching my head mentally, since both hands are occupied, I ignore the newly born itch and kick it open. Thankfully it isn't locked, otherwise I might've fallen on my butt like an idiot.

Behind this door lies an even darker space. I can barely see the floor right around me thanks to the candles, but otherwise am unable to peer through anything. The air smells stale, with a hint of freshness from the confines of a nighttime forest. Worries further, I decide to gently throw a candle forward, thinking right after how making it roll would've been better. The flame stays lit, flickering as wind is forced on it. But unfortunately, it only illuminates the floor a few meters ahead. No matter how hard I focused, the space remained pitch black. Sighing, I spiritually voice my complaints and summon the status command a bunch of times.

Nothing. "Safe..?" With a gentle murmur to match, I timidly take steps forward in large strides. My entire weight is shifted behind the whole time, nearly crouching onto the floor. It takes me way too long before I'm done exploring the area. There are mossy stone brick walls on four sides, in a rectangular shape. Foremost are rooted a couple of steps, leading up to a church booth. After some deliberations I try to summon a flame, but the Crimson Arts somehow don't want to respond. The Qi pathways seem to constrict and block the flow of Qi immediately when the martial art's pattern surge. This means I'm most likely forbidden from using my own martial arts for these challenges.

This is troublesome, while the admin is meddlesome, if that is its doing.

A couple hours later, with nothing interrupting me, I decide to finally open the booth. I cross dozens of meters until I finally reach it. Pushing whatever wooden door there is open, I enter.

Nothing happens for a while, standing there like an idiot in pure darkness. But light finally blossoms in front of my wide eyes. "Huh?" Beautifully breathtaking. In front of me, past the booth's cramped space, is a completely different world. Shades of purple and blue dance around. A vast circular plain of turquoise grass proudly flails from the mythical astral winds, caressing my face as I take a good eyeful around. Trees are sparse at the edges of this space, leaves hanging from above by some mysterious force. The sky is blanketed by the crowns of some type of other tree, gigantic the only word in my mind. As the circular plains near the center, the more it is sunken, like a crater. Only a few hundred meters down, I see a ring of flowing water, turbid waves crashing on the grass. This water is more like an otherworldly liquid of a vivid sky blue color, the twinkling of white dots everywhere I see.

This giant donut like river is shielding a plot of land seemingly identical to the rest. But as I make my way down, my mouth nearly drooling with how open it is, my vision is finally freed from the countless hanging leaves.

However far this place is, in the center of this island or plot is a thin figure, radiating elegance. Dark blue robes one would see at a banquet of utmost nobility, followed by a waterfall of black hair like the midnight sky. At this scenery, my raging emotions of terror are quenched as my frustrated libido is somehow nullified. At my inner turmoil, this being turns back around, a tall woman of exquisite features glancing in my direction.

My heart is nearly impaled with lightning, shaking my core. Her face alone is enough to conquer my mind, nearly losing myself. Not having seen any action, and being busy with cultivation, my mental sexual frustration should have made me jump at her like a rabid beast. Yet I am having none of it. My lucidity is clear and pure, as if ready to worship this Goddess of unknown origins.

By this point, my feet are already plunged into the river, gazing at her deep eyes, shimmering like a galaxy. The liquid submerging me is neither cold nor hot, like the caring grace of a mother. But my greed knows no bound, wanting to learn more about this being. I peek at her status, only wanting talking points to approach her.

[Star Fairy - Manifestation of the Illusory Cosmos]

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Age : 812 355 206 474 059

Immortal Cultivation : None

Immortal Titles : Star Fairy, Manifestation of the Illusory Cosmos, Starry Demon, Starry Angel, Cosmos Born Fairy, Immortal Fairy, Fairy, Tarnished Cosmic Blood

HP | ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (N)

DT | ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ | (??? / ???)

STR : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ ??

SPD : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ N

END : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ N

SEN : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ D+

SOUL : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ N

WISD : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ ??

LUCK : ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ N

Skills : Cosmic Dao - lv.?, Star Seer Method - lv.?, Star Soul Hammer - lv.?, Fragmented Cosmic Devastation - lv.?

At the sight of her status from the corner of my eyes, my reverence quickly melted into horror as I ran back like a frightened rabbit. "The hell?! I almost got myself killed!"

As if sensing my terror, this being speaks with a crystal clear, soft feminine voice. "Who's there?" She appears lost, looking around seemingly unable to see me any longer. "Was there nothing? Please! I am lonely in this place! I beg of you to free me!" I don't know what's going on, this mess apparently not within the challenge's boundaries, my mind and heart aching at her voice. She sounds so genuine, yet her pleasing musical voice sends nightmares into my brain. I can feel my greed surging like the tide, but not for conquest - for defense instead.

Not capable of bearing her saddened voice any longer, I make another run for it, this time aimed at the booth. Kicking it open, the wood shatters as I plunge head first.

"Ha...ha..."

"Fuuuuuck!" I gasp for breath, noticing a message radiating light on my face.

[You have shown great restraint and foresight, surviving the temptation of the cosmos. You have been rewarded with : Shattered Star Sigil (D-)]

"Let me... take a break..."

Shattered Star Sigil (D-)

>A fragment of a once grand sigil. One can feel cosmic truths radiate and pulsate from within.

>Only by fusing nine of these shattered sigils will they truly shine the brightest.

After recovering my wits, I took a good look at it. Apart from the perfectly smooth rounded edge on one side, the other edges were brunt and obviously part of something greater. But instead of it being cleanly cut into pieces, these were truly, as their name suggested, shattered from it.

With a sigh, I still hadn't found the altar nor the crystal. Without much of a choice, I either needed to be lucky and find another path, or unfortunately be forced to go back there and face Death.