"Wait, you can tell me that?"

I was just testing the waters; I didn't think he would actually reply to what I said.

"I mean, wasn't that obvious? Even a thirteen-year-old could figure that out."

"Ohh…" The guide pointing that out now made complete sense.

"Anyway, that's your allowance, keep it safe." After he said that he stopped walking and faced me.

"And no matter what, don't lose the pouch."

"Umm…okay."

I hadn't even opened it so I didn't know what kind of coins were inside.

I'll just put it away for now then.

"Next up is this."

The same magical phenomenon that occurred earlier happened again—a glow appeared out of thin air, but this time, instead of a pouch, it was a…

"Jewelry?"

It was a string-like object with jewelry hanging from it. It was a means of beautification worn by the rich in Demo City. Mostly by women.

The weird part, though, was that this one had three different pieces of jewelry on the string. The ones the women wore back in Demo City usually had only one.

"It's a pendant. A trinity pendent. Wear it around your neck at all times. Never take it off."

I snatched the pendant from the air just before it could drop this time.

The cool metal brushed my fingertips, sending a faint chill through my skin. Three pieces of jewelry hung from it, glowing with a sinister, blood-red hue and casting an eerie light across my palm. The pendant wasn't held by string—it was a finely crafted chain, gleaming with a rich gold luster.

The chain's intricate pattern caught my eye, almost forming symbols or letters, though I couldn't understand them. It felt like the links hid a message, just out of reach, hinting there was more to this pendant than it seemed.

I immediately wore the pendant around my neck, and it shone with a bright gold color before dimming and disappearing.

"It's gone?!" I said, a bit jumpily.

"You know, Jay, you've seen a lot of weird things by now. I'm amazed you still get surprised so easily."

"Sorry…I'm just not in the right state of mind right now."

The words the guide had said to me earlier had taken an emotional toll, and I was still trying to recover.

"Whatever. Now for the last item…it's not really an item, but a skill."

"A skill? Like farming or blacksmithing?" I asked, perplexed.

"No, not that. Don't worry about it; the system will handle that explanation. You'll get the skill once you start your journey. Hmm…what else? I think that's about it."

His eyes suddenly narrowed as he spoke in a calm voice, but I could sense a serious intent behind his calmness.

"Remember everything I've told you. Believe in yourself and believe in the system. It will do its best to keep you alive. But it will need your full cooperation to make that happen."

"Give your all to every mission you take on, and your purpose will reveal itself. Trust in humans and living beings a little more—you might be surprised by what you discover. You don't have to take my word for it—I'm not asking you to—but the truth is, you don't really have a choice."

"You're being forced into this; you have no say in the matter. But everything will make sense in time. Just have faith, and what you truly want deep down will come."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

I didn't know what to say. Everything he just said felt more sincere than anything he'd told me before, even though he still wore a poker face.

"T-Thank you."

"Okay then. We've got about 20 seconds left. Anything you want to say before you go?"

It took me a while to gather my thoughts.

So far, I still don't know what's going on. I have no idea what the system is or what a player does. I don't even understand why I'm willing to go wherever the system is taking me.

Maybe it was because of what the guide said; his voice was calm and smooth but also had an air of persuasion. It was as if he could convince a serial killer on the verge of taking another life to stop, and the killer would listen almost immediately.

Yeah, I just realized—did this guy use some kind of magic on me?! But I don't feel anything wrong with…

This whole situation feels so rushed. I was just suddenly thrust into all this

I have a lot of questions but it's not like I can get any answers now. I need something called 'authority level', whatever that means. I guess I'll just have to adapt, yeah, I'll adapt. I'm a realist—I'll adjust as things progress.

But what I really want to know is…

"Who are you, really?"

The moment I asked the questions, my body started feeling weird.

That's when my eyes widened.

I was disintegrating.

It was like I was coming apart, but not in the way one would expect. I didn't feel pain or anything—just a strange lightness. I glanced down and saw my skin breaking into tiny, solid blocks. Little cubes, almost like someone had shattered me into pieces of a puzzle.

I felt strangely calm.

The past me would have been yelling at the top of his lungs, but now, I'd probably seen enough to know that this was the world I had been thrust into.

Or maybe it was just my emotional resilience.

I tried to move, but the cubes just floated there, disconnected, as if the parts of me were no longer solid—no longer mine. My arms, legs, everything was dissolving into these cubes—first slowly, then faster.

"Seems time is almost up." the guide said.

He just stared at me as I transformed into this cube-like manifestation.

As my body changed into these cubes, they started disappearing and fading out in a sort of opacity transition.

"Who are you?" I tried asking again. I knew the answer was probably restricted information, but I just wanted to hear something, even if it was a hint.

As my head was about to be transformed into cubes completely. The guide suddenly spoke up.

"I still can't tell you who I am but..."

His next words shook me to my core—though, at that point, I was basically made of nothing, so I had no core. Still, they made my chest tighten like never before.

"…the fate of the universe depends on you. Good luck."

I fully transformed into cubes and disappeared.

₪₪₪

As the boy's multi-cubical form vanished completely into thin air, the man known as "the guide" stood still, staring at the spot where the boy had been for about a minute. Then, without a word, he turned and began walking back the way he came.

Calm and collected, hands in his pockets, and walking with an air of authority, he exuded a presence that suggested power and high standing. It was a stark contrast to the way he had moved when the boy was around, where his demeanor had been more relaxed, even casual.

When he reached the boulder where he had been sitting before the boy arrived, he spoke.

"Well then, let's see what he can do. What do you guys think?"

As he said this, he sat down on the boulder with the grace of royalty. His posture, his mannerisms—it was as if he had become an entirely different person. His outfit, however, didn't match this regal air, creating a curious contrast.

Settling himself comfortably and making the boulder look like a throne, he fixed his gaze in a particular direction, likely at those his earlier words were aimed at.

It seemed he was addressing someone—or something—unseen. But something was unsettling about his stare. It wasn't distant, as though lost in thought, or even aimed at something far off. No, it was much more deliberate. Focused. Intentional.

His eyes locked forward, unwavering, as if he could see something—or someone—that no one else could. Then that creeping feeling began to sink in—the kind that makes your spine tingle when you realize you're being watched. It wasn't just a stare; it was an awareness.

It was as if...

Wait. Could it be?

Yes, he was staring directly at you.

He was staring at you, the one reading this right now.

You might be thinking, "Huh?" or "Me?" But yes, this is real. His eyes, dark and knowing, were fully aware of you—of your presence— as though he could see beyond the pages of this story, into your world. He had known you were there from the very beginning, silently observing him and the boy. You're not just an idle reader anymore. You've been noticed.

And as that unsettling realization begins to settle in—

"It's fine, Narrator," the guide suddenly says, his poker face unbroken, cutting through the tension. "I'm pretty sure they've figured that out by now."

"As I was saying, Let's see what the kid can do. What do you think will happen next? This should be entertaining."

₪₪₪

The entire transportation process was disorienting. My vision went dark for a split second, and when it returned, everything around me had completely changed.

I noticed the multi-cubical form gathering around my body, reconstructing each part.

In a second, I was back to my full self.

But that wasn't what occupied my mind right now.

"Universe?! What the heck?!"

The guide had casually dropped something so monumental that it left me reeling.

"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?!"

I still didn't understand what was going on, but hearing something like "the fate of the universe depends on you" would scare anyone, right? Right?!

"Normally, I'd try to rationalize this as a joke, but after meeting the guide and seeing what he can do, there's no way he was joking."

"Argh!!! This is so annoying. What have I gotten myself into."

"Sigh…let's calm down, Jay. Focus on your current situation; that's what matters right now. I'll just figure it out step by step."

Trying to stay rational—trying to be a realist.

"Where am I this time?"

I scanned my surroundings. Behind me, tall trees marked the edge of a forest, their branches swaying gently in the breeze. It was quiet—almost too quiet.

In front of me, there was a wide, flat path, much smoother than the forest floor. It didn't seem natural. The surface was dark and solid, with two long, faint lines running down either side, like something heavy had been passing over it repeatedly. The path was wide—big enough for a group of people to walk side by side—but no one was around.

I knelt and touched it. Cold and hard—not like dirt or stone.

What could this path be for?

When I looked up, I saw something beyond my wildest dreams.

"Two Moons?!"

Up in the bright, blue sky were two moons—one smaller than the other, but both massive.

"Why are there two moons during the day?"

In Demo City, there was only one moon and it appeared only at night. This was a first for me.

"This doesn't look like that wilderness I was in or Demo City. The only logical explanation is that I'm either dreaming or I've been brought to another world."

That's when I heard a sound directly in front of me. A faint beep echoed, and suddenly, something like a glass screen materialized in the air before me.

Beep!

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[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

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Welcome to Verenthia

Type: Planet

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Overview:

A realm where the arcane and mechanical intertwine, Verenthia is characterized by its floating islands and technological marvels powered by mana. Its inhabitants face the threat of a demon king while navigating complex alliances.

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Would you like to know more?

[Yes/No]

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