Geon lay on his back, staring at the sky that no longer existed. The Eternal Garden had long since been reduced to a wasteland, but now even that was gone. Silence filled the space around him—an emptiness that felt eerie after a decade of relentless battle.
"Ten years, huh?" He exhaled, watching his breath dissipate in the void. "Ten years have really passed in this zone..."
The words felt hollow, almost surreal. He had lived through a decade of trials, suffering, and impossible battles. And yet—
He scoffed. "Only ten days have passed in the real world."
His body still ached with phantom pain, the memories of each fight etched into his muscles and bones. He wasn’t the same man who had stepped into the 100-Year Quest. He doubted he ever would be again.
A familiar ding snapped him from his daze. A notification materialized before him.
⚠️Notice⚠️
Player successfully completed The 100-year Quest.
Granting rewards...
----------------------------------------
Full Recovery Initiated.
Health, stamina, and energy restored to maximum.
💡Item(s) Acquired!
Adam's Sword
Rarity: Legendary
Increases damage inflicted with each landed hit by 200%.
Dawn's Spear
Rarity: Legendary
Increases damage inflicted with each landed hit by 50%.
Dusk's Greatsword
Rarity: Legendary
Increases damage inflicted with each landed hit by 50%.
Holy Water
Rarity: Restricted
Fully restore any inflicted damage or fatigue.
Health Node (x100)
Grade: Major
Recover 25% of your Health.
Stamina Node (x100)
Grade: Major
Recover 25% of your Stamina.
Energy Node (x100)
Grade: Major
Recover 25% of your Energy.
----------------------------------------
Geon sat up, rolling his shoulders as his fatigue vanished. "Finally," he muttered. "Some actual rewards I can carry along." He eyed the weapons. Three legendary-grade arms... but they weren’t suited for him.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with these?" He tapped the hilt of Adam's Sword, contemplating. Selling? Trading? Or could he modify them somehow?
Before he could ponder further, the world around him shifted violently.
The ground trembled, cracks forming beneath him as reality itself fractured. The darkened remnants of the Eternal Garden collapsed in on itself like a crumbling painting, and Geon felt himself freefalling through the abyss.
His stomach lurched. Then—
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
THUD.
He landed on something solid.
A stark, empty white room greeted him. No walls, no ceiling—just endless blank space with a single exit. A white door stood alone, waiting.
Geon’s pulse quickened. He rose to his feet, scanning the void.
"What the hell now?" His voice echoed, tension thick in his tone. "Another secret trial?!"
A deep, guttural chuckle reverberated from within him. The shadow spoke.
"Look behind you."
Geon’s head snapped around.
The door stood there, unassuming. Simple. A gateway.
"There," the shadow murmured. "It is time. The 100-Year Quest is over. Now... we return to the real world."
Geon’s jaw tightened. He took a step forward. Then another. His heart pounded in his chest, but it wasn’t fear. It was something deeper. A whisper. A promise.
"Just wait for me, Lila..."
With a final breath, he stepped through the door.
----------------------------------------
Wind rushed past him as he emerged—atop a rooftop. A ruined city sprawled before him, its once-thriving streets reduced to rubble and flame. Smoke curled into the darkening sky, and the acrid stench of blood, fire, and death filled his lungs.
Geon clenched his fists, surveying the devastation.
"Wow," he muttered, his voice almost lost in the chaos. "It changed a lot out here."
A familiar voice slithered into his mind.
"Of course," the shadow mused, its usual amusement tinged with something darker. "Ten days is a lot... when the world is facing its doom."
Geon took another deep breath, letting the weight of the world settle onto his shoulders once more. The atmosphere was heavier. The air thicker.
“Time moves even faster now,” the shadow continued. “Or at least... it feels that way.”
Geon’s eyes roamed the landscape. The once-organized streets were unrecognizable, overtaken by fire, overgrown nature, and carnage.
Then—
Ding.
Another notification.
⚠️Notice⚠️
Population has reached 4 billion.
Second Culling Zone Reduction initiated.
...
Culling Zone has been reduced to 50% of original size.
Kill or be killed. Good luck.
Geon’s stomach churned. The words were too familiar. The world was shrinking again.
A map appeared before him, its once-global expanse riddled with red lines. Territories vanished, whole regions grayed out—marked as "Inactive."
The shadow chuckled. "The walls are closing in again."
Geon’s eyes scanned the map. "All of South America, Africa, most of Asia, and even parts of the U.S. West Coast... they're gone." He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. "I wonder where the culling zone will end up."
A moment passed.
"Well," he muttered, shaking off the dread. "I have a job to do. And I can still become stronger."
He flicked his hand, summoning the Interface.
----------------------------------------
Welcome to the Interface.
Select your service...
Player Profile
All about your stats, health and more!
Inventory
Retrieve, store or keep tabs on your items.
Abilities
Discover your innate and rewarded Abilities!
Leaderboard
Stay informed on who to kill.
He tapped Leaderboard. The rankings materialized.
----------------------------------------
Leaderboard
Global Rank
Player Name Kill Count
Zone
#1 Angel Lila
0 North #2 Barry The Basilisk
64245 North #3 Phoenix Lewis
55677 North #4 Alicanto Varez
52256 North #5 Jingwei Jingwei
49757 North #6 Fenrir Felix
48997 North #7 Black Dog Dave
48889 North
Geon’s breath hitched. His eyes scanned the leaderboard again, hoping—praying—he had misread it.
But the name remained.
Global Rank
Player Name Kill Count
Zone
#1 Angel Lila
0 North
His chest tightened. A storm of emotions crashed into him all at once. Relief. Confusion. Fear.
"LILA?!" His voice came out hoarse, raw. His hands shook, his pulse pounding in his ears.
“She’s alive…” His throat felt dry. “She’s actually alive…”
The weight of ten years in the Culling Zone felt like nothing in that moment. He found her. He actually found her. But as his elation swelled, reality crashed into him like a hammer to the ribs.
“She’s so far away… I’m in the West Zone, she’s all the way in the North.”
His fingers clenched into fists. The distance between them wasn’t just vast—it was a death sentence.
“Don’t be blinded.”
The shadow’s voice slithered into his mind like a whisper in the dark.
Geon’s eyes flicked back to the leaderboard, his mind racing. Then he saw it. The one thing that didn’t make sense.
She had zero kills.
His stomach twisted.
"How the hell…?” His voice dropped to a whisper. "How did she get to first place... without killing anyone?"
The shadow let out a low hum, like it was pondering something deeply unsettling.
"It’s her class," it finally muttered. "Angel. That’s… rarer than even your Demon class, Geon.”
Geon’s breathing slowed, a sharp edge creeping into his voice. “How come?”
“To be given the Angel class, one must be pure-hearted.” The shadow’s tone darkened. “Truly pure-hearted. And that means…”
The words hit him like a blade to the gut.
“She can’t kill.”
Geon’s body went rigid. His heartbeat drummed against his ribs, his mind refusing to accept the truth.
If she couldn’t kill—if the system wouldn’t even allow her to—then how did she reach first place?
The shadow let out a low chuckle, void of amusement.
"You’ve realized it, haven’t you?"
Geon's breath came in shallow, uneven bursts. His hands trembled, rage simmering beneath his skin.
“She’s being used,” the shadow confirmed. “Captured. Forced to heal others. Maybe… the system gives her levels, experience, something, just by keeping people alive. That’s why she’s ranked first with zero kills.”
Geon’s lips parted, but no words came out.
Used.
Like a tool.
Like an object.
His relief rotted into horror. Then, something worse.
A deep, unrelenting rage.
Geon’s fingers curled so tightly that his nails dug into his skin. A deep growl rumbled in his throat. His vision blurred—not from tears, but from the overwhelming heat rising inside him.
His hair darkened, lengthened, the inky black strands swaying as if caught in a phantom wind. The temperature around him plummeted, yet his breath came out in hot, heavy bursts, leaving trails of mist in the cold air.
“I’ll kill them.”
His voice was low. Dangerous.
"I’ll hunt down every last one of those f%ckers. I’ll tear them apart. Limb from limb. Until there’s nothing left of them."
The shadow laughed. A slow, knowing chuckle.
“Fufufu… that’s the spirit.”
Geon’s vision sharpened, his mind honing in on one thing, and one thing only.
Her name on the leaderboard.
The North Zone.
He was coming.
And nothing would stop him.