A crow flew through a dark sky, not because it was night but because the battlefield below was covered in smoke and ash. Flapping its wings, it traversed the desolate land in search of food.

As the crow passed a mountain, it saw the ruins of what had once been a bustling city. All that remained were crumbling houses, glorious castles reduced to rubble, and streets filled with skeletons of humans of all ages.

The crow continued flying for a few more minutes but grew tired due to its weak, hungry body. It decided to rest on a tree branch. Finding a dark tree that still stood, albeit drained of life, the crow landed. The tree crumbled under its weight, turning to dust in an instant, as if the world itself was disintegrating.

The crow jumped in fright as the tree disintegrated. It continued searching the dead land and eventually found a battlefield. Descending to look for a body, the crow only found millions of skeletons from various races.

A familiar smell attracted the crow, and it flapped its wings urgently. It landed on a barely standing tree branch and saw a deer eating human flesh. The once harmless animal had become a carnivore, as had all animals, sometimes even resorting to cannibalism.

The crow waited, hoping the deer would leave some scraps. Suddenly, the deer stopped eating and looked directly at the crow with pale eyes and a bloodied mouth. The deer charged at the crow like a wild dog. Startled, the crow flapped its wings forcefully, causing the tree to crumble and providing a cover for its escape.

When all hope seemed lost, the crow found a body lying on the ground, untouched. It landed on the body, noticing that it still had its weapons and armor—unclaimed by comrades or scavengers.

The crow felt something it hadn't felt in a long time: warmth. In a world where the concepts of heat and cold no longer existed, the body provided an unusual sensation. The crow, too hungry to notice, failed to realize the body had a heartbeat. Before the crow could react, a spear pierced its body, killing it instantly.

The soldier rose, grabbed the crow's body, and ran to hide behind a rock. After ensuring no one was following, he said, "Finally, a proper meal after so long." The soldier devoured the crow ravenously, leaving nothing behind.

"Now I can rest, even for a second, without the pain of hunger," the soldier said, leaning against the rock. He wanted to cry from happiness, but his worn-out eyes, resembling those of a corpse, could no longer shed tears.

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"I must not let them find out what I've done, or my fate will be worse than this crow's," the soldier said fearfully. He meticulously cleaned his armor and spear and even washed his mouth with dirt to hide the crow's blood smell.

"I have to get back before they notice I'm not at my post," the soldier said, heading back to his hideout, far from the camp. His job was to notify the camp of any surprise attacks.

Using magical binoculars, the soldier muttered, "Fuck this job. All I do is watch this dead land, waiting for my death." He squeezed the binoculars and added, "Do they take me for an idiot? As soon as I use the signal, the intruders will kill me instantly. I'm basically a one-time use siren."

"But let's look on the bright side. At least I don't have to stay at the camp. Being a replaceable one-time use siren is a thousand times better than being a low-level soldier in the camp," the soldier said, managing a small smile.

As the sun set and the moon rose, the soldier's one-hour break began. "Finally, the best part of the day. I hope I dream of a beautiful lady tonight," he said, lying down.

Bang!

The sound of a giant explosion jolted the soldier awake. Grabbing the signaling tool, he ran outside. "I guess that's it for me. Today is the day I die," he thought.

With a big smile on his face, he said, "Finally, I'll leave this shitty world for good. I hope the afterlife is as good as the priests say. Well, nothing could be worse than this world. Even hell would be better."

But his hand stopped, and his mouth hung open. His eyes couldn't believe what they saw—the sky had split open, revealing the primordial material used to create reality itself. The light illuminated the entire area for about five kilometers.

"What's happening? Am I still dreaming? I asked for a nice lady, not a cosmic event," the soldier said, regaining his senses. He threw away the signal device and muttered, "I guess there's no need for the signal anymore."

As the light receded into the crack in the sky, the land darkened again. The ground started shaking violently as if it were about to split. A falling star descended from the crack, hitting the ground with tremendous force.

"What just happened?" the soldier asked.

Bang!

"It's not time to lose focus. I have to get whatever fell from the sky. Maybe this is my chance to change my life," the soldier said, slapping himself hard to stay alert.

It was known that sometimes artifacts would appear out of nowhere—swords, books, wands, anything—granting incredible power to their holders. The eight kings of the world and their strongest lieutenants possessed all known artifacts.

As the soldier ran towards the crash site, the crack in the sky closed, and everything seemed to return to normal. Upon reaching the site, the soldier stopped in confusion.

"You've got to be kidding me. I heard artifacts could be anything, but not this," he said, looking at the hole left by the crash.

As the dust cleared, it revealed a naked, handsome man with an athletic body, appearing about 25 years old. His features were human, with very white skin and hair that looked like it was made of gold.

The man opened his eyes, which were the same golden color as his hair, reflecting the image of the soldier.