It was a place called the Institute…
“So fucking boring!” A young scientist spat out.
As he did, he couldn’t help but give the stink-eye to the ever-so-silent display before him. So much from getting a “promotion”.
“Did I really waste ten years studying Dungeon Phenomena and Magical Beasts just to end up watching a freaking display all night long?!” He couldn’t help but grumble once more.
“Hehe. Don’t forget all the ass-kissing you had to do! You got hoodwinked by the ‘work with a billion-Credit’ equipment line, didn’t you?” An older scientist chuckled nearby, loudly sipping his black coffee.
“…”
Sip.
“…”
This was pretty much the extent of the job.
He was getting paid to stare at a wall, one that showed a map of the Entire Blue Zone. More accurately, he had to watch the cyan crystals on it, each area having its own.
Ruby’s Plains? Clear
Amber Mountains? Clear
Emerald’s Forests? Clear
Sapphire’s Seaside? Clear
“All areas are clear! Hour 3, nothing to report. As for the Main Crystal? All good!”
There was only one crystal that wasn’t labeled; It was way bigger and there for the entire Blue Zone. Heck, this thing was worth so much that it was nerve-racking.
“Pfft— Don’t overthink it. Do your job. Cash the checks.” The old scientist sniggered, and just as he did, he took out a portable… a gaming console?!
That was the epitome of not overthinking it! Wasn't this the best way to get fired? Besides, while not glorious, their job was definitely vital: they monitored it all!
In the olden days, people watched for Earthquakes, but nowadays, it was Dungeons.
If that cyan gem ever lit up, it’d mean that a portal with an insane amount of Demonic Energy had opened up nearby, enough to flood the entire fucking world with Demons!
“Relax, it won’t light up.”
“But what if it does?!”
“We all die.”
“….”
How could the old man say it so detachedly?! After the comment, a heavy silence ensued, only ruptured by the Dings of the video game and the coffee slurps.
Seeing as his colleague was too far gone on the path of laziness, the young scientist refocused his gaze on the cyan displays… CYAN?!— He suddenly began hyperventilating.
“What are you going on about?” The ever-so-calm researcher raised his eyes from his game. Then he froze, turning ashen. Before long, he, too, started heaving loudly.
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The cyan Display? It wasn't cyan Anymore.
A speck of Purple had appeared in it.
The Disgusting Purple of Vile Blood.
The mark of Corruption.
Then it started spreading, filling the entire Map like a plague, invading it and corrupting its pure light with Darkness. It was so swift, unstoppable, inexorable…
"Fuck! Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck! Fuck Fuck Fuck!" At this moment, they knew two things. The world was fucked. And this shit was way fucking above their pay grade!
"Call them!"
"Call EVERYONE!"
With one phone call, the entire world stirred; everyone who was someone getting the same alert on their Phones.
— WARNING! WARNING! HUMANITY LEVEL EXTINCTION EVENT! WARNING WARNING!—
On the screen were dots everywhere, Dungeons opening…
But as for what had actually caused it all…
Damon Malum had arrived.
.
.
.
I’m BACK!
Damon knew it instantly as the portal spat him out…
Air, fresh air, that barely contained any corruption. Feeling the draft on his face, he couldn’t help but moan in pleasure. How long had it been since he had felt that?
A grin adorned his face as he flew through this pure air… landing straight into a nearby dumpster!
He found himself in an ocean of trash. Greasy chicken bones, empty chip packets, stale coffee beans, so much of it! His grin actually grew as he took a whiff. Food, real food!
He then turned to the portal that had just spat him out...
— BZZZZZZZZZ?!? —
Why did it seem... scared?! The portal hurriedly flew off, leaving a perplexed "human" behind.
"I just wanted to thank you for bringing me here... oh well!" Damon remarked, not knowing he had almost given a certain Evil God a heart attack.
Not pressing the matter, he turned his gaze toward the Night Sky:
Stars. Real stars. Not some bullshit Alchemy-lookalike! They glowed with hope like millions of jewels haphazardly thrown by some bored god— not hidden by Demonic Miasma like in his previous world. Stars she would have loved to see…
He, who hadn't cried for a thousand years, couldn't help but tear up.
“From now on, everything will be different. Everything will change, EVERYTHING!” He kept repeating like a madman, not bothering about his appearance. All he cared about was that this new world could still be saved!
More importantly, in this timeline, SHE still existed.
Here, he still had HOPE!
Here, he–
“MIAOW?!”
He was interrupted by a shivering cat hiding in the shadows. The poor thing heaved up and down, bowing subserviently, its tiny paws trembling faster than a jackhammer on steroids.
.......／l、?!!!
....（ﾟ､ ｡７
.......l、ﾞ~ヽ
.......じし(_, )ノ
(A wild Cat Appeared!)
A cat, a regular cat. This little thing would have long perished simply by breathing the air in the old world. Damon left the comfort of the garbage bin, a banana peel in his hair, and happily approached the little critter.
“Did that scare you?” He lightly petted the thing, chuckling.
No wonder it was traumatized; a mere glimpse of what had been inside the portal sufficient to shatter the soul of many of humanity’s “heroes”. Perhaps only its simple cat mind had saved it from imploding.
“Shh, don’t tell anyone, but the MC has just arrived.” Damon winked at the creature. Then, seeing it deadly frozen, he gently pushed it away. “Relax, I won’t eat you. Go on, run along, you little fluff ball.”
The thing escaped as if its bloody life depended on it. As for Damon, he smiled wryly as he raised the hands that had killed millions. He had just spared a life, and at this moment, he felt… human.
“Human!”
“Human! Human! Human!”
“Hahahaha! I had forgotten this feeling!”
It felt so foreign after a thousand years of Demonic Torture in the Abyss. Before, he had gone from worm, to dead-man-walking, to Devil, and Humanity’s number one enemy. Now, things could be different.
This time, he’d RISE! Simple ascension? No, he’d clear his own path from the Blue Zone to the Red One, where he'd find her! So what if he had destroyed his previous world to get here? All in the past!
But first, he had to figure out where he was exactly…
“Some remote Village in the Blue Zone, it seems. Amber Mountains, maybe?” He pensively remarked while mentally check-listing things he’d require to ascend from this world.
1. Awaken
2. Obtain a Magical Beast
3. Become a Respected Tamer/Awakened
4. Only then would he have the power to RISE!
But, just as he was considering his options, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by raucous laughter:
“Hehe. Give it up, kid. Hand over the Taming Emblem! Then perhaps we’ll let you live.” At the end of the alley, some serious drama was taking place.
Whistling, Damon headed over…