Emil stood frozen on the riverbank, his entire body trembling.
The mysterious voice still echoed within his mind.
"You have been chosen."
His lips parted.
"...Chosen?"
His voice was barely more than a whisper.
"Chosen for what?"
For a brief moment, silence answered him.
Then the ancient voice returned.
[Chosen to inherit the Sun God's Fragment.]
Unlike before, its mechanical tone carried a faint majesty, as though an immeasurable existence was speaking through it.
[You have been selected to walk a path capable of reshaping the very fabric of existence.]
Emil frowned.
"...Reshape the universe?"
He laughed bitterly.
"I'm blind."
"My body is weak."
"I couldn't even save myself a few minutes ago."
"How could someone like me change anything?"
The system answered without hesitation.
[Your present condition is insignificant.]
[The Fragment did not choose your strength.]
[It chose your potential.]
Before Emil could ask another question—
Ding!
A translucent screen unfolded within his consciousness.
It wasn't something he saw with his eyes.
It simply existed inside his mind.
---
STATUS
Name: Emil Myers
Occupation: None
Level: 0
Potential: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Condition: Blind • Frail Body
Affinity: Sun • Void
Skills: None
Titles: The Village's Abominable Child
Description:
The one destined to bring order to the universe.
---
Attributes
Strength (STR): 2
Agility (AGI): 6
Intelligence (INT): 11
Stamina (STA): 3
Magic (MAG): 0
Mana (MP): 10
---
Currency
Sun Contribution Points (SCP): 0
---
Emil stared blankly.
"...Potential?"
"So many stars..."
His gaze—or what felt like his gaze—shifted downward.
"The one destined to bring order to the universe..."
He shook his head.
"There has to be a mistake."
"I'm just Emil."
The system remained silent.
Then—
Ding!
[New Host Package detected.]
Another notification appeared.
[Analyzing Host's condition...]
[Blind.]
[Severely weakened.]
[Survival probability: Extremely Low.]
[Adjusting rewards.]
A brief pause followed.
Then—
Ding!
[New Host Package successfully upgraded.]
The voice asked calmly,
[Would you like to open it?]
Emil didn't hesitate.
"...Yes."
Immediately—
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Several notifications exploded across his consciousness.
---
Reward Obtained
• Sun God Breathing Technique
«Grade: Absolute Being
Due to the Host's current level and the world's spiritual limitations, the technique has been sealed to the Beginner Stage.
Upgradeable.»
---
• Sun Eyes
«Beginner Stage
Upgradeable.»
---
• Beginner Energy Pills ×3
• Common Iron Sword ×1
• Sun Attire ×1
---
Another notification appeared.
[Reminder.]
[Sun Contribution Points (SCP) can be exchanged within the Sun God Store.]
[SCP can be earned by completing missions, destroying evil, protecting the innocent, or contributing to the balance of the world.]
Emil slowly nodded.
"So SCP is the system's currency..."
Before he could continue thinking—
Ding!
A final notification appeared.
---
Path Selection
Choose your destiny.
• Rogue Cultivator / Magician
• Clan Founder
• Sect Founder
• Kingdom Builder
---
[Host, please choose your path.]
Emil blinked.
"...What?"
His mind nearly stopped working.
"I don't even understand cultivation yet."
"I've never heard of half these choices."
"How am I supposed to decide my future already?"
He sighed.
"...Can we discuss this later?"
"I'm too weak."
"If I don't survive tonight, choosing a path won't matter."
For the first time...
The system remained quiet for several seconds.
Then it replied.
[Request acknowledged.]
Emil released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"System."
"Equip the Sun Eyes."
[Host Level insufficient.]
[Minimum Requirement: Level 4.]
[Recommendation:]
• Consume Beginner Energy Pills.
• Cultivate the Sun God Breathing Technique.
• Reach Level 4.
Emil scratched his head.
"...Figures."
Before he could complain further—
[Temporary guidance complete.]
[The system will enter dormancy.]
[The next interaction will occur after Host reaches Level 4.]
"...Wait."
"What?"
"You're leaving now?"
The voice answered one final time.
[Good luck, Host.]
Then—
Silence.
"...Seriously?"
Emil clenched his fists.
"What kind of irresponsible system disappears after dumping all of this on me?"
No answer came.
Just as he was about to curse again, the voice unexpectedly returned.
[One final reminder.]
[The Sun God Breathing Technique is a Soul Inheritance.]
[Open it.]
[Knowledge will integrate automatically.]
[Practice diligently.]
[Goodbye.]
The presence vanished completely.
Emil stood alone once more.
After a long silence, he searched through the items that had mysteriously appeared beside him.
His fingers brushed against smooth cloth.
The Sun Attire.
Unlike his torn village clothes, the fabric felt soft, warm, and strangely comfortable.
He quickly changed into it.
Next came three small jade bottles.
The Beginner Energy Pills.
Unsure of what else to do, Emil uncorked one and swallowed the pill.
The effect was immediate.
Warmth spread from his stomach throughout his body.
The soreness in his muscles eased.
The bruises from the fall no longer throbbed as fiercely.
Even his exhaustion faded considerably.
"...Amazing."
Finally, his hands found a thin golden book.
The Sun God Breathing Technique.
He slowly opened it.
The moment the pages separated—
The book dissolved into countless golden particles.
"Wha—"
Before he could react, the particles rushed into his forehead.
An overwhelming torrent of information flooded his consciousness.
Ancient breathing rhythms.
Methods of circulating spiritual energy.
The pathways of the human body.
The mysteries of absorbing sunlight itself.
It was as though someone had practiced the technique for thousands of years... and passed every memory directly into his soul.
Emil gasped.
Even without sight...
He could sense something he had never noticed before.
Above the dense canopy...
The distant warmth of the sun.
Its endless energy blanketed the world like an invisible ocean.
For the first time in his life...
He could feel light.
Taking a deep breath, Emil sat cross-legged beside the river.
He calmed his racing thoughts.
Following the memories now engraved into his soul, he inhaled slowly.
Warm spiritual energy answered.
Golden strands drifted from the sunlight overhead, slipping through the forest canopy and flowing toward his body.
With every breath...
His weak physique became slightly stronger.
His empty meridians slowly awakened.
The Sun God Breathing Technique was not merely a cultivation art.
It was a bridge between a mortal and the eternal sun itself.
Hours passed unnoticed.
The sounds of the Forbidden Forest surrounded him.
The chirping of insects.
The whispering leaves.
The distant roars of monsters lurking in the darkness.
Yet Emil remained perfectly still.
He was still blind.
Still alone.
Still trapped within one of the deadliest places in the world.
But he was no longer powerless.
For the first time in his life...
He possessed a purpose.
A path.
And the inheritance of a god.
The Forbidden Forest was no longer his execution ground.
It had become the place where his legend would begin.