When the last tribesman left the cave—
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Thick.
Almost… alive.
Demos stood still.
Listening.
As if the silence itself might attack if he relaxed.
Then—
He moved.
Slow.
Measured.
He walked toward a flat stone slab near the back of the cave.
Covered in animal fur.
Rough.
But warm.
Without hesitation, he lowered himself onto it.
His body remembered pain.
But it no longer obeyed it.
He exhaled.
Then—
The system opened.
SYSTEM INTERFACE
Name: Demos S. Sparta
Age: 15
Level: 1
Health: 26/100
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 10
Abilities: (##$#) Sealed | (#_#$#) Sealed | (#$$#$$) Sealed
Unique Abilities:
— Five-Colored Lightning: Sealed
— Ice Age: Sealed
Language Pack: Azuran Installed
Skill: Hand-to-Hand Combat (Lv.1)
MISSIONS:
✓ Survive 20 Minutes — COMPLETE
✓ Become Leader of a Dying Tribe — COMPLETE
Reward: One-Handed Axe
Punishment: Instant Death
A final line blinked at the bottom.
PRE-RECORDED MESSAGE: ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮
Demos narrowed his eyes.
"…Pre-recorded?"
He reached out.
Tapped it.
The moment his finger made contact—
The air shifted.
A voice filled the cave.
Warm.
Familiar.
Annoyingly soft.
Voice: "Hi, my baby boy."
Demos froze.
"…Baby boy?"
The voice continued casually.
Voice: "It seems you've finally found my recording inside the system I left for you."
Demos slowly straightened.
Suspicion rising instantly.
"…You're joking."
Ignored.
Voice: "System points are what you use to grow stronger. Strength, Agility, Intelligence—you choose how you develop."
Demos listened.
Quiet.
Focused.
Absorbing everything.
Voice: "You also have an inventory. Think of it, and it will appear. It is a storage space tied to your soul."
Demos paused.
"…Think?"
He focused.
Hard.
The system responded instantly.
A flicker—
A new window opened.
Inside—
A weapon.
A one-handed axe.
Demos' breath slowed.
He reached forward.
The axe shifted—
Then vanished from the system—
And appeared in his hand.
Real.
Heavy.
Cold.
"…Beautiful," he murmured.
The blade shimmered with a faint silver glow, like moonlight trapped in steel.
Ancient runes pulsed softly along its surface.
Alive.
Watching.
The handle—
Dark wood.
Dense.
Wrapped in gold that felt more ceremonial than decorative.
This wasn't just a weapon.
It felt like something meant to be inherited.
The voice continued.
Voice: "You will earn system points by creating techniques, teaching skills, and completing missions."
Demos set the axe beside him.
Still listening.
Still cautious.
Then—
A thought.
He focused again.
Without hesitation—
He allocated his reward.
SYSTEM UPDATE
Name: Demos S. Sparta
Age: 15
Level: 1
Health: 95/100
Strength: 12
Agility: 12
Intelligence: 10
Abilities: All Sealed
Silence.
Then—
The cave… shifted.
Like reality itself inhaled.
Then—
Pain.
A scream tore from his throat.
Raw.
Uncontrolled.
"AAAAA—!!"
It didn't stay inside the cave.
It spread.
Through stone.
Through forest.
Through air.
Outside—
The tribe froze.
Something was wrong.
Inside—
Demos collapsed.
Vision distorting.
Heartbeat roaring.
The world flickered—
Light.
Dark.
Light—
Then—
Nothing.
When he woke—
Silence.
Cold air.
Heavy breathing.
He was back on the stone slab.
Confused.
"…What… just happened?"
His fingers twitched.
He moved—
And froze.
No wounds.
No bruises.
No blood.
Nothing.
His body was… restored.
Completely.
"…The system did this?" he whispered.
He sat up slowly.
Examining himself.
Smooth skin.
Tighter muscle.
Sharper awareness.
Something inside him had changed.
Then—
Memories hit.
Not his.
Not human.
Flashes.
Battlefields.
Movements.
Techniques he had never learned—
But somehow understood.
He inhaled sharply.
"…What is this…?"
Then—
A voice exploded inside his head.
Demos' eyes widened.
He shot to his feet.
Grabbed the axe.
Spun—
Nothing.
Empty.
No one.
Then—
Laughter.
Voice: "Hahahaha! Hey, hey, hey!"
Demos clicked his tongue.
"…Tch."
He lowered his stance slightly.
"…So it's you."
The voice sounded offended.
Voice: "That's not how you greet your mother."
Demos exhaled.
"…So this is the 'contact method' you meant."
Voice: "How rude."
A pause.
Then calmer—
Voice: "Yes. This is the only way I can reach you right now."
Demos tightened his grip on the axe.
"…Then answer me."
His voice sharpened.
"What is this place?"
"What happened to Sparta?"
"Who brought me here?"
"And who the hell are you… really?"
A pause.
Then—
The atmosphere changed.
The voice softened.
Then darkened.
Voice: "I am the one who saved you."
Demos didn't relax.
Not even slightly.
Voice: "I brought you here… to rebuild Sparta."
Demos narrowed his eyes.
"…Rebuild?"
Voice: "With the four races."
Demos froze slightly.
"…Four races? Sparta only has three."
A faint laugh echoed.
Voice: "No, my son."
Voice: "Sparta has always had four."
Silence.
Demos scoffed.
"…Lies."
The voice sighed.
Voice: "Disrespectful child…"
Demos leaned forward slightly.
"…So even the First King didn't know?"
"…You're saying he hid an entire race?"
Suddenly—
Pressure.
Explosive.
Violent.
The cave shook.
Voice: "YOU LITTLE—"
Demos dropped to one knee instantly.
Air vanished.
His lungs collapsed inward.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
He was pinned to the ground.
Helpless.
Then—
It stopped.
Silence returned.
Demos gasped violently.
"…Tch…!"
He wiped the blood from his lips.
His expression changed.
Not fearless.
But aware.
Now he understood.
This wasn't just a voice.
This was something far beyond him.
The voice continued calmly.
Voice: "The fourth race was sealed."
Voice: "Only two people knew."
Voice: "King Leonidas S. Sparta…"
A pause.
"…and me."
Demos frowned.
"…So you really are connected to Sparta's First Queen?"
A faint chuckle.
Voice: "Yes…"
A pause.
"…and no."
Demos' eyes sharpened.
"…What does that even mean?"
The voice slowed.
Darkened.
Voice: "I found you after Sparta fell."
Voice: "Half-dead. Buried beneath the ruins."
Demos went still.
"…Who did it?"
Silence.
Then—
Pressure returned.
Less violent.
But suffocating.
Voice: "Not yet."
Voice: "You are not strong enough to know that name."
Demos clenched his jaw.
The voice continued.
Voice: "Your body was already breaking."
Voice: "So I tore out my celestial veins to keep you alive."
Demos' eyes widened slightly.
"…You did what?"
Voice: "Even that wasn't enough."
Voice: "You began to disintegrate."
Silence.
Heavy.
Voice: "So I sealed you inside one of my divine abilities."
Demos slowly stood.
"…A seal?"
The voice paused.
Then—
Lower.
Almost amused.
Voice: "Yes…"
A pause.
"…a power that bends life and time itself."
Demos' grip tightened around the axe.
His voice dropped.
"…What ability?"
A long silence followed.
Then—
The answer came.