Airen leaned back on the clean bed, the soft hum of the air conditioner filling the quiet hotel room.
"Alright… time to head back to the Cubic World."
But just as he closed his eyes, his stomach growled loudly.
"…Tch." He pressed a hand to his belly. "Guess I should eat first."
A sudden thought struck him, sharp and curious.
Wait… can I take food from this world to the Cubic World?
"System," Airen asked in his mind, "is it possible?"
A crisp message appeared before him:
[ Yes. Items from this world can be transferred. Place them in your inventory or hold them in your hand while falling asleep. ]
His eyes widened slightly.
"Ohh… that changes everything."
He thought for a moment longer.
"But what if the food rots inside the inventory?"
[ No. Items stored will not decay. Time is frozen within the inventory space. ]
Airen's lips curled into a grin. "Perfect."
Without hesitation, he grabbed the room phone and pressed the button for service.
"Yeogiyo," he said—the common way to call a waiter or staff in Korea.
A polite voice answered, "Yes, sir. How may I help you?"
"I'd like to order some food delivered to my room. Ten bottles of water, ten whole fried chickens, twenty drumsticks, and a few bottles of juice. Send it all up."
There was a pause on the other end.
"…Sir, that will take some time to prepare."
Airen leaned back lazily. "Mm. That's fine."
He hung up the phone, tapping his finger against the desk.
"It'll take a while, huh… so what should I do until then?"
The question lingered, and then another thought surfaced—one that had been bugging him from the beginning.
"System. What happens to my body in the Cubic World when I'm here? Am I… leaving it behind?"
A calm response flickered across his vision:
[ Nothing happens. To be precise, there is no physical body there. ]
[ When you sleep, you return at the exact moment you left, as if you had never been gone. ]
Airen's brows rose.
"Oh… so it's like I never leave the Cubic World in the first place."
But just as he muttered those words—
Ding!
A new panel slammed into his vision.
[ Time Limit: 365 Days 24 Hours 60 Seconds ]
[ Countdown Initiated… ]
[ 365 Days 24 Hours 59 Seconds Remaining ]
Airen froze, his chest tightening.
"…What the hell is this?"
For the first time since he entered the Cubic World, unease stabbed at him.
"System," he said sharply. "Explain. What does this mean?"
The text flickered, and the reply came slower than usual—heavier, almost reluctant.
[ It seems the time has come sooner than expected. ]
Airen's fists clenched. "What time?"
[ You have one year. ]
[ Within that year, you must grow stronger and prepare your world. ]
[To face the cursed future that has yet to come]
The air in the hotel room seemed to thicken. The hum of the air conditioner, the faint city noise outside—it all dulled against the weight of those words.
Airen's eyes narrowed, confusion and anger swirling together.
"…Save the world? What are you even talking about?"
But the System only pulsed silently, as if refusing to answer more.
Airen sat there, the countdown burning in his vision.
365 days… ticking away.
And then—
Another panel appeared.
[ Function Unlocked: Create Dungeon ]
F-Rank Dungeon – 10,000,000 points
E-Rank Dungeon – 100,000,000 points
D-Rank Dungeon – 1,000,000,000 points
C-Rank Dungeon – 10,000,000,000 points
B-Rank Dungeon – 100,000,000,000 points
A-Rank Dungeon – 1,000,000,000,000 points
S-Rank Dungeon – 10,000,000,000,000 points
…
Airen's eyes narrowed.
"What is this now?"
[This is how you prepare your world to face the cursed future. By creating dungeons, you strengthen the foundation of your world. ]
Airen scowled. "And those numbers? Ten million, a hundred million, a billion… what the hell do they mean?"
[ That is the cost in points to create dungeons. Lower-ranked dungeons are cheaper. Higher-ranked dungeons are vastly more expensive. ]
Airen clicked his tongue.
"Cheap, huh? It starts at ten million…"
He pointed at the bottom. "And what about those dots after S-Rank? Ten trillion points… and more?"
The System's reply was almost indifferent.
[ There are higher classes beyond S-Rank. ]
Airen's body stiffened, his expression showing clear disbelief.
"…There's even more than that?"
Before he could fully digest it, another panel appeared.
[ Function Unlocked: Awaken Humans ]
Per person – 1,000,000 points
[ Function Unlocked: Grant Skills ]
F-Rank Skill – 5,000,000 points
E-Rank Skill – 50,000,000 points
D-Rank Skill – 500,000,000 points
C-Rank Skill – 5,000,000,000 points
B-Rank Skill – 50,000,000,000 points
A-Rank Skill – 500,000,000,000 points
S-Rank Skill – 5,000,000,000,000 points....
Airen's jaw tightened, his mind spinning as he stared at the numbers.
"…This… this is insane."
The countdown ticked on mercilessly.
365 Days.
[ Explanation will now begin. ]
The system's voice rang in his head, cold and mechanical.
[ You gain points for killing beings within the cubic world. ]
Airen blinked. "Wait… points? …Ah. Right. I got a million points from killing that woman…" His chest tightened as the memory flashed before him. "So… I can use those to awaken someone?"
[ Correct. One million points allows you to awaken a single person. However— ]
[ They will not inherit any skills. They may learn on their own, but their abilities will remain weak.
[Only those who are awakened can level up, and they can do so only within the dungeons you create. ]
"Tch." Airen clenched his fists. "So what's the point of awakening them then?"
[ Suggestion: Accumulate at least one billion points before attempting large-scale awakening. ]
His mind froze. "…One billion? Are you kidding me?!"
[ Calculation: At your current pace, you would need to kill one thousand beings of equivalent strength to the woman. ]
Airen's face twisted. "A thousand people… That's insane! I only got a million from her!"
[ Correction: That woman was insignificant. In the cubic world, she is equivalent to an ant. Stronger beings yield exponentially greater points. ]
Airen went silent. His thoughts swirled, a storm of doubt and anger.
"…But why me? Why the hell do I have to save this world? Isn't there anyone else?"
364 Days. 23 Hours. 59 Minutes..