My name is Rayan Arvale.Ordinary human. Professional overthinker. Certified coward.
And now… unwilling contestant in the Multiversal Trial.
How do I even describe this place?Imagine reality decided it was tired of being sensible, broke into a million fragments, and then stapled them back together with cosmic duct tape. That's where I woke up.
The sky was a swirling sea of galaxies, rivers of stars dripping downward like waterfalls. Floating platforms of obsidian stretched endlessly, each one holding thousands of people—or not-people. Humans, beasts, demons, angels, even things with too many limbs and eyeballs where no eyeballs should be. All of us had been dragged here.
Dragged to play a game.
[ Multiversal Trial Initiated. ][ Rule: Survive. ][ Reward: Everything. ]
That was the announcement ringing in my head the moment I opened my eyes. No explanations. No refunds. Just… survive.
Others were screaming. Some prayed. Some cheered, swinging their newly summoned swords and artifacts. I swear I even saw one guy sprout wings made of lightning.
Me? I got a book.
Not even a good book. Just an old, leather-bound ledger that floated in front of me, its pages blank except for a single glowing line.
[ Chaos Ledger Activated. ][ Function: Convert existence into currency. ]
"Convert… existence? Into money?" I muttered.
The Ledger hummed like it agreed.
…Great. While everyone else got divine blessings, bloodline awakenings, or dragon pets, I got the world's worst accountant simulator.
I shuffled toward the edge of the platform, trying not to look at the void below. Countless other platforms hung in the abyss, each packed with terrified "participants." All of us, guinea pigs in some cosmic casino.
"Arvale!" someone shouted.
I turned. It was a fellow human I vaguely recognized from university. What was his name? Nikhil? Neel? Didn't matter. He was holding a sword of pure flame, his eyes burning with confidence.
"Rayan, you got a system too, right? Let's team up. Strength in numbers!"
I opened my mouth to explain that my "system" was just a creepy book that turned things into pocket change. Before I could, the platform shook.
[ First Trial: Cull. ][ Condition: Eliminate half the participants. ][ Time Limit: 10 minutes. ]
Silence. Then chaos.
Screams tore through the air as humans and demons alike turned on each other. Blades clashed, spells exploded, blood sprayed across the obsidian.
I froze. My brain screamed, Do something! But my legs had filed for early retirement.
That's when the Ledger spoke again.
[ Transaction Available. ][ Target: Falling Blood. Value: 1 Chaos Credit. ]
I blinked. "…Blood counts as currency?"
A droplet floated near me, glowing faintly. Before I could react, the Ledger sucked it in with a flash.
[ Balance: 1 Chaos Credit. ]
…Okay, that was disturbing. But maybe—just maybe—it could save me.
"Die, weakling!"
A demon twice my size lunged at me, axe raised. I screamed, tripped backward, and flung the Ledger in pure panic.
The pages burst open.
[ Transaction Initiated. ][ Target: Low-Rank Demon. Value: 500 Chaos Credits. ]
The demon froze midair. His body dissolved into motes of light, leaving behind nothing but numbers on the page.
I sat there, shaking, staring at the empty spot where he'd been.
"...Did I just delete a demon?"
The Ledger hummed happily.
[ Balance: 501 Chaos Credits. ]
Around me, dozens of fighters paused mid-slaughter, their eyes snapping toward me.
Whispers started.
"He… erased that demon.""Not killed. Not bled. Erased.""What kind of power is that?"
I scrambled to my feet, waving my hands. "No, no, it's not what you think! I didn't even—"
Too late. The misunderstanding had already begun.
To them, I wasn't Rayan Arvale, the confused college student.I was something else. Something dangerous.
And in the Demon Realm… dangerous meant respect.
You'd think vaporizing a demon by accident would make people not want to fight me.Wrong.
It made everyone in a ten-meter radius stop what they were doing and stare at me like I'd just announced I was the Demon King's illegitimate son.
"He erased him…""No blood. No corpse. Just—gone.""What kind of authority is that?"
My Ledger flickered beside me like it was smug.
[ Balance: 501 Chaos Credits. ]
Yeah, thanks for flexing, you creepy book.
The trial didn't pause just because everyone was gawking. Swords still clashed in the distance. Beasts screeched as they tore into participants. Ten minutes to cut the numbers in half, the system said.
And suddenly, everyone within range seemed to think I was the fastest way to secure survival.
"Get him first!" a voice barked. "If we leave that monster alive, we're all dead!"
Oh great. The classic "gang up on the suspiciously overpowered guy" trope.
A cluster of demons and humans surged toward me. Blades. Claws. Spells. Everything.
I panicked. Again. (Get used to that. It's my thing.)
The Ledger snapped open on its own.
[ Multiple Targets Detected. ][ Conversion Chain Available. ][ Proceed? Y/N ]
"YES!" I screamed before thinking.
Light flared. The first attacker froze mid-swing, his body unraveling into shimmering fragments. Those fragments snapped into the second attacker, who crumpled instantly, then into the third—like dominos of existence being cashed out.
By the time it ended, five corpses had been reduced into raw numbers.
[ Transaction Complete. ][ Total Value: 3,200 Chaos Credits. ][ Balance: 3,701 Chaos Credits. ]
The battlefield fell quiet around me.
I stood there, panting, holding my book like it was a nuclear bomb. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped it.
"I-I didn't mean to…" I stammered. "It just—happened."
But nobody cared what I meant. What they saw was a guy who erased a squad with a flick of his book.
Whispers spread like wildfire.
"He's… he's farming people into currency.""That's not mortal power. That's… ledger authority.""Could he be… one of the Demon King's hidden envoys?"
Envoy? Demon King? WHAT?! I was a broke college student who once cried over late fees at the library!
The ten minutes ticked down. The chaos didn't stop. All across the obsidian platforms, participants slaughtered each other. The air reeked of blood and ozone. But wherever I went, space seemed to clear.
Nobody wanted to be the next "transaction."
By the time the timer hit zero, I was still standing. Not because I fought like a hero, but because fear did the heavy lifting.
[ First Trial Complete. ][ Survivors: 50%. ][ Bonus Reward: +1,000 Chaos Credits. ]
The Ledger hummed.
[ Balance: 4,701 Chaos Credits. ]
I stared at the glowing number. Nearly five thousand credits. No idea what that meant. Could I spend it? Save it? Did it pay rent?
But the demons eyeing me from a safe distance didn't see confusion. They saw a terrifying figure counting his winnings.
"Five thousand… and he called it pocket change earlier…" one muttered."He must be testing us. Seeing who dares to attack him.""This is bad. If he's already here, what does it mean for the royal family?"
Royal family?! Stop giving me titles, damn it!
The obsidian platform shuddered. Space cracked open above, spilling golden light. One by one, survivors were dragged upward, yanked toward the next stage of the trial.
I flailed, screaming, as the Ledger calmly turned its pages.
[ Transfer Initiated. ][ Next Scenario: Demon Realm Orientation. ]
"Orientation?! What is this, college admissions?!"
The world twisted. My stomach flipped.
When I landed, the ground was warm, gritty, and suspiciously red. I groaned, pushing myself up, and blinked at my surroundings.
A city.A demon city.
Jagged towers scraped the crimson sky. Rivers of molten lava flowed like canals. Streets teemed with demons of every shape—horned merchants hawking goods, armored guards patrolling, students in black uniforms racing toward an academy. Even neon signs glowed above shops, advertising everything from spell scrolls to demon-brewed liquor.
It was… civilization. Demon civilization.
And, hilariously, the first thing I noticed was a glowing sign for a 7-star Hellfire Hotel.Apparently demons loved luxury.
"New arrivals!" a booming voice declared.
I spun. A squad of armored demons stood at the gates, inspecting the confused survivors. Each demon wore the same fang-shaped insignia.
"The Obsidian Fang Organization welcomes participants of the Trial," one growled. "Survive in our realm, and perhaps… rise."
His golden eyes swept over the crowd. Then stopped on me.
Recognition flared. He narrowed his gaze, and the demons around him stiffened.
"You…" His lips curled. "You're no ordinary arrival."
I froze. "I-I think you've got the wrong guy—"
But the crowd of demons had already started whispering.
"That's him.""The eraser.""The one who turns life into currency."
The armored demon's smile widened.
"Interesting. Very interesting."
And just like that, my nightmare of misunderstandings had officially… leveled up.