The moment I opened my eyes…
the smell of blood was clearer than anything else.
The street I stood in looked like no place I had ever known.
The ground was cracked, half the houses had collapsed, the dim lights flickered as if dying with those who lived there.
The sky? It was an open wound—
a red moon hanging by half, and the stars drowned in black clouds that moved like living smoke.
I lifted my foot in fear; every step echoed as if the street was swallowing my sound.
In my chest, my heart hammered like a mallet, yet my hand still clutched the dagger.
> [ Location: City of Shadows ]
[ Status: Temporary Survival ]
[ Warning: Everyone living in this city is not human ]
I gasped.
Not human?
Does that mean I'm alone?
Slow footsteps cut through my thoughts.
I turned…
A man was approaching.
He looked strange: a long coat, a hat hiding his eyes, but he walked as if the place belonged to him.
He didn't seem dangerous… until I looked up further.
The Eye of Darkness lit up on its own.
The aura around him… thick and black, moving in swirls like a beast crawling inside him.
I swallowed hard.
This was not an ordinary man.
He said in a rough voice:
"A new stranger… isn't that right?"
I didn't answer.
My tongue froze in my mouth.
He smiled a cold smile, then went on:
"I like to be the first to greet guests here… before the city devours them."
Suddenly, creatures emerged from behind him… human-shaped shadows with no faces, their features wiped away but their mouths open like black slits, screaming without sound.
Five… ten… more.
The screen before me lit up:
> [ New Mission: Survive 15 minutes ]
[ Reward: +20 Strength Points ]
[ Failure: Death ]
My hand trembled around the dagger.
Me? Against that many? Impossible!
The man raised his hand, pointing at me like giving a command.
The shadows rushed forward.
I screamed, my whole body screaming with me.
I ran, tried to stab, struck one and it burst like smoke, but two others fell on me.
My breath caught, cold seeping into my skin as if they were draining my soul.
I shouted with all my strength:
"Get awaaay!!!"
Suddenly…
The Eye of Darkness blazed completely.
I didn't just see their auras anymore… but fine threads connecting them, like networks controlling them.
I saw the thickest black thread… connected to the man in the coat.
I understood the truth.
He was "the Controller."
I raised the dagger with all my strength… and threw it toward the thread.
BOOOM!
A deafening scream filled the sky.
The shadows froze for a heartbeat… then began dissolving one after another.
The man staggered back a step, his hand on his chest, his voice full of rage:
"Stranger… how did you know?!"
I smiled despite my trembling body.
"My eyes… don't see the same anymore."
Before he could strike again… another screen lit up:
> [ Congratulations: You cleared the first test ]
[ Reward: +20 Strength Points ]
[ New Weapon: Shadow Sword ]
Suddenly, the dagger in my hand stretched… becoming a black sword, its edge shining as if shattered stars lived inside.
The man vanished into the shadows, but his voice lingered:
"You won't survive long, stranger… the Black Ruler will know you're here."
My body collapsed to the ground, breathing hard, the sword heavy in my hand.
But even so… a small smile curved my lips.
I hadn't died.
I survived…
And for the first time, I felt that this darkness… might be my path to power.