It had been a busy day, full of danger and tiring work, but surprisingly, I found some good things.
While exploring deep inside one of the old, ruined tombs in the dangerous Red Alert Zones, I found something… strange.
Hidden under broken stones and dusty carvings, I found a small, dark object. It had glowing lines on it that pulsed softly in my hand.
I didn't know how to use it. I didn't even know what it was.
But something deep inside me told me it was valuable. Even powerful.
Still, I could tell right away that it wasn't meant for me. It was like a locked door that needed a different person's key.
Even so, I decided to keep it—for now. If nothing else, maybe I could trade it for something one day. Maybe food. Or water.
I put it away and started to leave the tomb… And that's when I saw him.
A man, tall, broad, and strangely calm, stood a few steps from the exit, as if he had been waiting.
His clothes were unlike anything I had ever seen: worn from battle but still looking grand, with layers of dark cloth around his armored chest. Two long swords hung at his waist, and the feeling around him… It was heavy. Like a mountain wrapped in silence.
A powerful awakened person, no doubt.
I quickly moved back, ready to run.
But then he raised one hand—not in a threatening way. His voice, when he spoke, was calm. Almost respectful.
"Don't run. I'm not here to hurt you."
That alone was enough to make me stop. No awakened person had ever spoken to someone like me that way.
"What do you want?" I asked carefully.
He nodded slightly toward my chest, toward the object I had hidden.
"That item… it was never meant to find you," he said. "And yet, you carry it."
His eyes narrowed a little, studying me, not with dislike, but with a strange interest.
"Tell me, boy… when you touched it, did it react?"
"No," I replied firmly, my voice low but steady. I didn't know what this man wanted, but I wasn't going to hand over the only valuable thing I'd found in weeks without understanding why.
The man didn't get angry. He only raised an eyebrow, as if impressed.
"By the way," he said after a short pause, "my name is Jo Wang. I come from the far eastern lands… a place now joined with this Great Plane after our old world collapsed."
His gaze didn't move.
"I am the current leader of the Wang Clan. And the item you have," he pointed subtly toward the object under my clothes, "is a family treasure of ours, lost during the first dimensional collapse."
I tensed up.
"So… this is your family treasure you're talking about?" I asked, just to be sure.
"Yes, Mister…?"
He tilted his head politely.
"…Zema," I said after a moment. "Aka Zema."
Jo Wang nodded gracefully.
"Aka Zema. As the head of the Wang Clan, I politely ask that you return the treasure to its rightful family."
His voice was calm, polite, even kind. But beneath his words was something very firm. He was giving me a chance to agree.
"You may ask for anything in return," he added. "A fair exchange, whatever you wish within reason. Money, a place to stay, knowledge."
Then, his eyes showed something deeper—curiosity, perhaps even respect.
"But more than that, I'd like to ask… how did a single, unawakened person like you survive in this difficult world?"
"I survived by luck… and pure determination," I replied, looking down at my dirt-stained hands. "All just to keep a promise to one day meet my parents again."
Jo Wang's face didn't change, but I could feel a subtle shift in how he acted. It wasn't pity. It was respect.
"You said I can ask for anything, right?" I asked, looking up.
"Yes, honorable one," he said, bowing his head slightly. "Name your request. I will keep my promise."
I hesitated a moment, then spoke.
"It's said that in the Eastern and Southern parts of this joined world, there are mysterious stones—stones that help people Awaken."
I paused. "I don't know if it's true… but I want to believe it."
A faint smile touched Jo Wang's lips.
"It is not a rumor, honorable one. Those stones do exist. And it so happens…"
He reached into a bag at his waist and pulled out a glowing, oval-shaped crystal that shimmered with a soft, otherworldly light.
"I have one right here."
My eyes opened a little wider.
"Then that's what I want," I said quickly, my voice barely hiding my hope. "That stone and some money, if possible. Enough to get me out of this place without starving to death."
Without a moment's hesitation, Jo Wang nodded.
"Agreed."
He stepped forward, handing me the stone—cool to the touch, shaking with strange energy—and a bag heavy with coins.
I gave him the treasure in return, carefully unwrapping it and placing it into his hands.
Without a word, Jo Wang took out a small blade, pricked his finger, and let a drop of blood fall onto the object.
Boom.
A dark wave of energy exploded outward, pushing me back a step. The air turned cold. The light dimmed. The treasure pulsed once and changed shape in his hand until it became a sleek black sword, giving off a dark energy. Jo Wang looked at it with quiet reverence, then slid it into a holder across his back.
He turned toward me one last time.
"Thank you, Aka Zema. The Wang Clan will remember this."
And without another word, his form shimmered then disappeared, as if swallowed by the wind itself.
I stood there, shocked. The ruin was quiet again, the weight in my hands far heavier than it looked.
He's the only one who's treated me kindly since the world changed. No insults. No threats. Just… kindness.
"Thank you, Mr. Jo Wang," I whispered into the stillness. "With this money… I can finally leave this place." "Maybe I won't have to die alone in some ditch anymore."
And for the first time in a long while…
I took a step forward—not to run from death, but to chase life.
"Let's try it then," I whispered to myself, holding the awakening stone tightly. "Maybe… maybe this time, it'll work."
Jo Wang had told me the process was simple. All I had to do was focus my mind into the stone. Breathe. Let it respond.
So I sat down in the ruined clearing, the strange wind blowing past my skin like old whispers, and closed my eyes.
I placed the stone in my lap, pressed both hands against its cool surface, and reached inward.
At first, there was silence.
Then, chaos.
My system, usually quiet and useless, exploded with life. Lines of red and gold filled my sight.
[Attempting Awakening…]
[Error: Interference Detected.]
[System Conflict Detected.]
[Foreign Force Rejecting Synchronization…]
The stone pulsed wildly, its glow changing from soft blue to a deep, unstable red.
[Warning: Spatial Rift Triggered!]
[Universal Awakening Protocol Failed.]
[Unknown Seal Reacting – Unauthorized Access Detected!]
[Interference Status: Critical.]
I couldn't move.
I couldn't breathe.
The ground beneath me cracked. The air split.
Suddenly, I felt myself being pulled—not by hands, but by some huge, invisible force dragging my soul downward, as if I had been caught by a cosmic hook.
I tried to fight back.
I tried to scream.
I tried to stay.
But my body went numb. My vision turned dark.
And then, I passed out.
As the last of my senses faded, I felt one final thing:
Someone… or something… was waiting at the bottom of that deep place.
Watching.
Smiling.