After dragging myself out of the cave nestled at the bottom of the cliff, I inhaled the cold, damp air and lifted my gaze toward the sliver of sunlight pouring down from above.
'Time to move,' I told myself.
I began the climb.
The cliff walls were unforgiving—smooth, steep, and utterly barren of anything to hold onto. I had no choice but to grab at whatever I could—stubborn roots jutting out of the rock, crooked branches clinging to life in the cracks—and pull myself upward, breath ragged, arms burning.
Each time I found a hold, I clutched it like my life depended on it—because it did. The pain in my fingertips was sharp, my nails throbbing from the strain, but I didn't stop. I couldn't.
Eventually, after what felt like hours, I reached the top.
I collapsed near the edge, chest heaving, and turned back to look at what I'd just climbed.
'That was hell,' I thought, my eyes drifting to the forest ahead.
As I stood there, staring into the trees, a sudden shiver crept down my spine. My body began to tremble before I even realized it.
. Clenching my right fist, I swallowed once and tried to listen for any sounds of nature. Though it was a forest, I couldn't hear any animals or birds. And the memory of yesterday's creature only made the forest feel more terrifying.
With trembling hands, I stepped into the forest, scanning my surroundings to ensure no one was watching. After confirming I was alone, I let out a deep breath and relaxed a bit.
'The creature isn't here.'
Feeling somewhat reassured, I began walking deeper into the forest again, but suddenly a sharp pang hit my stomach, and I collapsed from hunger. Clutching my stomach tightly, I bent over in pain.
'I need to find at least a crumb… and… water too…' I thought, rising and continuing my search despite the burning hunger inside me.
No matter how far I walked in search of food, I saw nothing but trees and plants. The desire to eat gnawed away at me from within.
'I won't last much longer like this,' I thought, collapsing to the ground in weakness.
Despite the pain in my body, I crawled on the ground, trying to survive. But the stabbing agony in my stomach wouldn't allow it. As my vision dimmed and my body was overtaken by fatigue, my eyes landed on a nearby plant.
It had wide-spread leaves, wasn't very tall, and had a blue flower blooming on it.
'I have no choice. If I don't eat it, I'll die of hunger. If it's poisonous…' I hesitated, then reached out with a trembling hand and touched the flower.
As soon as I touched it, my mind filled with a thousand thoughts.
What will happen if I die now? Who will save my family? Will I ever get the chance to apologize for not being there during the hardest times?
Caught in a whirl of thoughts, I closed my eyes and pulled the flower from the ground.
Suddenly, I heard a sound—like a familiar alert from my phone. I was stunned. My phone wasn't with me, and there was no one else in the forest… except the creature, and I doubted it used a phone.
Turning toward the sound, I raised my head and widened my eyes in shock.
'What… is this?'
In front of me appeared a semi-transparent blue window, its glowing letters reminding me of the mirror I'd seen in the cave. But this one was simpler, less ornate, and a different color.
Words appeared on the screen—written in characters I'd never seen before. And yet, somehow, I could read them.
[You have obtained the Gilunus Plant!]
[Properties]
The sudden appearance of the window startled me. Or more accurately, left me in awe—I couldn't look away.
"Gilunus? Is that… the name of this flower?" I said aloud, glancing between the flower and the glowing window.
'What are its properties?' I wondered and instinctively tapped on the screen with my finger.
Suddenly, more information appeared, starting with:
[Gilunus Flower: Classified as one of the most potent healing plants in the world. Commonly used to make healing elixirs and regeneration potions…]
I read to the end of the information—and the final line made me smile.
[No toxic effects detected. Safe to eat.]
'There's information about it here. I should test the others too.' I began plucking other nearby plants.
[You have obtained the *** plant!]
I checked each one's properties. At the end of each description, it read:
[No toxic effects detected. Safe to eat.]
'So, according to the window, only healing plants grow here.' I stared at the Gilunus flower in my hand. 'Time to test it.'
I brought the flower close to my nose and sniffed—it gave off a refreshing minty aroma that filled me with calm.
Then, a little hesitant, I slowly placed it in my mouth. Even though the window said it wasn't poisonous, I still had my doubts.
'Smells like mint…' I thought, beginning to chew it.
The more I chewed, the more bitter it tasted. But at the same time, I could feel something changing inside me. My body felt as if it was regenerating, vital energy flowing through my veins from head to toe.
Before long, the pain in my muscles eased, the ache in my fingernails from climbing vanished. In short, I felt reborn.
'An incredible plant,' I thought, continuing to eat despite the bitterness.
After a while, my hunger lessened, though I wasn't fully satisfied yet.
I had been so focused on escaping the cliff and easing my hunger that I'd forgotten something important.
The Mark the man in the cave gave me—and the window.
Realizing this, I tried to summon the window the way the man had done.
'How did he summon it again? He didn't say anything… just…' As I thought about the window, it appeared before me out of thin air.
Apparently, just thinking about it was enough to summon it.
[Status Window]
Name: Rayan Velion
Rank: ???
Core Type: Sephir Core
Core Status: Active
Sephirs: None
Unique Sephir: Core Devourer
Rank Fragments: 0/100
Core Fragments: 0/1000
Title: Nobody
Mark: Lord of Darkness
I read the words one by one.
'My name's here too. But why is the Rank like that? There's nothing listed… Core Type?!' The more I read, the more confused and intrigued I became.
'Core… is that like the source of magic in comics? But I don't have anything like that.' I glanced down at my body.
Then I felt something near my heart—warm, like the sun, filling me with energy.
'So that's the core!' I placed my hand over my heart, trying to feel it more clearly.
Then I kept reading. Some terms I didn't fully understand, so I could only guess.
But one thing truly shocked me.
'[Mark: Lord of Darkness] What?!' I blinked, rubbed my eyes, then looked again.
No matter how many times I rubbed my eyes or slapped my cheeks, the text didn't change. Finally, I sighed and took another look at the screen.
"Calm down! Life isn't over yet. This doesn't mean it's all hopeless." I tried to reassure myself.
I glanced at the screen, then lifted my head and looked around to make sure no one had seen my Mark.
Even though I knew I was alone.
"There's no one here. So… it should be fine, as long as people… don't… see this…" My voice trembled, and I covered my mouth with my hand.
Then flashes from all the books and comics I'd read about Lords of Darkness came to mind. Everything I'd learned about them… all evil, sitting on thrones in terrifying castles, laughing in the face of destruction.
"Maybe it's not like that in this world…" I said aloud, then added, "But I still feel like something is wrong."
Unable to fully process everything I'd seen, I began to breathe deeply. Then I relaxed, letting my shoulders drop as I gently lay on the grass.
Lying among the soft blades and fragrant herbs, I let the gentle breeze calm me and stared up at the sky.
'So this is how Rayan Velion's adventure in another world ends. No-name Rayan, worthless in every way, killed cowardly by the hero sent by the Empire.'
I closed my eyes for a moment, then spoke in a firm, cold voice:
"It doesn't matter what happens next. I have to get my family back. I've made my vow. There's no turning back. There's only one way… forward."
Lifting my head, I sat up and plucked the Gilunus flower growing beside me.
[You have obtained the Gilunus Plant!]
I looked at the glowing window in front of me and said:
"This window… it's all I have. I can't trust anyone… except myself." Then I raised my head to the sky.