It's dark and… so… warm," Daniel muttered softly.
"Am I… alive?" he questioned in his mind as he struggled to open his eyes, only to be instantly blinded by a bright light.
After a few attempts, Daniel's blurry vision cleared and he was greeted by a clear blue sky and bright sunlight of a benevolent day. Or so it seemed.
"Am I in heaven?" he wondered, remaining silent for a while.
"Huh? Something's off with the sky—ugh!" Daniel winced, pinching his nose.
"This is…" he said, staring at his messy, muddy hands and body, covered in greenish-brown mud.
"Huh? What's this?… this smell?" Daniel sniffed the air to satisfy his curiosity.
"Ugh! Poop!"
"This is poop!" he snarled, immediately standing up and struggling to brush it off his body, which only made it worse.
Without a second thought, Daniel hurried around, desperately searching for at least a small pond of water. Luckily, he found one and immediately washed himself clean, although the stench still clung stubbornly to him.
"Jeez… my bad luck. Landing in the Netherworld and the first thing to greet me is some random animal's poop."
Daniel was frustrated but let it slide since there was nothing he could do about it.
"Speaking of the Netherworld…" Daniel said, turning his head and scanning his surroundings. "This isn't the Netherworld I heard about."
He continued.
"I was expecting to die on the spot after landing in some ancient ruins or a den of monsters."
Daniel's eyes swept across the area glancing at grass, ponds, and towering trees.
"Whatever. I should check out the area first."
Just as he was about to take another step, the status window appeared with a message.
"This damn thing!" Daniel snarled, irritated at the system, before being silenced by its new message.
[You have 14 days before the HOUR OF REGRET. Do well to find and drink a Soul Potion before the time elapses.]
Another window appeared below it with a message.
[Time left before HOUR OF REGRET:
13:23:56:30]
Daniel stared at it, pinching his jaw with two fingers.
"Hour of Regret…?"
"What is that?" he arched an eyebrow in confusion.
Just as Daniel was brooding over the messages, the status window appeared with a message again. This time longer.
[Burdened : Daniel Watchman
Crown : Primordial Crown of Silence
Crown Rank : Regular
Crown Sequence : Locked
Soul Potion : 0/1
Your information will be updated after unlocking your Crown Sequence.]
Daniel stared at the status window, bewildered, before wincing as a severe pain struck his head like a hammer.
"Argh!" Daniel groaned.
Instantly, something appeared on his head. Jagged glowing black stones—shaped like diamonds—formed out of thin air, making a light metallic rustling sound as they rotated. They connected in a circular pattern, joined by a black ring that pierced through them before settling on Daniel's head.
Astonished, Daniel tried to remove the strange glowing crown from his head. Unfortunately, it didn't budge.
"Huh? What the!" Daniel scowled in frustration. He made multiple attempts to pull it off, but they all failed.
He turned around. Slowly and steadily, Daniel walked toward a pond and slightly revealed his face. As he looked at his reflection, his eyes widened in awe at the jagged black crown. Its darkness, even under sunlight, glowed faintly with white light along the edges.
"Whoa!" he gasped.
"I actually got one? Mine looks different, but it's definitely one of those."
"The strange crowns that gave those people in the news overwhelming power."
He tapped and slid his fingers across the crown in admiration.
"Wait!" Daniel gasped again, this time slapping his cheeks hard.
"This is the Netherworld. A dangerous and deadly place."
"Just because nothing has happened yet doesn't mean I can relax."
He sighed and thought.
"Can I take this off?"
Clearing his throat, Daniel said.
"System. Appear."
Instantly, the status window appeared, displaying his current information. Focusing his mind, Daniel managed to make the crown disappear. Thankfully, it remained in his status window.
"I should focus and find shelter before dark."
Daniel walked through the forest, his torn boots crunching on dry leaves.
Suddenly, he stopped. Daniel narrowed his eyes, sharpening his gaze. Something was wrong.
He looked up at the sky and scanned the surroundings. Without hesitation, he began sprinting through the forest.
"Something isn't right… something definitely isn't right," he muttered.
Daniel stopped.
"I don't hear anything… NO!...I don't see anything. There are no animals… no creatures."
He gulped deeply as his heart raced.
At that moment, a chilling breeze swept through the forest. Daniel didn't hesitate,his instincts screamed at him to run.
"When it comes to survival, there's no cowardice in running for your life."
Running as if his life depended on it, Daniel sprinted through the forest before crashing into a bush.
"Urgh!" he groaned, struggling to pull himself out.
Daniel lifted his head, his eyes widening instantly. As he was instantly met with something unexpected.
"Huh?"
His eyes trembled. Daniel struggled to mutter words out of his mouth.
"What… what is that?"