Tutorial (2)–the first quest.....
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The first devil. Darkness. The Wicked. The Apocalypse. Mocking plague. Monarch of Death and Despair…
These are just a few of the many names whispered by mortals, gods, and everything in between.
But the name my father gave me—the one that carries weight beyond titles and tales—was…
[Ruler of the End].
Now, let me take you to the beginning.
And when I say "beginning," I mean before your sunrises, your divine prophecies, your pitiful little fates.
There was nothing.
No light. No stars. Not even the concept of existence.
Just pure, unadulterated darkness—the kind that doesn’t whisper, doesn’t move, doesn’t care.
Silence so complete it could shatter a god’s mind.
And then—
BOOM.
(Yes, I’m serious. It was loud. Trust me.)
A presence surged into being, ripping through that void with sheer will.
That presence… was my father.
The Supreme Creator.
He’s the sort of entity whose gaze can unwrite entire philosophies and whose sneeze could create a religion.
A truly overachieving cosmic being.
And he, in his infinite wisdom—or perhaps boredom—brought forth me, Abyss, and my ever-so-radiant twin brother, Lucarux.
Like any proper sibling duo, we were given responsibilities.
Lucarux, golden boy that he is, created gods.
Nurtured life.
Sung lullabies to civilizations.
Made rainbows and all that sparkly nonsense.
And me?
I created 13 Demons, forged from shadow and finality.
I oversaw death, the last step of every journey.
Poetic, right?
We even had our playground: 13 Worldlines.
Each one a universe, each one complex, alive, and brimming with potential—or doom, depending on whose side you're on.
But, as you probably guessed, it didn't stay harmonious for long.
Something happened. Something pushed me over the edge.
“What happened?” you ask?
Tsk tsk. Curious, aren’t you?
You’ll learn about that later.
For now, focus.
So there I was—full tilt, full rage.
A rampage of divine proportions.
The kind that makes comets turn around and choose a different galaxy.
And naturally, Lucarux and his shining squad of self-righteous gods couldn’t allow that.
So what did they do?
They sealed me.
Stuffed me like an unwanted relic into the First Worldline.
A cosmic time-out, if you will.
But you see… Father didn’t make me stupid.
He made me patient.
There was one rule woven into the very bones of existence:
When six of the 13 Worldlines fall, the Tower activates.
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A failsafe.
A mechanism to fuse the remaining ones before everything collapses.
But here’s the juicy part—when it activates, there's a sliver of time.
A fraction of a moment when everything goes fuzzy.
System hiccup. A cosmic blink.
And I?
I waited.
Waited in the darkness.
Waited while gods grew lazy and mortals grew arrogant.
Waited as worldlines crumbled, one by one.
And when the time came?
I escaped.
Elegant. Simple. Effortless.
Now the Tower is rising…
And I’m back.
Back to bring forth the destruction.
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Swish!
After a few moments, the darkness veiling my
eyes faded.
[You've entered the tutorial zone 'Howling Grove'!]
A flickering blue screen appeared before me.
But instead of focusing on it, my gaze shifted
upward.
The world around me came into view--a vast
forest stretched ahead, bathed in golden
sunlight.
Just moments ago it was midnight but now—
The sky was clear, the sun shining
brightly.
Chirp!
Chirp!
It was morning.
Yet, one thing was undeniably irritating.
"What's going on?"
"Hey, can anyone explain this?"
"I was at home just a moment ago! How did I
end up here?"
"Is this some kind of magic?"
Shouts and panicked voices filled the air.
I took a quick scan of my surroundings- roughly a hundred people, a mix of ages and genders, all in a state of confusion and fear.
'Annoying!'
Their frantic yelling grated on my ears.
But now wasn't the time to focus on them.
[Your first quest is being assigned.....]
"A quest?"
"Wait, is this a game?"
"This is just like a novel I read!"
I ignored their chatter, keeping my attention
on something far more important.
'It's starting.'
Then, without warning, the world around us
began to shift.
The light dimmed.
A creeping darkness swallowed the once-
bright sky, casting long shadows across the forest.
The air grew heavy, an ominous
stillness settling over us.
"Hey, look. It's an eclipse!" someone shouted.
"This.. this feels dangerous!" Another one commented.
I snapped my eyes upward.
Just as they had said, the sun was slowly
being devoured by a pitch-black ring.
A chilling sense of foreboding crept over me.
'This isn't good.'
Then, a sharp chime rang out.
[New Quest: The Coming of Darkness (1)]
Type: Survival
Difficulty: D+
Objective: Survive the shadow wolves' assault until the solar eclipse ends.
Conditions: None
Description:
Shadow Wolves—creatures that lurk in absolute darkness—despise the sun.
Normally, they remain dormant during the day, only emerging to hunt under the veil of night.
But with the unnatural solar eclipse, the world has been plunged into darkness, awakening them ahead of time.
These beasts are faster than the average predator, their claws sharper than steel, and their instincts honed for the hunt.
Their only known weakness is light, but under this eclipse, even that advantage is stripped away.
Survive. That is your only goal.
Time Limit: 5 minutes
Rewards:
- Unlock: Status Window
- Next Quest: The Coming of Darkness (2)
- Tower Points (TP) +1,000
[Quest Begins! Good Luck!]
The system message vanished, and with it, the last sliver of sunlight was consumed.
Darkness fell.
A thick silence spread, broken only by the ragged breathing and frantic whispers of the people around me.
‘Damn it! Of all the possible tutorial monsters, it had to be Shadow Wolves!’
I clenched my fists.
Shadow Wolves were a nightmare-class predator.
Their weakness to light was well known, but aside from that, they were among the fastest and most vicious creatures lurking in darkness.
No beginner should have to face them.
Then, from the depths of the forest, glowing red orbs flickered into existence.
One by one.
Two by two.
Until dozens of menacing, crimson eyes gleamed through the dark.
"Awooo!!"
"Grr..!!"
"Grrrr…!!"
"Grrrr…!!"
A chorus of guttural growls and snarls echoed through the suffocating darkness, sending shivers down spines.
Then, from the shadows, the wolves emerged.
Their bodies were pure black, so dark they seemed to absorb the very light around them, making them almost formless in the shadows.
Yet their eyes burned like embers, piercing through the night.
Their jaws were unnaturally large, filled with rows of razor-sharp fangs—not just for killing, but for ripping flesh apart.
Each wolf stood bigger and larger than any ordinary grey wolf, their muscles coiled like springs, ready to pounce in an instant.
Their claws, long and serrated, gleamed with an eerie dark mist—the sign of their shadow-infused power.
“What…what are those?” someone stammered.
“Are they shadow wolves?”
“Do we have to fight them?”
The panic in their voices was evident.
Terror paralyzed them.
‘Tch! Useless!’
I expected this.
Most of these people weren’t fighters.
But whether they liked it or not— this was a battle for survival.
"Rrrraaahhh..!!"
The wolves growled, deep and guttural, their glowing eyes locking onto us.
Their bodies tensed.
Then, all at once—
They lunged.
[Your weapons and shields have been transferred to your inventory.]
[Think the word 'equip' to equip them.]
'Equip.'
Without wasting any time, I thought of the word.
A small, circular wooden shield materialized out of thin air.
I grabbed it in my left hand before it fell to ground.
It's handles easily fit my palm and it was light weight.
An iron sword followed, fitting into my right.
It was somewhat rusty and used.
"Tch!"
I clicked my tongue.
To call them weapons was almost laughable.
Unknowingly a chuckle escaped.
Against the massive shadow wolves, they were little more than toys.
Upon scanning the surroundings a bit properly, I gained a bit more information.
There were about thirty wolves, their sleek black bodies blending into the darkness.
Their eyes burned like molten embers, locked onto their prey.
Their elongated fangs gleamed like jagged daggers, saliva dripping from their maws as they snarled.
With a hundred people here, it should have been possible—three to one.
But reality was never that simple.
"Aaaargh!!"
The first scream came as a man tried to run.
He barely made it five steps before a wolf pounced, its powerful jaws clamping onto his shoulder.
He screamed as the beast thrashed him side to side, his bones snapping like twigs.
Then, with a sickening crunch, it tore his arm clean off.
Blood sprayed across the ground, and before he could even collapse, the wolf lunged again—its teeth sinking into his skull.
"Aaaa–!"
His scream cut off instantly.
Another man wielded a rusty spear.
His hands trembled as he jabbed at a nearby wolf.
It sidestepped effortlessly before leaping onto him.
"No! Go away!"
He shrieked, trying to push his spear up, but the wolf's claws came down.
In one brutal swipe, his stomach was ripped open, intestines spilling onto the dirt.
He dropped the spear, his hands desperately trying to push his guts back inside.
The wolf wasted no time, biting into his throat and ripping it out.
Blood bubbled from his lips as he collapsed.
The smell of blood hung thick in the air, metallic and sharp.
It clung to their throats, made breathing feel heavy.
"Ugh!!"
Some people gagged.
Others couldn't hold it in and bent over, vomiting onto the grass.
Pale faces. Shaking hands.
To my right, a young woman gritted her teeth, gripping a short sword.
"I won’t die here!"
She roared, swinging at an approaching wolf.
The blade struck, slicing into its shoulder.
A thin line of black blood oozed out, but the wolf barely flinched.
"Grr..!"
Instead, it let out a guttural growl before retaliating.
A single swipe—her arm flew through the air, severed at the elbow.
She screamed, stumbling back, clutching the bleeding stump.
The wolf lunged, jaws snapping shut around her face.
A sickening crunch echoed as her skull caved in, her lifeless body crumpling to the ground.
"Fight back! Fight back, damn it!" another man roared.
He wielded a massive battle-axe, swinging it wildly.
The sheer force of his swings kept a few wolves at bay, but his movements were too slow.
One wolf darted to his side, its claws raking across his thigh.
He staggered, and that was all the opening they needed.
Two wolves lunged simultaneously—one clamping onto his arm, the other his leg.
They pulled in opposite directions.
"Save me! Save me!"
He screamed but it was useless.
A wet tear filled the air as his body was torn apart.
His upper torso crashed to the ground, entrails spilling out as his remaining arm twitched.
His axe lay beside him, useless now.
Some tried to run, but the wolves were too fast.
One leaped onto a fleeing boy, its jaws locking onto his spine.
He spasmed, shrieking as he was dragged back into the darkness.
"No! Please don’t eat me!"
His screams faded, replaced by the sickening sounds of tearing flesh and crunching bone.
It was pure slaughter.
Despite the carnage, some still tried to fight.
A burly man swung a greatsword, slicing a wolf’s side open.
"Grrr..!"
The creature howled, but another wolf took its place, snapping its jaws onto his head.
A sickening pop echoed as his skull shattered, his body going limp instantly.
The people around me were frozen in terror.
Some clutched weapons but couldn’t move.
Others collapsed, sobbing and praying.
Not that I had expected any help from these people.
'Fools!'
I had no time to waste on them.
"Grrr!!"
"Grrr..!!"
"Grr...!!"
Three shadow wolves stood before me, eyes gleaming with hunger.
I exhaled sharply.
‘Focus.’
Standing still wouldn’t change anything.
If they won't came then I will go to them.
So instead of waiting for them, I gripped my sword and shield tightly and charged at them first.
