"Damn, my head hurts." Asher slowly opened his dark purple eyes, clutching his head in pain.
"What is this damn place again?" He sat on the cold stone floor as he tried to remember what had happened before he woke up here.
"Someone attacked me forcefully when I was trying to leave that room." He felt angry at feeling helpless and powerless while others manipulated him as they pleased.
Throughout his life, he had sought freedom. He had faced many hardships, fought many people, and even killed many, including innocents and young children, in his quest for freedom.
But no matter what he did, he always felt like he was being manipulated into some kind of scheme.
Just when he thought he had achieved absolute freedom, he met the Ruler of the Void, who showed him that he was still far from freedom and that he still knew many things.
Now, when he wanted to begin his journey to freedom, he was easily killed, as if he were just an insignificant insect, and he hadn't even tried to resist.
"Thinking about all this only increases my suffering. Also, for some strange reason, I didn't feel pain when I was attacked. Or is it because I died so quickly that I didn't even feel the pain?" Asher said, mocking himself.
"No, sir. It's because you didn't die in the first place."
A deep, gruff voice brought Asher out of his thoughts. Looking up, he was greeted by a mysterious black skeleton, dressed in black robes and holding a mysterious staff.
At first, Asher didn't notice, but after looking up, he realized he was in a strange place.
The sky was dark, like night, with no stars or moon, only a mysterious purple eye illuminating the ground.
Asher was sitting on a floor that resembled a volcano, but it was freezing cold, like ice. Behind the mysterious skeleton was a dark red sea of blood, its end invisible as a mysterious black fog obscured his view.
"I know you, sir, are still surprised after everything that's happened, but we have to hurry before time runs out." The skeleton urged him to clear his mind so he could understand what was really going on.
"Hurry for what?" After everything that had happened, Asher was no longer surprised and began to speak calmly.
"To blend in with your bloodline," the skeleton said, causing Asher to remain silent for a moment, staring straight ahead with lifeless eyes.
Asher had thought he wouldn't be surprised again, only to find himself shocked by what he had just heard. He remained silent until he remembered what he had told him at the beginning about his death.
"What did you mean, 'I'm not dead,' and also, 'Why are you calling me sir?'" At first, he had thought he was dead and in hell, and he wasn't too surprised, as he had expected that.
But for him to start talking about his bloodline and calling him sir made him a little suspicious.
"Well, first, let me briefly explain what this place is, as you seem more surprised than I thought." Asher nodded calmly, waiting for him to speak quickly to understand what was really going on. "This place is your inner world, and it belongs to you. However, it hasn't been fully opened yet, as you are still a little too weak to fully open it. Please don't ask anything about it, as you are still too weak to know anything."
"All you need to know is that it has to do with your bloodline. I am, as you say in your world, a guide created by the world to help you understand your strength a little. That's why I also call you my master."
"First, I must apologize for not summoning you sooner, but you were under surveillance and I couldn't risk revealing your bloodline, so I left you until you were far away from them. Then I summoned you to complete your integration with your bloodline."
"also, to answer your question, it's true that you didn't die. Rather, you were transferred to a special dungeon where you face monsters of Rank 3 and above. The dungeon automatically regenerates your injuries so you don't die too quickly. This is what the Void Lord wanted to do to you."
After finishing the explanation, Asher remained calm, slowly analyzing the new information to better understand his current situation.
After a short while, his head tilted upwards with a calm and collected expression.
"Why should I trust you?" Asher asked calmly and indifferently, but what he received was a hollow smile from the skeleton.
"I knew, sir, that you would ask that question, which means you're starting to take this seriously, and that makes me really happy." The resolute skeleton spoke with a strange joy that left Asher feeling puzzled by his unnatural actions.
"Because, sir, I know your lineage, everything about you, and no one who doesn't have a special relationship with you would do that," the skeleton said solemnly before continuing.
"Your lineage, the Primordial Darkness, is more powerful than you can imagine and has deeper secrets than what's revealed. When they are discovered by others, your life will always be in danger, and if you want to survive, you must be stronger than them..."
"So, Mr. Asher Darwin, future ruler of darkness and master of doom and destruction, you must trust this humble creature before you. He will help you understand many things as you grow stronger."
Again, Asher remained silent, staring at the skeleton's offer, trying to determine whether or not he was telling the truth.
"I won't ask anything right now, but if you want to help me like you say, tell me about the world that bastard sent me to and everything I need to know to become stronger," Asher said as he stood up from the cold ground and faced the skeleton.
"Okay, sir." The skeleton smiled and began his explanation.
"Zark's world is one of the most famous and powerful worlds in the entire universe due to the percentage of powerful people emerging from it. It is under the authority of the Demon Lord after several rulers fought over it. Due to the ruler's power, he was unable to enter it, so he left the task to one of his weaker generals to control it."
"As you have seen, my lord, the Demon General has not yet been able to control it and is at war with the other four races."
"Apart from the war with the other races, there are gates and towers on the Human Continent, and on all the continents, I am only focusing on the place where you are currently located."
"Inside them are what are called Void Beasts, creatures that have lost their minds due to the mana contaminated in the Void."
"First, the gates are spatial cracks that can appear anywhere, and inside them are Void Beasts. The levels of the beasts depend on the rank of the gate that appeared. If they are not purified by the guilds in charge, the beasts will emerge and destroy Everything is in front of her."
"This is what happened several years ago when a Rank 6 portal was broken deep in a forest on the Human Continent, releasing thousands of monsters. Humans were able to save the day, but there are still some Rank 6 Void Beasts roaming the depths of the forest."
"As for the towers, they're few and far between, and they have several floors inside. Each floor has a monster of some kind. The unique thing about them is that for each floor you complete, you can obtain mysterious treasures that are only found within it. However, you can only obtain the treasure once, and if you clear the floor again, you won't get anything."
"Also, sir, there's something important. If you want to increase your skills and power, you must kill monsters and take the cards they drop, called Skill Cards. You can learn them to gain new skills in addition to the unique skills you already have."
"That's all I have to say, sir. You can discover the other things about noble families, academies, and power levels on your own; they're not necessary anyway."
Asher tried to understand all this new information. Although he has a very curious nature, he didn't ask about many things. He also found that some things were as the Void Lord had told him, except that he hadn't told him about the towers, gates, and skill cards.
'Did he think I wouldn't need them since I would simply be a sacrifice in his ritual?' This realization made Asher grow even more furious and resentful of the Void Lord.
'Wait, I'll take revenge on you in the harshest way in the future for trying to manipulate me,' Asher vowed to himself and tried to calm himself as much as possible.
The skeleton noticed Asher's dark expression but decided to remain silent and not interfere for now.
'Then, sir, should we begin your integration with your bloodline?'