Workers entered the courtyard carrying wooden crates.
They moved in orderly lines, their faces expressionless, efficient. When they reached the center of the vast space, they set the crates down with synchronized precision and opened them.
Inside...
Beacons.
Not torches. Not flames.
But wrist-mounted devices—sleek, metallic watches with dark gray casings. Each one had a single red button beneath a circular glass cover. Simple. Functional. Final.
One of the workers raised his voice, addressing the five thousand examinees:
"Each examinee must take one beacon. Wear it on your right wrist."
He paused, his tone turning grave.
"Once activated, the beacon will transport you out of the Asir Realm immediately. But you will forfeit your chance to join the Origin."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"One chance..."
"If I press it... everything's over."
The worker continued:
"To activate: press the red button. You will be extracted within seconds."
The examinees began forming lines.
Faris, Sen, and Yara joined the queue.
But Faris noticed something.
The nobles weren't lining up.
Instead, a worker approached them directly, carrying a different crate—smaller, made of polished black wood with silver engravings.
He opened it before them.
The beacons inside were different.
Larger. Sleeker. Made of silver metal that caught the light. And on each face... three red buttons arranged vertically.
Faris narrowed his eyes.
"Three buttons..."
He turned to Yara, keeping his voice low.
"Why are their beacons different?"
Yara glanced at the nobles, then answered quietly:
"Three chances."
Faris raised an eyebrow. "Three?"
She nodded.
"For commoners, pressing the button means evacuation. For nobles... the first two presses activate a protective barrier. It shields them from fatal attacks."
Sen muttered bitterly: "Of course they get protection."
Yara continued, her tone neutral:
"Only the third press evacuates them. And there's a counter on the display showing how many uses remain."
She paused, meeting Faris's gaze.
"It may seem unfair. But they're strong. You felt their auras, didn't you? They're different from us. Descendants of humanity's strongest bloodlines. Their families contribute millions—sometimes billions—to the Origin every year."
Her voice was calm, factual.
"That's why they get privileges."
Faris listened in silence.
Then... he acted.
He looked at Yara—let his gaze linger on her tight-fitting clothes for a moment too long—then stammered, perfectly mimicking awkwardness:
"O-oh. I... I see. That makes sense."
He quickly looked away, adjusted his own clothes, shoved his hands in his pockets.
Sen noticed.
A sly smile spread across his face.
He likes her appearance. Typical.
Yara noticed too, but said nothing.
Just a faint flicker of amusement in her eyes, gone in an instant.
After what felt like an hour, the distribution ended.
Faris wore his beacon on his right wrist.
Cold metal. Heavy. The red button beneath the glass seemed to pulse faintly, like a heartbeat.
One chance.
Or stay until the end.
He looked at it for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"I won't need it."
Sen and Yara equipped theirs as well, silent, tense.
Odin's voice cut through the noise:
"You will now be transported to the Asir Realm."
His cold gaze swept the crowd.
"Specifically, to Earth City—humanity's stronghold within the realm."
He turned, began walking toward a massive building on the right side of the courtyard.
"Follow the guides. Do not fall behind."
His final words were ice.
"If you die or get stuck there... that's on you."
Workers and supervisors began directing the examinees:
"Follow Commander Odin to the Asir Gate! Move quickly!"
The entire crowd surged forward.
Faris, Sen, and Yara joined the flow.
They entered the building.
And stopped.
The Asir Gate.
It hung in the center of the vast hall, suspended in mid-air with no visible support.
Not a door.
Not a portal.
A tear in reality itself.
As if someone had taken a hammer to the fabric of existence and cracked it open.
The edges were jagged, irregular, glowing with colors that shouldn't exist—electric blues that hurt to look at, neon greens that pulsed like living things, deep purples that seemed to pull at the soul, shimmering golds that danced and twisted.
Through the center...
Brilliant white light, blinding yet strangely gentle, inviting, whispering:
Enter.
The commoner students froze, mouths open.
"My god..."
"It's... beautiful."
"It looks like reality is broken."
But the nobles...
Their faces remained blank.
No awe. No wonder. Just calm indifference.
Faris observed them carefully.
Have they seen this before?
Or are they just maintaining their composure as nobles?
He didn't know.
I'll find out... in the Asir Realm.
He heard Sen's voice beside him, hushed, filled with wonder:
"I never imagined it would look like this..."
Yara said nothing, but her eyes were slightly wider, trying to control her reaction.
Odin stepped through the gate first.
One step—his massive frame pierced the white light—
And vanished.
The supervisors followed, one by one, disappearing into the rift.
But after that...
No one moved.
The students stood frozen, hesitant, afraid.
Silence.
Then...
The nobles walked forward.
No hesitation. No fear.
All sixteen strode toward the gate with confident steps, entered one after another.
Disappeared.
Faris watched them go.
Then smiled—wide, genuine excitement flooding through him.
His heart pounded.
Finally.
He stepped forward.
Sen called after him: "Fray, wait—"
"No time to wait."
Yara followed silently, her gaze sharp.
Faris reached the gate, stood directly before it.
The white light engulfed him. The colors danced around him. The whisper filled his ears.
Enter.
He smiled.
Then stepped through.
The first thing he felt was pressure.
Not physical.
But on his soul.
Then he opened his eyes.
A massive plaza.
Larger than any he'd seen on Earth.
The ground beneath him was smooth white stone, polished to perfection. The buildings surrounding them were tall, elegant, built in an architectural style he'd never seen—curved lines, arched roofs, wide windows glowing with internal light.
And there were... people.
Thousands of them.
Students like him, entering one by one through the gate.
Supervisors in Origin uniforms.
Odin standing to the side, waiting silently.
And the nobles... clustered in a separate group.
But what caught Faris's attention most...
The creatures.
They weren't human.
At least not fully.
They resembled humans in general form—upright stature, two arms, two legs, faces.
But...
A single horn protruded from each of their foreheads. Long, curved slightly, gleaming ivory.
And a tail hung behind them. Smooth, moving slowly as if alive.
They wore Origin uniforms too—same official attire, same badges.
Supervisors.
But they weren't human.
Faris stared at them silently.
What are they?
Sen whispered beside him, voice filled with awe:
"The Haim..."
Faris turned to him. "What?"
"They're from the Haim race." Sen swallowed hard. "Another species... living in the Asir Realm."
Faris looked again.
One of the Haim walked past them, horn glinting faintly, golden eyes—completely golden, no whites—glanced at Faris for a moment, then moved on without a word.
Yara whispered: "Strong. I felt dense mana from him."
But Faris wasn't listening.
Because he felt something else.
The mana.
The mana in this world was...
Different.
Heavy.
Primal.
Strange.
Dense beyond belief.
He closed his eyes, breathed deeply.
And recognized it.
Planetary Mana.
The energy that appears when 80% of life on a planet is exterminated.
The energy demons seek above all else.
The energy worth destroying entire worlds for.
This was what drove demons to invade planets. To slaughter populations. To turn thriving continents into dead wastelands.
When 80% of a planet's living creatures died, the planet itself began secreting this energy—concentrated, pure, immense.
Planetary Mana.
For demons, it was the fastest path to power. A single world's worth could elevate a demon by multiple ranks in mere years instead of centuries.
That's why demons were on Earth.
That's why they turned the Northern Continent into a lifeless desert.
They were chasing this.
But for humans and other races... they couldn't absorb Planetary Mana in large quantities like demons could. Their bodies couldn't handle it. It would tear them apart from the inside.
Yet here, in the Asir Realm...
The air was saturated with it.
Faris opened his eyes slowly, looked at the sky.
Flying creatures.
Unlike anything he'd seen before—massive winged beasts with scales that shimmered like oil on water, serpentine bodies that coiled through the air, avian creatures the size of houses with six wings and razor-sharp beaks.
Dozens of them.
Flying freely above the city.
Everything here was...
Stronger.
More dangerous.
More alive.
"Fray!"
Sen shook him hard.
Faris blinked, returned to reality.
Looked around.
Everyone... had already entered.
All ten thousand examinees stood in the plaza, ready, waiting for instructions.
Even the weaker students had recovered from their shock.
But he...
Was the last to snap out of it.
A strange feeling washed over him.
For the first time since arriving in this human world...
He was the last to regain focus.
Because this world...
Was important to him.
More than anything else.
He'd thought he would be the first to recover—planned to observe the nobles, see if they showed surprise, determine if they'd been here before, decide whether to stay with his current group or approach them.
But the opportunity passed.
Sen looked at him with concern. "Are you okay?"
Faris smiled—wide, genuine.
"I'm... perfect."
Yara watched him silently, eyes narrowed slightly.
Something's different about him.
But she didn't comment.
Faris drew a smile on his face and said, "Let's go."
Then he remembered something.
Something important he'd forgotten.
Weapons.
Everywhere he turned, examinees carried weapons.
Swords strapped to waists. Daggers hidden in belts. Spears slung over shoulders. Light armor worn under clothes. Folding bows. Even maces and hammers.
Everyone was armed.
Except him.
A strange feeling crept over him.
Embarrassment?
He was a demon. Combat ran through his veins. In his mind. In every cell of his body.
Yet he forgot to bring a weapon.
He smiled bitterly.
Stupid.
But quickly dismissed it.
I can steal weapons from enemies.
Or from the dead.
They walked behind Odin and the supervisors, leaving Earth City behind.
Two hours of continuous walking across open, vast, strange lands.
During the journey, Faris heard one examinee ask a Haim supervisor:
"Why are we walking? Aren't there vehicles?"
The supervisor—a creature with a twisted ivory horn and a slowly swaying tail—laughed lightly.
"Technology doesn't work here. No cars. No machines. Only mana and natural strength."
The student swallowed hard, returned to silence.
Faris smiled faintly.
A world of pure power.
Some students tried to ease tension by talking to each other. Others remained silent, focused, conserving energy.
The nobles walked at the front, separate, no visible effort on their faces.
Faris observed everything silently.
After two hours...
They arrived.
The Forest.
Massive. Dark. Stretching as far as the eye could see.
How many days would it take to cross it?
He didn't know.
Odin stood before the forest's edge, turned toward the crowd.
His deep voice cut the silence:
"The examination will take place in this forest."
He paused, his cold gaze sweeping everyone.
"The rules are simple:"
He raised one finger.
"You may enter from any angle you choose."
Second finger.
"Do not leave the forest."
Third finger.
"Forcing anyone to withdraw... or killing them... earns you one point."
Murmurs spread.
"Killing monsters also earns you one point."
Odin raised his wrist, showed his beacon. On a small screen above the glass, a number appeared: 0.
"These points are recorded in your beacon. They determine your ranking among all examinees."
Heavy silence.
"Higher ranking... grants you privileges at the Origin."
Students' eyes widened.
"Equipment. Resources. Rare weapons. Special training from me... or from Instructor Visia."
Visia's name triggered immediate commotion.
"Visia?!"
"Instructor Visia herself?!"
"No one has ever trained under her without rising in this world!"
Odin smiled—a cold, frightening smile.
"And if you're lucky enough... you can obtain a new ability. A beast core. Replace your current ability with something stronger."
The commotion turned to chaos.
"Abilities?!"
"Instead of killing thousands of monsters and risking our lives... we can get them as rewards?!"
"This... this is worth the risk!"
Faris... his eyes gleamed.
Abilities.
I need them.
I don't have one.
Odin raised his hand, silence returned.
"And don't die."
He smiled for the first time.
A cold, terrifying smile.
"Easy, isn't it?"
Sen muttered bitterly: "Easy? He forgot the part about monsters... and permitted killing."
Odin raised his hand high.
"The examination begins... now."
Yara said immediately: "Let's observe first before entering."
Faris nodded. "Good."
They stood aside, watching.
Some students entered immediately—groups, individuals, organized teams.
But most remained outside the forest, watching, afraid, hesitant.
Then... two noble families moved.
They entered the forest from different angles, without hesitation.
Disappeared into the darkness.
Faris observed, then turned to Sen and Yara.
"Most are still afraid. Let's use this."
Sen raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"We enter now. Secure a strategic position. Explore. Study the dangers before the place gets crowded."
Yara thought, then nodded. "Logical."
Faris searched for an isolated spot.
Found it.
A remote corner, no one had entered from there yet.
"From there."
He walked toward it.
Sen and Yara followed.
They entered the forest.
At first... everything was beautiful.
Short, spaced-out trees. Sunlight easily piercing through leaves, illuminating soft green ground. Clean, refreshing air. Distant bird sounds. The environment radiated comfort and reassurance.
No trace of any dangerous creatures.
Sen breathed with relief. "Looks like we chose a good spot."
Yara smiled faintly. "Perhaps."
Faris said nothing.
Just... walked cautiously.
But soon... everything changed.
The trees began growing taller.
And taller.
And taller.
Until their trunks were as wide as buildings, their heights blocking the sky completely.
Light disappeared.
Darkness descended like a heavy curtain.
Only thin threads of sunlight slipped between dense branches.
The ground became wet, muddy. Mud stuck to their shoes, slowing their progress.
The air became heavy. Smell of rot, moisture, something... dead.
They heard sounds to their right.
But kept moving.
Faris said: "Let's hurry. We don't want to get caught in early combat."
They quickened their pace.
Walked for 25 minutes.
No trace of any living creatures.
Just... trees.
Silent.
Still.
Watching.
Yara stopped suddenly.
"Wait."
She looked around with concern.
"We have no survival equipment. No shelter. No food. No water."
Sen nodded. "True. How long does the examination usually last?"
"Four to six days typically." Yara answered calmly.
"Then..." Sen took a deep breath. "We need to hunt something."
Yara nodded. "Yes. Let's search for monsters. Secure our food. Then sleep atop a large tree. Safer."
Faris nodded. "Good."
They continued walking, delving deeper.
And from here...
The strangeness truly began.
Because from the moment they entered this deeper section...
Complete silence.
Not normal silence.
But wrong silence.
No rustling leaves.
No distant combat sounds they'd heard before.
No bird calls.
No insect buzzing.
Nothing.
Just their own footsteps. Their own breathing. Their own whispers.
As if the world itself had been muted.
Sen frowned. "Is it just me, or is it too quiet?"
Yara nodded slowly. "Something's wrong."
But they kept walking.
Twenty more minutes.
Still nothing.
No monster's to hunt
Just silence.
And trees.
Faris's instincts screamed.
This isn't natural.
We should be hearing the forest.
We should be hearing other examinees.
We should be hearing SOMETHING.
But there was only...
Them.
Then, without warning—
EXPLOSION OF SOUND.
Rustling everywhere.
Combat sounds—close, so close.
Movement in every direction.
Faris stopped instantly.
This is wrong.
This is—
"TRAP!" He shouted. "Get back! NOW!"
Sen and Yara retreated immediately.
"What?!"
"Someone's been using an ability on us! We couldn't hear anything because we were under its effect!"
And as they backed away...
Faris saw him.
A young man.
Short. Thin. Standing completely still.
Staring into empty space with vacant eyes.
Above his head...
A hand.
Not a branch.
A hand.
Green-black. Grotesque. Massive. Covered in rough bark and small thorns.
Gripping his head tightly.
The young man didn't move. Didn't scream. Just... stood there.
Empty.
And the tree behind him...
Began to move.
The movement was slow.
Deliberate.
Terrifying.
The massive trunk bent forward, creaking softly, approaching the frozen young man.
And on the tree's surface...
A face began forming.
Not human.
But something hideous beyond comprehension.
Two eyes—fixed, cold, dead—stared directly at the three of them with absolute indifference.
A mouth began opening slowly beneath those unblinking eyes.
Wooden teeth—old, filthy, random, broken—grew from wooden gums like rotted thorns.
The mouth widened.
Slowly.
So slowly.
And the tree continued approaching the young man's head.
All while those cold, dead eyes never stopped watching Faris, Sen, and Yara.
The three stood frozen.
Couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
Could only watch in absolute horror.
The tree's mouth opened wider.
The young man remained motionless—eyes vacant, expression blank, not even aware of his approaching death.
The mouth tilted slightly.
And the young man's head...
Entered.
CRUNCH.
The tree bit down.
Slowly.
So slowly.
The sound of bone grinding.
The sound of flesh tearing.
Blood began pouring.
Dark red, thick, flowing from the sides of the wooden mouth, running down the trunk, dripping onto the ground in heavy drops.
The tree chewed.
Slowly.
Methodically.
Its dead eyes still fixed on the three of them.
Yara screamed.
A raw, primal scream filled with genuine terror.
She turned and ran at full speed.
Sen snapped back to reality, followed her immediately, face pale, gasping.
But Faris...
Stayed.
For moments.
Watching.
His eyes analyzing.
The boy was applying his ability on us.
That's why we couldn't hear anything else.
The effect vanished when the tree touched him.
So... the tree nullifies abilities.
And when it looked at us... we couldn't move.
And when it bent down... it couldn't see us anymore.
That's why it didn't attack.
He smiled faintly.
Interesting.
Then turned and ran after Sen and Yara.
He found them stopped near the forest edge, gasping, terrified, confused.
Sen was trembling. "Did you... did you see that?!"
His voice was high, filled with panic.
"That monster... killed him! Ate his head!"
Yara was pale, eyes wide.
"It would have been our turn... if its eyes hadn't moved away while it was eating."
Sen swallowed hard. "What do we do?"
Yara looked at the forest edge, then at her beacon.
"We stay... near the exit."
Her voice trembled.
"Hide. Wait. Until everyone else is eliminated. Then enter at the end."
Sen nodded quickly. "Yes! Yes, that's... that's safer!"
Faris looked at them, then acted.
He began trembling artificially.
His voice came out stammering, afraid:
"Y-yes. Let's stay near... the exit."
He looked at the ground, placed his hands on his knees as if trying to catch his breath.
Perfect.
I'll convince them... after they regain their minds.
To face the tree.
He smiled internally.
Because I know now...
How it works.