It was early in the morning. A gust of cold wind blew through the curtains covering the window. The dim golden light penetrated the room, casting a soft glow in the shadowy space.
Each time the wind blew, the curtains would move, welcoming a beam of light to fall inside. A heavenly touch illuminating everything in its path.
The wind blew and the curtains danced; each time the light fell, the dust particles in its path twinkled like stars in the cosmos. It felt otherworldly.
A flicker of a smile appeared on Aryan's face. He laid back on the makeshift bed, observing the small stars. His eyes squinted, a calm, inquisitive gaze as he slowly extended his hand to touch these stars.
Gently, his hand curled up to grab the tiny luminaries. A smile replaced the calm look on his face, turning his hand to look at what he caught. It was no star but mere dust.
"The closer it is, the less you see."
He defiantly got up from the bed, sliding open the curtains to expose the chaotic world outside.
Tall buildings aiming to reach the skies and advanced vehicles roaming the streets and air. It's a bustling city. Life is in motion, moving forward with or without him.
'In this world, everything has a purpose.'
He breathed the fresh air before strolling to the wall; he erased and wrote [ 7 days ].
Yawning, he entered the bathroom. The door closed behind him, and the hustling sound of a shower followed after.
The cold drops of water hit against his skin, like rain washing the world. He closed his eyes and immersed himself in the sensation.
'A purpose is something that drives us forward and gives meaning to our actions. They call it dreams, duties, or ambitions.'
His eyes opened again, his black pupils glancing at the falling water. His voice echoed through the marble walls: "All humans must have a purpose to fulfill. But what about me? Who doesn't? Perhaps I am not a human... if so."
"Who am I?"
He walked out, brushing his wet black hair. Aryan stood before a dressing mirror, looking at his reflection. A defined physique, neither skinny nor muscular, tall and fit, not particularly handsome but charming.
He began dressing. He put on leather armor and leather pants with metallic extensions. Above it, he put on chain mill armor and a metallic chest plate. In a few minutes, the city-style modern teenager transformed into a medieval soldier.
At last, setting up the twin dagger on the back of his waist, he walked out of the room to face the world. Surprisingly, he wasn't the only one with this attire.
As he kept walking down the streets, more and more people dressed as mages or warriors were visible alongside normally dressed people walking on the streets. All but heading in one direction.
A gigantic black tower. It fell from the sky, taller than any buildings or floating castles; it extended as far as one's eyes could see. The driving force of this world. The dungeon.
Unlike people walking in groups, Aryan walked alone. His eyes squinted and his head slightly tilted, observing his surroundings. This world was home to many other humanoid species, such as elves, dwarves, demihumans, and much more.
For Aryan, the way different species interacted was a contrast to Earth.
'Another pyramid of social structure' He smiled unimpressed. Looking up at tens of black floating castles, with a gigantic golden castle at the top of everything.
'In nature, there are strong beings, stronger beings, and strongest beings. Together, they make a pyramid of survival they call 'the food chain'. But what about beings like humans who escaped this chain?'
A social structure exists even among such beings; they call it 'the society'. The only difference was that on earth, society was formed based on power, money, and influence, while in this world it was based on ranks.
'All humans must live in a society,' Aryan stopped still. Looking at the dungeon, about a hundred meters away. 'But what about those who don't consider themselves part of society? Perhaps I am not a human... if so…'
"Who am I?"
He asked out loud. The adventurers around him passed a weird look. But Aryan didn't care. He followed a long line, leading to a blue portal inside the dungeon.
As he stepped into the portal. Drastically, the world around him twisted and turned into a spiral, and the next second he found himself in a completely new world.
A bright blue sky extended to the horizon, and long green grass danced in the wind, like a peaceful grassland, as far as the eyes could see.
"First floor?" he looked around. Surrounded by adventurers, the first floor of the dungeon felt more like a picnic spot than a challenge.
Most hunters wouldn't attempt the first floor since it wasn't economically sustainable. Those who did; did it for training only.
Just then, something unusual piqued his interest. A few adventurers surround something. Aryan could hear some commotion, but he couldn't see its source.
He reached the nearest adventurer and asked, "Mind if I ask what's the commotion about?". The other person crossed his arms in response, "Ah, nothing unusual, just strong picking on weak hahaha."
Aryan side-glared him, a hint of emotion momentarily displayed on his face. He looked at the source of the noise. Five middle-aged adventurers surround a girl, shouting at her.
One of the obese middle-aged men, presumably the leader of the bullies, shouted out loud, "Alright, you won't listen to reason; let me beat some sense into you!" Without hesitating, he charged a punch at the girl.
She flinched her eyes, arms crossed, embracing for damage. But the attack hadn't hit her. It was when she opened her eyes again that she saw a figure standing before her, grabbing onto the man's fist.
"Cut it out; you are causing too much commotion," Aryan reached in time, grabbing the bully's hand. Silence fell on the floor; everyone looked at Aryan stunned before constant whispers broke through.
"Looks like someone wants to play knight in shining armor, haha!"
"Who does he think he is to go against members of the vulture guild?"
"He looks like an E-rank; does he think he can take on any other E-rank adventurers?"
"Hehh?!.." The obese man gritted his teeth, trying to pull his hand back but he couldn't. He retorted in anger, his breath smelled of alcohol "And who are you to care? You dare stand against a member of the vulture guild!"
Aryan brows frowned; he grabbed even tighter on the man's hand.
Looking at things escalating, another bully stepped forward "Listen, brat, whoever you think you are, if you love your career as an adventurer, let go of his fucking hand!"
"Looks like some new bird; he doesn't know the dungeon is ruled by strong people," another one said, and laughter filled the atmosphere. Aryan's expressions remained calm.
'Humans are derived by the sense of dominance, just as earth.' Aryan's heavy voice rang through the air. "Strong bullying the weak, but who exactly is strong here?"
"Are you strong because you gang up on people? Is she strong because she let someone bully her? Or are they strong and watch this happen like a natural occurrence?" Aryan uttered words like they tasted bad.
The man's anger grew beyond control; he aggressively tried to pull his hand. "Son of a whore. I said, let go of my fucking hand!" but he got no response. In anger, he turned around and yelled at one of his henchmen, "What are you looking at? Beat this shit up!"
'Dreams, purpose, society, or power—no matter what name you give, all just serve one purpose. To hide your weakness.' Thoughts raced through Aryan's mind, his appearance, calm as still water. ' All humans are weak... If so, I refuse to be a human.'
The lean guy dashed forward, a wood club in his hand, aiming for Aryan's head. "Brat, who do you think you are?"
At that moment, Aryan's expressions changed. He ducked the attack above his head and threw an uppercut at the obese guy. The punch hit its mark.
"Thwakk!"
The man's heavy body fell to the ground, unconscious like a pile of rags.
'If that's what humans are, I reject humanity.' He stood up cracking his fingers, his booming voice echoed through the battlefield, "Whose next?"
'For I am not a mere human....'
' I AM EONE '
[A/N: The pronunciation is Eon. But it's written, Eone, due to a certain reason you will know in future…]
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