After stepping out of The Hall of Two Truths, Elio was awaited by someone who looked like a steward. He looked similar to the guard in ancient clothes that Elio saw while still in the line for the Hall of Two Truths entrance.
This steward seems more alive. It doesn't have the black makeup around its eyes like the guard Elio saw at the beginning. This steward also appears to be friendly, judging from his facial expressions, which have been relatively smiling since they met.
"Come this way, young man, and follow me." This steward said it quietly and nicely as he pointed the way.
"F-- Fine." Elio was thankful that this steward wasn't blind because he saw that this steward didn't open his eyes.
Not long after that, Elio arrived at a place like an altar with a little bit of open space. On both sides of the altar was a relatively large gate for an average human. And around the gate, guards were standing by.
The gate has dog head ornaments on its upper right and left corners. The gate on the right of the altar is already open. From the outside, the inside of the gate has a white glow that gets a bit dazzling if you get closer.
Meanwhile, the gate on the left is closed. This gate even looks like it was sealed by several layers of chains and also locked with a relatively large padlock.
"Guards, please quickly prepare the "Black Gate" and remove the seal around it." The steward said to the guard, who seemed to be the leader of the gatekeeper.
"Ahh... Sir, is it finally, after several thousand years-." Before the head guard had finished speaking, he felt a cold gaze from the steward's eyes that sent chills down his spine.
"F-fine, I'll do it right away." The head guard quickly responded when it shook a little.
"Wh-what, Black Gate, you say, didn't I mishear it?" Elio, who heard the conversation, became somewhat uneasy in his heart. "Heyy, I'm going to reincarnate, right? Why is the name of the gate so gloomy!?"
A few moments later, the guards' preparations to open the Black Gate had been completed. Several layers of chains and the large padlock that Elio had seen earlier were gone. It was time to open the gate.
To open a gate of this size requires several people. And sure enough, it takes about ten guards to open this gate.
As soon as the Black Gate opens, a rather cold aura emerges from inside the gate. As the name implies, when the Black Gate opens, the atmosphere inside is pitch black with no light.
"A-are you sure I'll be incarnated if I go in there? Elio's doubts appeared while pointing toward the Black Gate.
"Of course." The steward replied still with closed eyes and a smiling expression
"But the inside is dark and pitch black like that." Elio persisted with his opinion and seemed hesitant to enter the Black Gate.
"Well, don't worry about such small things." the steward said as he gently pushed Elio's back closer to the Black Gate,
"W-Wait, maybe there's a better way" Elio still tried to continue arguing with the steward until he arrived right in front of the Black Gate.
"Look, your right hand it's fine right, young man?" The steward pulled Elio's hand and pushed it inside the Black Gate.
"M-My hand... ohh.. my hand... Uh, is it okay?" Elio asked in surprise. He thought something was going to happen with his hand.
"In fact, I feel like a warm feeling is flowing into me," Elio felt a strange sense of energy flowing through his hands from inside the Black Gate.
"I told you, didn't I?" the steward replied.
"Then, have a safe trip." The steward immediately pushed Elio's entire body straight into the Black Gate.
"Eh.. w-wait-"
"Ah.. there is a sea of clouds in front of me, don't tell me this.. aaa..." Elio was falling from the sky where he had appeared.
"Quickly close and seal that gate again." The steward immediately gave the order to the head guard. The steward then hurriedly left the altar place.
"Aaaaaa... I knew that gate was wrong." Once Elio exited the Black Gate, he found himself in the middle of the skies.
[Ding]
[System activation begins]
[Detecting hosts]
[System loading is now complete]
[Host, you're welcome to use it]
[Press "Start-Up" to start the System]
Elio suddenly saw a transparent screen appear in front of him. "Uh-oh, is this the system Uncle Osiris talked about?"
"Okay, of course, I'll press start-up," said Elio excitedly and immediately press the "start-up" button in that transparent screen
[System Window]
[System Level: 0]
[Host: Elio Vukan]
[Age: 15]
[Race: Human]
[Level: 1]
[Skill: One Heart Flame]
"So this is my stats." Elio also slightly observed the display of his status in the System.
He kept falling until he finally realized he was still falling from the sky. "Oh, that's right, System. Do you have a flight feature?"
[No]
"Then how about a skill for flying. It says there's a skill column, right?"
[Unfortunately, there isn't one either]
"Damn you, System. Then what do you have?"
[System has a message for Host]
"Well, this just seems like the real system function will come out, huh?" Elio smiled in his heart, waiting for what message the System would display.
[Host, please don't die]
"What the.. damn, you stupid system... Aaaaa" Finally, with just a shout, Elio covered his head with his hands and was ready to fall, and...
"Srek!"
"Crack!"
Elio fell into a pile of bushes that fortunately did not have many branches or twigs, so it was not too painful for him.
Elio glanced up, looking in the direction he had fallen earlier. But he found no trace of a gate, hole, or passage in the place where he appeared earlier. Everything was just sky and clouds.
"Looks like I have to start learning to understand how the system works and should know what's useful in there," Elio muttered while enduring the pain in his neck.
[Host, are you okay?]
"F*ck you, you damn system." Elio was still annoyed at the System that Uncle Osiris had given him.
"System window opens." When Elio said those words, a transparent screen appeared in front of him again.
This time Elio could see more detail and clearly see all his information in the System. The system display showed that his current level was still level one, while the System was level zero.
"Hey, system, you have a level, too, huh?"
"How do I upgrade the system level?" Elio asked his System
[Host should explore it by himself]
"Hump.. acting highly, you stupid system," Elio grumbled in his heart
Elio then realized in his skill column he had a skill called One Heart Flame when he turned his attention to the bottom of the system board.
"How about the One Heart Flame skill?"
[Host should explore it by himself.]
"You damn system, I knew you'd answer that way." Elio sighed, seeing his System like this was given by a God.
"Ah, well, what else can I do. The most important thing now is to know where I am."
"Let's go, system." While saying so, Elio also left his place and began to explore the forest.