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Isaac lay on the ground, having long lost track of time, his thoughts consumed with hatred for the schemer.
After an unknown period of staring at the colossal star and the inky black sky, he finally felt that he had enough energy to get up.
"Ughh. But the pain is still there," he muttered weakly as he tried to rise.
His body still ached, as did his head, but he couldn't wait any longer.
**(GRUMBLE!)**
His stomach gave its loudest protest yet.
"I sadly don't have food for you, buddy," he said to his protesting stomach, which he had starved into a pitiful beggar.
Feeling weak, starved, and dehydrated, Isaac knew he had to make the trip to the town now or he might never make it.
"Ughh, I finally got up," he said, struggling like a 90-year-old man for a few minutes before finally managing to stand.
He turned his head to look at the black stone forest.
He was only a few meters away from it, close enough that the mist on the ground still reached him, though it wasn't dense and he could easily see the ground.
He stared at it for a few moments before speaking.
"Fuck you," he said, raising his middle finger to the black stone forest and everything it embodied. His hatred for this place still burned fiercely.
Turning his gaze to the other side, he saw a dim red light.
He could make out the town and the huge castle, and the river that flowed through the town. The river was his first target.
"I have about a kilometer before I reach the town," he calculated, estimating the distance and the time the trip would take.
He finally checked the condition of his body and clothes.
"Sigh... I'm just basically wearing underwear at this point," he said in an embarrassed tone.
His sports clothes were tattered, barely holding together by hopes and prayers.
His skinny body was exposed, covered in dirt, dust, blood, and sweat.
"Wait... blood?" he thought for a moment, realizing how hard he must have crashed.
With the momentum and speed at which he hit the ground, he should have had broken bones and deep bruises, yet he felt relatively fine despite some bleeding.
"I guess my body recovered somehow," he recalled how his body had healed from the wounds inflicted by the shadow wraith when he woke up.
"Do I have regenerative abilities?" he wondered.
His strength was already beyond normal, but the ability to recover from injuries in such a short time compared to other humans was extraordinary.
"Am I even human at this point?" he pondered. At what point did he cease to be human?
Where was the line between human and the monsters he had fought, killed, and outsmarted?
"In their view, I'm just another wandering creature in this treacherous landscape," he thought, comparing himself to the other creatures.
There were intelligent monsters like the schemer, so he couldn't say humans were smarter.
They weren't stronger than the massive beast he had seen in the forest, nor did they possess the innate abilities of the shadow wraith.
Humans were superior on Earth because of their intelligence, but here, they were among the weakest beings.
"Maybe humans are just another creature here, and it's only humans who think of other beings as monsters and pests."
"Well, then I am the poorest creature walking these lands," he concluded. Even the poorest homeless man would pity him in his current state.
He looked at his school bag. "Sigh... my bag is also in bad shape," he noted, seeing holes but finding it still usable for carrying his stuff.
"Should I throw the books out?" he considered, needing to walk to the town despite the pain.
"But if I throw them out, I won't be able to sell them."
"Then I will only carry the notebooks and throw the rest to save energy. I'll sell them in the town, and if I can't sell them..." He steeled himself.
"Well, then I'll just have to steal." He was prepared to become a thief if necessary, ready to do whatever it took to survive.
**(Zip)**
He emptied his school bag of textbooks—math, English, science, chemistry, history—keeping only the notebooks. He looked at the ground and noticed his sword, picking it up.
"It's going to be hard, but I'll carry you even if you're heavy," he said to the black rusty katana.
"And I should change my clothes. I can't go to town like this."
He changed into his red-black hoodie, black T-shirt, and sports pants. "Thankfully, the smell is gone," he noted, relieved that his clothes didn't stink.
**(Zip)**
After closing his damaged bag, he started his journey to the town, or more specifically, to the river for water.
Each step was painful, but his will to live and desire for revenge pushed him forward.
The surroundings were clear; there was no fog, just sparse trees and grass.
After hours of walking and keeping an eye out for threats, he noticed something as he got closer.
"Is that a red dome?" he wondered, seeing a red dome covering the town, castle, and part of the river.
He had no idea what it was, but guessed.
"Is it some protection barrier or something?" He had encountered monsters and performed superhuman feats, so a magical barrier seemed plausible.
"Is that why there are no monsters around here?" he speculated.
Something about the town seemed odd.
"Why don't I see any lights other than the red light? Is it nighttime for them?"
No matter how he looked at it, he hadn't seen any lights or movements in the town.
"Is it a deserted town? But then why is there always a red light?" Uncertain, he continued toward the town and the river.
As he got closer, he noticed an old stone road leading to the town.
"Well, it's definitely better than a dirt road," he said, stepping onto the stone path.
After a few more minutes, he heard the voice.
[System calibrating... ERROR]
[System adjusting... ERROR]
[...Adjusting to the situation... SUCCESS]
[System adjusted]
[System Quest: The Corrupted Divine Flame]
"Huh? What's going on?" he wondered, stunned by the voice's sudden appearance.
He had only heard it after killing monsters, so this was unexpected.
Before he could think further, the voice spoke again, delivering a cryptic poem:
[Hear the tale of fire and shadow,
Of ancient flame and a kingdom hollow.
In times of yore, when gods held sway,
A saint led his kin in a desperate fray.]
[With visions bright from the Mother of Flame, He fled the wrath of a god's cruel claim. The Weeping Serpent, bereft of his love, Pursued with fury from realms above.]
[To a cave, the Mother's light did guide,
Where weary souls in darkness did hide.
The saint stayed vigilant through the night,
Guarding his flock with a divine light.]
[A flame bestowed, pure and divine,
To shield them through the passage of time.
He watched them sleep, then joined their dream, Till centuries passed in the sacred gleam.]
[Awoken anew, from the cave they emerged,
In a land untainted by wrathful surge.
A kingdom they built in the flame's pure name, With a castle alight by the Mother's flame.]
[Generations thrived under its grace,
Till the saint returned to his Mother's embrace. Kings wore the crown, their lineage clear, The flame kept them safe, year after year.]
[But dark clouds gathered, a shadow spread,
The horizon swallowed by an abyssal dread.
The kingdom fell, consumed by night,
And the flame's pure glow lost its light.]
[The flame, corrupted, twisted by woe,
In the abyss where no light could grow.
The king of the time made a sacrifice grave,
To purify the flame, his son's life he gave.]
[Yet the darkness lingered, the corruption stayed, Despair gripped the hearts where hope once played. The people, forsaken, fled in fear, But met with fates more dire than here.]
[The king, in his desperation, made a final plea, An oath to the goddess, his soul the fee. Now bound to the flame, corrupt and cold, He guards it eternally, his story untold.]**
[Mission: Break the chains of the king and
consume his soul]
[Reward: ???]