The three purple suns, each bigger than the last, hung ominously in the sky like the eyes of a Primordial beast, bathing the earth in their eerie purplish glow, casting long shadows and giving the landscape an otherworldly appearance.
Their bizzare apperance made people belive they were not real.
A mighty Magus even claimed that the real sun no longer existed after the apocalypse, but no one believed his words.
The arrival of three suns seemed to have shattered the very fabric of the world, changing the World of Everdawn forever.
Once flourishing Magus civilizations were suddenly uprooted when one day the three Suns appeared in the Sky of Everdawn and the world descended into madness.
Anyone on whom the purplish light of the Suns landed was consumed by madness and killed everything in sight like mindless monsters.
Blood flowed like rivers as friends, families, and lovers turned against each other in this mindless chaos which seemed to be orchestrated by some evil god. The world became the garden of death, where flowers of blood bloomed freely, but this was just the start.
Hours after the first Magus went berserk, the people who survived the massacre started to change. Their bodies twisted, reshaping into grotesque forms that could even make the bravest warrior shiver in fright and wet their pants.
It was then all hell broke loose. The Empires that once seemed Eternal and the organizations that wantonly rampaged through the Universe collapsed like houses of cards with the slightest touch.
It was surprising how the Magus civilization didn't go extinct; it was something that still didn't have a concrete answer.
Hundreds of years had passed since then, and civilization had started to show signs of recovery. But the scars of the past remained.
Perhaps The Three Sun Apocalypse wasn't the end but the beginning of something new, something sinister, more powerful.
*
*
Blood Moon Forest.
A thin and frail-looking young man was hiding behind a thick trunk of Ashwood trees, his breathing shallow. His dark, abyss-like eyes were focused on the savage scene unfolding just fifty meters ahead.
In his hands, he held a rusted dagger, its dull edge barely gleaming in the faint light.
His small figure, barely five feet in height, was smeared with a foul, black sticky substance that smelled worse than excrement. The horrendous smell clung to his skin, but the substance did what it was supposed to do, hiding his bodily scent perfectly from the fierce Apocalypse beasts.
However smelly it may be, the young man didn't have the luxury to care about such small things. If he did, the young man would die a brutal death given how weak he currently was.
At this moment, his abyss-like eyes were focused on the brutal, barbaric battle between two creatures–a Phantom Tiger cub, young but deadly, and a large white-tusked boar. Although the tiger looked cute, this little tiger would tear someone like this young man to shreds if he were to get too close.
The tiger's glowing eyes burned with hunger and ferocity, and its movements were swift, almost graceful as it danced around the boar using its small, tender legs.
If anyone looked closely, they would see traps scattered around the battlefield, hidden expertly beneath the foliage. One wrong move, and the cub would be done for.
The young man's muscles were tense, and his palms were starting to get sweaty as he went through the numerous strategies that he could employ in case things went haywire. Filled with nervousness, he patiently waited.
The young man had been following this small little tiger for many days, waiting for his chance to strike.
The cub was weak, but the young man was even weaker than the tiger.
Someone weak like him could only hide in the shadows and attack when his opponent was completely defenseless.
Roar!
The adorable roar of the young Phantom cub echoed in the surroundings as it tried to bite on the Boar's neck.
But the Boar fiercely shook its body and managed to evade.
Crimson blood was pouring out of a huge bite mark on the Boar's feet; if it weren't for this injury, the boar would have long since escaped.
Although Phantom Tigers were brutally strong, this little tiger cub was too young and weak.
Only after struggling for another half an hour did the cub finally manage to get the upper hand.
The Boar let out a final painful squeal, its small beady eyes filled with despair as it struggled with all its might.
The young man's eyes flashed with coldness. Finally, it was his chance to strike.
Just as he was about to rush forward, the young man's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he stopped.
The young man felt as if someone had placed a sharp dagger behind his neck, the forest around him suddenly fell silent.
He stood still and looked around him from corner of his eyes. No animals, no rustling leaves only the air seemed to shiver unusually.
Someone else was here. The raw power radiated through the air was like a storm ready to crush him into tiny bits.
His grip on the rusty daggers tightened automatically. After hunting alone for so long, the young man could easily detect the slight chnage in the surrounding environment.
The temperature seem to drop, a heavy almost unbearable pressure bore down on the area making it difficult to breathe, the young man's face turned red like tomato.
Taking a deep breath to calm down his raging heart that threatened to burst out of his chest at any moment. He crouched down, forcing himself to not move a single mucle, he was afraid the whoever was here would detect even a single twitch of his muscles.
The Phantom Tiger cub froze mid-pounce, as if senising the danger. Even the bloodied boar let out a terrified squeal, collapsing in the dirt as if surrendering itself to its fate.
In the next moment, a shiny arrow streaked through the air and pierced the tiger's skull with deadly precision, pinning its now dead body to the ground. The young man's heart sank, as the tiger's body twitched once before falling still; the tiger was as dead as it could be.
"Fucking hell!" The young man gritted his teeth and yelled inside his head.
Days of effort had gone down the drain.
His plan was falling apart, but panicking wouldn't help; it was important to survive first and panic later.
Immediately after, he took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He held his breath and waited, his body pressed against the tree, he gently turned his head to take a look at the attacked, all while doing his very best stay hidden.
Gray Peace-loving saw him, a towering figure, dressed in armour, the sigil of skull engraved across his chest, his movements were unnaturally quiet, as if the very ground was afraid fo reveling his presence.
'Elite knight training academy!' the word unconsciously popped up in Gray head when his eyes landed on the skull symbol.
Cold, predatory eyes scanned the area, locking into phatom cub with more than a glance, he bent down and lifted beast that almost weighed a ton with one hand as if it weighed no more than than a plastic doll.
There was no hesitation in his movements, his actions swift and decisive, this was a man who could kill without blinking his eyes.
Time continued to pass, mere seconds felt like centuries to the boy hiding behind the tree smeared in shit, thankfully for the Knight didn't seem to detect his presence and left without making a sound.
Hiding behind the trees, the young man exhaled softly, releasing the pent-up tension in a single breath. His dark, gemstone-like eyes were trying to find traces of the knight's movements, as if he was trying to engrave the presence of the man in his head.
He had never felt such fear before not even when he first suddenly arrived in this world.
The Young man clenched his fist tightly in frustration, blaming himself for being weak in this cruel dog eat dog world, his eyes flashing with steely determination to grow stronger.
However, even after the Earthly knight disappeared, the Young man didn't directly move but stood silently. In these six months, he had learnt to be cautious only then could be hope to survive.
And indeed, his caution paid off. Just after a moment, the Earthly knight arrived again, his eyes filled with cold light as he scanned the surroundings.
"Strange," he muttered in a low voice and then disappeared once more.
When the knight reappeared, the young man didn't even dare to breathe; his figure seemed to merge with the deadly forest. He patiently waited for some time and only after confirming the knight was gone. Gray made a mad dash towards the still breathing boar lying on the ground.
With a swift motion, he plunged the rusty dagger into its skull, ending its suffering.
As life visibly drained away from the boar, an almost invisible wave escaped from its body and flowed into the young man.
Immediately afterwards, Gray felt a brief sense of energy course through his veins. A blue window appeared in front of the young man's retina, but he ignored everything and rushed back towards his hiding spot.
Only when he was in a safe position did he glance at the blue window in peace.
[Unranked Wild boar killed]
[+0.1 Origin Essence gained]
"Finally," Gray muttered in jo, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. After months of hard work, he was finally getting close to his goal.
"Status," he slowly muttered in a barely audible voice.
Immediately after, a shining blue window popped up in front of him.
[Name - Gray Peace-loving]
[Race - Corrupted Human]
[Title - Ultimate Defier (SSS - Grade)]
Spiritual force - 0 (Unawakened)
Strength - 1.4
Agility - 1.6
Health - 1.5
Stamina - 1.6]
[Origin Essence - 1]
[Acquired Skills]
[Cooking - Level 1
Potion Making - Level 1
Manipulation - Level 1]
[Origin Essence needed to awaken first skill - 10]
"Arhg! It's really been six month!"
Gray couldn't stop himself from sighing in amazement, not understanding how the status window of his favorite game had crossed over to this world with him.
He wasn't someone from this world. One day while playing he, without any rhyme or reason, had been struck by lighting and appeared in this god-forsaken place.
However just as he was about to curse more, his thoughts were cut short by a cold voice that sent chill running down Gray's spine resounded from the back.
"Ah! There was truly a rat hiding here. I knew my sense wouldn't lie."
At some point while Gray was busy looking at his status window the Earthly knight had unknowingly appeared once again and was looking in the Gray's direction with his cold piercing eyes.