Kenos stared at his new authority, mesmerized. Suddenly, a barrage of system notifications exploded:
*System Notification-
"Authority Not Detected.
*SYSTEM ERROR.
Authority Being Sealed.
*SYSTEM ERROR
*SYSTEM ERROR
*SYSTEM ERROR
"Authority Being Rewound."
Kenos's eyes widened as he felt an invisible force pierce his mental barriers. A torrent of information flooded his mind, threatening to overwhelm him.
It was as if someone - or something - was forcefully filling his mind with an enormous, heavy burden.
Concepts, images, and emotions swirled together in a maddening vortex. Kenos struggled to comprehend the influx:
Visions of distant ***** and ******.
***** knowledge, ****** and ******.
Echoes of long-forgotten *********.
His mind reeled, desperate to process the deluge.
Kenos's thoughts were no longer his own.
The invasion was relentless.
"Stop!" Kenos screamed, clutching his head. "Too much!"
His vision blurred.
Colors merged into a chaotic kaleidoscope.
Sounds became a cacophonous scream.
Kenos's sense of self began to disintegrate.
Panic set in as Kenos's vision blurred. A searing wave crashed through his consciousness, shattering his mental defenses.
"Aaaaah!" Kenos screamed, clutching his head.
Agony gripped his thoughts, as if his mind was being ripped apart. Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the sweat dripping from his brow.
Foam formed at the corners of his mouth as he stumbled backward, collapsing to the ground.
*System Notification.
"Authority Is Unbearable."
*"SYSTEM REWINDING... PLEASE WAIT."
Kenos's vision faded to black, his world reduced to the sound of his own ragged breathing.
Time lost meaning as the rewinding process dragged on.
Finally, the agony subsided.
Kenos's vision returned, blurry at first, then sharpening.
*System Notification
"New Authority- ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ."
Kenos stumbled to his feet, exhausted.
"What... what just happened?"
Kenos's legs buckled, sending him crashing onto the cold, mossy ground of the cave. The rough stone beneath him felt like a distant echo, a reminder of the reality his mind struggled to grasp.
As the dizzying wave washed over him, Kenos's vision blurred, colors bleeding into a hazy, grayish mist. The sounds of the cave – the gentle drip of water, grew fainter, fading into silence.
His thoughts fragmented, shattered by the sheer intensity of the experience. The world around him dissolved into darkness.
Kenos's eyelids drooped, his body surrendering to the exhaustion. His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. Kenos fainted.
Kenos regained his senses as he felt dripping liquid on his face and a warm breath , he was met with a horrifying sight: the monster's face was inches from his own, its jaws wide open. Kenos had barely reacted in time, but the monster's teeth still managed to graze his left arm, leaving a jagged scratch.
A wolf-like beast, easily the size of a car, towered over Kenos. Its fur was a radiant, silver-gray, with eyes that shone like polished amber.
Kenos's heart pounded in his chest.
Kenos backed away hastily, his shoulders pressing against the cold cave wall as he thought to himself, "If I'd been a second slower, my arm would have been ripped right off."
The monster's gaze locked onto Kenos, its eyes burning with an unrelenting hunger, seeing him as nothing more than helpless prey. Kenos knew he had to act fast – one misstep would be his last.
Kenos stood calm, his composure a testament to the trials he had faced in the past. As the monster lunged towards him, he instinctively drew the knife he always carried. Gripping it firmly, he focused his cosmic energy, Without hesitation, he followed his instincts.
Despite having no formal training or experience in harnessing cosmic energy, Kenos instinctively knew what to do. With the monster right in front of him, his mind was cleared of all distractions, and he acted solely on instinct. Without a single hesitation or distracting thought, Kenos trusted his instincts and allowed his body to react, unleashing his energy into the knife.
The monster sprang at him, its claws swiping through the air. Kenos pivoted on his left foot, leaning back to evade the attack. Seizing the moment, he infused his knife with cosmic energy and slashed at the monster's left chest, striking true.
Kenos realized the wound he inflicted on the monster was shallow, likely due to the knife being too short to pierce its thick hide effectively.
Before he could reassess, the monster launched another attack. Kenos countered by using the monster's momentum against it, grasping its arms and channeling its strength to push it backward into the wall.
The collision force proved too much for Kenos's already injured left hand, causing the wound to burst open and spill blood. Seizing the momentary distraction, Kenos focused all his energy on the knife and struck with precision, slicing through the right side of the monster's abdomen. Blood sprayed everywhere as the monster collapsed.
Kenos leaned back onto the ground, his chest heaving as he gazed up at the monster's lifeless corpse. He ripped the sleeve off his left arm to fashion a makeshift bandage, covering the wound. Next, he began to process the monster's hide and teeth, but since it was a relatively common creature, there wasn't much valuable material to extract.
Aware that the battle might attract more monsters, Kenos swiftly gathered everything he could carry and set off towards the north, where the Central City was located. He hoped that by heading in this direction, he might encounter other travelers or stumble upon a trade route that would lead him to safety.
Time:14:55
....