Legend of Countdown
Legend of Final Dream
Chapter 1
Title: Sirius, the Brightest Star
"Dreams are strange things."
Sometimes I dream that I am in a place where there's nothing but ashes.
For some reason, I feel like I created those ashes. What could they mean?
Sometimes I dream that the beautiful sun turns into a giant ball of blood.
Right after, that ball of blood turns into the huge eye of a monstrous creature.
Looking into the creature's terrifying eyes, I feel like it belongs to me.
°°°°•••
Dreams are just dreams and should be left aside. What worries me more are the people around me.
("If your hormones are out of control, don't rub it in our faces.")
A boy of about 16 was sitting on a sidewalk. He had black hair, black irises, and an ordinary appearance.
His name was Sirius. He looked disdainfully at a couple behind him, showing off their love.
"....."
"...."
"...."
Not only behind him but also in front, there was another couple.
"Tsk." He stood up and decided to leave the place.
While descending the stairs, he saw the second couple and said something in an audible tone.
"The L@rd of the Rings is better than Harry P@tter."
It was so sudden that the couple was shocked and stunned.
He turned his back to them and left their line of sight.
When he got home, he kept sighing as if suffering from chronic exhaustion.
He put on his headphones and started listening to music while walking.
The boy seemed to be an ordinary teenager. Nothing about him was particularly noteworthy.
He arrived home!
He turned on the computer and opened a game.
After playing for 5 minutes, he deleted the game. "What's the fun in playing something you can't lose at?"
The reason for deleting the game was simple: just clicking a circle to win. He reached level 29 without losing or even realizing what he was playing.
He picked up his phone and searched: [games that require payment to win].
He got excellent results and downloaded a game called My King Don, a simple game where you only needed to build towers and protect a city.
Before he knew it, it was 3 a.m.
He was very hungry and couldn't sleep without eating, so he had to leave his room.
"Ummmmm." He opened the door carefully and went to the bathroom, completely silent.
He opened the fridge, which was empty, except for a note that said: [Food is on the table, not in the fridge].
He put the note back and closed the door very carefully, doing so with extreme silence.
He went to the table and ate dinner, then returned to the fridge to drink water.
Accidentally, he hit the table, and something terrible happened.
The glass on the table wobbled. He grimaced in panic, silently rushing to catch it.
But it was too late. He hugged himself as the glass gave the first knock, sounding like it had been hit by a bullet. The second knock felt like a stone crushing him.
The most terrible thing was that the sound seemed to have amplified. Everything on the table fell, and the noise was loud enough to crack the nearby windows.
Click!
The sound of the lights turning on came from one of the rooms, and the boy's eyes went blank.
The glass gave its final knock.
Light faded for the boy, who now only saw darkness.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Everything seemed the same!
"...."
Nothing was the same!
"...."
"...."
"...."
The boy felt alone in an empty world. He saw only darkness.
"...."
"...."
"...."
It seemed a long time had passed.
"...."
He felt like not a second had passed.
"...."
"...."
"...."
{Good morning!} He was closing his eyes when he heard a deep voice coming from above.
He opened his eyes and looked up.
And there stood a being of transcendental appearance.
It was a woman in a long dress with edges resembling giant petals, while the dress itself seemed formless. Her hair was white and silver, and she wore a red blindfold that covered her entire face, down to her nostrils and mouth.
Sirius spoke first. "You don't need to tell me how I died. Even if I don't fully remember, I'm sure my mother must have shoved that glass down my throat."
The boy quickly realized he was dead. It was easy to tell: his body was translucent, and he felt no longer connected to anything.
{!?}
"Does this count as suicide? Probably not. If that's the case, I should go to heaven?"
{.....}
{.....}
{There are other factors that determine if you should go to heaven or not.} The being was impressed by the boy's tenacity.
"If that's the case, I'm worthy of heaven. I've never gotten into any conflicts, can't remember doing anything bad, and I spent most of my time at home, in my room, isolated from outside sins."
A smile appeared on the transcendental being's face.
A red orb floated toward him. "Hmmm..."
The orb transformed into a sword, emitting a piercing red light. Sirius's eyes were completely drawn to the sword.
{The explanation is simple. You are different from other souls, and because of that, you're ideal for many things. Wielding this sword is one of them!}
Sirius's consciousness was taken by the aura emitted by the sword. Trying to describe what he felt while looking at it was very difficult.
It felt as if, by holding the sword, his heart would race every moment, with the same intensity as when he fell in love for the first time. He was sure that this emotion would be permanent.
{There are countless people suffering, many dying innocently, and others being wronged!}
A world that seemed to be facing an apocalypse appeared in the goddess's dress.
It was just an image, but Sirius could feel the sadness of the people suffering there.
Even without the goddess saying anything, he was able to sense just how important he would be to those suffering from the forces of darkness.
{I want you to be the justice that will save these poor souls.}
{....}
{Be my hero! Be the hero who will bring peace and save thousands of innocents.} The goddess held out the sword to the boy.
Sirius looked closely at the sword approaching him, then at the goddess.
He clenched his fists. "I'm sorry, but I have to refuse your request."
The deity tilted her head.
"Unfortunately, I must decline your request," he repeated.
{...}
The goddess was silent, seemingly lost in thought.
{...}
{...}
It was surprising, almost imperceptible, that someone could turn down a chance to live again and be praised by many.
"..."
The goddess raised her finger, and the sword disappeared. {I think I understand. But know, it will take a long time before you are sent to where everyone goes when they die.}
"..." Now it was Sirius who tilted his head.
{Ah...} The goddess sighed.
{I registered your soul as that of a hero, and hero souls must be treated accordingly. Since you were never a hero, I must remove the title and much more.}
"I see." Sirius nodded.
{You understand nothing.}
"..." He chose not to respond. It was better not to provoke a transcendental being.
{Wait here. I will return soon.} The goddess turned away.
The boy was frightened and acted quickly.
"Wait, you're a transcendental being! The concept of time doesn't apply to you. 'Soon' could mean thousands of years. I don't think I'll be able to keep my sanity if I stay in this blank space." The goddess turned and looked at him.
She brought her left hand to her mouth, hiding a smile that had appeared behind her lips.
She snapped her fingers.
Sirius noticed an abyss beneath his feet. The abyss seemed endless, but he had the feeling he had seen this image somewhere before.
He closed his eyes, sensing something strange, as if he weren't falling. Then, he opened his eyes.
He was a few inches from the ground, floating chaotically. In front of him, the goddess was observing something.
Even with her eyes covered, Sirius could feel the sadness in that transcendental being.
She was looking at the gigantic trunk of a tree that had been cut down.
Sirius's vision changed. He was now higher up, on top of the trunk, which was about 400 meters in diameter.
He understood what had happened in that short time: he had traveled at high speed.
The goddess bit her finger, causing a drop of blood to form.
Sirius looked around and noticed there were no signs of life for dozens of kilometers.
He recalled the vision he had earlier and focused on the image of a giant brown orb with numerous cracks.
"Do you want to revive this tree?" he asked.
The goddess looked at him, who was still upside down. {Yes, any problem?}
{Yes, but there are many caveats.}
"Many caveats?" He was astonished by the response.
{I cannot physically interfere in this world! Even though it's dead, the World Seed only sprouts in certain places on the planet, and it requires divine blood as a catalyst.}
{If I wanted to plant a new tree, I'd have to transport the seed to the other side of the planet. And, in case you hadn't noticed, there is no living creature in this world.}
{So, it will have to be done this way.} She was patient. If it were another deity, she probably wouldn't have explained anything or even responded.
"Can I help?" Sirius suggested.
{Help? You? ...Hmm... I suppose it's possible, but you'll have to do it manually.}
Sirius, still adjusting to floating, took on awkward positions. "Manually?"
{Yes, you still have the hero category, but if you carry the seed, you won't be able to teleport, float, or jump. You'll have to walk like a regular human.}
"I didn't expect supernatural powers initially, but why can't I use them?"
{To become a full hero, you need to be baptized, and as a hero is a warrior, the baptism occurs automatically when you reach level 5 and transform into a new entity.}
{In short: there's nothing in this world for you to kill to level up and gain supernatural powers.} The goddess concluded.
"Even so, I don't see a problem. I can help carry the seed to the other side of the planet."
The goddess twirled her finger as she heard this, and a drop of her blood landed on Sirius's left cheek.
The moment the goddess's blood touched his skin, he fell.
Sirius got up, feeling his nose bleeding from the fall. He looked back, ready to complain, but was shocked.
Part of the goddess's dress had disintegrated. He knew the reason but preferred not to question it and climbed down from the trunk in search of the World Tree seed.
Sirius, who was previously just a soul, was now alive again thanks to the goddess's blood, which had been meant to revive the tree that sustained a planet.
It didn't take him long to find the seed, and, as expected, it represented the true definition of fantasy: it constantly changed shape and color.
Sirius picked up the seed and started walking toward the horizon, without much thought.
The goddess was beside him. He knew he wouldn't be alone on this journey, but it didn't take long before he felt hungry.
The situation was quick and contradictory. The goddess couldn't understand the logic behind it all, so she stayed silent, waiting to see how far the boy would hold out.
Who would believe someone could carry something that weighed 20 kg to the other side of the planet? And, on top of that, in a world with no trees or any form of life present.
Having seen nothing interesting for a long time, the goddess decided to relax and follow the boy.
"I'm hungry. I thought I wouldn't feel this after becoming a new being." The first complaint came before completing five hours of walking.
{Did you pay attention to my explanation?}
"Now I remember! But isn't there a skill that could make me feel full? I think I'll need it."
{....}
"...."
{I found a skill similar to what you want. When you activate it, you'll feel satisfied.}
Sirius felt something within him, as if he had a strange history in his memories, like someone else had lived in his body.
Then he said without realizing it: "Glad."
The moment he said this, blood started flowing from his nostrils. He tasted metal in his mouth, which soon filled up, and he felt the urge to vomit. He ended up vomiting a large amount of blood.
It didn't take long before he fell, losing consciousness.
{Ah...} The goddess sighed, looking at the boy's body, which lay in the middle of nowhere.
Sirius opened his eyes, and as always, the deity was in front of him.
He wiped his lips, picked up the seed, and asked casually, "Which direction should I go?"
{Wouldn't you like to ask what just happened?} The goddess questioned him, though she was already pointing east.
"What just happened?" Sirius asked, as she wanted.
{It's the inherent cost of the skill.}
{People live to eat. Or rather, the greatest purpose of mankind, even if it doesn't seem that way, is to seek food.}
{You may not realize this because you lived in a world of abundant resources and had a family to gather food for you.}
Sirius listened carefully but soon realized he wouldn't fully understand.
"It seems like you're trying to explain the meaning of life! I'd be happy if you could simplify the explanation."
{Ah...} The goddess sighed, apparently tired of dealing with the mind of a mortal.
{Eat + satisfy + without effort = universe dislike ≈ high price for using the skill.}
"Now it's clearer. Is there no way to reduce these effects?"
{Yes, but you can't because you cannot level up in this world! If you could level up, you'd have a more resilient body, and heroes don't suffer as much from the universe's costs.}
"....."
"Then, I suppose I'll have to endure this pain in my body as something natural. Glad!"
The goddess was taken aback by Sirius's last statement, so she turned and asked a question.
{How are you going to do that----}
She was a transcendental being, and trivial mortal concerns didn't faze her, but at that moment, she questioned if that was still true.
Sirius activated the skill again and lost consciousness.
Now it was clear he wasn't joking about carrying the seed across the hemisphere.
Sirius woke up.
When he opened his eyes, the sun had already disappeared from the sky. He turned and used the seed as a pillow. The goddess was in front of him, saying nothing.
{Are you going to sleep here?} The goddess asked to break the silence.
There was nothing in that world except sand dunes and rocky mountains.
"If there are no humans, any place is safe to sleep." He wanted to activate the skill again to fall asleep once more.
"Before I sleep again, may I ask something personal?"
{...}
{...}
"Why do you wear that mask?" Sirius was curious about why such a powerful entity would wear a mask.
{To concentrate!} She answered.
Sirius didn't understand.
{I manage several things simultaneously. For that, I need focus.} The mask on the goddess's face split into fragments.
In that world, where only they existed, under the moonlight that seemed private to just the two of them, Sirius was able to see the red irises of that transcendental entity.
Eyes that seemed as pure as his, understanding the essence of everything, like his own.
For some reason, he felt disappointed, but he preferred to stay silent.
{I suppose seeing makes it easier to understand.}
After the goddess said this, Sirius's entire field of vision was filled with hundreds of windows in a language he couldn't understand.
He realized that everything in front of him was documents being viewed simultaneously by this transcendental being.
Sirius pondered deeply over this situation. Could his mind ever reach that level?
"Why would I want to reach the same level as her?" Sirius realized he was having thoughts he'd never had before.
[Glad activated]
Before the sunlight illuminated that dead land, Sirius awoke and picked up the seed he'd been using as a pillow.
The goddess seemed not to need sleep, as she worked constantly. "Good morning."
{Good morning.}
Sirius began walking again. He walked for a while, but due to the lack of vegetation, the sun felt only a few meters away.
Because of the intense heat, his electrolyte balance quickly destabilized, so he looked for shade under a rock.
[Glad]
[Glad]
[Glad]
[Glad]
[Glad]
This was how many times he activated the skill before losing his sanity.
This time, he was able to identify the cause: it was the pain.
He could feel, for a few seconds, that the pain from activating the skill was inhuman. It felt like every bone in his body was breaking simultaneously, and his mind couldn't handle the overload, causing him to faint.
Sirius woke up again, picked up the seed, and continued walking to the other side of the planet. It seemed as if he were possessed.
[Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad] [Glad]
After activating the skill so many times, Sirius's mind gradually adapted to the amount of pain, and he stopped fainting. He would still writhe in pain for hours after each activation.
The goddess couldn't comprehend Sirius's mind. Activating the skill once a day, or once every two days, would be enough to stay healthy.
But he activated it dozens of times a day. She had already explained that there was no hidden benefit in activating the same skill repeatedly, but he wouldn't listen. So, she chose not to comment further on the madness he was committing.
She knew this story wouldn't go far.
The goddess shrugged, wondering if it made sense to try to understand the mind of someone who volunteered to carry something across the planet but refused the glorious mission of becoming a hero.
There were things beyond her understanding, but besides that, the boy was polite and had a pleasant personality.
{May I ask a personal question?} The goddess stopped working and approached Sirius, who was vomiting large amounts of blood.
"..."
"..."
He had the same reaction she did when she'd asked him a similar question.
{Why did you refuse to become a hero?} He wiped his lips and picked up the seed.
He put a hand to his head. He was experiencing a severe headache. Even after activating the skill repeatedly for months, the pain hadn't lessened at all.
"Because I didn't want to!" He responded directly.
{And why didn't you want to?} She insisted.
Sirius looked out at the horizon, then at the goddess.
"For many reasons, but the main one is that I don't want to have the authority to decide who should die and who should live. I think, the day I have that authority, I'll stop being myself."
The goddess was taken aback. There was a logical reason behind the decisions of this insane boy.
Just as she was about to ask another question, Sirius collapsed on the ground, writhing.
[Glad activated]
{My God...} The goddess felt she would never understand the madman before her.
[Glad activated]
[Glad activated]
[Glad activated]
[Glad activated]
[Glad activated]
Two years passed by effortlessly.
The shirt Sirius wore was now worn out, and his body was well-toned. He could activate the skill hundreds of times in a single day, and his body had become somewhat resistant to the side effects.
Still, he was only at level 1. His strength hadn't changed much; he was still at the level of a normal human.
As he talked casually with the goddess, who had always been by his side as if she were a part of him, Sirius heard a voice in his head.
[Glad proficiency maximized]
{Even I don't know where I came from; at some point, I realized I existed---} "What does maximizing proficiency mean?"
The goddess was explaining the meaning of the universe to Sirius, but when he heard the voice in his head, he couldn't resist interrupting her.
{Maximizing proficiency?} she questioned.
"Yes, that's right."
{....} She took off her mask, put a hand on her chin, and thought deeply.
The goddess looked at Sirius intently and tilted her head.
{The skill is still at level 1. Are you sure it wasn't just something in your head?}
Sirius shook his head. "I'm sure I heard it. I activated the skill more than 19 times since then, and I didn't feel anything."
{How so?} the goddess asked.
"I didn't feel bad. It's like the skill is now a part of me. Activating it is as easy as moving my own hand." Sirius gave such an precise explanation of what he felt that even he was surprised.
"…"
"..."
"..."
{I think I understand what happened.} The goddess extended her hands.
Sirius looked at her. Listening to the goddess speak was like hearing his favorite song, but with an eternal peak.
{Skill proficiency and leveling are interconnected. But you've only been experiencing the skill's side effects.}
{It's like a cogwheel in a system that requires multiple gears to function. Even without the others, the system still works.}
{When proficiency is maximized, the skill either levels up or evolves. But that didn't happen to you. You've mastered it.}
{I didn't even know that was possible. Under normal conditions, you'd need to reach level 100 to achieve what you've reached.}
{I believe you're the only one who could accomplish this. First, you seem like a newborn—you haven't killed anything since arriving in this world.} The goddess was thrilled.
"I have an idea: I'll do the same with all the hero skills and surpass the maximum proficiency in them."
"Is there something beyond the maximum?" He, too, was excited.
The goddess frowned, thought for a moment, and murmured to herself. (I hope his mental state doesn't destabilize further.)
Now, there was no longer any reason to stop midway due to the pain caused by the Glad skill, which Sirius used to keep himself hydrated and healthy.
Additionally, his body had adapted to this post-apocalyptic world, and the scorching sun was no longer a problem.
Sirius activated several skills that every hero should have, selecting those he liked most. Dozens of floating flames surrounded him.
He activated five skills simultaneously: two were similar, while the other three varied between attack and defense.
He asked the goddess to attack his mind to strengthen his defense, something she could do since it wasn't a physical action.
It was understandable that he wanted to do this, as there was nothing else to do but walk. So he did it for fun.
During his journey, he encountered numerous obstacles. Once, he came across a chasm over 1,000 kilometers long and had to go around it.
Sirius's hair grew, and he had no way to cut it since he hadn't found anything sharp along the way.
Three years passed.
Since there was nothing to kill in that world, Sirius remained at level 1. But his proficiency in five skills was maximized, and one had transcended the maximum. He no longer had a shirt and wore only a small piece of cloth to cover himself.
The goddess stayed by his side the entire time. It seemed the two were having fun together. It was remarkable how two people could talk for years without interruption and still enjoy each other's company.
Sirius began to question whether the time he had spent walking was enough to reach his destination.
Even so, another two years passed. The skills he used began to malfunction. Sirius would activate them, but they wouldn't respond, and if he insisted, he would hear the word problem echo faintly in his mind.
Nevertheless, he didn't stop. He kept activating the skills.
More time passed, bringing the total to 13 years.
Sirius finally arrived at his destination.
He had begun his journey at 17 years old and was now 30. His face, however, had changed very little, likely due to the longevity of heroes, who could live over 500 years. His skills also contributed to this.
He was excited. He was tired of seeing the same sand dunes every day, and now he could finally be sent to paradise or reincarnate with zero memories.
During the time Sirius spent in the desert with the goddess, he hadn't changed his desires. He didn't want to be a hero. He had no ambition. He was practically a human with low self-esteem.
He ran and planted the seed in the ground. The goddess wanted to say something but chose to stay silent. She bit her finger, and a drop of blood fell onto the seed.
The seed sprouted, quickly reaching two meters in height, now resembling a tree that had been planted many years ago.
But Sirius didn't get to fully witness this incredible phenomenon, as he felt his entire body vibrate. It was as if his brain was being shaken intensely.
The word "problem" echoed louder in his mind.
Everything went dark.
°°°°•••
Sirius felt a familiar sensation, something he hadn't felt in 13 years.
It felt like nothing existed.
It felt like he was nothing.
It felt like something did exist.
Sirius opened his eyes once more.
"Transcendentals." He said this.
It wasn't a random comment, as he usually made. Three new deities stood before him. It didn't take a critical look to realize it.
The goddess who had always been by Sirius's side was among them.
A god to his left opened his mouth. {We did as you requested.}
He wore a fully technological armor.
Another god, who appeared older and more striking, also spoke.
{We have partially removed a part of you. You may notice you lack vision in your left eye.}
{Additionally, we removed some of your fingers, as well as certain privileges a hero would have. This isn't related to your request but rather to the place you want to go.}
{I'm not sure why we're obligated to explain something you requested yourself.} A third god, with a scarred face and an imposing armor, said irritably.
Sirius wanted to respond to everything being said so suddenly, but when he looked forward, his field of vision had shrunk drastically. His left hand was missing two fingers, and his right hand lacked the middle finger.
The same had happened to his feet. He felt his body was weakened.
{We cursed you! This wasn't done out of hatred. Quite the opposite, it was out of love,} said the elder god.
Sirius couldn't comprehend what was happening so suddenly.
Not because he wasn't able to, but because his mind was sustaining real-time damage, and many things were being said at once.
He tried to ignore the pain and focus on the words of the deities before him.
{If we were to send you to the world you requested, you wouldn't descend as a hero!} the elder god explained.
Another god, wearing unique armor and bearing a large scar across his face, spoke lazily.
{You carry a divine aura that easily surpasses that of angels who have served alongside us for thousands of years.}
{Sending you in this state would make it seem as though a god had descended, and that wouldn't be safe for you.}
{That's why we cursed you, to erase that divine aura. I think that's everything.}
The god pointed at Sirius, and the others did the same. Sirius lost his vision.
When he regained it, as always, the goddess was standing before him. The other gods were no longer there. Sirius realized what had happened.
He was in a separate space or perhaps still within the beam of light transporting him.
The goddess approached him, and he could feel the carbon dioxide she exhaled.
Sirius tried to pull back, but the goddess placed her hands on his back, and he felt a new sensation in his mouth.
It was an extremely strange feeling. The warmth he felt as her tongue touched his was unlike anything he'd experienced.
He felt multiple things at once, all within a single second.
A new memory infiltrated his mind, likely a new skill. In addition, the five skills that had been "malfunctioning" transcended their maximum proficiency levels.
But none of that mattered at the moment. Sirius was trying to comprehend what was happening.
When the goddess pulled away, she turned and snapped her fingers.
Sirius was sent hurtling into a new world.