Ethan stepped through the portal with the rest of the bewildered newcomers, his body still adjusting to the unfamiliar yet electrifying sensation of power surging through his veins.
After crossing the portal, Alice opened.
Then, he saw Luminaris.
It stole his breath away.
The city stretched beyond the horizon, a marvel of impossible architecture that seemed to defy logic. Crystalline towers twisted toward the heavens, their surfaces refracting light in colors he had never seen before.
Floating islands drifted lazily between spires, their undersides glowing with an ethereal blue energy.
Streets were filled with thousands of beings, some humanoid, others alien, all sharing the same space as if species and origins meant nothing here.
This was more than he had ever seen.
The air itself shimmered with an energy that made the fine hairs on his skin stand up. The very laws of physics that he had once taken for granted felt like suggestions in this new world.
His reaction doubled when he realized he was currently seeing everything from the top of a transparent crystal cube.
"Welcome to Luminaris, the City of Explorers," a voice announced.
Ethan turned his gaze to the humanoid rabbit who had addressed them.
Unlike Alice, this one's steel-gray fur gave him an air of quiet sophistication. His golden eyes scanned the group with the ease of someone who had seen thousands pass through these gates before.
"I am Bernard," he introduced himself with a bow. "I will be your guide to the Newbies District. Please, follow me."
The group murmured among themselves as Bernard gestured, and suddenly, the walls around them melted away, revealing a bridge of pure light extending toward one of the many floating islands.
The bridge shimmered as if made of liquid stardust, but when Ethan stepped onto it, he found it surprisingly solid.
Beneath him, the entire city of Luminaris stretched on in its mind-boggling glory.
This place… it's a kingdom, Ethan realized.
His mind began to entertain a very dangerous thought. 'I want to make everything mine.'
As the newcomers entered the Explorers' Guild, a towering structure that seemed part gothic cathedral, part crystal palace, Ethan could already hear the whispers.
Groups were forming. Alliances were being made.
It was the same old story. The weak sought safety in numbers. The powerful sought to lead.
But Ethan had no intention of being led. Once the guide left, he began his plan immediately.
He moved toward the center of the grand hall, where dozens of people had gathered. He could feel their anxiety, their confusion. No one knew what came next.
This was his moment.
But before he could do anything.
A cyclone burst through the entrance, carrying a stunning woman in an emerald mage robe and cap. Her dramatic entrance was somewhat undermined by her stumbling slightly as she landed.
"Greetings, new explorers!" she announced, her voice magnified. "I represent the Green Magic Tower, and we're seeking promising apprentices among—"
"Now wait just a minute!" Another woman, this one in crimson robes, strode in with flames licking at her heels. "The Red Tower has first rights to recruitment! You can't just—"
"First rights? Since when?" The green mage's eyes sparked with magical energy.
"Since always, you overgrown hedge witch!"
"What did you call me, you walking torch?"
The two arguing women were driven away by a new rabbit human wearing the clothes of a receptionist.
"Now is my time." The entry of the two women only served as a motivation for him.
Stepping up onto one of the raised marble platforms, he slammed his staff into the ground. The sound momentarily drew every eye in the room toward him.
Ethan spread his arms wide, a grin forming on his lips.
"Listen to me, fellow Explorers!" His voice rang out, booming with authority. "We have been brought here by forces beyond our control, thrown into a place where only the strong will thrive! But why should we be pawns in someone else's story?"
Murmurs ran through the crowd.
Ethan raised a hand. "I refuse to be a mere explorer. I refuse to be just another challenger fighting for scraps! This city… this Tower… this entire world is up for the taking! And I declare myself its rightful ruler!"
More whispers. Some in disbelief. Some in amusement.
He slammed his staff down again, silencing them.
"From this moment forward, I am the Earth-King!" His voice echoed through the hall. "Follow me, and we shall not just survive—we shall rule!"
The declaration sent a shockwave through the room.
Some chuckled. Some sneered. But some listened. Ethan could see it—the flicker of uncertainty in their eyes, the way their bodies subconsciously leaned in.
He knew the type.
The ones who had nothing to go back to.
The ones who, like him, had been discarded by their old world.
One of them stepped forward.
"Enough."
The voice was firm, filled with quiet strength; a woman stood tall, her olive skin marked with streaks of color; it was something you could not see on Earth. But here? Anything was possible.
Behind her, eight others followed. There was something about them that made them all special, but Ethan did not care.
They weren't strangers from another world. They were his fellow explorers, people who had been summoned to the Tower alongside him.
Isabella's gaze didn't waver. "Before you claim this place as your kingdom, why don't we all get proper introductions?"
Ethan scoffed. "What, you want to have a friendly chat first?"
"You're trying to convince them to follow you," she gestured at the crowd. "And we're trying to convince them not to. If you're going to be a ruler, you should at least know the names of the people standing against you, and they should know what your name is."
There was a brief pause before Ethan gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. Let's get on with it, then. I am Ethan. I have been blessed with the power of Charm."
He had long abandoned his surname after the tutorial. He added information about his power to get them to introduce their own skills as well.
"I am Isabella Romano; my ability is reality manipulation."
Her words brought silence to the whole floor; it was evidently overpowered. Ethan could feel himself angry and embarrassed, but before he could say anything else.
Isabella turned to the first of her group.
A sharp-eyed man with an air of quiet calculation stepped forward first. His gaze locked onto Ethan; it was piercing. "I am Liu Wei. My main ability is probability manipulation. My ability also lets me see names, statuses, and power levels. I know exactly how strong you are, Ethan. And I know you're not invincible."
Ethan smirked. "Oh? And what do my stats say?"
Liu's lips curled in amusement. "That you're overconfident."
Ethan's smirk faltered slightly.
Someone else stepped forward; he was also an Asian man, but with a cocky grin, cracked his knuckles. "I'm Hiroshi Tanaka. My power is Mirror Dimension. I can create pocket dimensions and manipulate reflective surfaces. It might sound weak, but it is stronger than charm."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "So, what good will that do?"
Hiroshi's grin widened. "It is still far better than charm." His words struck Ethan. Hiroshi Tanaka was hitting him with the reality that his power was lesser than theirs.
This time a quiet woman whose presence seemed to ripple through the air spoke next. "Min-ji Kim. My ability is sound weaving. My words carry power. If I say something, it can exist."
Ethan chuckled. "Then say I disappear."
Min-ji smirked. "I don't waste my power on people who are doing that to themselves."
"My name is Raj Patel. My ability is Life Transfer, but I can also see connections—the invisible ties between people. And right now? All I see in you is isolation."
Ethan's expression darkened for just a moment before he forced a grin. "Touching. Let's move on."
A woman who seemed slightly out of sync with the world spoke next. "Sarah Mitchell. I can bend time. You're playing a dangerous game, Ethan. If you don't stop at this point, you will regret it."
Ethan scoffed. "Bold words. We'll see if you can back them up."
"Tch…" Sarah seemed to murmur something, but Ethan did not care.
The next person was a man; bringing up his hand made it crackle with electricity. He gave a small nod to himself before looking straight at Ethan. "Marcus Thompson. Lightning user. I don't need a king."
Ethan rolled his eyes. "A shocking revelation." He could feel the resolve in Marcus's words.
"Name: Viktor Petrov. Ice control. I am just disgusted by your actions. I want to hit you in the face."
Ethan smirked. "I admire your cool attitude."
A woman, the last of them, was wearing clothes that made anyone believe she was a police officer; she floated slightly above the ground. "Emma Laurent. Wind manipulation. I don't want to say this, but you need to stop this moment. You are obviously in some delusions."
Ethan let the silence hang for a moment before giving a slow clap. "Bravo. You've all got tricks. But I don't give a f*ck."
Isabella stepped forward again, her gaze steady. "No, Ethan. People do. And we need to come together to survive and save our home. We don't need a ruler like you."
Ethan's smile faded. "Home?" he repeated, his grip tightening on his staff. "That world never did a damn thing for me."
The hall grew tense as people began to make decisions. Some people in the crowd started gravitating toward Isabella's side, while others seemed unsure and only looked on in surprise.
Ethan felt his rage boil over.
These fools. These idiots. They had a chance to seize power; they had better skills that were overpowered. Yet they couldn't see reality?
Then he realized something again. They were people loved by the world. If not, why would they not want to rule with that kind of power? Why would they think about saving earth?
His chest tightened, his anger turning to something deeper.
Frustration. Isolation.
I don't belong with them.
For a fleeting second, Ethan wished he could just disappear—to leave this place, to escape their judgment, to move forward without them.
Then, the system spoke. As if reading his thoughts:
[You wish to leave. Do you wish to begin your Second Floor Trial immediately?]
Ethan's breath caught.
The crowd watched as his expression shifted. They couldn't hear the system's words, but they could see something was happening.
Isabella stepped forward. "Ethan, listen to me—"
But he wasn't listening anymore.
The Tower had just given him a way forward.
Ethan's lips curled into a smirk.
"Yes."
The world shattered into light.
To prove everyone was wrong. He would need to be stronger than them before he could bring them down.
Ethan's vision blurred as the world shattered into light. A powerful force wrapped around him, twisting and pulling at his very essence.
The deafening silence of the void engulfed him before reality snapped back into place.
He landed on solid ground, his boots pressing into soft earth. A gentle breeze swept past, carrying the scent of fresh grass.
The sky overhead was vast and blue, with only a few wisps of clouds. The land stretched before him—an endless sea of green with only a handful of trees scattered across the rolling hills.
[You have entered the Second Floor Trial: Grassland of Beginnings.]
Ethan exhaled sharply, scanning his surroundings. Compared to the overwhelming grandeur of Luminaris, this place felt strangely peaceful. Too peaceful.
Then, the ground rustled.
A pair of oversized rats, their beady red eyes gleaming with hunger, scurried toward him.
Their fur was matted, their fangs bared. From the left, a wobbling, translucent blue slime bounced toward him, leaving a faint trail of slime in its wake.
[Floor Enemies Detected: Grassland Vermin and Weak Slimes.]
Ethan clicked his tongue. "What kind of joke is this?"
The first rat lunged.
With a swift motion, Ethan twisted his body, dodging its fangs.
He swung his staff in retaliation, striking the creature's skull with a resounding crack. The rat screeched before collapsing, twitching as the life drained from its small body.
The second rat did not give him a challenge before meeting the same fate.
The slime wobbled forward, its gelatinous form quivering.
Ethan smirked, raising his staff before bringing it down with a crushing force. The slime burst, splattering blue liquid across the grass.
[Enemies Defeated.]
He scoffed. "Too easy."
But before he could move on, the air around him shifted.
A system notification flashed before his eyes, but this time, something was different.
[Warning! A higher-order being has interfered with your trial.]
Ethan tensed. A low, echoing chuckle reverberated through the air, as if the very sky had spoken.
[Ah, such defiance… intriguing.]
A voice—smooth yet commanding—resounded in his mind. It carried an ancient weight, as if it had spoken to countless others before him.
[Ethan, was it? You are quite the amusing one.]
Ethan scowled. "I don't care who you are. Stay out of my way."
The Constellation hummed in amusement.
[Oh, but I do not wish to cage you. I merely wish to observe. And perhaps… assist.]
Ethan clenched his fists. "I said, leave me alone! I'm not going to be someone's pawn. I'll carve my own path!"
A moment of silence. Then, the voice chuckled again.
[Very well. If you do not wish for chains, then how about a gift?]
The air shimmered. A golden glow flickered in his peripheral vision.
[Turn around, child. Beside the lone tree.]
Ethan hesitated before warily glancing over his shoulder.
True enough, a lone tree stood a short distance away. And at its roots, half-buried in the soil, was an ornate wooden chest.
His brows furrowed. This had to be a trick. No one gave away something for free.
And yet…
Ethan stepped toward the chest, brushing away the dirt. With a cautious push, he lifted the lid.
Inside, a glimmering dagger lay nestled in a bed of silk. Its hilt was crafted with intricate patterns, and its blade pulsed with a faint, golden energy.
[You have obtained the Relic: Dagger of Swift Strikes.]
Ethan's grip tightened around the weapon. He could feel the power humming through it, light yet deadly.
[See? Not all guidance comes with chains. Consider this a token… for now.]
Ethan exhaled, glancing at the dagger. Maybe… just maybe… this Constellation wasn't completely useless.
For now, he would listen.
[You are correct, Ethan. This world belongs to those who dare to take it. You are destined for greatness.]
[I, Constellation "Whisper of Ruin", shall sponsor you to become the Earth-King.]
Ethan's heart pounded. Everything he had believed—his desire to rule, his defiance against those who stood in his way—it was all validated.
Someone was finally on his side. Someone who knew his fight against the world was just.
A slow grin spread across his lips. He was brainwashed enough to not realize that the name of the constellation was evil.
[Do you accept our guidance, Ethan?]
A system notification appeared before him.
[Contract of Apostleship]
[By signing this contract, you shall become the chosen of Whisper of Ruin. You will gain unparalleled power, but in return, you shall spread their influence and be the Earth-King.]
[Do you accept?]
Ethan didn't hesitate. His finger hovered over the glowing [Yes] button before pressing it.
[Contract Accepted.]
[You are now the Apostle of Whisper of Ruin.]
A surge of power erupted within him. His body burned as an unseen force filled every fiber of his being. His Charm stat skyrocketed, reaching its maximum potential instantly.
[Charm Lv.1 has leveled up to Charm Lv.Max.]
Ethan gasped as his body adjusted to the overwhelming energy. The Constellation's voice was now a whisper in his mind, a soothing presence reinforcing his beliefs.
[Go forth, Earth-King. Make this world kneel.]
Ethan smirked. This was just the beginning.