The dungeon sky was filled with flashes of magic and the sound of explosions. The roars of monsters mingled with the shouts of hunters. Joe Linggis stood at the edge of the battlefield, completely uninterested in the chaos. He lazily twirled the sword in his hand before sheathing it again.
"As usual, they're too noisy," he muttered, glancing briefly at the Rank S hunters showing off their strength.
Linggis was a hybrid Rank A hunter skilled in swordsmanship and support, but he never displayed all his abilities. To him, a simple life was far more appealing than attention or recognition. He had lived for hundreds of years, witnessing the world evolve from the era of cultivation to the modern era where game-like systems dictated everything.
In the cultivation era, Linggis had been a master who had reached the peak of power. When the world transitioned to an era devoid of spiritual energy, he survived. Even when game systems began to dominate human life, Linggis adapted. However, he never forgot the struggles of training through hard work—without the aid of automatic EXP or instant rewards.
When the system changed the world, he chose a simple life. With centuries of experience, he knew that power and attention only brought trouble. All this time, he lived as a supporting hunter, enjoying quiet, stable obscurity.
But today, his plan to stay low-profile changed.
A spear shot out from the direction of the Rank S hunters, hurled with full force toward a massive monster. However, the spear bounced off the monster's hardened body, ricocheting wildly into the air toward Linggis.
Linggis didn't move. He simply stared at the spear with a flat gaze.
"This is a good opportunity," he muttered.
Deliberately, Linggis stepped back toward the dark chasm at the edge of the dungeon. As the spear closed in, he tilted his body slightly, pretending to dodge, and allowed himself to fall into the deep abyss.
Linggis felt his body continue to fall. The cold air stung his skin, and endless darkness engulfed his vision. But instead of panicking, he closed his eyes, letting his body drift without resistance.
"Finally, some peace," he whispered before falling asleep mid-descent.
When Linggis opened his eyes, he was no longer in the dungeon. He awoke on solid ground, in the middle of a dark, unfamiliar forest. The air around him felt different—denser, filled with a strange energy he didn't recognize.
A mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his head.
[Welcome to the new world. The Pure System has been activated. All levels have been reset to zero. All abilities can only be improved through manual effort. No automatic EXP.]
Linggis read the message without emotion.
"Level reset, huh?" he muttered with a faint smile. "They don't understand. I've never needed levels."
As a cultivator, his true strength came from his body and soul, honed over hundreds of years. Even if the system tried to erase his levels and status, it wouldn't matter.
Linggis rose slowly, his body feeling light despite the impossible fall. He surveyed his surroundings, ensuring there was no immediate danger.
["This place is strange,"] he thought.
A new message appeared before him.
[You have been assigned the role of Villain. If you refuse, the system will destroy your soul.]
Linggis fell silent, staring at the message coldly. There was no anger or panic on his face. Only the calm of a man who had endured more than this world could offer.
"A villain, huh?" he muttered softly. "Troublesome. Guess I can't live quietly anymore. Turning this world into one ruled by a system is risky if I refuse."
Nonchalantly, Linggis closed the message and began to walk. He didn't know where his steps would lead, but one thing was certain: he wouldn't let the system control him. He would find a way to break free.
Linggis Joe didn't immediately leave the forest. Not out of fear, but because he understood that this new world was like a game—always lurking to ensnare those who played too fast. Fully aware, he chose to remain in the quiet forest, building a simple wooden hut with his own hands.
The forest was the perfect place for him. No humans, no oppressive systems, only tranquility and the sound of the wind passing through the trees. In silence, he began living his days as usual: hunting, building, and training his body.
But the system wouldn't let him go entirely.
[Tutorial Quest: Kill 10 monsters.]
Linggis read the command with a blank expression. He didn't complain; he simply walked out of his hut, picking up a wooden sword he had crafted himself—more than enough for the surrounding monsters.
The first monster appeared—a large wolf with glowing red eyes. Linggis halted his steps, staring at the creature for a moment before swinging his wooden sword with impossible speed. The wolf split in two with a single strike, its blood soaking into the ground.
"Was this supposed to be hard?" he muttered, almost bored.
He spent his days hunting monsters for system quests. Small monsters, large ones, even dragons that suddenly appeared in the sky—he dealt with them all with ease. For Linggis, it was nothing more than a shadow of the challenges he had faced during the cultivation era.
Back then, Linggis was a cultivator of the demonic path. However, unlike most demonic sects obsessed with slaughter, Linggis only killed to survive. He was a product of a brutal world, where the law of the jungle was the only rule.
His unique cultivation path, known as Ren Dan Zen, drew energy from the hatred directed at him—slander, insults, even fear. Not just human hatred, but also that of monsters, gods, and deities from the cultivation era he once lived in.
Linggis channeled all the negative emotions aimed at him to survive. He never killed without reason. Every life he took was a step toward enduring a merciless world.