"We will have enough time to regain your strength, my Lord. Please, grow stronger for our final battle."
The voice mentioned a battle. Our final battle? Had I fought before? The greatest battle I had ever seen was on TV shows.
This was the moment when I truly started doubting myself deep inside.
"We will awaken your power once again. Please cleanse Heaven of sinners."
The voice seemed to have changed. A new voice, much closer to me, resonated in my ears. It was comforting, and the chaos within me began to settle with that voice.
Suddenly, my entire body felt as light as a feather. As if under anesthesia, everything faded away all at once. Right in that void, I felt excruciating pain surging through every joint in my body. The intensity of the pain left me utterly paralyzed.
I could do nothing but pray for the agony to cease. At that moment, I understood the beauty of breathing. Then, the joy of being alive reignited within me.
After a few seconds, I managed to open my eyes again. I had awakened in a completely different world, inside a wooden mansion.
I could feel the energy around me and the weight in the air. With every breath, sharp pain pierced my lungs.
There was no need to explain how much effort breathing required. I had opened my eyes, but the pain made me feel on the verge of fainting again. I kept forcing myself to breathe.
I began to feel my brain going numb, but just then, a wave of energy spread through my body. Thanks to this energy, the oppressive weight around me almost disappeared.
[Greetings, my Lord. This is the final message I can deliver to you. Most celestial beings and angels have united against you. You have lost your position as the King of Heaven. Your power has been consumed by the Angel of Command, and your soul has been entirely drained.]
[Just grow stronger and cleanse Heaven of the traitors!]
These words echoing in my mind undoubtedly belonged to the entities in my dream. At that moment, a surge of anger started building inside me.
"How dare you tell me to grow stronger without explaining anything in this wretched mansion?!" I shouted with all my might.
What was this absurd series of events? My soul was drained, yet I was still standing. I was the King of Heaven, but I was oblivious to everything happening around me. How ridiculous was this?
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get a response; all the voices had vanished. "What am I supposed to do? How do I grow stronger? Answer me!"
Silence. The only voice I could hear was my own. They said they would awaken my power, but what was my power?
I tried to sense the energy within me, but it was futile. After waiting for a while, I took a deep breath and left the wooden room I was in. The mansion I was in was undoubtedly luxurious.
It felt like a premium private residence, with long corridors and numerous rooms. However, it somehow looked abandoned. Wild plants had sprouted and grown throughout the mansion.
Additionally, massive trees could be seen from the courtyard. Parts of the mansion's walls had crumbled. After checking each room one by one, I finally accepted that I was alone in this mansion.
I was used to living alone, but this solitude felt foreign. The atmosphere around me was undoubtedly heavy. It felt like there was a weight on my chest. The deep silence around me was equally unsettling.
What was I supposed to do? What kind of madness had I fallen into?
"Hahaha!" I suddenly burst into a strange fit of laughter. So many things remained meaningless. Beings capable of altering reality had brought me here somehow—or I had fallen into a massive prank.
But deep in my soul, I was sure this was no joke. Taking a deep breath, I prepared to leave the mansion.
"This mansion has been abandoned for a long time." The mansion was completely empty—there was no food or clothing. I needed to find water and food quickly. For now, I had to make do with the thin robe I was wearing.
I pushed the large wooden doors of the mansion with both hands. As the door creaked open slightly, I stepped outside. What lay beyond was a colossal forest. What kind of creatures could this vast forest harbor?
I hesitated about whether to return to the mansion. There would undoubtedly be powerful animals outside. I was inexperienced with wilderness survival. But the mansion had nothing to eat. I also needed to find clean water.
I began walking slowly into the depths of the forest. The immense size of the trees left me in awe. My guess was that they were as tall as a 15-story building. The strange part was how healthy these trees looked. What nourished them?
Their roots must also be enormous and long. How fertile could this soil be? I gently placed my hand on one of the trees. Its trunk was smooth.
[Seles Tree: One of the spiritual trees with divine protection.]
A voice from the depths of my mind reached me. The voice was, surprisingly, mine.
[Divine protection grants partial immortality. The entity becomes impervious to external harm.]
Again, I spoke from the depths of my mind. This voice was mine, but I was sure I was learning this information for the first time. Was my power something like "learning everything I see"?
What was its working principle? I quickly touched my own body. Maybe I could figure out my power that way. There was no response. Perhaps it didn't work on myself.
During my exploration, I touched everything I saw. As I used my ability, I could feel the energy within me growing stronger. However, it seemed my power only worked when I needed it, not when I wanted it.
[Congratulations on increasing your potential. Knowledge is power. The more your potential grows, the stronger you will become!]
[I am aware of the questions in your mind, but remember, my knowledge is limited to yours.]
[Still, I can tell you this: The message implanted in your mind must be true, and the entities in your dream are undoubtedly powerful.]
"HA!"