He couldn't hold back his laughter after his argument with the chief manager of the scientists lab" Finally" he was holding a test tube that had strange liquid inside,with the combination of all colors,"manager! the chief is saying why are you not coming out!"said by a woman who was outside of the research room, inside ha-joon was laughing crazy not even giving a damn about the chief–he looked at the ceiling, opening his mouth and began drinking the liquid.
As he was drinking the liquid, his thoughts were only occupied his life and how his journey till now has been.
His name is ha-joon, he was born in a normal family with normal salary, he was quite good at school, because of that he was bored at it, in middle school he discovered something fascinating, something that could make his boring life a little more exciting, novels, adventures, and realities that will take you far into your imagination, he read few novels until he discovered a novel named the immortal, even when ha-joon reached the age of 20 he didn't stop the novel called the immortal, it was his happiness his life and everything for him, but something changed, as he continued reading it he didn't felt the excitement the entertainment and everything he felt when he was beginning his journey of a reader, because he became curious, to know what it feels like to be immortal like the mc of the novel.
ha-joon decided when he graduates high school he will choose the best university out there that could help him reach his goal,when he graduated school, it didn't go well as he was expecting, because humans don't care, think, and gave thought about being immortal, and every teacher he asked answered him" immortality?..well that's good and what about it?" And others will just give him some boring answers, untill he met the scientist teacher joon-woo, and gave him an answer that gave him hope and made him what he is today" the chances of becoming immortal? Hmm...I will probably say around 00000.3/100, it may seem impossible but, if we could discover something that, fill those empty spots it could be possible!".
He followed the steps of his teacher,and got recruited in to the lab research team, until he graduated with 4-decree, many lab scientists wanted him with his unrivaled genius mind, but to him there were just like puppets to reach his goal, he chose the best lab he could find and worked that lab for almost 50 years and he then became chief– in lab, that was isolated in jeju Island in Korea, he was chief for only 4 years, his position was changed to the current lab chief.
Glup!!
"That was the last of all of it" he said with big smile on his old face and boldly head,
....
Standing there for a seconds ha-joon was waiting something to happen but nothing happened, his smile faded away, and suddenly it hit him, his heart beat became abnormal, he grabbed his chest so hard, that his white coat became tight to his chest,
Cough!!
He began coughing, and his old body couldn't handle the extreme pain he experienced simultaneously with his chest hurting more as time goes on,—he collapsed to the floor, greeted with the hard stones in the floor, he first injured his hand, his body was like a ghost because of how thin he was,caused by the thinking over the years.
Because of the intense density of the room and for protection ways, him collapsing to the floor couldn't be heard, and he closed the door as he was planning on drinking the special liquid that had him on the floor right now with his sweaty face. even breathing Become difficult, he still remembers four years ago when he became the chief of this new lab that was build on jeju Island,
A day he had a free time,
He visited the beach to get a fresh air and some swimming, he began swimming untill he reached deep enough for him to come back,
but he saw a flower that was floating the surface of the water.
it had all the colors that you can imaginea complete, he named it flower of life.
he began exploring and experiments to the flower, Then something clicked. Its colors weren't just beautiful; they represented the essence of life itself. The strange plant could potentially make his dream of immortality a reality–or so he thought"
Ah! Is my life flashing in front of my eyes?"
"I hope they somehow break in and take me to the hospital.... " He said with his face lost all hope and close to death, the liquid he drank was the flower he find and thought it was his hope.
ha-joon lost consciousness and his eyes faded away. died at the age of 84 experiencing this strange life, and dying with it to never experience normal life.
His soul followed many other souls in the universe that was going no particular direction.
Oh? Another mortal. Let's see…
Interesting… his name is Ha-Joon.
"I've read his entire life, so I might as well complete this quickly," said the floating words—words that existed without a physical body, appearing as pure text in the vast universe.
Once again, the words manifested in the void, forming something otherworldly that resembles swirling circle as it commanded:
"Mortal, take my presence as an honor for your lowly existence, and appear!"
And just like that, Ha-Joon appeared out of thin air—his body now younger, as if time had reversed itself.
Ha-Joon slowly opened his eyes, confusion washing over him. He scanned his surroundings, and his breath hitched—there was no land beneath his feet. He instinctively stepped back, but it was futile. Everything around him was nothing more than an endless, unimaginable void stretching across the universe.
"What's going on?! Where am I?!" he shouted.
Then, a realization struck him—how was he even standing? Panic surged through him as he slapped his own cheek, hoping to wake up from what ever this dream. But the pain was real. It was no such as a mere dream.
This is reality!!
His heart pounded as another horrifying thought crawled into his mind.
Didn't...I die? so! Is this where I'll be judged?
Although he had always imagined an afterlife, he never thought it would be like this.
"I see you've finally calmed down."
"Well, mortals always fear the unknown, so I won't fault you for that. Now, let's get down to business, shall we?"
There was no voice.
No physical form.
Nothing but the vast emptiness of the universe.
Except… in front of him, words floated in the void.
"Words?" Ha-Joon muttered. Then, realization hit him like a lightning bolt.
"Wait… god is words?!"
His mouth moved faster than his thoughts as he pointed at the floating text while getting closer.
"Haha! No, no! Don't jump to conclusions, Ha-Joon! There's no way god Almighty Himself is just…mere words!"
But before he could gather his thoughts, the floating text responded.
"Oh? You assume much, mortal."
Ha-Joon's breath hitched.
It can hear me?!
Suppressing his rising anxiety, he quickly fired off his questions.
"Hey! Where am I? Who are you? Why am I in the middle of space? And now that I think about it… I can breathe just fine?! Is this your doing?!"
The being—though nothing more than words in Ha-Joon's eyes—had a will of its own. And as it observed this mortal's reaction, its perception of him shifted ever so slightly.
A change that would have heavy consequences for Ha-Joon's unknown future.
Attention!
Your name: Ha-Joon
Born: 20XX
Died: 20XX
Your dream was to achieve immortality, but fate had other plans. Thus, your life was taken from you.
And now, as an honor for standing before me, I shall grant you what I have granted mortals before you!
However, whether you receive the blessing they all desired... depends entirely on you.
Ha-Joon stood frozen. Curiosity. Fear. Shock. Excitement. A mix of emotions flooded his mind as he immediately asked:
"Wait… is this what I think it is?!" His voice trembled with anticipation. "A mysterious being… a wish… I knew it! How could the heavens ignore me?! I, the greatest human who almost achieved immortality, am finally being acknowledged! Kahahaha!"
"Yeah… no."
The words bluntly shattered his delusion.
"This is not what you think it is, mortal."
"Now, let me introduce myself."
"I am ▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎, the God of Stories. But you may call me… 'Author.'"
Ha-Joon furrowed his brows as he read the words carefully.
"Huh? Am I seeing things?" He rubbed his eyes, but the name remained a series of dots. His confusion deepened.
"Uh… I could be wrong, but… is that some kind of censor? I can't see your real name!"
"Indeed. But worry not. Even though it wasn't intentional, it does not affect you."
"It simply means that a mere mortal like you is incapable of comprehending my true name."
Ha-Joon flinched at the response.
Was that an insult?
He forced himself to remain calm. No, no… he's just stating the obvious. Don't take it personally.
Still, none of this made sense to him.
The God of Stories? What the hell is going on?
"Now! Let's get to the real reason you are here!"
"Oh, you should be able to see it too. Try focusing ahead, and you should see… the system."
Ha-Joon's eyes widened.
"System? Wait… does he mean that system?!"
"Yes. The very same one you've read about in novels."
Ha-Joon felt his heartbeat quicken.
Did… did he just read my mind?!
Well, he is a god, so that's probably nothing for him, right? But it was still cool and weird hearing someone else read what's on your mind.
Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself. Determination took over his fear.
He shut his eyes. Focused. Took a deep standing there for more than a minute now he doesn't feel that much fear and overcome his heart and mind with his determination and focus he said while slowly opening his eyes And then—
"System!"
The moment the words left his mouth, it appeared.
Ha-Joon's eyes glowed with joy. He clenched his fists, holding back the urge to jump in excitement.
But as he read the system's display, his excitement turned into confusion.
It wasn't like any ordinary system.
Instead, it simply showed a list of novels he had read in his past life. And beside each title… was something strange.
- SYSTEM -
The Immortal → Fav Points: -∞
Oxxxxxx → Fav Points: 290
The Image Heart → Fav Points: 128
Wxxxxxxxxx → Fav Points: 80
…
"What… does this mean?" Ha-Joon muttered. "Did I pass some kind of test, or…?"
"Let me explain, mortal. As I am the god of Stories, I follow strict rules."
The Laws of the God of Stories
1. A person's fate is determined by their favorite novel. The points they accumulated shape their future.
2. If one cherishes a novel but forgets it after it ends, their fate is doomed. They will meet another god for judgment.
3. Points represent love. A person who read only half of their favorite novel but spoke about it passionately will have a bright future.
4. One who lives by their novel—like you—receives the ultimate reward.
"So…?" Ha-Joon asked cautiously sharpening his jaw.
He wasn't sure whether this situation benefited him or if he was about to be thrown into something dangerous.Even though he knew he is weak and if that happens he will just be npc in much larger game!.
"No need to let your imagination run wild, mortal!"
The weight of those words crushed Ha-Joon's thoughts. Though he only saw text, he felt the overwhelming power behind them.
"Your fate was written long before you were born!"
"You shall live within the story that shaped you."
"You will be reincarnated into your favorite novel— The Immortal. "
Ha-Joon blinked.
Blinked.
Blinked.
Of all things he didn't expect, reincarnation was on of them. As this is reality what else is there? Except accepting the fateful lucky encounter!!.
His thoughts swirled in chaos.
"This… this is real?"
"Is there any wish you desire?" the words asked. Not letting ha-joon have any emotional moments, it was more like it got bored of things like that and ha-joon wasn't the first!.
Ha-Joon swallowed hard.
"A wish?" His voice trembled. "I-Is there anything that can help me? A cheat? A skill? Anything? And maybe being the MC's brother!"
MC's brother? That would be fun.
"Take the system with you. But first… let's adjust some settings."
"Now… what kind of power do you desire?"
A grin spread across Ha-Joon's face.
"Blood. I want the power to absorb lifeforce… but only from those I deem worthy."
A deep, monstrous laugh echoed through the void.
It shook Ha-Joon to his very core. His body trembled. His fingers twitched, his eyes nearly popped out, his entire body shaked, it was truly scary but he hold his fear back!!.
"W-What was that?! That laugh…!"
"I ask… whatever that was…to never let me hear it again, please." It was sincere but he didn't made obvious as he only said it in his mind.
Bitting his lips his gaze shifted up where the words beginning to appear, the shaking was slightly slowing down but he was still scared.
That should be it then, I hope.... you survive.
"Huh? Surviving? Wha..!"
His consciousness faded.
His body dissolved like dust in the wind.