PROLOGUE – The Night of Betrayal.
The scent of burning sandalwood filled the air, merging with the crisp feel of the night breeze that whispered through the corridors of the Imperial Jade Palace. The golden lanterns' lights flickered at intervals, casting long shadows of passing human form, against the jade-inlaid walls. It was a night meant for celebration, it is the Festival of the Twin Dragons, a sacred night honoring the empire's legacy.
Instead, it became the night of my family's slaughter.
I was only ten. A prince of Goryeong, born into privilege, raised amidst wealth, and luxury. But that night, fate ripped me from my life of silk, and gold, and threw me into the abyss of suffering.
*****
[CUTSCENE: Throne Room]
I slowly crouched behind an embroidered gold color curtain, my small fingers digging into the silk fabric, as I watched my father, Emperor Sung Bae, stand before General Kai-Hoon. The man who had once been our most trusted warrior, the empire's strongest sword. But that night, he knelt in false reverence before my father.
"The empire needs a ruler who is strong. Not one blinded by honor." Kai-Hoon said coldly. And my father's expression did not waver at his words laced with the hints of threat. Rather, his presence was like a mountain, unmoving in the face of betrayal.
"You swore loyalty to this throne, Kai-Hoon." My dad said. The general exhaled, a slow, almost regretful sigh. Then suddenly, and too swiftly, his steel flashed. A single, clean stroke of Stormfang Sabre, and I watched in fear my dad's golden robes were stained crimson.
Sweat suddenly covered my body, I wanted to run. I wanted to scream out my pain. But before I could move, a hand suddenly clamped over my mouth.
"Do not speak. If you want to live, follow me." A masked man, his face slightly covered by a one-eyed dragon mask, pulled me away into the palace's hidden tunnels.
The last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me was my father's lifeless body, his blood pooling beneath the throne.
And that was the night Prince Bae Kae died.
What follows were years of hidden status as a prince, and relentless training to become a ruthless assassin by the same mysterious masked man in a secret organization within the kingdom.
I have gotten countless numbers of people killed within the years of me being a cold-blooded assassin yet my quest for Revenge upon my family murderer seemed impossible until one night.
*****
"Father! Please come back! No…no…!" Suddenly, I gasp out from my nightmare, sweat dripping from my forehead as the weight of the past tell on me. Looking at my surroundings, it was completely dark. The light from the lantern must have gone out at the early hours of the night. Standing up weakly, I use my hand to aimlessly search for the lantern. I found it, but it was out of my reach, and fell to the ground. A spark of light roared up immediately, consuming me at once. I tried to step backward from it to no avail, totally shocked on seeing my body covered in angry flames of fire. The more I tried to quench it with my palm, the higher the fire flared up.
Closing my eyes, I surrendered myself to death, then suddenly I noticed one thing, the flames didn't hurt me, or burn me.
"What then is this?" Suddenly waves of pain shoot through my head, and I quickly shut my eyes. On opening them, I found myself in a strange white hall surrounded by circular shaped screens spinning around with written symbols.
"What is this place?" I mumbled, while moving closer to get a better look. Suddenly something appeared from one of the screens.
> SYSTEM MESSAGE:
✔ MAIN QUEST UNLOCKED: THE FALL OF HOUSE SUNG BAE!.
I cringed back on seeing this "This is about my past! But how did the strange screen know this?" I said loudly.
"Hello! I am SooJin, a futuristic system cultivated by the years of your bloody path as an assassin. I brought you here because I know about your hidden desires, and I am here to help you fulfill them" A teenage male voice sounded from within the screen.
"Who are you? And do you live inside this thing?" I asked, pointing at the screen, wondering how someone can be living inside a flat surface.
"I am a programmed machine more like a game!. I will fulfill your dreams of revenge if only you are willing to follow my rules! The rules of the game".
"Really? Then, I am in!" I said without thinking twice.
"Good!" This game is more like a physical kombat with your enemies. And each Kombat has leveling up with tools available to help you win. Each win comes with various rewards to equip you in winning against your enemies because you must not fail in the game. Failing means mortal death! There are various choices to choose from, but choose wisely!"
"I can't fail! And I am not afraid of dying!" I said with a strong resolve.
"Good! Now, the games begins now.
> SYSTEM MESSAGE:
✔ NEW QUEST UNLOCKED: THE JOURNEY TO THE PLACE.
CHOICE UNLOCKED:
✔ Become an eunuch🔟pts
✔ A palace guard5️⃣ pts
✔ Newly assigned palace scholar9️⃣ pts
✔ Kitchen Staff6️⃣ pts
"I will become an eunuch!" I said before touching the screen.
"Good!" SYSTEM MESSAGE:
✔ NEW QUEST ACTIVATED: BECOMING AN EUNUCH; GARMENT ACTIVATED.
Suddenly I felt another sharp pain, and I closed my eyes, only to see myself at the front of palace gate, dressed up like a eunuch
******
CHAPTER 1 – THE BLADE IN THE DARK
[SEVEN YEARS LATER – THE IMPERIAL COURT]
The scent of incense being burnt, and the murmur of officials. The ever-watchful eyes of Kai-Hoon's guards.
I walked among them, my posture meek just as I was trained to behave, and my eyes lowered. I am just another faceless eunuch in the palace. But behind this disguise, my hands had been trained to kill. My heart burned with vengeance.
> SYSTEM MESSAGE:
✔ NEW QUEST: INFILTRATE MINISTER YOON'S CHAMBERS
✔ STEALTH MODE ACTIVATED – Stay undetected to earn bonus rewards.
I made my way through the golden corridors, my ears catching up on whispered conversations.
" Hey, have you heard of the lastest news? Another rebel cell was wiped out in the southern province." Guard one, said.
"Hah. Let them resist. Kai-Hoon's reign is unshakable, and undefeated." Guard two, replied with a grin.
"Fools!". They spoke as if this empire would stand forever. They did not know the storm brewing in the shadows.
Going to Minister Yoon's study, I saw from afar that the door was being guarded by two elite soldiers. And my fingers brushed against the hidden dagger in my sleeve. I had been planning this for years.
It was time to make the first move in the game of vengeance.
The night air was thick with the scent of ink, and old parchment coming from the various quarters of the mansion. The corridors of the Imperial Palace stretched endlessly, each hallway illuminated by flickering lanterns that cast golden light. I moved silently through the shadows of the dark, my steps silent against the polished jade tiles. The disguise of a eunuch was nothing more than a temporary mask, a means to slip past guards unnoticed. But beneath these dull, servant's robes, my daggers lay hidden, their edges thirsty for blood.
*****
THE BLADE IN THE Dark: APPROACHING THE TARGET
The entrance to Minister Yoon's study was guarded by two elite soldiers. Their armor gleamed under the lantern lights, and their hands resting on the hilts of their twin swords, weapons forged to tear flesh apart, not kill cleanly.
Killing them here would be too reckless. The alarm would sound, and I would lose my only advantage which is the element of silence.
STEALTH MECHANICS ACTIVATED:
✔ Control breath to reduce noise.
✔ Use cover – Press against walls, and roll between shadowed areas.
✔ Disable lanterns – Dim the lights to create darkness.
Instead, I melted into the darkness, pressing my back against the wooden beams closer to the walls. My fingers found the pouch at my waist, gripping the small smoke pellet crafted from powdered phoenix root. A single toss would cover the hallway in a thick, blinding fog.
🔹 CHOICE UNLOCKED:
✔ Lure the guards away – Toss a rock to create a distraction.
✔ Use a smoke pellet – Blind them for a few seconds, and slip past.
✔ Silent takedown – A high-risk move requiring precise timing.
I flicked my wrist. The smoke pellet shattered silently against the floor.
Quickly, a burst of thick, gray fog exploded, covering the corridor in seconds. The guards coughed, their vision going blurry by the fog.