Chapter 66
The Truth of the System
The endless white space stretched forever in every direction, soft and glowing like the heart of a sunrise that never ended. Gentle light wrapped around Alex like a warm blanket, and the ground beneath his boots felt like walking on clouds made of pure starlight.
Before he could even open his mouth to speak, a figure slowly appeared.
Golden light gathered like flowing silk, spinning and shaping itself into the graceful form of a woman. She walked toward him with light, elegant steps, her long golden hair swaying like liquid sunlight. Her eyes sparkled with a mix of warmth and playful mischief.
She stopped right in front of him and flicked his forehead with one finger.
Flick.
"Well, well," she said with a teasing smile that lit up the whole space. "Isn't this the famous playboy who keeps playing with girls' hearts and using them for his own clever plans?"
Alex rubbed his forehead helplessly, a small grin tugging at his lips.
"Hey, that's not—"
But before he could finish, the goddess casually waved her hand.
A beautiful table and two chairs appeared out of thin air, crafted from pure white marble that shimmered faintly with divine power. The chairs looked soft and welcoming, as if they had been waiting for this exact moment.
She sat down first, crossing one leg over the other with effortless grace.
Alex took the seat across from her. The marble felt cool and smooth beneath his fingers.
Before he could even gather his thoughts, she spoke again, her voice kind and full of gentle amusement.
"There must be a lot of things you want to ask me."
Her golden eyes sparkled like distant stars.
"So ask."
She leaned back slightly in her chair, resting one elbow on the table.
"But I will only answer three questions."
Her lips curved into a playful smile.
"So choose wisely, my dear Apostle."
Alex stared at her silently for a long moment.
Three questions.
Only three.
But there were countless things swirling in his mind — the gates that led to other worlds, the Eclipse Covenant and their dark plans, the future dangers waiting for the empire, the truth about the gods, and the real reason he had been brought here.
His heart beat a little faster as he tried to choose the most important questions.
After taking a deep breath, Alex finally spoke.
"My first question."
He looked directly into her shining eyes.
"Tell me about the Shock System. What exactly is it? Where did it come from? And why is it called the Shock System?"
The goddess looked at him quietly for a moment.
Then she smiled softly, as if remembering a very old and precious memory.
"You already know part of the answer," she said gently.
She rested her chin lightly on her hand, her golden hair catching the soft light around them.
"You know that there were once seven gods and goddesses who shaped this world together."
Alex nodded slowly.
"Yes. That much was mentioned in the history I learned from the game."
"That's right," she replied.
Her gaze drifted upward for a moment, as if looking back through endless centuries.
"In the beginning, when we were creating the world, we also thought about the future."
"What would happen if someday the world faced a danger that even we could not stop?"
"So we decided to create something — a safeguard."
"A gentle weapon that could help when the gods themselves were powerless."
Her voice grew softer, warm and full of quiet love.
"You can simply call it… a system."
She continued, her words painting a vivid picture in Alex's mind.
"All seven of us contributed our power."
"Each god and goddess gave ten percent of our divine authority."
"From that shared light, the system was born — a living guide meant to awaken whenever the world faced a catastrophe beyond mortal hands."
"It was designed to find a chosen soul and give them the strength needed to save everything we had built."
Alex's eyes widened slightly, the golden light around them reflecting within his gaze.
The goddess nodded slowly.
"But during the War of the Gods… the two corrupted brothers discovered the system."
"They tried to seize it."
"They wanted to twist it and use it to rule the world for themselves."
Alex leaned forward slightly, his heart beating faster.
"So what happened?"
"We had no choice," she said calmly, though a touch of sadness flickered in her eyes.
"We shut the system down."
"For decades it remained dormant, sleeping quietly in the space between worlds."
She paused for a moment, letting the words settle like soft snow.
Then she continued with a small, hopeful smile.
"But now the world is approaching another disaster."
"The three of us — my sisters and I — decided to activate the system again."
Alex frowned gently.
"But if the system contains divine power… why didn't the gods just use it themselves?"
The goddess sighed softly, the sound like a gentle breeze moving through distant trees.
"Because the system developed something we never expected — God Resistance."
"It rejected divine control."
"No god could touch or use it anymore."
"So we had to find someone else."
"A mortal soul strong enough to carry it without breaking."
Her eyes locked onto his, warm and filled with quiet pride.
"And that person… was you."
Alex felt a strange chill run through his body, mixed with a deep sense of wonder.
"My soul?" he whispered.
"Yes," she said gently.
"Your soul is unusually strong."
"Strong enough to withstand the system's power and grow with it."
"That is also why the system functions the way it does."
"The Shock System reflects your own personality and emotional responses."
"It rewards you when your actions shake the world around you — when you create surprise, impact, and real change."
"Shock. Surprise. Impact."
"That is where the name comes from."
She smiled a little wider.
"The system needs energy to stay stable inside your mortal body."
"Those System Coins are the fuel it uses."
"If we removed that gentle restriction, the raw divine power inside the system would overwhelm and destroy you."
"So we made it lively, rewarding, and tied to your own emotions and choices."
Alex leaned back slowly in his chair, letting the truth wash over him like warm sunlight.
"So that's how it works…"
"It wasn't just a random gift."
"I didn't randomly reincarnate here."
"The system chose me."
The goddess simply smiled, her eyes soft and kind.
"Yes."
"It chose you to save this world."
She leaned forward slightly, her golden hair glowing brighter in the endless white light.
"Now ask your second question, Alex."
Her voice carried a gentle weight.
"Choose carefully."
Alex thought for a long moment, his mind turning like gentle waves beneath a quiet moon. Then he asked the question that had quietly bothered him since the very beginning.
"Tell me the truth," he said softly. "Is this world… actually the game I played back on Earth? Chronicles of the Ruined Empire?"
The goddess went silent.
For a moment she seemed to be thinking carefully, her expression gentle and thoughtful, as if weighing the importance of every word she was about to say.
Then she slowly shook her head, her smile warm and full of understanding.
"No, Alex. This world is not a game."
She looked directly at him, her voice carrying a quiet but powerful truth.
"It is a real world. A completely real world, filled with real people who laugh, cry, dream, and love. A world of real pain… real hope… and real futures waiting to be written."
Alex frowned slightly, his heart beginning to beat a little faster.
"Then the game I played…"
She smiled softly and reached across the table, gently touching his hand.
Her touch felt warm and comforting, like sunlight on a cold morning or a mother's reassuring pat.
"That game was created by us. Specifically for you."
Alex blinked, stunned.
"What…?"
"The moment the system discovered your soul on Earth," she explained kindly, "we realized that you were the one capable of carrying it. But if we brought you here without preparation, the world would overwhelm you."
Her golden eyes shimmered gently in the endless white space.
"So we needed a way to prepare you."
"We needed you to understand the dangers that existed in this world — the coming disasters, the broken heroes, the fallen kingdoms."
"But simply telling you the future would not work."
She smiled faintly.
"You might not have believed us. Or worse… you might have been too frightened to act."
"So we created something else."
"A story."
"A game."
Her voice softened, carrying a hint of quiet pride.
"The game Chronicles of the Ruined Empire."
"It was designed to mirror the future of this world."
"It showed you its history, its dangers, its heroes and villains, and the many tragic paths that could lead the world toward ruin."
"So that you could learn how to change it."
"How to guide it."
"How to save it."
The goddess leaned back slightly in her chair, her smile growing warmer and more fond.
"And you did not disappoint us."
"You reached the final ending."
"You played the game for more than ten thousand hours, learning every detail, every hidden path, every difficult choice, and every heartbreaking sacrifice."
Her golden eyes shone softly.
"You memorized this world so well that when you finally arrived here… you already knew how to protect it."
Alex sat in stunned silence.
The entire world he thought he knew had just shifted once again.
The game he had loved and played through countless nights…
Had never been just a game.
It had been preparation.
A test.
A lesson.
A loving guide created only for him by the three divine sisters who watched over the world from beyond the veil.
His chest felt strangely full — a mix of wonder, gratitude, and a quiet ache for the life he had once lived on Earth.
The goddess watched him quietly with gentle eyes, giving him time to absorb the truth.
The endless white space around them glowed softly with peaceful warmth, like the first light of dawn spreading across a calm sky.
She waited patiently, saying nothing more.
Alex still had one final question left.
And whatever he chose to ask next…
It would change everything.