A strip of text appeared before him cold, steady, and utterly silent.
There are powerful enemies behind these doors... but there is a condition.
Akira stood completely still.
He didn't move… even his breathing felt unnaturally calm.
Only his eyes moved… slowly following the words.
A condition...?
He muttered it, as if it meant nothing.
The message paused… then new lines formed:
You cannot choose any door you wish.You must enter the doors in order.
A faint smile formed on his lips cold… devoid of any warmth.
In order…?
He lowered his head slightly, his hair falling to obscure his eyes.
So you're saying… I can't go straight to the strongest?
Silence filled the space.
But this time… it felt as though the silence itself was pressing down on everything.
Then the text shifted:
If you cannot survive a lower-ranked world... you will die instantly in higher ones.
…
Everything froze.
Even the Void itself… felt heavier.
Akira said nothing.
But this time… he wasn't silent.
He was… enjoying it.
Then
He slowly raised his hand… as if the motion itself carried no weight.
His fingers pressed against his face, partially covering his eyes.
He fell silent.
Not because he was thinking…
But because he was savoring the idea.
"When was it…?"
His voice came out low… unnaturally calm.
"When was the last time… I heard that word?"
He paused.
As if time itself had slowed around him.
"Death…"
His fingers slid down slowly from his face.
Revealing eyes that held no fear.
But something worse.
Calm.
A calm tainted with quiet madness.
"Strange…"
He smiled.
A faint smile… yet unstable.
"In my world… they feared that word."
He lowered his head slightly.
"But me…"
He slowly lifted his gaze.
"I had forgotten it."
A soft laugh escaped him.
Not a laugh of joy…
But of someone who had found something long lost.
"Death is not the end…"
He paused.
Then whispered:
"It is… the only proof… that you are still alive."
Silence.
Then his smile widened.
"Finally…"
"Something… that might make this world… a little less boring."
The text shifted again:
Once you enter a world… you cannot return to the Void.Any damage you receive… is real.Death… is final.No reset. No retreat.
Akira stood still.
But his smile… widened.
There's no way back…?
A single word appeared:
No.
Hmm…
He tilted his head slightly.
As if thinking… or perhaps enjoying the idea.
So… no way out.
Silence.
Then
Better.
The words changed once more:
Upon defeating the strongest being in the world… a path to a higher one will open.Each world… will bring you closer to stronger enemies.
Akira took another step forward.
Slowly.
His eyes drifted across the doors… as if selecting prey.
New lines appeared:
Don't worry…The first world… resembles your world.
He paused.
But the difference… you will realize it yourself.
Then, very slowly:
The first world… is a cultivation world.
Akira remained silent.
Then he spoke calmly:
I have a question.
The text paused.
What is a cultivation world…?
He moved closer.
His hand nearly touched the door.
Is it just a system… like the hunters…?
A faint smile appeared.
But this time… it carried danger.
Or… something that breaks people?
Then he whispered:
Tell me, System…
The strip vanished… then returned.
A cultivation world… is fundamentally different from yours.
An interface appeared:
F → E → D → C → B → A → S → SS → SSS
In your world… power is limited.There is a ceiling.
Then the text changed:
But in a cultivation world… there is no ceiling.
New stages appeared:
Body TemperingQi GatheringFoundation EstablishmentCore FormationNascent SoulSpirit Transformation
Each stage… crushes the one before it.The difference… is not a difference.It is a gap.
Akira's eyes narrowed.
And me…?
The response delayed.
Then
Foundation Establishment.
…
Silence.
Then
He smiled.
Slowly.
Weak…
A soft laugh followed.
I like it.
New words appeared:
The world you will enter… is World 923.
Lower than your world.But… more brutal.
In that world… power is taken.Not given.
The words pressed closer:
If you enter…The path behind you will be sealed.
If you die…It ends.
Akira stood still.
Then
He lifted his head.
His eyes… gleamed with clear madness.
So…
A smile spread across his face.
There are no guarantees…
Correct.
He laughed.
Low… but real.
Heh…
This isn't a test…
He stepped forward.
This… is a hunt.
The text paused briefly.
Then appeared:
If you defeat the strongest being in that world…A door will appear.
It will lead you… back to the Void.
Akira stopped before the door.
His hand rose slowly.
It stopped… just before touching it.
Then he spoke in a low voice… extremely calm…
But filled with something terrifying:
System…
He smiled.
A calm smile… yet deeply unnatural.
Open the door.