[07: 03: 09: 22]

  ...

  Dorian’s expression hardened, arms crossed over his chest. "What do you mean you don’t know about this world?"

  Cassian felt a cold sweat form at the base of his neck. He swallowed; his mind racing.

  Shit…

  “Well… it’s difficult to explain,” he muttered, shifting closer to Dorian, trying his best to look confused and natural.

  Dorian’s gaze didn’t waver. “Try me.”

  Damn… what to do?… would the system censor my words if I try to reveal some stuff… no, how would Dorian even react… I can’t lose his help, and I feel like I should stick with the truth… well, mostly the truth.

  He took a breath and spoke.

  "So it's been roughly ten hours, I think since I woke up with these powers. All I remember is… that I was nearly dead in the city, stuck underneath rubble and debris when a voice sounded in my head.”

  “At first, I thought I was hallucinating in my near-dead state, but the part ‘Prove your worth, and power you shall receive’ stuck with me. I managed to get myself out of the rubble when a tall greyhound-type monster found me."

  "Greysnorts," Dorian said, nodding. "They were one of the beasts native to our world before things went wrong and mutated into what they are now… sorry for interrupting; please continue."

  Nodding, Cassian continued, "I spotted a corpse nearby, wearing a dull green jumpsuit with a striped foliage pattern. The guy also had a gun. And, running on instinct, I got to the gun first and used it."

  Dorian frowned, his voice laced with curiosity rather than hostility. "A Greysnort wouldn’t be dead from a green trooper gun. Those are standard issues for newbies, and they wouldn’t pierce through a Greysnort’s hide."

  Cassian, feeling a bit embarrassed, scratched his head. “Yeah… I didn’t kill it.”

  “The damn thing tackled me down, but it was injured. That’s when I reached into the satchel the soldier had, and fortunately, there was a flashbang. So I—”

  “Tell me you didn't," Dorian exclaimed. "Were you out of your mind?"

  “…Anyway, the voice said I had ‘faced and cleared my ordeal, proving my worth.’ And that’s when I got these powers.”

  Cassian coughed lightly, dodging the question. “but I don’t remember anything from before that happened. Only that… I lost someone… someone important to me."

  Cassian went silent, the memory of losing his mom tugging at something deep within him. He may be acting here, but the feelings were genuine.

  Dorian exhaled, his expression softening. "I see… Ten hours, and you faced those things alone. I respect that, Cassian. It’s no small feat. Facing your fears and standing up to them is what makes a man."

  He laughed and patted Cassian’s shoulder, his grip surprisingly strong for someone who looked as malnourished as Cassian himself.

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  "Thanks, but… why are you slicing them open… I have MREs if you're hungry?" Cassian asked, watching Dorian's grotesque work with curiosity and unease.

  Dorian's eyes twitched as he let out a deep sigh before speaking, "To see if they have Soulsparks or not. Most monsters have them."

  Cassian stared. Then, realization slammed into him.

  You’ve got to be shitting me! That’s how I get Soulsparks? Oh, why the hell did I not try cutting open any monsters? Time, yeah, but still…

  Cassian ran a hand down his face.

  I genuinely thought there would be loot boxes with cards scattered around. Since most aspects of the system function like a game, I assumed the loot would be too.

  Dorian muttered, “Ah, monsters sometimes form Soulsparks.” He held up a dull, crystal-like object no bigger than his fist.

  Reaching out, Cassian asked, "May I?"

  "Yeah, sure. I’ll collect from the others as well; we mainly used them as an energy source, but I’m assuming you may need them." Dorian handed Cassian the Soulspark before moving to the next corpse.

  As soon as Cassian took it, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.

  It’s about time I get my hands on some new cards… But man, I feel so stupid for not trying to harvest monsters earlier. Let’s collect as many Soulsparks as I can and then test my luck with Gacha…

  "Cassian!" Dorian's voice broke through his thoughts. He followed Dorian's gaze to the giant pile of rocks nearby.

  "Oh, that? It was the golem. Its time was up… it could only stay up for a limited time."

  "I see… I’ve collected all the Soulsparks here. There are about eight, including the one that you have. So, what now?" Dorian asked, placing the Soulsparks in a pile before sitting in the farthest corner away from the carnage.

  Cassian followed, dropping his backpack beside him before unzipping the outer layer to reveal another backpack inside. He pulled out clothes, an extra handgun, and a shotgun, handing them to Dorian, who watched him with an amused smile.

  "What?" Cassian asked.

  "Nothing. Just surprised at how meticulously you’ve packed. I wouldn’t have expected anyone to pack a bag inside another bag."

  Shrugging, Cassian chuckled. "I saw; I looted."

  Dorian let out a small laugh. “Smart.”

  He filled the spare bag with the Soulsparks and strapped the guns to himself.

  Cassian leaned back and handed an MRE packet to Dorian, who smirked as he read the label aloud.

  "Chicken Teriyaki and Chili Mac and Cheese… Manufactured date—month of Sola-23rd. Inspection-slash-test date: month of Vola-12th. Shelf life: seven years. Standard military bullshit."

  Cassian chuckled, already eating his portion. "Tastes amazing to me. I haven't had anything to eat for a long while. Plus, they come with spoons. How awesome is that?"

  Dorian scrunched his nose. "Amazing, my ass! I can't believe I found one of the lunatics who actually enjoys these things.”

  "It's either this, bro or those corpses?”

  Dorian coughed, ripping open the MRE packet. “I’ll graciously accept your food offering."

  They ate in silence for a while before Cassian broke it. "I need the Soulsparks to get stronger, I guess. I’m not sure how this thing works exactly; I have this voice or rather an instinct regarding these powers."

  "Also, why are you so casual about seeing someone walking around with a freaking stone golem? If I were in your place and saw what you had been through…"

  Dorian sighed. "Haa, I get that. I suppose it’s because of your amnesia. We didn’t have monsters or beasts until recently… The sky tore open, and a thing made up of rings and eyes appeared. It also had way too many wings.”

  Dorian leaned back, voice grim. “That thing said, ‘Foolish mortals. You dared to touch upon the Heavenly Principles. For your sins, you have lost your right to live. But the One True Voice grants a path to survive.’”

  “Then everything went to shit. Animals became monsters, most of our population died, and those who survived now live in underground bastions."

  “We later found out that this was the place where things messed up and that these motherfucking scientists did something… that was my mission; the thing also said your salvation may fall into the hands of a person who will appear when the time is dire, and with his hands, your history will be written."

  Cassian frowned. "History?"

  Dorian shrugged. "We don’t know what’s going on or what 'History' means here. To make things worse, we also have invaders, and that has caused our population to steeply decline."

  “Wait… Invaders?” Cassian asked; he was overwhelmed by the details and the past of this story.

  Wow, this is getting complicated. I guess I still can’t accept that I’m in a real world. It’s a different world in a different timeline, not just a story.

  “Yeah Invaders, after that incident a year back our planet 'Kriosvala' became free for all, and invasions from other species we didn’t even know about began, and most of the world is conquered by Demons."

  Cassian let out a long sigh. "I’m gonna clear something with you: I’m not some chosen one, man. Hell, I’m barely surviving, so don’t expect me to do crazy shit and save the world… at least not at the moment."

  Dorian nodded.

  “Never mind all this prophecy talk, Dorian; I’ll tell you the current plan first… and we can worry about other stuff later."

  …

  |

  A/N : Phew~ Cassian just dodged a bullet.

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