"Ugh, my head hurts…"

  Alex opened his eyes, staring bnkly at the starry sky above.

  'Where… is this pce?'

  He turned his head to look around, but all he could see were broken wooden boards. The sound of squeaking wheels and the urgent ctter of horse hooves filled his ears.

  "Ugh…"

  A sharp pain in his head made Alex groan. He closed his eyes and tried to recall everything that had happened before. If he remembered correctly, he was outside, and then…

  "Young Master! Young Master, are you awake?"

  As Alex struggled to remember, an old man suddenly appeared beside him. The man was old, with a head of white hair and a long white beard.

  He was wearing a tattered leather armor and had a long sword strapped to his back. His appearance was so peculiar that it left Alex momentarily stunned.

  But uzzled him more was that the old man eaking a nguage he had never heard before, yet somehow, Alex could uand him perfectly.

  Even so, Alex's fusion did not subside.

  'Who is he?'

  'Why is he calling me Young Master?'

  'Who… am I?'

  "Ugh… Ah!!"

  Just as Alex was about to try and remember more, a pierg pain shot through his brain, causing him to clutch his head and cry out in agony. Seeing Alex in pain, the old man became even more frantic. He hurried to Alex's side and firmly gripped his shoulders.

  "Young Master, are you alright?! Don't scare me!"

  "I… I…"

  Despite the old man's frantic shouts, Alex couldn't say anything. His head felt like it was going to split open, and his vision started to blur and distort. But soon, he saw a blue light unfurl in front of him, f a stra familiar interface. A gentle voice sounded in his ear.

  "Syetm activated… System booting up… Soul wavelength detected… Beginning authentication…"

  "Ugh… Ah…"

  Alex felt pain not only in his head but alshout his body, as if he were being fyed alive. His blood seemed to flow backward, his breathing became rapid, and his heart pounded as if it were trying to escape his chest. All he could do was ch his fists and grit his teeth to ehe sudden onsught.

  "Lord Carter! They're catg up!"

  "Damn it! Get the Young Master out of here, we'll hold them off…!"

  "Watch out—!!"

  "Boom!!"

  Amid the chaos and shouting outside, a loud explosion suddenly rang out o Alex. The moment, he felt himself being thrown out of the carriage like a discarded ragdoll, hitting the ground hard.

  "Ugh!!"

  Alex felt his back sm into the ground, the impaentarily alleviating the burning pain in his body. This allowed him tain some trol over his movements, aurned his head to look around.

  All he could see was a wilderness shrouded in darkness. Nearby, a carriage was engulfed in fmes, and the horses pulling it were reduced to charred remains. In the distance, he could vaguely see figures locked in bat.

  They seemed to be a group of retainers fighting against oppos in silver armor, resembling knights from a game.

  What kind of hellish pce is this?

  Even though the fighters were putting up a brave effort, Alex could tell they were no match for the knights in silver armor. In a few swift moves, the knights had siainers, leaving their bodies strewn across the ground.

  "Young Master! Ru out of here!!"

  The old man was still fighting desperately, waving his sword and shouting at Alex to flee.

  Run!

  Alex didn't know what was happening, but he knew he had to leave this pce!

  But… his body wouldn't obey. For some reason, he felt incredibly weak, every muscle ag, and he had nth left. Just supp himself was a struggle, let alorying to stand up.

  "Soul wavelength authenticated, binding plete. Executor, please activate the dimensional map."

  The voi his ear remained calm, and as it spoke, a strange, intricate circle appeared in the ter of the interfa front of him. It looked like a map, but oing multiple universes or dimensions, and it seemed oddly familiar to Alex…

  "Ah—!!"

  Hearing a scream, Alex looked up dazedly to see the old man being impaled by a knight in silver armor. The old man turned his head in despair, reag out a hand towards Alex.

  "Young Ma—!"

  However, before the old man could finish his sentence, a fsh of silver light swept through, and the moment, Alex watched in horror as the old man's head fell to the ground, his body colpsing soon after. The knights then turned and walked towards Alex.

  'I'm going to die!!!'

  Even though the knights wore helmets, obsg their faces, Alex could feel their icy, murderous i. Just feeling their gazes made him think his neck was about to be sliced off. But… he couldn't resist at all.

  Is this my only hope?

  Staring at the strange circle before him, Alex gritted his teeth and reached out, trying to tap the peculiar circle.

  "Thud!!"

  But before Alex could lift his hand, an iron boot stomped down heavily on it.

  "Ugh—!!"

  The excruciating pain made Alex groan, and before he could react further, another knight grabbed his hair and lifted his head.

  "Is it him?"

  The knight's voice was cold and indifferent, like a mae devoid of emotion. Upon hearing the knight's question, a figure in a bck robe standing a little distance away nodded slightly.

  "Yes, it's him. The artifact must be on him."

  "Good."

  Receiving the firmation, the leading knight nodded and swiftly brought his sword to Alex's neck.

  "Hand over the artifact, and I'll give you a quick death."

  'Artifact? What artifact?'

  Feeling the cold bde against his neck, Alex looked at the knight in bewilderment. His mind was in a plete mess, not knowing what was happening or what his current situation was.

  The only thing he uood was that these people were hunting him down for some artifact… But what artifact? How should he know?

  'I have to try!'

  With this thought, Alex bit his lip and g his right hand, which inned uhe knight's boot. Notig Alex's gaze, the knight also looked down at his foot and instinctively stepped back.

  Now!

  Seizing the moment the knight stepped back, Alex quickly withdrew his right hand and tapped the circle in front of him. Immediately, the circle began to spin rapidly, light gathering and f inte, ornate book that emitted a radiant glow.

  "What is this?"

  The knights, seeing the book appear before Alex, stepped ba astonishment, holding their swords uainly. In trast, the bck-robed figure was ecstatic, almost jumping up and shouting.

  "This must be the artifact! Don't let him activate it, kill him!"

  At the bck-robed figure's and, the leading knight raised his sword and swung it forcefully at Alex.

  At the same time, as if responding to an invisible call, Alex reached out and touched the book.

  In that instant, his world shattered like gss.

  "Child, when you were born, the Lord whispered your name…"

  An a voice echoed in Alex's mind, and before his eyes appeared t mountains, prosperous aiful cities, towns, and wilderness…

  "Child, I watched with pride as you grew day by day, being a symbol of justice…"

  Fmes ed eies, once filled with ughter, now reduced to ruins and remnants. The never-ending bze mirrored the color of blood, bringing unendiru and hatred to the world.

  "Remember, we have always ruled this nd with wisdom and power…"

  Flower petals turned into cold snowfkes, and former followers fell one by one. In a dark, eerie cave, a long sword shining with azure light stood quietly, awaiting its wielder's arrival.

  "I also trust you will use your immense power wisely…"

  A howling blizzard engulfed everything, trees withered, the nd was covered in ice, and the living fled.

  Only the undead, groaning in agony, emerged from the fmes and darkness. They formed an army, a force so terrifying that it made everything tremble in fear. They advaearing apart anything in their way, bringing only blood ah.

  Alex opened his eyes again.

  The visions had vanished. Before him, a knight's bde was desding towards him. He could even see his refle on the silver bde.

  But the voice still echoed in his mind.

  "One day, my life will e to an end, and you will be ed as king."

  A cold, immense power erupted within him at that moment.