"Since when am I sexy?!" Ha-rin repeated to herself, still holding her lab coat with both hands, as if that would prevent the disaster of imminent shame.
Seth stared at her with a crooked smile and a lazy look, feigning innocence. "Doctor, I'm just making a visual diagnosis. And, if you must know... you have a level of charisma that's beyond bearable. Clearly a clinical anomaly." He leaned back further in his seat, crossing his arms behind his head. "I might even have to report you to the system... for excessive sex appeal."
Ha-rin's eyes widened and he choked on his own breath.
"V-you... you... you bastard!" She pointed her finger at him, her face as red as a burning sunset. "I should stick you in an MRI machine and leave you there for hours just to wipe that smile off your face!"
Seth pretended to reflect. "And I should put you on an altar and light candles... because this," he pointed at her from top to bottom with his chin. "can't be a human creation."
Ha-rin let out a muffled noise of despair and turned around so fast that she almost lost her balance. The energy around her oscillated, as if a small magical earthquake was about to happen.
"You... you... oh my God!" she whispered, running away in hurried steps. 'I can't kill him... that bastard has the protection of two Rank-S fighters!'
As she disappeared from view, the system beeped again.
[Title "Rank-Sex" has been reinforced. Effect: +50% charisma with women wearing lab coats].
Seth arched an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "Yeah... this is getting out of hand. Hahaha, I hope nothing bad happens because I'm earning these stupid bonuses"
He stood up from the bench, stretching his arms. And it was then that something changed around him. The air seemed to thicken for a moment. The temperature dropped within a radius of three meters. E...
[The Enigmatic Key is reacting.]
[Location of an Unknown Door detected.]
[Do you want to plot a course?]
Seth froze for a moment. He looked at the key in his mind - now glowing an intense blue. "Well... looks like we have a door to open"
He looked around, making sure no one was following him. With a mental gesture, he accepted the option.
[Temporary portal to be opened at 00:59]
"Just a minute, eh...?" he muttered. "I'd better get ready."
He started stretching his neck, rotating his shoulders, flexing his fists right there, as if he were going to enter an arena.
[Error! Error! An oscillation intervened in the path generation!]
[Portal Being Opened]
And then... the air in front of him shattered. As if the world were a sheet of paper being torn from the inside out, a rift opened up in space - black, pulsating, full of distorted echoes. The temperature dropped another ten degrees.
Seth smiled. "I hope it's not an elevator to hell... but honestly? It would be fun."
The rift in space oscillated like a liquid veil torn in half. From within the distortion, a single structure slowly emerged - as if the universe had generated something forbidden.
Floating a few meters in front of Seth, a black, twisted lock appeared, suspended in the air by forces that ignored the laws of gravity. It was made of an ancient metal, covered in runes that glowed pulsating red, like heartbeats.
[Sealed Door Detected]
[Enigmatic Key Compatible]
Seth stared at the object and hesitated for a moment. It didn't look like a normal door. It was as if the lock itself was... alive.
"You don't seem to want to be opened," he commented, pulling the Enigmatic Key from his mental inventory. It appeared in his hand with a slight buzz, emanating a bluish mist.
He moved closer.
As he got closer, the lock seemed to resist. The air became denser, as if he were trying to walk against an invisible gale. A pressure formed in his head. Something... whispered. Words in an ancient language that his mind couldn't understand, but his instinct recognized as warnings.
"I've never been good at listening to warnings," he said with an impatient smile.
With a precise turn, Seth inserted the key. The resistance vanished like smoke.
CLIC
A dry, definitive sound. The lock lit up intensely and shattered into a thousand fragments of light, revealing an invisible door that could only now be seen - bordered by thin lines of red energy.
[Door of the Forgotten: Opening authorized.]
[Do you wish to enter? Attention: return point uncertain.]
Seth closed his eyes for a second. He took a deep breath. Then he opened them with a smile.
"When was going back an option for me? Besides, it may be arrogance but... I'll take anything that makes me stronger." He said, smiling.
And he took the step.
As soon as he crossed the border, the distortion swallowed him up - and with it, the door, the key, and even the surrounding air disappeared.
Behind him, the hospital square was empty. The birds fell silent. The wind stopped.
And in the center of the space where the crack had been, a mark was burned into the ground - a black eye with a red pupil. Watching. Waiting.
[Location: ???]
The first step was like stepping through a veil of water... but what awaited him on the other side was no freshness.
Seth felt the impact before he even saw it: the gravity was heavier, the air thicker - as if the planet itself was breathing along with him. The ground beneath his feet was solid, dark, covered in a fine gray sand that resembled ashes.
He turned around immediately.
The distortion behind him was already closing like a wound being forcibly sewn shut. Red lines of energy twisted in spasms until the last thread of light disappeared with a dry snap.
There was nothing left. Not even the key. Not the lock. Not even a sound.
[You have entered the Unknown Zone: "Dead Land"]
[This world has no direct connection to the Main System. Some functions are limited].
[The Enigmatic Key has been consumed].
"Great," muttered Seth, looking around.
The sky... didn't exist. Above it was a blanket of darkness with a pulsating vertical crack - as if the sky had been torn and sewn together by something primitive. And in the air... black particles, like suspended ash. They didn't smell like smoke. They smelled of... ancient power.
The horizon was opaque, sunless. There were distant, twisted mountain shapes, like giant fangs sprouting from the earth. But the most disturbing thing wasn't the atmosphere...
It was the absolute silence.
Nothing. No wind. No fauna. No whispers from the system.
Even its own main system had reduced its interface. Only a notification flashed intermittently.
[Objective Unknown. Exploration suggested.]
"Right. Total blackout." Seth ran his hands through his sweaty hair and stretched. "What a great place for a walk..."
He took a few steps forward, the ash sinking slightly under his boots.
The first thing he saw was a ruined tower in the distance, leaning as if it were being sucked in by something underground. An ancient structure, completely alien to his world - with impossible architecture: angles that curved inwards, floating pillars and stairs that began without a floor.
And then... he felt it.
The earth shook slightly beneath his feet. Not like an ordinary earthquake. It was a vibration... a call.
Something knew he was there. Something ancient. Something forgotten.
[Challenge Started: "Touch the Heart of the Tower of Emptiness"]
[Reward: ???]
[Warning: permanent death possible]
Seth took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment.
"You really don't know how to play, do you, System?"
His eyes opened, focused. He clenched his fists, feeling the energy coursing through his strengthened body - even without his main functions, he was still someone who had overcome a deadly penalty, defeated a scenario Boss, and achieved a double awakening.
He started walking, alone, surrounded by a lifeless world - towards the tower that defied the laws of physics.
But something... was watching him from inside.
Something hungry.