Mike froze.
"Uh... Is that supposed to happen?"
The scientist at the console shouted,
"No! The sample is reacting—too fast!"
Solen snapped, "Stabilize it!"
"We’re trying!" another scientist yelled. "But the mana is overpowering the corrupted energy readings!"
The orb’s white glow twisted—dark streaks appeared inside it, swirling violently.
Mike stepped back.
"Guys? Should I be worried?!"
The orb began to shake, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Thmp... thmp... THMP...
Solen raised a hand.
"Everyone, fall back! The mana is fusing with the corrupted sample—"
The orb cracked.
A single black line appeared across its surface.
Mike’s eyes widened.
"...See? I knew this day would go badly."
The orb shattered—
BOOM—
A wave of white and black energy blasted outward.
And Mike felt it—
a sudden, sharp impact directly in the center of his chest.
"What was—oh no. Oh no no no no no—" Mike cursed in panic as his body began to expand like an over-inflated balloon.
And then—
BOOM.
Everyone watched in frozen horror
as the human with pure mana
detonated into red mist and gore.
"Tell me we still have his mana samples!?" a commander shouted, teeth clenched and eyes wide.
"We have it, sir."
One of the scientists stared at the machine, now half-coated in red, and sighed.
"Well then... add him to the annals of history. Mike Vester—the savior who gave us a chance, and lost his life in the process."
"But we still haven’t found a cure?" another scientist asked quietly.
"Write his name down anyway," the commander said.
"So that no one in the future dares claim the credit he earned—especially if we fail to create the cure in our generation."
The others nodded solemnly.
Back in his room, Mike jolted awake.
"Holy— I really died back then..." he muttered.
[ You have died for the first time. ]
[ You have used your free avatar creation chance. ]
[ Next time you create another avatar, all your stats will be reduced by 10%. ]
"Damn it..." Mike punched the bed in frustration.
"Ten percent... from all my stats. Fuck this!!!"
He sucked in a few deep breaths, trying to calm down.
"Okay... okay. There are still two months left. Which means four or five weeks to obtain four or five new talents." He muttered to himself.
"Maybe I can get a talent that helps me grow stronger fast..." Mike mumbled, and then lay back on the bed. Once again, he opened his Origin System.
"Here goes nothing," he said, and started his second avatar creation.
[ Second avatar creation started.
10% of your overall stats have been used to create the new perfect vessel for you. ]
Mike closed his eyes—and when he opened them again, he found himself standing in a grassy plain.
"Please let this be a magic world this time..." he muttered, looking around.
Before he could take a step, rustling sounds echoed from all directions. The grass around him—tall, waist-high blades—began to shake violently. Something was moving. Many things.
Mike immediately drew Mirage Soul and Abyss Soul, gripping one blade in each hand.
The moment both swords were unsheathed, a rush of sensations slammed into him—his awareness sharpening, expanding, magnifying everything around him.
One sword help him create illusions.
The other shattered illusions and grounded his perception.
Together, they amplified his senses far beyond normal human limits.
Mike exhaled slowly, lowering his stance as he spread his awareness across the trembling field.
Mirage Soul – Illusion Magic Sword
Rank: Epic+
• Mirage Clone – Creates up to five illusionary copies, each dealing 30% real damage.
• Phase Step – Blur for 1 second, evade all physical attacks.
• Mind Veil – Confuses enemies in a radius, lowering perception and reaction speed.
Abyss Soul – Anti-Illusion Execution Sword
Rank: Epic+
• Break Reality – Shatters all illusions and deals true damage to illusion casters.
• Solid Step – Roots user into reality, immune to stuns and knockbacks.
• Mind Cleaver – Releases a mental shockwave forcing enemies to feel harsh reality.
Wind swept across the field, bending the tall grass in waves.
Then—
Something growled.
Mike tightened his grip as the rustling grew louder... closer... surrounding him.
He activated Mind Veil.
A soft ripple of illusion magic spread out from him, warping enemy perception—but before the wave even settled, Abyss Soul counterbalanced it, giving Mike an impossibly crisp, exact understanding of the battlefield.
He felt them.
Six... no, seven... moving shapes. Low to the ground. Fast. Hunting him.
Predators.
"Alright," Mike muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Let’s see if this world is friendlier than the last one."
The tall grass parted.
Seven wolf-like creatures emerged—each one covered in glowing blue markings, mana-steam rising from their jaws. Their eyes burned with sharp, hungry awareness.
Mike let out a shaky laugh.
"Definitely a magical world. Etherfang Wolves they roam freely in grassy plains—this is their natural habitat."
He looked at them like someone staring at a group of adorable—but murderous—puppies.
"You guys don’t know how happy I am to see all of you," he said, raising both swords. "Even though you’re probably planning to pounce on me and suck the mana out of my body until I die a painful death."
One wolf lifted its head, mana flaring—
FWIP—!
A blade of compressed blue energy shot toward him.
Mike’s expression didn’t change.
"Yep. Definitely Etherfang Wolves. They shoot pure mana blades—that’s their signature attack."
Mike moved before the mana blade even reached him.
He tilted his head slightly—
SCHWIP—
The blue slash of energy cut through the air right past his cheek.
He smirked.
"Good. You guys hit hard. That means good EXP."
The wolves growled, circling him. Their blue markings brightened as mana built inside their bodies.
Mike shifted his stance and whispered:
"Phase Step."
Mirage Soul pulsed.
For one second, Mike’s body blurred—his outline flickering like heat haze. The wolves’ eyes widened, their instinct telling them the prey had just become harder to see.
A second later, Mike dashed forward.
FWISH—!
He split into five illusion clones that scattered in all directions, each one gripping identical swords.
The wolves didn’t hesitate—they attacked instantly.
Three wolves fired mana blades.
Two pounced toward the nearest clones.
Two flanked to cut off escape.
Perfect teamwork for beasts.
Too bad Mike wasn’t fighting alone.
"Mirage Clone," One of his copy said with a grin. "You boys can’t tell which one is real, huh?"