Chapter 1 : Welcome, Player

<Cartenon Temple>

'I don't... I don't want to die like this.' 

A group of statues were approaching Sung Jinwoo, who was lying on an altar in a half-dead state. The double dungeon that he and a group of low-rank hunters had entered earlier was unfortunately too difficult for them to clear. There were a lot of casualties. In the end, they were forced to leave him as a sacrifice, to save their own lives. Some of them objected to this decision but eventually, all of them relented. While he did manage to avoid death multiple times during his life, this seemed to be the end of the road.

One by one, the statues were gathering around him weapons drawn. Death was closing in on him, as tears started forming in his eyes. Memories of his life were flashing in front of his eyes. Memories of his family, of his friends, of his colleagues.

"I am sorry mom, sis. I don't think I'll see you again."

A statue wielding a sword walked towards him with its weapon raised. 

Jinwoo resigned and closed his eyes, now accepting his fate.

'...'

A few seconds passed. But he didn't feel anything.

'Is death supposed to be this painless?'

He slowly opened his eyes. The confusion that was in his mind was now replaced by surprise.

The sword was right in front of him. But it wasn't moving. On closer inspection, he realised that it was moving but very slowly. Almost as if time had slowed down.

'What is going on?'

Then a female voice rang in his mind. A voice he did not recognise. And following it, what looked like a pop-up window was in front of him, displaying the same message he just heard.

[You have met all the requirements to complete the secret quest: 'Courage of the Weak' ]

'What is going on? Secret quest?! Courage of the weak?! What's all this about?!'

To say Jinwoo was surprised was an understatement. But the voice continued, as the message displayed in front of him also changed.

[You now qualify to become a player. Do you accept?(Yes/No)]

He hesitated to answer since this was all too sudden. A few seconds passed, and another message was displayed, as the voice read it.

[If you decline, your heart will stop beating in 0.02 seconds. Do you Accept? (Yes/No) ]

'So, if I accept I'll get to live? Heh. What's there to think about it then? I've got nothing to lose so why not? I accept.'

As if responding to his thoughts, the voice relayed a new message. 

[Congratulations! You have now become a player]

Then a blinding light surrounded him, and he blacked out.

Once the light died out, a figure stepped out of the shadows. Among all the chaos that ensued moments ago, one statue did not partake in it, at least not directly. It was the statue that held the stone tablet on which the commandments were engraved. The statue of an angel.

The statue slowly walked towards the unconscious body of Jinwoo. The other statues paved a way for it.

"Finally."

The angel statue bent down to get a closer look at Jinwoo.

"You should be honoured, mortal."

A wide grin formed on its face.

"You get to be the vessel for the all-powerful shadow sovereign. There is no greater gift a denizen of this backwater planet will be worthy of. But you are weak. Incredibly so. However, do not fret. For I, The Architect, shall aid you in your journey. At least till you've become the perfect vessel. And then..." The Architect trailed off.

Then it started chuckling. And slowly, the chuckle turned into a burst of psychotic laughter. The laughter soon died out, although a grin still remained on its face.

"And then, the shadow sovereign and his army will march across this world spreading death and destruction once more."

But then, a new voice made its presence known.

"Sorry. But I'm afraid that won't be happening. "

The architect suddenly turned to face the source of the voice. Standing a few feet away from him was the figure of a person, obscured by what looks like black mist emanating from his body. 

"You...Who are you? How did you get here?" The architect angrily shouted at him.

But the person remained silent. His facial features were hard to discern because of the mist, but there doesn't seem to have been any change in them.

"No matter. Never should have come here." The architect snapped his fingers. All the statues that were in the chamber now started moving towards the person. 

"You'll have to try harder." Now the man snapped his fingers. At once all the statues crumbled to dust.

"Wha-"

Before the architect could say anything, a hand grabbed his face and smashed him into the ground. The person now stood on top of the architect.

'Wh- What? Who is this man? His power... I can't measure it. Is he with those damned rulers?' The architect thought to himself, struggling to break free from the man's grip. 

"No. I'm not aligned with the rulers. That being said, I'll be taking this for a while." The architect's head started glowing blue. After a few seconds, the glow vanished.

"You! What are you doing?" The architect shouted at him. But he didn't answer him.

"Oh. And I'll be taking him as well."

The next instant, the man disappeared and was now kneeling next to Jinwoo.

"NO! WAIT!!"

The architect was not given another glance. A bright flash suddenly illuminated the room. And when it disappeared, both that person and Jinwoo were gone as well.

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Unknown Location

'Do you know what he is called?'

'...'

'The world's weakest hunter.'

'...'

'Really? He got injured in an E-rank gate?'

'...'

'I guess trash will always remain trash.'

'...' 

Slowly but surely, Sung Jinwoo opened his eyes. Rubbing his head, he sat up and started looking around.

'Ugh. My head hurts like hell. Where am I ?' 

He soon realised that he was out in the open in a field. Tall grass covered the ground as far as his eyes could see. Some hills could be seen at the distance. 

'What is going on? Wasn't I in some dungeon before?' He was shocked.

Suddenly a familiar voice rang in his head. As soon as it happened, blue screens began popping up in front of him. 

[System Reboot Completed]

[Synchronisation Rate : 100%]

[Welcome, Player]

[Would you like a summary of the information gathered? (Yes/No) ] 

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