Chapter 9 - Blue Screen

Avatar, who was already sitting beside him with one leg folded over the other and floating in the air above the eternal ocean, explained, "Hm... you can see the blue screen. This is the System. You already know about this; in your world, hunters gain skills, experience, and level up using it," Avatar sighed, exhaling as if releasing a breath.

The blue screen, floating over Odion's eyes, was manipulated by Avatar. With a flick of his finger, he tapped on the illusion, causing the blue screen to shatter like glass into a thousand pieces. These fragments scattered in the air, but instead of falling, they faded away in motion while falling down.

As soon as the blue screen was destroyed and the blue light falling on Odion's eyes vanished, the surroundings turned into darkness. Odion shouted in frustration, "What? What? Where is my System? Why did you destroy it?" His voice echoed with a mix of confusion and anger. "It was my only hope to change my pitiful life. Was my system the cost of giving me new eyes?"

Avatar tilted his head left and then right, expressing confusion with his eyebrows furrowed. "Na, na," he gestured with his index finger, moving it left and right through the air. "You've misunderstood. I am not a demon who signs soul contracts to give power and take something away."

Avatar, with his legs crossed and hanging in the air above the eternal ocean, let out a deep, frustrated breath. Changing his position, he stood up, his feet slightly above the ocean as if floating. Walking around Odion's prone body in the ocean, he circled him with his hands crossed over his back.

"My child, in this vast universe, many hidden secrets lie beyond the perception of human eyes. That's why I gave you demonic All-Seeing eyes," Avatar explained. "In your journey, you will soon realize it. But let me share something with you in the meantime."

Avatar began to unfold the hidden secrets behind the blue screen, addressing Odion as "my child." He delved into the question of why humans were bestowed with the System. If demons invaded the mortal world, considered a lower realm, wouldn't God simply descend and eradicate them directly?

"Why create something like the System for humans?" Avatar questioned. "Through it, they gain skills and power effortlessly by killing monsters and leveling up. Have you ever pondered on this?"

Continuing his narrative, Avatar prompted Odion to consider why two different realms, seemingly distant, collided, creating a rift that allowed demons easy access to the human world. The avatar painted a picture of a complex interplay of forces and realities, encouraging Odion to explore the depths of these mysteries.

"Have you ever questioned the illusion of the System?" Avatar chuckled, his laughter carrying a malevolent undertone. "It's like a drug injected into the human nervous system, rendering them weak. Through it, they become addicted, craving more and more."

He continued, delving into the societal consequences. "Society underwent a transformation, the birth of a class system. Humans, driven by the allure of the System, started to kill one another without mercy. Values, traits, and the essence of humanity gradually vanished over the years."

The avatar challenged the perspective of mortals, unraveling the reality behind the System's powerful influence, exposing the puppeteers holding the strings of the lower realm and manipulating its inhabitants.

"I am no different. I, too, am giving you a new black system - a drug. I am giving you the means to find yourself on a path of killing, gaining experience to level up, acquiring new skills," Avatar explained. "And when you look back, you will only find the path you've walked formed by the bodies of thousands."

"But it's up to you, on which path you want to walk – the path of lifeless bodies or...?" Avatar laughed, leaving the sentence open-ended.

"Now, it's about time. I will send you on your path, where it's up to you on which path you will walk," Avatar explained. "But always remember one thing: if God created humans, they also gave them free will too, so it's up to you, my child."

"And before you go, yeah about the blue screen, I will tell you one secret of it. The blue screen does not give humans 100% exp by killing demons, but it shares the exp with someone in the higher realm. With your eyes, you will see a thread ascending above. This thread is an exp transfer to above," Avatar looked above at the infinite sky.

The sky was filled with darkness, with only dim light scattered like the moon's light on Earth, casting its gentle glow.

Avatar raised his hand from below, two fingers stretched while the other two half-bent, thumb wide open on the left side. In a swift and delicate movement of his hand, Avatar, with this gesture, lifted the prone body of Odion into the air.

Odion began to feel as if he was rising into the sky. His senses activated, but his body was tightly paralyzed. Nothing moved, and he started to feel flustered and fearful, wondering what was happening to him.

Avatar's finger pose suddenly changed, with the palm facing forward, and in an instant, a bright light emerged around his body, with the epicenter at Odion's stomach. This radiant light forced Odion to shut his eyes tightly, squeezing them hard.

Paralyzed, he couldn't raise his hands to shield his eyes, so he could only squeeze them shut. In an instant, the intense brightness vanished, and Odion's body disappeared into thin air.

Odion found himself in a different place, lying on a hard and cold floor. Confused, he questioned, "Where am I?"

With a cautious attempt, he tried to lift his finger, and to his relief, it responded. His body, once paralyzed, now seemed to be free. He gradually opened his eyes, adjusting to the surroundings. The sensation of waking from a deep slumber washed over him. As he moved, a sense of awareness and control returned to his limbs. Finally, he managed to sit up and take in his new surroundings.