Fallen Lightbringers' Return

Chapter 84: Status Window

Lee Dojin observed his surroundings. The top floor was a lot smaller than the other ones, but it was still sizable enough for people to move around freely. The safe zone, named by the guide, was only a small portion of it. There the people sat quietly, hugging whatever makeshift weapon they had. No one there dared to make a noise. At most, tears would flow every so often, as the people hiccupped to hide their voices.

The group ran into the safe zone. Jyejins sight was caught by a corpse right next to the safe zone. He had turned into a doll, so close to the finish line. What a shame. She averted her eyes from reality.

"Dojin and Jyejin? Is it you guys? No way, I am so glad." The PE teacher, Dong Jowoon approached the group with a relieved face. "I always believed you'd all make it. I wouldn't know what would happen to me if a few students died in my care. So I really am happy." He almost appeared to be in tears. As one of the first to arrive, he did not have to face many dolls. However, as he entered the safe zone, he had ample time to think about his actions and slowly felt guilty.

Kim Jyejin scoffed. What a vile man, she thought. How could he stand there, pretending like he had not abandoned them? This world really was full of two-faced bastards. She didn't even want to say anything, as it would just be a waste of breath. Not even Park Wonho or Hansoo disgusted her as much.

"Wait, please, take me with you," a woman shouted from behind. She was dragged away by a few dolls by her legs. "I beg you! I beg you!"

Aside from the safe zone, the top floor was the harshest, with so many dolls and people fighting for their lives. Even if they arrived here, it was hard to pass into the zone unless they had any survival skills.

Park Wonho covered the little girls' eyes. He grit his teeth and also looked away. Whether young or old, no human should ever have to witness such grotesque sight.

"Time's up." Latania clapped her hands. 

A couple that was just about to arrive tried setting foot into the safe zone, but it was as if they were stopped by an invisible wall. "Huh?" They looked at each other. At once, the two of them grew alarmed. With all their might, they slammed their hands against the barrier, but no matter what, they could not go in. "Help! help, please!" The two of them looked back. The dolls slowly approached them.

Everyone inside the safe zone witnessed the couple as they tried to barge in, yet they couldn't say anything. It was as if everyone knew. Those two were doomed.

The various dolls dragged them away, and with their strange jaws, bit into the couple as they ripped them apart, spitting out any flesh. Even as they perished, no blood reached into the safe zone.

The same went for everyone else. Anybody that hadn't made it inside, perished by being eaten alive. Even as they ran, the dolls grabbed them away. For those whose only hope was to jump out the window, it was like hitting a brick wall. A woman even stabbed herself, in hopes of escaping this hell. For anyone inside the zone, watching this scene was complete mayhem. Nobody could utter anything, even after all these people had turned into dolls.

Lee Dojin, he could only bite onto his lips until they started to bleed. Kim Jyejin looked at him and saw he had his fist clenched, enough for them to shudder. Going by his expression, it was hard to believe that boy was the childhood friend she had known since age 5.

The guide laughed heartily. It was as if she was in another world. "Now everybody, do not be sad. Chang is meant to be. Grief gives you two options. You either get swallowed or change. The decision is up to you." Her grating voice would remain even in the deepest nightmares of these survivors. "You have been chosen! Do not waste the lives that have been sacrificed for you to live."

A message popped up for everyone to see. They all twitched involuntarily. [The guide is issuing the Main Quest.]

"Well, let us start the game, shall we?" Latania stood up and patted her knees. "So as you ungrateful bastards may have realized, from this day on, the world you knew and held dearly will no longer be here. Your puny planet has been chosen by the shadows, a mysterious force in outer space set out to conquer the universe. It is on you to resist them." She lifted her finger. "Remember this well. Your enemy is the shadows. Not me. I am here to help you. Well, more or less."

Park Hansoo cocked his head. He did not seem to understand what she was saying. Or maybe he didn't want to understand this surreal experience. How could anything believe this garbage? It was like a plot out of a B-Movie. But he knew one thing for sure. The people who had died, that was reality.

"I'm being serious right now, apes." The guide suddenly grew irate. "I will only explain it once. If you forget, you weren't worth the effort in the first place. You should have all gotten a message. You have entered a dungeon. Well, for you guys, it may be more apt to say that a dungeon had spawned at your place." She joked and chuckled by herself. "This is the shadows M.O.; In the future domes will randomly spawn at any part of your world. There will be an invisible barrier not allowing you to enter, but not leave. You can only look outside, but never in. Within this barrier, Earth will merge with another planet, creating an unstable hybrid of planets with all kinds of species. You will understand what I mean when you leave the cafe. And even if you ever beat the dungeon, Earth will not change back. So get used to it."

".. .Mom, please, save me," an absentminded boy muttered, and immediately, his head exploded.

"Listen to me!" The guide clenched her fist. "It's not like I like explaining this stuff to you either.  However, you need to understand this. The only way to leave a dungeon is by completing the Main Quest issued by me, a guide." She sighed. "But do not worry. The world is not heartless, and the system has given you a chance. The last battlecry so to speak." She swept her hands.

Suddenly, the survivors all stepped away, startled. Lee Dojin saw no change, but he could imagine what had happened. A message appeared for everyone but him.

[The Mirage accepts your way of living. All people pass their legacy around. Losing your life cannot be called death; it is merely a long rest. It is only when one is forgotten that one truly has died. Inherit your will. Fight for your name. From now on, turn your legacy into power.

Warrior, never forget, always remember. It is when one's will disappears that Death has truly come reap them.

Please select your Affinity:]

The guide left the system to do the explaining. Even though the survivors were skeptical at first, they read on, in hopes of living just a little longer. For Lee Dojin, he had been incredibly curious. Had the time come for humanity to gain the powers of a God? Kim Jyejins next sentence confirmed his thoughts.

"Uh, what should I choose?" Her face was full of question marks.

Lee Dojin looked at her, then realized that Wonho and Hansoo did the same. "Well, if I had to explain, this is like creating an RPG character. You choose whatever you want."

"Then, can you do it for me? I have"

"Shush." Lee Dojin put his finger on her mouth. "Don't tell me. It is neither for me, nor the guide or the people around us to know what your Affinity is. A choice is one of the easiest things," he said, "Truthfully speaking, you can already feel one of these titles resonating with you, don't you?"

Kim Jyejin nodded, though she was still unsure. She pondered over the options given to her. It went the same for the other two guys. Though they did not quite understand it, they paid serious attention to this message, seeing how Lee Dojin had said so.

Only Dong Jowoon had some trouble, his face appearing alarmed. "What do you do if you have no choices?"

".. .Well, there are times like that. No. It happens quite often, actually," Lee Dojin told him so. "I guess, the only thing you can do is pray to gain one sometime later during the dungeon."

"No way.. ." His face turned pale white, as he saw his future as bleak. It was hard for anyone to feel bad for him though, witnessing his actions from before.

A few minutes passed, with every survivor reading the message thoroughly. The guide started talking again. "Well then everybody, if you ever wish to see your Affinity or any other info about yourself, just think about a status window, and it will open."

Finally, there was something for Lee Dojin to do. Ever since he had transmigrated to this world, he never got to see his real status window. The one he summoned during the trailer was only a rudimentary one, meant for that one quest. A real one encompassed a lot more information.

[EX Inheritor of the Universe (Choice), Lee Dojin

Skills: Cosmic Steps(B), Nova's End(B).

Arts: Seven Trumpets, The Man who Stands Alone, Devas' Dance, Voidless Eyes.

Titles: King of the Shadows.

Dungeons: World of Dolls (D).

Affiliation: -->

Most of the things were as he expected. No, it felt great to actually see things aside from his affinity. As he continued going into dungeons, and the Mirage expanded its domain, more info would inevitably surface on the status system.

If he clicked on the skill section, he'd be able to gain more detailed info, such as Divergent Skills, like Nova's End. 

Arts, or sometimes known as attributeless skills, are abilities that did not require an Affinity to learn. They could be anything, from magic learned through scrolls or inheritance, simple body strengthening techniques, or martial arts honed to their peak. It simply had to be something the system accepted as a legitimate skill.

Lee Dojin had collected quite a lot of them over the years, though most of them had disappeared, it would seem. Only those that need no special training or had been engraved into his very soul remained with him. Though he had only used the Seven Trumpets, the martial art bestowed upon him by God.

However, he did not care about these things. There was something at the bottom of his status, which astonished him enough to be visibly confused.

[Blessings: The Fourth Sign(???), The Concubine(???), The Almighty One (???)]

These were things pertaining to the Second Advent.