Free Web NovelChapter 5: Welcome To The Outer Realm
Evan kept moving, his back to the scene he had just left, never once glancing over his shoulder.
Wind whipped around him, bringing with it the faint, unsettling smell of spilled blood and the silent, heavy presence of death.
Yet, his face remained a mask, showing no signs of emotion. The chaos and loss of the moments that had just taken place were still fresh in his mind, echoing with sharp clarity, but instead of giving in to their weight, something deep within him had hardened.
It felt like a core, once soft and yielding, was now as hard as a diamond.
Weakness.
That was the only explanation his mind offered for the devastation, the only root cause for everything that had unfolded.
If he had been just a little stronger, a fraction faster, if he had somehow been better in that crucial moment, perhaps things would have ended differently.
They might have lived. A bitter taste filled his mouth, and he clenched his fist so tightly his knuckles turned white, the nails digging into his palm.
’I won’t let that happen again.’, he murmured, the words barely audible above the wind’s low moan.
His voice was calm, almost unnervingly so, but the iron resolve was absolute, leaving no room for doubt or compromise.
As he continued his walk, the familiar system screen appeared again with a message
[ OBJECTIVE ACTIVE ]
[ ENTER THE OUTER REALM ]
[ TIME LIMIT: 29 DAYS 23 HOURS ]
[ WARNING: FAILURE WILL RESULT IN TERMINATION ]
Evan’s footsteps lost strength, then stopped altogether. He stood there for some time, processing the last word on the screen.
’Termination?’ His eyes narrowed as he repeated it, a question more to himself than to the silent system.
’So it’s not just a suggestion then,’ he said to himself, a faint, almost chilling smile touching his lips. There was no fear in it, only a grim sort of satisfaction.
’Good. That just makes things clearer.’
He looked ahead, past the crumbling gate that marked the edge of this severely damaged place.
Beyond it, the normal world stretched out, unaware of the slaughter that had just happened.
But somewhere, far beyond this familiar reality, beyond the understanding of ordinary people, lay the Outer Realm. A place about which he knew absolutely nothing.
Evan had no directions and no map to guide him.
Not even a single clue to point the way.
’Great,’ he muttered under his breath, a mocking twist to his smile.
’So, I have to find another world entirely, starting from scratch, with absolutely zero information to go on.’
Just as he was about to resume his uncertain journey, to simply pick a direction and start walking, the system screen flickered again. freewebnøvel.com
[ NEW INFORMATION AVAILABLE ]
’What now?’ he asked, a hint of impatience in his tone.
The screen pulsed once, then settled, displaying new text.
[ OUTER REALM ACCESS CONDITION ]
[ • Spatial Rift or Portal Required ]
[ • High Energy Source Detected ]
[ • Recommended Level: 5+ ]
Evan stared at the details, his mind working through them, trying to make sense of the mysterious requirements.
’A portal,’ he murmured, his gaze sweeping across the inhabited, ruined area around him.
The ground was still dark with wet patches of blood, and the scattered bodies of those who had fallen because of the brutal conflict.
Next, a delicate change happened.
Evan sensed it. A slight, nearly undetectable tension in the atmosphere, similar to a distant buzz or a soft force accumulating, producing an unusual feeling of being pulled.
It felt like an invisible force was gently, gradually tugging at the essence of reality itself. Evan deliberately turned his head, his eyes surveying the nearby area.
Behind him, close to what had previously served as the strategic core of the battlefield, the air started to warp.
He began to walk towards it carefully.
The closer he got, the stronger the sensation became. His instincts screamed at him, a primal warning of immense danger.
Yet he felt an opportunity, a chance, perhaps, for the strength he craved.
Evan extended his hand cautiously, reaching out towards the distortion.
The moment his fingertips drew near, the air around him seemed to crackle.
’A rift?’ Evan breathed, his voice barely a whisper. The dark line began to widen, slowly, unnaturally, revealing nothing but impenetrable, pure darkness within.
No light escaped its depths. No sound came from it. Just an endless, silent void.
[ SPATIAL RIFT DETECTED ]
[ DESTINATION: UNKNOWN ]
[ WARNING: EXTREME RISK ]
Evan stared into the inky blackness, his expression unreadable.
’So this is my way in.’
For a fleeting moment, he didn’t move. Any other person would have hesitated, would have considered the profound risk, would have thought twice, perhaps even three times, before taking another step.
But Evan had already witnessed enough of this world’s brutal indifference. Enough death, enough helplessness, enough of his own weakness.
’This is where I need to go, a place free from suffering, a place free from humans and Half deads.’
’Well I killed all of them to be honest, none of them are remaining.’
The wind howled around him now, louder, as if desperately trying to hold him back, to warn him away from the unknown.
The darkness inside the rift twisted, a vortex of instability, raw violence, and utter mystery.
Evan took one last, deep breath, the scent of blood and ruin filling his lungs for what might be the final time. freёwebnoѵel.com
Then, without another moment’s thought, he stepped forward and entered.
For an instant, everything vanished. All sound ceased.
The sensation of his own body dissolved. Time itself seemed to unravel.
There was only the absolute, suffocating darkness. Then, abruptly, searing pain. A sharp, tearing sensation spread across every inch of his body, as if some unseen force was simultaneously ripping him apart and painstakingly reconstructing him atom by atom.
Evan gritted his teeth, a groan escaping his lips.
’Damn it.’
His vision flickered, and through the haze of the suffering, fragments of brilliant, strange light began to appear around him.
They coalesced into complex symbols, forming patterns, flowing like liquid fire, and shaping themselves into unknown languages, ancient and radiating an immense, undeniable power.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the chaos ceased. Absolute silence descended, heavy and complete.
Evan fell, his body slamming hard onto solid ground with a thud that knocked the wind from his lungs.
He coughed, a dry, ragged sound, and slowly pushed himself up, his muscles aching with a profound, bone-deep exhaustion.
’I made it?’ he said to himself, his eyes slowly opening.
’So this is the Outer Realm,’ he murmured, a sense of satisfaction in his voice.
Suddenly, another glow appeared, and the familiar system screen reappeared before him.
[ WELCOME TO THE OUTER REALM ]
[ NEW OBJECTIVE UPDATED ]
[ JOIN A VAMPIRE SECT ]
[ WARNING: HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT DETECTED ]
A low growl echoed from somewhere behind him, a deep, predatory sound that vibrated through the heavy air.
Evan slowly turned, his senses instantly on high alert.
In the shifting shadows, cast by the landscape and the dim red light, something was definitely watching him.
Evan’s faint smile returned, a cold, challenging curve to his lips.
’Good,’ he said, his voice imbued with a new, quiet power.
His eyes, in the strange light of this new world, began to glow with a subtle red color.
’Let’s begin.’
