A crowd thronged the desolate plains that fringed the borders of the Udrathen Kingdom, under the dominion of the renowned sect of martial artists. The gathering was a mix of ordinary folk – farmers, merchants, craftsmen – conspicuously devoid of weapons or armor, who had been abruptly summoned here. Their expressions teetered between anxiety and confusion. "When will the war commence?" they whispered among themselves, perplexed by the absence of any visible enemy. "Hush! Want to lose your head? Don't question the kingdom!" another voice cautioned. The murmurs grew as the crowd noted the conspicuous absence of a military camp or the presence of any soldiers. A loud, clear voice pierced through the whispers, drawing their eyes upwards. "My brave people!" echoed the voice from atop a cliff overlooking the plains. It belonged to a man, famous in the kingdom. "Isn't he the master of the messenger?" the crowd whispered, recognizing the figure on the cliff. "Today we prepare for war. But n

The scheme had been carefully crafted, and now the three-person powerhouse was set in motion. Lucius, the individual stranded in a foreign world, was joined by two other remarkable figures: Schmidt, a heroically handsome figure, and a strikingly beautiful redhead. "Lucius, we're drawing near," informed Schmidt. Two days had passed since their journey commenced. Without a moment's pause, the trio forged ahead, their swift progress a race against time to rescue the oppressed. "Halt, I spot them," Schmidt declared, landing deftly on a tree branch. Lucius and Zera joined him, aligning themselves on adjacent branches. "It appears we are just in time," Schmidt added, gesturing towards the location beneath them—a presumed haven for those subjected to slavery. "Are we near the martial arts sect?" Lucius murmured, detecting a potent, ominous aura in the proximity. "Your instincts are accurate, Lucius," Schmidt affirmed with a subtle nod. "So, it's my turn to take action now?" Lucius inqu

"Where am I?" Lucius opened his eyes and was surprised to see a room that resembled a cube. It was very cramped, as if he was confined in a chest with strange walls. The walls of the room were light green in color, looking soft to the touch. Lucius woke up and reflexively held his neck. His neck hurt because of the fine hairs from the monster earlier. "What's going on? Am I in heaven?" "No, no. I, someone like me, can't be in heaven." Lucius shook his head rejecting his first conclusion. "System, can you hear me?" asked Lucius, hoping that a hologram of the system would appear before his eyes. [System hears master] "Good. Can you tell me what this place is?" "The space between the real world and the memory universe." "Memory universe? What is that?" asked Lucius anxiously, hoping that the system would not give any more strange answers. "Universal memory is the memory of a world that once existed but has been destroyed," said a young man who suddenly appeared in the room. The y

As night fell, the heavens took on an unusual aspect. The moon, resplendent in its full glory, dominated the sky, its brilliance unimpeded by the absence of clouds. Like a celestial carpet, countless stars twinkled in response to the lunar glow, casting an ethereal light on the figure below. Lucius, the teenager on the run, appeared to have reached his destination—an ancient graveyard filled with thousands of tombstones. The site was often deserted due to eerie local tales and rumored hauntings that dissuaded visitors. "Huh?" Lucius halted, quickly taking cover behind a grave as he detected unfamiliar footfalls. They seemed to appear almost concurrently with his own arrival. "What was that noise?" "I'm not sure, boss. I heard footsteps too, but they've ceased," replied a lanky figure in the dim light. "Three individuals? But why did the noise suggest a greater number?" Lucius puzzled, peering from his hideout. He had expected to see more than just three figures—a large man, a slen

The figures swathed in red shared glances among themselves, their eyes exchanging unspoken confirmations sparked by Lucius' previous statement. "Where did you hear that?" A frosty question hung in the air, the speaker's tone implying a strong aversion to dishonesty. "I can disclose that, provided my safety is ensured," Lucius proposed. The red-robed figure sneered, pointing a callous finger towards the human-filled cage. "How selfish of you. You don't seem too concerned about the rest of the livestock." Lucius met the statement with a steely gaze. "I have my own priorities." "Your safety is dependent on the value of your information," the figure stated, almost threateningly. "I can retrieve the fragment of the Dead King's system." "You can do what now?" Before Lucius could clarify, a cloak-swathed figure lunged at him, seizing him by the throat and lifting him off the ground. Lucius writhed, gasping for breath as the strong grip strangled him. "I am not lying," Lucius choked o