The morning fell over the miraculous dwelling like a soft, warm veil, almost insulting for someone who didn't plan to lift a finger. Zarkrion Volcanius stretched with a laziness worthy of an aristocrat who had never made a single damn effort in his life.
With fuzzy pajamas that felt like compressed clouds and comfy slippers that sank his feet as if they were warm clay, he slowly opened the balcony door.
The fresh air slid inside as if it also wanted to laze around with him.
In front of him, the Mana Tree radiated its natural magical glow, that soft shade between blue and green that looked like a visual whisper of calm.
Each leaf had an inner light that pulsed slowly, as if it breathed. That tree could have easily been the center of a kingdom, a symbol, a global phenomenon, a natural miracle.
But for Zarkrion, that morning… it was just pretty decoration.
He took a deep breath, as if filling his lungs was the only productive thing he planned to do all day.
"Today is a beautiful day… a very, very beautiful day," he said with a satisfied sigh. "I don't plan on doing anything today."
The system appeared floating beside him as always, with that perfect mix between synthetic voice and irritating personality.
["I don't recommend relaxing too much, you still have things to do."]
Zarkrion didn't even blink. He raised a finger, pointing at the system as if scolding a dog begging for food during dinner.
"Ta, ta, ta, ta… not now, please. Any work tip or task you have, save it. Today I don't feel like doing anything. Absolutely nothing."
The system vibrated, annoyed, but disappeared. Even it understood that arguing with Zarkrion in lazy mode was as productive as talking to a rock.
... ...
After a while, Zarkrion was in his gigantic bathroom. A bathroom that could easily be mistaken for a royal bathhouse, with steam rising in soft clouds that fogged up the mirror and the inner glass walls. The hot water wrapped his body, relaxing him to the bone, almost melting him.
"Ghuaaaa… this feels so warm," he murmured, sinking a little deeper.
Between bubbles, water, and absolute peace, he bit into a crunchy apple he had gotten himself from the food storage of his dwelling. If irresponsible luxury existed, he personified it.
The system appeared again like a repetitive nightmare.
["You seriously need to stop being lazy and listen to me. This is really serious."]
Zarkrion didn't even look at it. He chewed his apple leisurely, loudly enjoying it, ignoring every single warning message. The system insisted again and again, talked, complained, yelled, pressured, but always received the same response: nothing. Just unbearable peace and total indifference.
It wasn't that Zarkrion ignored it just to annoy it. It wasn't that. He simply knew that every "tip" from the system meant trouble. Big trouble. Dangerous trouble. The kind of trouble he planned to avoid forever, especially now that he had a magical house, unlimited food, a perfect bath, eternal weather, and a mana tree that made his whole life simpler.
Why the hell ruin that?
... ...
Later, Zarkrion was in the yard, sitting under the pleasant shade of the Mana Tree. He ate grapes like a bored child, tossing them upward and catching them with his mouth, celebrating each success as if it were an Olympic sport he invented.
Everything was peaceful… until the system exploded.
["ZARKRION, LISTEN TO MEEEE!"]
The scream resounded like thunder.
The grape fell straight down his throat.
"COF! COF! COF!" he coughed, hitting his chest as he choked. "Stupid system, you almost killed me! Just tell me what you need already, I'm sick of you!"
The system didn't waste a second.
["Idiot. You've been lazy for the last four days, and you still haven't completed the final part of the tutorial mission. Look!"]
A holographic screen appeared before him:
[TUTORIAL MISSION – TIME LIMIT: 14 DAYS REMAINING]
Zarkrion looked at it with the same interest one has when staring at a rock on the ground.
"Ah… that. I forgot. But I don't get why you're so upset."
The system lost its patience in one second.
["Now I understand why the dragons exiled you. And I'm not just talking about the original Zarkrion."]
"Eh?"
["NAIVE! You only have 14 days left. Literally two weeks. And you still haven't gotten a single guest. Do you know the consequence if you fail this tutorial?"]
Zarkrion spoke with such absurd calm that it was almost frightening.
"Yeah, I know the consequence. But I don't care. Nothing will happen. Supposedly I'll starve to death and lose the system permanently."
He popped another grape in his mouth.
"I don't care. I already have a house, infinite food, a safe area… I don't need you. And it's impossible for me to starve with so much food in my Storage."
The system delivered the sentence that destroyed him.
["In my whole life I've never seen such a level of ignorance. If you lose me permanently, you'll lose everything you obtained with me and the Appreciation Points. Your house, your skills, your uniform, your perks… everything."]
Zarkrion's eyes narrowed.
"Hey. You don't need to lie to scare me, you know?"
["I can't lie. I'm your guide. Punishments are carried out no matter what. The world's laws don't stop them. If you fail the mission… you will starve to death no matter what you do."]
Zarkrion's face turned purple. His pupils shook. Cold sweat slid down his forehead as if he had received an immediate death sentence.
He dropped to his knees instantly.
"FORGIVE EVERYTHING I SAID! HELP ME GET GUESTS!"
The system responded with the coldness of a villain.
["Oh. Weren't you the one who didn't need me? Not my problem anymore. Find a guest yourself. I don't care if you have to kidnap one."]
"WHAAAT?!" Zarkrion almost cried.
["I recommend leaving now. This place is nearly impossible to find. No one is going to arrive here by walking or by magic."]
Zarkrion gritted his teeth.
"And to think all my problems were finally over… looks like I'll never rest in peace."
... ...
He went deeper into the Black Forest. His breathing was agitated, his face full of worry. He looked around as if expecting death itself to ambush him. The idea of dying of starvation without remedy had traumatized him completely.
The system, of course, annoyed him even more.
["Look who stopped being lazy. It's so fun seeing your face. You look like you're about to cry."]
"How many times do you want me to apologize… I already said I'm sorry. Forget it already."
["Forget? I'm an artificial system. Asking me that is like saying there are errors in the Bible."]
Zarkrion ignored it.
Until he reached a valley.
A huge valley, full of crystal-clear waters and a cave in the back. And there, moving slowly, were them: enormous rock bears. Massive creatures, with rocky skin, horns on their foreheads like small mountains, and glowing eyes.
Zarkrion frowned.
"Rock bears? That means I'm already in a more dangerous area of the Black Forest."
[SYSTEM – ANALYSIS]
Race: Rock Bears
Level: Level 45
Rank: C+
But he had no time to study anything. The clock was ticking, and he had much more important things to deal with than those bears.
He activated his skill [
He sighed… sighed… sighed…
Not a single useful loot.
What bad luck I have.
"Great… I wasted my time," he huffed.
He decided to enter the cave. His night vision illuminated the darkness, revealing huge, damp walls. There were claw marks, dried blood stains on the floor, and traces that seemed to indicate a fight.
He kept moving forward.
The silence was absolute.
"What happened here? A fight between monsters?" he murmured.
The tracks kept leading deeper into the darkness, however farther ahead they seemed to point to something inexplicable.