An epiphany cos at a man’s lowest mont, not his highest!
———
For a mont, I was dazed—lost in the chaos that surrounded .
I have led troops into battle in my first life.
I’ve been defeated a few tis.
But never have we been wiped out so quickly—without even getting the chance to fight.
How did this happen?
How did we fall for an obvious trap anyone could’ve seen coming?
Swish!
The whistling sound of an arrow cutting through the wind shattered my reverie, prompting to turn imdiately and catch the arrow before it reached my head!
Pa!
The arrowhead was covered in a piece of cloth soaked in petrol, allowing it to burn brightly.
BAM!
[-20 HP]
I gasped out loud as a second arrow struck my chest.
But this one wasn’t burning.
It was a normal arrow—shot by an orc hiding within the overgrown grass.
It failed to penetrate deeply due to my thick muscle, but it still hurt—badly.
Before my eyes, the world seed to slow down. My body felt numb to pain.
I felt light.
And I believed I had all the ti in the world to deduce why I was in this situation.
I could hear the sound of tal shields scraping across the ground, so I looked over my shoulder—
Only to realize there were orcs lying in wait on the other side of the roadblock.
Each wielded towering shields I was familiar with, and a few even carried dozens of tal javelins.
"They were waiting for us, not the main force," I muttered in a tone bankrupt of emotion.
"Lee Bai predicted this move."
The thought of being outplayed by Lee Bai was sothing I couldn’t grasp.
I believed my life experiences made stronger—more intelligent than anyone else.
How could I get trapped on the bridge... only to get trapped again here, by the sa foe?
Does that an I’m inferior to Lee Bai?
Only one answer ca to mind—no.
Eugene is inferior to no one.
So why have I been losing all this while?
The question ca with only one answer:
Because I’m not completely in control.
This battlefield was no different from a chessboard where only Colonel Silas and Lee Bai could move pieces.
And while it may hurt to admit—I’m one of Colonel Silas’s pieces.
I was never a player.
Just part of the ga.
This realization made understand how much I had ssed up.
If I’m a piece anyone can control...
How can I fight against soone like Lee Bai?
Even this elite team of 50 Ascendants were under Deacon’s command, not mine.
I had strayed from the path of leadership—
To beco another man’s pawn, just to seek recognition.
"Now it all makes sense."
The confusion in my eyes faded.
Replaced with resolve.
"I understand now."
From henceforth,
I will play by my own rules.
And force others to follow.
I will lead—not be led.
I will beco the Gatekeeper the universe fears, and not one it can control.
I will beco Eugene Larson again.
Darkness crept into my eyes while black cracks spread across my eyelids.
I looked up only to see a spiraling jar of petrol hovering above —
While a burning arrow flew toward it.
Did they think killing would be this easy?
Did they really expect a Gatekeeper to die at the hands of another Gatekeeper’s foot soldiers?
Wouldn’t that be... too shaful?
"ALL OF YOU... DIE!"
[On Pulse Activated!]
I spoke in human language—
But what ca out of my lips was a tongue I had never heard before.
It felt like a monster’s speech...
No.
This was more unnatural.
It felt like a demonic speech.
One that burned my throat as it escaped my lips—
Unleashing a dark pulse that spread across the buffer zone like a shockwave of death.
It knocked away the jar of petrol and the flaming arrow.
And with that dark pulse ca the stench of death—
And with that stench ca death itself.
Be it the ones bashing their Aether bikes into surfaces,
Or the combat walker pilots screaming in pain,
Or the orcs hurling jars,
The ones shooting arrows,
The ones wielding shields and javelins,
Even the ones hiding in the buildings—
They all collapsed and died instantly.
[Dark Entity Power Used.]
[Host’s Soul Has Been Corrupted!]
[Soul Corruption: 0.5%]
[The Dark Entity Calls Upon You...]
Notification sounds kept ringing in my head.
ssages popped up at the corner of my eyes—
But I paid them no heed.
I could feel the darkness tugging my consciousness away.
But I didn’t resist.
This ti, I wasn’t taken away.
I went willingly.
---
— Dark World —
The next mont, I found myself in a dark world devoid of all light.
I could feel the darkness shifting—like the ocean on a stormy night.
But I couldn’t see it.
There was no light.
Buzz!
Suddenly, a piercing crimson glow ca from below, stealing my attention.
But as I looked down—
It wasn’t light.
It was a glowing crimson eyeball staring directly at .
Its gaze lacked all emotion—just like mine.
And we stared at each other in silence.
I wasn’t afraid.
I had already defeated fear monts ago.
It had no power over .
Static sounds ca from the eyeball, and to my surprise, dark letters began appearing in front of , just like the system.
> [If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back]
I could almost hear its cold voice in my head while reading those words.
But I wasn’t moved.
I wasn’t intimidated.
"I’ve faced the heavens. Tortured. Beaten. Battered by them.
But even then, I didn’t falter," I responded calmly—
As my floating body descended toward the eye, stopping just inches away.
"Do you think the darkness scares this mortal?"
The eye dilated slightly at my words.
The static returned. A new ssage ford:
> [I see you, human.]
"AND I SEE YOU TOO!" I snarled viciously, refusing to be intimidated.
Even if this was the source of the corruption that plagued my territory...
I wouldn’t be shaken.
If I am bold enough to dream of the day I’ll take the place of God—
How can I allow my resolve to be shaken by demons?
Eugene Larson has been many things—
Across ninety-nine lives I was forced to live...
But he has never been weak.
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