---
The wind blew cold and soothing, indifferent to the fate of the small village.
In the distance, the sound of galloping horses echoed — the kingdom's reinforcements had arrived.
If one squinted hard enough, a horrifying scene could be seen: blood, flesh, and shattered bones scattered everywhere.
Cries of terror and the wailing of widows blended into a demonic chorus.
An outbreak of beasts had ravaged this place — but unlike anything the people of this world had ever known, this was on an unprecedented scale.
---
Far from the battlefield, Langdon Boreas, the city's librarian, rummaged desperately through the debris.
His face was twisted in pure despair.
"Annaaa! Where are you?! Help! Someone! I can't find my niece, Anna!"
One of the knights, clearly irritated, spat back with disdain:
"Silence, peasant! We're already too busy dealing with these beasts. We have no time for your hysteria!"
The knights were not here to serve the people... hah!
Had this been a city ruled by merchants, the kingdom wouldn't have even bothered sending troops.
But since nobles governed this place, of course reinforcements had to be dispatched.
That was the only reason they were here.
"She's just a little girl missing amidst this disaster!" Langdon shouted, desperate.
"Don't you feel any shame for neglecting us? Any empathy? What if it were your own family?"
The commander, his face flushed with rage, half-drew his sword and bellowed:
"ENOUGH!
If we wasted time looking for every poor soul that disappeared, how could we ensure the safety of our lords, the Inkabolds?
Shut your mouth before I rip your tongue out!"
Grinding his teeth in frustration, Langdon tried to think.
In this chaotic scene of death and ruin, what could he possibly do?
He had no strength — even after barely awakening his Stellar Core.
His talent was not high enough to be taken in and nurtured as a Stellar Master.
Only a few seconds passed in reality, yet the nightmare deepened.
Strange figures, wearing black cloaks with three-pointed hoods, were seen dragging away survivors.
Langdon's heart sank even further.
The mere thought that these vile people might have taken his niece sent a whirlwind of emotions through him.
But before he could react, a monstrous undead swallowed him whole!
It was a Putrid Soul — a spectral creature that dissolved its victims into nothingness.
---
An intense pain ran through Langdon's entire body.
His white skin and black hair were no longer there, and neither was his large, rounded pair of glasses.
Only his stellar core remained, and around it, a faint white glow formed what could be considered his humanoid silhouette.
"What the hell!!! What the hell just happened??? What was that thing that swallowed me? Damn it, where are my hands? Oh, I can't feel my body... How am I even 'alive'?"
These thoughts rushed through Langdon's mind, leaving him slightly dazed.
He soon took a deep breath, composed himself, and evaluated the situation.
Looking around, he saw the whole city destroyed.
The beasts had already marched away, so had the knights, and there was no sign of hooded figures or survivors.
"Damn it, how can I be so unlucky? Beasts, weird cultists, and now this?
I have to find Anna.
I have no idea how I'm still alive, but I have to keep moving.
But without a body, how am I supposed to find her?
Alright... I still have my core, which survived the corrosion from that monster. Maybe that's the answer!"
Willing it in his mind, he reached inside his core and felt a power he had never sensed before.
It seemed to interact with his spectral form; with just a thought, the glow shaping him would shift and change.
"Alright... I seem to be made of stardust. Maybe I'm like some kind of spirit... but spirits don't have cores, and they vanish after many years.
Maybe my Attribute awakened the Strength and saved me from dying.
But without a physical body, if my core gets destroyed, I will surely die.
I need to level up. Maybe then I can get a physical body or something similar."
"For that, I need resources to level up.
For now, I'll have to manage in the Erduluma Forest.
There, I can gather mana from the forest and from the bodies of animals.
Once I'm able to at least protect myself, I'll go after those damned hooded ones."
"Alright, it's to the north from here.
It should take about four hours on foot.
I need to hurry and get there before nightfall."
Deciding firmly in his heart, he moved toward his destiny.