Floating before his face, the translucent blue square pulsed with an artificial light. "Accept the Path of the Star Finder," the digital text read, blinking with an annoying, high-pitched chime that grated on his nerves. Ruan spat on the dirt, his jaw tight as he stared at the glowing prompt. Gold and silver runes swirled inside the holographic frame, practically begging for his touch. "Disgusting," he muttered, his voice dry like grinding stones in a forgotten desert. Lifting his foot, he stepped straight through the projection. Pixels shattered around his leather boots, dissolving into harmless blue sparks that hissed against the damp grass. These cosmic invaders wanted him to play their game, to bind his soul to their digital shackles. Never. He would rather rot in the earth with his slaughtered brothers than wear a collar made of light. Martial arts was a path of self-reliance, forged through blood, sweat, and decades of relentless training. But this "System" was a poison wrapped in gold leaf, designed to turn proud warriors into dependent beggars. Turning his back on the fading embers of the system window, he looked down the slope of Mount Hua. Once, this peak had been crowned with proud pine trees and the sweeping tiled roofs of his sect's grand pavilion. Now, only jagged black rocks and foreign, purple-leaved vines remained. Time had devoured his home, leaving behind a cold, unfamiliar wasteland. Holding his rusty training sword loosely in his right hand, he began his descent. --- Gravel crunched beneath his boots as he walked down the steep, winding path. Every step felt heavy, burdened by the crushing weight of a thousand years he could not remember sleeping through. Where were the others? Why had he been preserved in that cold stone sarcophagus while his brothers-in-arms were hunted down like rabid dogs? Anger, cold and sharp as an icicle, pierced his chest. His jaw clenched so hard his teeth clicked, his knuckles turning white around the wooden hilt of his battered blade. A soft breeze carried the scent of ozone and something rotten. Up ahead, the mountain trail cut through a deep ravine where the trees grew thick and distorted. Suddenly, a high-pitched scream cut through the quiet air. It was a human voice, shrill with terror and wet with pain. Ruan paused, his ears twitching as he pinpointed the origin of the sound. Faint growls followed, deep and vibrating with unnatural energy. Curiosity, mixed with a lingering sense of duty to the mortals of this world, pulled him toward the noise. He drifted forward, his footsteps completely silent against the loose stones. --- Down in the hollow, a young girl scrambled backward through the mud. Her left leg was twisted at an unnatural angle, trailing uselessly behind her. Clutched in her trembling hands was a broken iron dagger, its blade glowing with a faint, pathetic yellow light. "Stay back!" she shrieked, her voice cracking as she pressed her spine against a massive boulder. Three massive beasts circled her. They resembled wolves, but their fur was made of shifting starlight, and their eyes burned like miniature blue suns. Star-wolves. Creatures born from the leaking mana of the outer heavens, desecrating the earth with their very presence. One of the beasts lunged, its jaws snapping inches from her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable tear of flesh. Ruan didn't draw his sword. Instead, his eyes fell upon a dry oak branch lying on the ground near his feet. Bending down, he snapped off a piece about two feet long, testing its weight. It was light, dry, and brittle. Perfect. Before the beast's fangs could sink into the girl's throat, Ruan vanished. Air exploded behind him as he reappeared directly in front of the lunging monster. Without a hint of effort, he flicked the wooden twig upward. A thin line of pure, condensed Qi sliced through the air. Starlight-infused blood sprayed across the dirt as the beast's head slid cleanly off its shoulders. Shock froze the remaining two wolves in their tracks. They turned their burning blue eyes toward Ruan, their hackles rising in sudden, primal fear. "Miserable dogs," Ruan whispered. Step. He bypassed the physical laws of distance, appearing between the two beasts in the blink of an eye. Two quick thrusts of the brittle twig followed. Both strikes pierced their skulls, sliding through bone and brain as if the wood were forged of divine steel. They collapsed instantly, their bodies dissolving into gray ash that drifted away on the wind. Silence returned to the ravine. Ruan tossed the twig aside, not a single drop of sweat on his brow. --- Breathing heavily, the girl opened her eyes, staring at the empty space where the monsters had just been. She looked at Ruan, her jaw hanging slack, her eyes wide with absolute disbelief. "You... you killed them without a weapon?" she whispered, her voice trembling. Suddenly, she threw herself forward, dragging her broken leg across the dirt until she reached his feet. Clasping her hands together, she pressed her forehead against the muddy ground. "Praise be to the heavens!" she wept, her body shaking with relief. "Thank you, Constellation of Mercy, for sending your avatar to save a lowly hunter!" "May your light shine forever, and may my soul be your eternal offering!" Ruan's stomach turned. A heavy, suffocating disgust rose in his chest, making his blood run cold. He looked down at her, his eyes darkening with a mixture of anger and pity. "Get up," he said, his voice flat and cutting. Mina flinched, but she didn't rise. Instead, she kept her face pressed to the dirt, mumbling prayers under her breath. "I said, get up," Ruan repeated, his tone dropping an octave, carrying the weight of a mountain. Trembling, she finally raised her head, looking at him with wet, reverent eyes. "Are... are you not an apostle of the Goddess of Mercy?" she asked, her voice small. "I am no one's servant," Ruan spat, his jaw tightening. "My own hand saved you. Not some invisible parasite in the sky." "But... but all strength comes from the Constellations," she stammered, pointing a shaking finger at his wooden twig. "Without their blessings, we are nothing but dust. We cannot fight the beasts without their divine system." Listening to her words, Ruan felt a cold dread settle in his bones. Celestial invaders hadn't just conquered humanity; they had broken their spirits. They had conditioned these people to believe that their own innate strength was a myth. Every ounce of human potential had been systematically erased, replaced by digital handouts that demanded absolute obedience. It was a slavery so deep that the slaves kissed their chains and thanked the masters for the privilege of breathing. "What is your name?" Ruan asked, his voice softer now, but still carrying a dangerous edge. "Mina," she whispered, clutching her broken leg. "I am an F-rank hunter. My patron is the Constellation of Mercy." Pointing to her wrist, she proudly displayed a faint silver crest of a weeping eye etched into her skin. "This mark gives me the strength to heal others, though I am weak," she added, her eyes shining with misplaced pride. --- Ruan stared at the mark. To him, it looked like a brand on cattle. "Your goddess didn't help you today," he said, turning away. "She watched you crawl in the mud and did nothing. Remember that." "No! You mustn't say such things!" Mina gasped, her face turning pale with terror. "Heaven hears everything! If she abandons me, my soul will—" Suddenly, she choked. Her voice cut off into a wet, rattling gasp. Ruan spun back, his eyes narrowing as he sensed a sudden, violent surge of divine energy. Mina's wrist was smoking. Smoldering heat radiated from her arm as the silver light of her crest turned ash-black. She screamed, a sound of pure agony that echoed through the ravine. Clutching her wrist, she fell to her side, writhing in the dirt as black veins began to crawl up her arm toward her neck. "What is happening?" Ruan demanded, stepping forward and kneeling beside her. His hand shot out, grasping her shoulder, but the dark energy repelled his touch, hissing against his skin. Mina looked up at him, her eyes fully black now, tears of blood leaking down her cheeks. "She... she is angry..." Mina gasped out, her teeth chattering violently as the black veins reached her throat. "I saw... I saw your strength... the unsanctioned power..." With a final, desperate convulsion, she gripped her own neck, her fingers digging deep into her flesh. "She demands... she demands my death..." Mina choked, her fingers tearing at her own windpipe as the black crest burned like a hot iron. "My patron god... has demanded my suicide... as punishment for witnessing your unsanctioned, systemless strength!"

Chapter 2: The Price of Divine Favors