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Chapter Two: A Voice from the Abyss
Mike—now known as Arthur Gray—opened his eyes slowly, the distant echo of that explosion still ringing in his head like a ghost refusing to leave.
The air here was different… cold, pure, as if the place itself didn't belong to any world he knew.
He pushed his body up with difficulty and tried to observe his surroundings: thick trees wrapped in shadows, the roar of a cold wind, and ground covered with the dew of a dawn that had not yet risen.
The place was… strange, yet familiar at the same time.
Before he could catch his breath, a sudden voice burst deep inside his mind—a playful, mocking tone he had never encountered in his entire life:
[Hello! Hello! Wake up, you lazy thing. Your brain has finally seen daylight.]
Arthur froze in place. He looked around, searching for the owner of the voice, but no one was near.
He spoke with cold sternness:
"Who are you?"
The voice returned, even more cheerful this time:
[I'm your mother, my dear boy. Didn't you miss me?]
Arthur's expression didn't change. He responded with a calm voice completely stripped of emotion:
"That's impossible. I never had a mother in my life… so I don't care who you're pretending to be."
Silence lasted for a second, then the voice returned with a hesitant tone, as if suddenly embarrassed:
[Uh… that's awkward. Sorry… I didn't know.]
Arthur replied with unwavering coldness:
"Apologize later. Now answer properly: who are you?"
The voice cleared its throat, as if trying to regain dignity:
[Alright, alright… I understand. Allow me to introduce myself formally.
I am— the Abyss System —your personal assistant, your guide, and your source of information in this world.]
Arthur frowned.
"The Abyss?"
Suddenly the air around him seemed to pull back, as if something unseen had shifted.
When he spoke the word "Abyss," a chain of sharp memories erupted inside his mind—images, names, dialogues…
Then realization struck.
This world… this system… these terms…
He muttered in a tense voice, for the first time in a long while:
"This… this is the game world… the game I used to play!"
He couldn't stop a short, faint laugh from escaping; it was a bitter laugh more than a joyful one.
He knew this world better than he knew the details of his own past life.
(because of the daughter of the lady)
Its heroes, their story routes, the maps, the kingdoms, the secrets…
And—most importantly—the character he used to play… wasn't him.
He was nothing but a small "extra" in this world.
The system cut off his thoughts with cheerful delight:
[You finally got it. Well done! Took you longer than I expected.]
Arthur replied:
"If you don't stay quiet for just one minute, I'll consider you my first enemy here."
The system laughed with a bouncing, lively tone:
[Sharp mood… I like it!
So, do you want to know your current status? Your location? Your abilities?
Or maybe… why you're here?]
Arthur closed his eyes and inhaled the deep forest air.
He had died…
The only man he trusted had betrayed him…
And now he woke up in the body of an orphan child never mentioned in the original story.
But that didn't bother him.
In fact… it was an opportunity.
He opened his eyes, a sharp glint shining deep within them:
"Start. I want to know everything."
The system shouted enthusiastically:
[Then… let's get to work, Mister Arthur Gray.
Welcome to the Abyss.]
… And only then did his new fate begin to move.