The moment the final blow landed, the gardener's body stiffened unnaturally.
Fine cracks spread across his gray, bloodless skin, branching like fractures in stone. There was no scream. No last breath. The corpse collapsed inward, crumbling soundlessly into pale ash that scattered across the marble floor.
Nothing remained.
No blood pooling. No smell. No proof that a living person had stood there moments ago.
A sharp flash cut through Iris's vision.
[ +5 Experience ]
[ +5 Copper ]
A clear, mechanical chime rang out.
[ Ding. ]
Iris sucked in a sharp breath, fingers tightening around the metal rod still clutched in her hands. Her arms were shaking so badly she could barely keep it upright.
Before she could move, the air in front of her distorted.
Translucent light unfolded, smooth and deliberate, like a sheet being pulled open.
Text appeared.
[Congratulations, Aurelion Survivor #99958.]
[Universe Assistance System successfully activated.]
Her mind went blank.
The words did not pause.
[Your home planet, designation ZX9312, locally known as Aurelion, is the sole planet within Galaxies JWRLD-999 and U-90210 confirmed to possess an intelligent indigenous civilization.]
Iris's breath hitched.
[Due to instability in the region's central star, Galaxies JWRLD-999 and U-90210 will become uninhabitable in less than 24 standard hours.]
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
The designations meant nothing. Only one line mattered.
Less than twenty four hours.
[To preserve remaining life, all surviving indigenous civilizations will undergo compulsory planetary relocation.]
Another line followed immediately.
[Destination: Great Continent of Eidolon.]
Her lips parted.
"What is Eidolon?" she whispered.
No response came.
"Relocation?" Her voice trembled despite her effort to steady it. "What do you mean the planet will perish?"
The glowing text did not flicker.
It did not acknowledge her panic.
It simply faded, as if its task was complete.
The corridor felt suddenly too large.
Too empty.
Iris's vision blurred as she leaned heavily against the wall, sliding down until she was sitting on the floor. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, streaked with drying ash and grime.
She had killed something.
Not human.
But once alive.
Her first kill.
A truth burned behind her eyes.
An image surfaced in her mind.
The gardener, crouched beside a flowerbed, explaining soil balance with patient care. Laughing softly when she asked too many questions. Dirt-stained gloves. Calloused hands. Steady presence.
Not her memory. The original Iris's.
It did not make the ache in her chest any lighter.
She forced herself upright and walked unsteadily toward the living room.
Her family was already there.
They had not moved from where she told them to stay.
Veronica stood rigid near the sofa, one hand clenched tightly around the pearl necklace at her throat. Caleb hovered close, restless and pale. Benjamin's jaw was tight, eyes sharp but uncertain.
They all turned when Iris entered.
"Iris," her mother said, voice strained. "What happened?"
Iris did not soften it.
She told them about the thing downstairs. How it moved. How it attacked. How it died. She told them about the words that appeared in the air. About less than twenty four hours. About Eidolon.
Fear rippled through the room.
"That's impossible," Benjamin said, shaking his head, though his hands betrayed him.
"A system?" Caleb said, excitement threading uneasily through his voice. "Like a game?"
Veronica said nothing. Her grip on the necklace tightened.
Finally, their father raised a hand.
Silence fell.
"I believe you," he said calmly.
The weight of that settled heavily in Iris's chest.
That decision sealed everything.
[23:25:32]
Every television screen in the mansion was black.
No signal. No emergency broadcast. No explanation.
The world outside felt thin.
Fragile.
Iris lowered herself onto the chaise lounge, muscles aching now that the adrenaline had faded. Panic would waste time. She could not afford that.
She inhaled slowly.
Then she noticed them.
Faint icons hovered at the edge of her vision, semi-transparent and unmistakably real.
She focused on one.
The response was immediate.
Text expanded in front of her eyes.
[STATUS]
Name: Iris Hale
Age: 20
Level: 0 (5 / 50)
Life: 95 / 100
Spirit: 70 / 100
Physique: 18
Agility: 17
Defense: 9
Physical Potential: B
Mental Potential: SS+
Elemental Affinity:
• Wood
• Water
• Earth
Skills:
Active: None
Passive: None
Titles: None
Overall Rank: S
Current Condition: Weakened (Post-Stress)
So that explained the heaviness in her limbs.
Her gaze shifted to another icon.
A coin symbol.
She focused.
[WEALTH]
Gold: 0
Silver: 0
Copper: 5
"…Five copper," Iris murmured.
Her assets. Her savings. Everything she owned in this world meant nothing now.
Gold mattered.
She remembered that much from the novel.
And they had not hoarded enough.
Iris straightened slowly.
Less than twenty four hours.
Unknown destination. Unknown rules. Unknown enemies.
The timeline was already slipping.
This was not how the story went.
She clenched her hands.
She needed supplies.
She needed information.
And this time, knowledge alone would not be enough.