I stared at my hands for a long moment.
Pale.
Thin.
Fragile.
These were the hands that would one day destroy the North.
That was the story written in Swords Painting.
The fate of Lux Axwyn.
But right now?
Right now my biggest problem was simply walking across the room without my chest feeling like it was cracking open.
I exhaled slowly and forced myself to move.
My legs felt weak as I crossed the chamber toward the door. The cold stone floor bit into my feet with every step, but I ignored it and reached for the iron handle.
The moment my fingers touched the metal—
My vision flickered.
Then a translucent panel unfolded in front of me.
The interface was perfectly still, its letters clear and precise.
____
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Lux Axwyn
Age: 17
Race: Human (Unstable)
Condition: Mana Rampage Syndrome — Glass Heart
____
[CORE ATTRIBUTES]
Strength: 8
Agility: 9
Endurance: 6 ⚠
Vitality: 7 ⚠
Willpower: 24
Mana Capacity: EX
Mana Control: D-
____
[AFFINITIES]
Blood — S+
Curse — S
____
[UNIQUE TRAIT]
- Self Curse (Transmigrator Privilege)
- Trait Classification: Growth-Type
System Description:
User is capable of applying curses to self without external catalyst.
Effects:
• Self-inflicted curses stabilize mana circulation
• Pain stimulus increases curse compatibility
• Self-curses cannot be removed through external purification
System Warning:
Accumulation of self-curses may accelerate physical deterioration.
____
[ACTIVE SELF-CURSE]
Slot 1 — Pain Converter
Function: Converts sustained pain into mana stabilization.
Side Effect: Increased probability of internal bleeding.
Active Slots: 1 / 3
____
[CORRUPTION INDEX]
Nightmare Synchronization: 3.7%
Passive Increase Rate: +0.1% / Day
____
The panel disappeared.
I blinked slowly.
"…So there really is a system."
After waking up in a game world, a status window honestly wasn't that shocking.
Still…
One line caught my attention.
Nightmare Synchronization.
In the game, players never had that value.
Only monsters did.
More specifically—
Nightmares.
I rubbed my temple.
Great.
Not only had I transmigrated into the future First Calamity, the system was literally measuring how close I was to becoming one.
The owl perched on the bed frame hooted again.
"Hoot…"
I glanced back at it.
The bird was still staring at me.
Unblinking.
"Don't tell me you're part of the system too," I muttered.
The owl tilted its head.
That somehow made it worse.
Another knock came from the door.
"My lord?" the servant called cautiously.
"The General is waiting."
Right.
My father.
In Swords Painting, Darius Axwyn was a monster on the battlefield.
A top-tier NPC.
One of the strongest military commanders during the northern campaign.
Players loved him.
Until the story killed him.
My chest tightened slightly.
Because if I remembered correctly…
The awakening of the Despair of the North was what led to his death.
Meaning—
I was technically responsible.
I pushed the thought away.
One disaster at a time.
I grabbed the door handle and pulled.
The massive door creaked open.
A young servant stood outside in the corridor, slightly out of breath from running.
The moment he saw me, he straightened immediately and bowed.
"My apologies, Lord Lux."
He hesitated before continuing.
"The General has returned earlier than expected."
"I see," I replied.
My voice still sounded strange to my own ears.
Younger.
Softer.
We stepped into the corridor together.
The inner castle halls were quiet compared to the outer fortress.
Thick stone walls lined with ancient tapestries.
Iron braziers burned dimly along the passage.
Even here, the air carried a constant chill.
Most of the castle's activity happened outside these inner chambers.
This section existed mainly for one purpose.
To keep someone isolated.
Me.
The servant walked ahead, guiding the way.
As we moved deeper through the halls, I noticed something unusual.
More guards than usual.
Axwyn soldiers.
Tall men clad in heavy armor stood along the corridor walls.
Their armor bore the emblem of House Axwyn.
A wolf standing before a wall of blades.
The moment I appeared, their gazes shifted toward me.
Not hostile.
But curious.
Some even looked surprised.
Like they weren't used to seeing me walking around.
Which, to be fair, was probably true.
Lux Axwyn rarely left the inner castle.
According to the lore, his weak body kept him confined most of the time.
I couldn't blame them for staring.
We turned down another corridor.
Then another.
Finally the servant stopped in front of a massive pair of double doors.
These were different.
Thicker.
Heavier.
The kind of doors meant for a war council chamber.
The servant stepped aside and bowed again.
"The General is inside, my lord."
My chest tightened slightly.
Not from mana this time.
From something closer to nerves.
Because behind this door stood one of the strongest characters in Swords Painting.
A man feared across the northern frontier.
And also—
My father.
I placed my hand on the door.
For a moment, I hesitated.
Then I pushed it open.
The doors slowly swung inward.
And the first thing I saw—
Was a massive man standing beside a large war table covered with maps.
Broad shoulders.
Scarred armor still dusted with snow.
A heavy cloak of wolf fur draped across his back.
His mere presence made the entire room feel heavier.
Darius Axwyn.
The Northern General.
The moment his cold gray eyes landed on me—
The air in the room seemed to freeze.
At the same time, the system interface appeared again.
____
[SYSTEM WARNING]
High-Authority Individual detected within proximity.
____
Something about that message made the back of my neck feel cold.
Because if the system reacted like this to his presence…
Then the man standing in front of me was far more dangerous than I remembered.
And that was saying something.