Mikhail stared at Alex for a moment before his gaze drifted toward the horizon, or rather the endless drop where the horizon should be.

    Alex stood awkwardly, with the air feeling like it became a thousand times more heavy with his unintentional insult hanging in the air.

    The silence stretched on – almost like Mikhail was doing it intentionally…

    Then, to his surprise, Mikhail chuckled.

    It was dry, sounding like it came from a mouth that hadn''t tasted water in thousands of years, but at least he didn''t seem angry.

    Alex was relieved.

    "You''re not wrong, boy." The old, legendary smith said.

    "Death and I have been on speaking terms for a while. I''ve just managed to dy our final meeting."

    ''...''

    Alex couldn''t tell whether he was being serious or not.

    ''Is death a… person?''

    He really, really wanted to ask this question.

    …But he felt like he wouldn''t like the answer if he did.

    So he refrained from asking.

    "I suppose I owe you an exnation." Mikhail moved on as well, with his fingers gently brushing the anvil beside him.

    "You''vee a long way, Alex. Seen more death and chaos than most do in three lifetimes. You deserve to know what this is all about."

    Alex finally stepped closer, feeling his heartbeat thumping madly for some reason.

    He felt cold sweat start to appear all over his body, but he didn''t know why he was so nervous all of a sudden.

    "This forge, this ce… It''s not a reward." Mikhail said, sighing with heavy regret. His face portrayed the mental anguish he was feeling by revealing this.

    "It''s a burden. One I''ve carried for who knows how long. I''ve long lost count of the years. And now, I''m passing it on."

    Alex narrowed his eyes.

    This wasn''t what he was expecting.

    Sure, he had made some disturbing assumptions about the true nature of the universe as he neared the end of his search, but he still didn''t like where things were going.

    "Why me?" He asked.

    Mikhail smiled faintly in mncholy. "Because you''re the only one who can carry this burden. Not even I could carry it andplete the goal in the end, it seems. And because… you''re one of the few came upon the truth yourself."

    He gestured to the air, though Alex didn''t know what to.

    "The System." Mikhail said, as if invoking a name he hadn''t used in a long, long time.

    "What do you think it is?"

    Alex frowned, unsure how he should answer.

    He''d always had a feeling that the System was more than he appeared it to be, but he could never be sure.

    Instead, he chose the safe answer.

    "It''s… a framework of sorts? A universal mechanism that governs power, progression, awakening…"

    Mikhail smiled at Alex''s answer.

    He knew that Alex knew more than he was letting on.

    "Like a game?" He asked Alex.

    "...Yeah, I guess?"

    Mikhail nodded slowly. "That''s what most people think. Even the smartest, oldest schrs agree. They see the System as a neutral force. A gift, maybe. A way to rise, increase your power. A way to survive in a universe as savage as this."

    Alex nodded along.

    He too agree with this ideology until recently.

    And even still, it was true to some degree. The system did grant all of these things.

    Alex felt a cold sensation bloom in his gut at the mention of this though.

    If Mikhail brought it up… there was clearly something beyond what everyone else know… possibly something more sinister.

    "You''re saying this way of thinking is wrong?" He asked, just to be sure.

    "Very wrong." Mikhail answered immediately, without even blinking.

    His voice hardened.

    "The System is not a gift. And it is most definitely not neutral. It''s a mechanism – yes – but not one with good intentions."

    He looked Alex in the eyes.

    Alex gazed back, unsure how to feel about what he was hearing.

    Sure, he came to some of the same conclusions on his own, but that was out of paranoia. Hearing it actually be confirmed was vastly different inparison.

    "S-should we be talking about this… so openly?" Fear crept into Alex''s mind when he realised they were talking about what was possibly the System''s closest-kept secret so openly.

    "The System can''t spy on us here. I constructed this realm specifically with that in mind." Mikhail didn''t even seem concerned, unlike Alex.

    But his gaze hardened in all serious the next second.

    "But you shouldn''t talk about it outside of this realm. Not even in passing. If word of this ever leaves your lips before you''re strong enough. The System can just erase you from existence as easily as breathing is for us."

    He took a moment of pause.

    "Now, are you ready to hear the truth now?" He asked.

    Alex nodded.

    "This universe is a farm. A cosmic scale livestock pen."

    Alex recoiled.

    "What–!?"

    "You heard me." Mikhail said.

    "Every world,, every realm, every fracture, everything – they''re all just enclosures. Feeding pens. And we? The sentient lifeforms? We''re the cattle."

    Alex shook his head, almost wanting to delude himself out of believing this… nonsense.

    But deep down he couldn''t refuse it.

    "That… that… but why? Why would the System help us? Why would it let us grow stronger? Live longer—"

    "– So we''re more valuable when we''re harvested."

    Silence.

    Cold, deafening silence.

    Mikhail''s gaze burned into Alex now, with the intensity of his emotions clearly struggling to stay contained.

    He clearly felt very deeply about this.

    "You already know this yourself – you just refused it could have been the case until I had to spell it out for you so inly. You''ve already done 90% of the deductions; don''t you remember?"

    "It incentivises conflict. Awards you for killing, for conquest, for ughter. It lets you grow stronger through death. But it never tells you why that energy matters. Where it goes. What it feeds."

    "Let me tell you this: the energy you gain when you consume a Beast, or Soul core? You only receive 10% of the total energy it contains. Where does the remaining 90% go to?"

    Alex didn''t need Mikhail to answer that for him.

    It went to the System.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!