[All requirements have been met. Do you wish to inherit Solomon's Legacy?]
[Yes/No]
The question floated in the air before me, glowing faintly. My breath caught in my throat.
What… was this?
I didn't have time to answer. A sharp crack shattered my trance.
CRACK!
A burning pain exploded across my back. I grunted, stumbling forward. One of the guards had struck me again with his mana-infused whip.
"Who told you to stop, worm?" the guard snarled, grabbing my collar and slamming me against the stone wall. The impact knocked the wind out of me, and I collapsed onto my knees.
Laughter echoed from the other guards. Their eyes gleamed with cruel delight. Some of the human slaves nearby looked away. Others stared openly, mocking smiles twisting their lips. To them, I wasn't one of them. I wasn't even a person. I was a beast—a dog pretending to be a man.
I forced myself up, limbs trembling. I grabbed my pickaxe. My hands were bloody, my knuckles split open from days—weeks—of non-stop labor. Every swing sent shocks through my body. I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten properly. My stomach growled constantly. My muscles screamed with every movement.
And yet…
One pair of eyes watched me differently.
A girl.
A dark elf slave stood near the corner of the cavern. She was chained, like the rest of us, but something about her felt… different. Her creamy white hair flowed past her waist like silk, a striking contrast to the dirt and grime around her. Her pink eyes, glowing faintly in the dim light, were locked on me.
Unlike the others, her gaze held no mockery. Only… curiosity. And concern.
Why?
But as I looked into her eyes, something stirred within me—something ancient, something primal. A heat bloomed in my chest. My fingers twitched.
Was it… hope?
I didn't know.
But at that moment, I made my decision.
"Yes," I whispered, barely audible.
[Host has accepted Solomon's Legacy. Installation process beginning…]
A sharp chime echoed in my ears.
[1%... 20%... 50%...]
[Error: Host body is not in optimal condition. Initiating System Gift. Please brace for extreme pain.]
"AHHHHHHH!"
The scream tore from my throat as fire surged through my veins. I collapsed, my entire body spasming violently. My vision blurred, black spots dancing before my eyes.
It felt like my bones were breaking—and then reforging. My muscles tore, then stitched themselves together. My skin blistered, then peeled away to reveal smoother, tougher flesh beneath.
"GRAAAHHHH!"
My head felt like it was being crushed. My heart pounded like a war drum. Every beat sent waves of power—and pain—through me.
Then my hair burned off in clumps, falling to the dirt around me. A heartbeat later, it regrew—faster than I thought possible. It grew long, thick, and wild. Dark as the void, absorbing light instead of reflecting it. Even the faint glow of the mana stones dimmed near it.
Light couldn't touch me.
CRACK!
My spine arched backward violently. My tail—once a simple beast-born mark—jerked and writhed as heat flowed through it. Then it split.
I screamed as a second tail grew from the base of my spine, white-tipped like the first. Pain surged again—but this time, I didn't resist it. I let it consume me.
My teeth shattered next. Blood pooled in my mouth before razor-sharp fangs replaced them—predatory, monstrous, beautiful.
And then, the voice came.
Not the system. Not the guards. Not anyone I could place.
It was a voice that sounded like a choir of stars collapsing, like time itself whispering my name.
"The being Arthur has officially been recognized. Evolution to Innate Stage: Third Star confirmed. To proceed to the next evolution stage, the being must first… ∞∆#‰. May %#$?? grant you luck."
What the hell?
I didn't even get a chance to breathe before the guards noticed the changes. One shouted. Another ran for their captain—the man with the jagged scar across his left eye.
He approached slowly, studying me like I was an insect under glass.
"Hmph. A freak finally snapped," he muttered. "Throw him in solitary. Feed him every two days. Maybe that'll calm whatever madness he caught."
He turned away, but then paused.
"Oh… and feel free to have fun roughing him up a bit."
The guards smiled.
They didn't hold back.
Fists crashed into my ribs. One boot stomped on my spine. Someone kneed me in the face. I stopped screaming after the second blow. My mouth filled with blood, and my vision went red.
Eventually, they dragged me across the stone floor and threw me into a deep, narrow cell at the dungeon's edge. Solitary. My cage.
I lay there, body broken, the cold biting into my flesh.
Still… the system didn't stop.
[70%...]
[100% Installation Complete. Welcome, Arthur Morningstar. You are now a Owner of Solomon's Legacy System.]
A warm pulse moved through me.
[Status]
Name: Arthur Morningstar
Age: 19
Race: Beastborn
Bloodline: Nine-Tailed Kitsune / Lunar Lycanthrope
Titles: Solomon's Successor, Brightest Light
HP: 100/100
MP: 50/50
Strength: 10
Intelligence: 40
Agility: 10
Stamina: 30/30
Skill Points: 2
Stat Points: 2
[Quests] [Skills] [Inventory] [Shop - Locked] [Soulmates] [Clan]
"What… is this?" I croaked, barely able to speak.
[I am the Legacy System left behind by Solomon, abandoned by the gods. My purpose is to guide his successor.]
"Who's Solomon?"
[Solomon was the only of his kind— feared by all gods, warshiped by all demons and Angels. He ruled across realms. He could command hellborn, transmute matter, control climate, and bend time.]
My lips trembled. "And… I'm his successor?"
[You carry his blood from both parents. You meet all conditions.]
"What about the reading? I… couldn't before."
[Basic literacy in all major languages has been implanted.]
I stared at my status again. Beastborn. Kitsune. Lycanthrope. Two tails. The changes weren't random.
"Can I do what he did?" I asked.
[Eventually. Your growth will depend on choices.]
"Then… what are 'Quests'?"
[Quests are system-issued objectives. Rewards range from power, knowledge, evolution, or bonding. Failure may result in penalties.]
My eyes drifted down to the word "Clan." Something about it made my heart ache.
[The 'Clan' function is a fusion of Solomon's love for family and your buried longing for one. This feature lets you create an unbreakable bond with chosen individuals. They cannot betray you, and will grow alongside you.]
I swallowed hard.
A real family…
Then I saw "Soulmates."
[Solomon loved deeply, across lifetimes. You, his successor, have inherited that potential. Soulmates are individuals with strong emotional and spiritual resonance. When bonds form naturally, they will be added.]
I couldn't speak.
Family. Love. Power.
Everything I had been denied. Everything they said I would never have.
It was all here.
It was real.
And it was mine.
I clenched my fists. Blood dripped from my palms, but I didn't feel pain anymore.
Let them call me beast. Let them mock me, beat me, cage me.
They'll all kneel in the end.