Alex sprawled on the ground, completely uncaring of the dirt beneath him or the presence of the still barely acquainted attendant. His chest rose and fell rapidly, mind swirling in disarray.
"Did you choose the wrong path by mistake, Sir?" the attendant inquired gently, her voice laced with sympathy.
"Nah," Alex muttered, waving a hand dismissively, "just trying to figure out how the hell I'm supposed to walk down nine damn Paths at once. And I don't even get a bloody clue what the ninth one is."
Lexy, the attendant, blinked in confusion. "Which one?"
Alex lifted his head slightly, his agitation clear. "The Invincible Path... or so it claims."
Lexy froze. Her breath caught, and her eyes widened like saucers, horror blooming in her gaze.
"The Invincible Path?!" she shrieked, voice trembling.
"That's impressive, huh? As expected of my big brother," Liam chimed in, patting Alex's back with a grin.
Lexy slowly turned to face him, her wide-eyed stare scanning him up and down like he was some strange, fragile creature. "Kid... are you special ed or just illiterate?"
Liam recoiled. "What the hell do you mean, lady?! I'm perfectly normal in the head—and I even passed 8th grade at the top of my class!"
Lexy sighed, muttering under her breath. "Then shouldn't you at least know about the Forbidden Paths?"
Alex's brow furrowed, interest piqued. "What Forbidden Paths?"
Lexy drew a long, slow breath before speaking again, her voice turning solemn. "Long before time had a name, the first spin- uhm civilization was born. Life spread like wildfire across the realm, filling every inch with its wonders. The Paths were born—ways for mortals to rise above their limitations. Some paths were steeped in virtue, others in violence... but all held the promise of growth."
Her voice dropped, now almost a whisper. "But among these, eight Paths were marked taboo. Forbidden not because of rarity—every Path is accessible to all—but because of the cost."
Alex leaned up on one elbow. "So... the Invincible Path is one of these? That just means it's rare and insanely powerful, right? Like I'm basically set to be a big boss?"
Lexy stared at him as if he'd just sprouted a second head. "The Forbidden Paths aren't forbidden because they're strong. They're forbidden because they devour their walkers. Your Invincible Path? It's not just a challenge—it's a death sentence."
She stepped closer, eyes hardening with the intensity of a strict tutor faced with clueless pupils. "You said the Invincible Path, right? Then you've likely been informed of its requirements. But what you don't know is that it operates on a time limit. You're at the peak of the Body Barrier Realm now, yes? You have exactly one year to begin walking one of the Supreme Paths to break through. If you don't, you die."
She continued "That's not even the worst thing you'll have to deal with. In each realm, the time you'll have will increase a bit; in the second realm, you'll have an astounding 4 years. The 3rd is 17 years. The stronger the realm, the more time you get, but along with that the amount of Supreme Paths you'll need to study will increase. At one point you'll have to improve all 9 Paths in only several dozen years, in a realm where others are stuck for thousands."
"Die?!" Alex's voice cracked. "People usually just get injured or lose their cultivation, and what's with these horrendous cultivation requirements!"
Lexy shook her head, pity in her eyes. "Those are fairytales. When your soul walks a Path, it detaches—straying too far without anchoring to the next realm, it falls into the Abyss. There's no return. As for the heavy cultivation requirements, the power is astonishing too."
Alex slumped even further to the ground, limbs heavy. "Are... returns allowed?"
"No," she said plainly. "But... if by some miracle, you manage to walk the Invincible Path? You'll be among the strongest geniuses in all of existence. Isn't that something to look forward to?"
That last part caught Alex off guard. His mind—still struggling with the concept of instant death—latched onto the possibility. Maybe it was possible.
But then, suddenly—
Alex's mind split. Not in pain, not with screaming, but with an eerie, hollow tearing. His green eyes lost all light, then flickered back with a strange glow. The world went silent.
[System Error]
[Carrier Exceeds System Parameters]
[Elimination Order Requested]
[Protected Being – Elimination Order Declined]
[System Expulsion Authorized]
[SYSTEM SHUTTING DOWN]
Words flashed before his eyes like flares across a void. He couldn't move, couldn't speak. He only felt—something ancient and beyond comprehension tearing away from him.
"Panel," he muttered, voice hoarse.
The interface flickered into view.
---
[Soul Decree]
Name: Alex Edwards
Class: None
Path: Unrecognized
Stats: Unregistered
Strength: Body Barrier Peak (Initial)
---
"What the hell...?"
He blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the screen.
"Liam, can you pull up your panel? I think mine's... glitched or something."
"Uh... sure," Liam replied, sounding a little unsure.
A few seconds passed.
"I don't see anything," Liam said.
Alex blinked. His stomach dropped.
"What do you mean? My panel is right there." Liam pointed ahead of himself confidently.
Alex looked at Lexy. Her eyes were blank, dazed—just like he expected.
That sealed it.
The system... had kicked him out.
It tried to eliminate him. When it failed, it opted to expel him. And if he was expelled from the system... did that mean he was no longer a player?
No more stats. No system guidance. No interface. Nothing.
He was just another native now.
A spectator.
Not the main character. Not a chosen one.
Someone who would be forced to watch, to assist others—maybe even help Earth's players like an NPC... a side character in his own story.
Alex clenched his fists.
His breath grew shaky. Frustration bloomed like an ugly storm.
"What. The. Hell."