As Auren walked back to his room,
a system screen appeared in front of him, lighting up brightly with a notification that only he could see:
[System Notification: New Mission Available]
Mission: Revenge Against the Traitors
Description:
All the souls who disrupted your journey and caused damage to your journey to the peak of the hierarchy must be destroyed. If not, you will feel infinite pain for a full day, or… death that repeats every day.
Auren could only fall silent.
The screen was not visible to anyone, no one knew that he was facing a very difficult choice.
The mission was clear and demanded him to act. If he failed, unimaginable pain would come, destroying his body and mind one by one.
However, on the other hand, if he carried out the mission, then he would raise his sword against his own friends, the people who had been around him all this time. They might not know, but Auren knew—they were part of the traitors who disturbed his life's journey.
There was no sound from outside.
No one knew the inner battle that Auren was facing.
However, at that moment, Lisea came to his room, her face full of anxiety.
> "Auren, you look different. What happened?"
>
Auren only stared at her blankly,
but Lisea felt it—something deep inside him was churning.
A deep inner turmoil began to grip Auren.
The mission given by the system was something he could not ignore, but on the other hand, he still loved and cared for his friends.
But a decision had to be made.
While silent, Auren felt a very heavy burden, as if a hand was pressing on his heart.
Cold sweat soaked his forehead.
Time was running out.
Out there, Gellius and some other students were still busy practicing, not knowing that Auren was facing a very difficult life and death choice. They did not know that Auren had just received a mission that required him to kill them if he wanted to survive.
When the system screen lit up again, this time displaying a timer with decreasing time:
[Remaining Time: 12 hours]
Mission Must Be Completed Within the Specified Time
If failed, the punishment begins.
Auren stared at the screen.
He knew, no one could see it.
Only he knew about this, and that was what made him even more depressed.
However, he also knew—his choices were only two:
Kill or die.
On the other hand, General Zehnar sat in the darkness, watching intently through a channel that could only be accessed by him.
He looked at Auren with great interest, waiting for Auren's decision that would determine whether he would bring the world to the peak of power, or instead become a victim of the system itself.
> "There is no middle ground in this journey, Auren."
> "If you do not choose, the world will choose for you."
>
Auren finally took a deep breath,
choosing to face the fate that he had already chosen with his own steps.
With time continuing to run, Auren had to make a big choice that would determine his life or destruction. Only he knew about this mission, and only he could face it alone.