Dancing on the golden ashes

"That's right! How could I have ever forgotten Malrang? She—she was my first friend!" Suddenly, memories flooded back, each recollection intensifying the trembling of the world around me. The more I remembered, the stronger the earthquake became.

"Gaon, stop drawing your power, goddamn it! You'll doom us both!" The eerie voice screamed in my mind. But I couldn't stop; my power was surging uncontrollably, and the very earth quaked beneath its force. "Stupid system! Wake up and send us back!" it roared, and I could feel something shift deep within me.

Then, as if ignited by an inner flame, a long message burst into my consciousness, blazing like a fire and searing itself into my eyes:

[Do you wish to return to the world of no end?]

[Yes/No]

At this point, any person with common sense would say no, but… hehe… not me. I didn't want this life—not matter how hard life was in that other world, I preferred the struggle there to this. Besides, it seemed that everyone here was already gone.

"Let's go back!" I declared, my voice thick with longing. I'd rather not destroy my home world; I'd much rather fight with every fiber of my being than be someone who can't even remember who they once were... I don't need that. "I want to live in the world of no end!"

[The teleportation will begin soon]

[3... 2... 1...]

I could feel my world spinning. I lost all sensation—sight, sound, even smell—and all I could do was wait for the moment when I would open my eyes again.

I don't know how much time had passed. A blinding light crashed over my closed eyes, and when I finally opened them, I found myself baking in the scorching sun. I sat up and looked around: the landscape was a wasteland of broken trees and deep craters gouging the ground. I lay on the scorched earth, the weight of my journey settling in as I took in this harsh, unfamiliar world.

"Am I back...?" I whispered to myself, and suddenly my heart filled with an immense joy I hadn't known in ages. I never imagined I'd be so happy to return to the world where death lurked at every second—a world where a person's true colors were revealed, where I had to stand against fate itself just to grasp a chance at survival. But here, at least, I had the power to try and protect myself. At least I had the power to try, unlike in that other world.

"I'm back... haha..."

I quickly checked if the system was functioning, and to my pleasant surprise, it was.

[Lee Gaon]

[Level 78]

It's here... For once, I didn't despise the system. But this also filled me with concern. What would happen if the day came when I tried to break the system? Would it kick me out of this world? And then, what would be the point of all my struggle? Wouldn't that just send me back to a world that couldn't even handle me? Or maybe, at that point, I could force myself to stay? It was too early to decide, yet that thought would never leave me—always haunting my heart like a relentless demon.

"Finally! I was starting to suffocate in that realm of mortality and boredom." The eerie voice echoed in my mind, and I felt a surge of relief at its sound.

Hahaha, I'm glad you're happy, I replied with a mix of amusement and curiosity. But what exactly happened? And why can't my world handle my power anymore? I asked, genuinely eager to know. These questions gnawed at me, refusing to leave even for a moment.

"I don't know—do you think I know everything?" The eerie voice lashed out, its tone laced with a familiar, peculiar mood. "Fuck, whatever. I know everything, but it's better if you don't dig too deep into powers that are beyond your reach. Just focus on increasing your soul power. Once we're back, you must take out that golden plate and train your soul every single day. If you wish to break the system and stay here, you'll need to rely on it."

The voice paused, as if weighing its next words carefully. "As for why you lost your memory—it was all on me. I couldn't let you destroy yourself or the world you came from. I can't reveal the reason right now, but when the time comes, you'll learn everything. Just stay patient for now."

This might be the first time I've heard it said honestly—it made me smile.
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Alright, you can tell me about it some other time. Let's go back for now; there are too many things missing from this battlefield.

I ran my hand over my horns, my wings—even my tail. I felt a deep happiness knowing they were still here. I was still powerful, and now...

I was one of the emperors—my stats had skyrocketed, and my rank in the world had risen to number 1. "I'm number 1... I'm the strongest..." The moment had finally arrived for me to stand at the very top. Yet, despite this overwhelming power, a nagging unease tugged at my mind. I couldn't shake the memory of that creature I had encountered in the ocean. I fervently hoped never to meet it again, but a small, dark question lingered: if I did, would I be strong enough to kill it? For now, though, it didn't matter.

I longed to fly. I yearned to rush back to the Empire of the Golden Phoenix and see if my little slave had been behaving. I wasn't even sure how long I'd been gone, and if he believed I was out of reach, if he had reverted to his old, arrogant self—I swear, I'd cut his balls off this time.

With a powerful flap of my wings, I shot into the air. The wind surrounded me, caressing me softly as it lifted me higher. It was the best feeling in the world, filling me with an exhilarating sense of freedom and joy.

"This is my true home, I'm finally back!"