GOD SLAYER

Chapter 3: The Birth of the System

The era of 1969 was a threshold for humanity. While the Apollo 11 mission aimed for the moon, another frontier was tearing open. In the silent vacuum between dimensions, the Black-Gold Crystal seal—Cramus’s eternal cage—groaned under the pressure of a million years of resentment. The King of the Golden Realm had found a flaw in the Force’s architecture. He didn't need to break the door; he only needed to leak his influence through the cracks.

On Earth, the first Gate manifested over a sprawling industrial steel mill in Pennsylvania. It wasn't a poetic entrance. It was a jagged, bleeding wound in the sky that smelled of sulfur and ozone. From that tear, the first wave of "Aura-Leaked" entities descended—monsters that the modern world had no names for.

The Blood Bath of 1970

By the following year, the phenomenon had gone global. Massive, obsidian-like Towers erupted from the earth’s crust, piercing the skylines of New York, Tokyo, and London. They ranged from 50 to 100 floors, and when they reached their monster-limit capacity, they "Breached."

History would forever record this as the Blood Bath of 1970. Tanks, jets, and infantry were useless against creatures that moved faster than sound and possessed hides that deflected armor-piercing rounds. The industrial age was being dismantled by a primal, golden hunger.

But the Force had anticipated this. Deep within the System Core, the Awakening Protocol was triggered.

Across the globe, individuals felt a sharp, crystalline chime in their minds. For the first time, humans saw the Blue Interface.

[System Initializing...]

[Syncing with Host Soul...]

[Awakening Granted.]

Among the chaos, a man named Trice became the first legend. While others fled, he picked up a discarded steel blade and felt a surge of "Refined Mana" stabilize his cells. He moved with a grace that defied physics, his sword trailing white light as he decapitated the first Hobgoblin to cross his path.

"They aren't gods," Trice famously shouted to a terrified crowd of survivors. "They're just targets with health bars."

The Rise of the Players

With the Awakening, the tide turned. Humanity discovered that by killing these entities, they could "Level Up." They obtained items, learned skills, and began to categorize their new reality. The term "Player" was born—a title for those brave enough to enter the Gates. Those who reached the pinnacle of power, standing as beacons of hope against the golden tide, were dubbed "Super Novas."

As the decades turned into centuries, and those centuries into a millennium, the world transformed. The "1970 Era" faded into myth, replaced by a hyper-advanced civilization where technology and magic were indistinguishable. Humanity didn't just survive the System; they colonized it.

The Million-Year Evolution

Fast forward through a million years of history. The Earth is no longer a planet of nations, but a planet of Guilds. The Towers are the center of the economy, the source of all resources, and the ultimate playground for the elite.

In the heart of a gleaming, mana-powered metropolis, a teacher stands before a class of bored teenagers. Behind her, holographic charts display the current power structure:

Common Ranks: Grade 10 (Rank G) up to Grade 2 (Rank SS).

The Peak: Supreme Grade 1 (Rank SSS).

The Myth: King Grade 1 (Rank V) – A 1-in-a-million rarity.

"In two weeks," the teacher says, her voice echoing off the high-tech walls, "you will reach the age of Awakening. 18 for boys, 17 for girls. Your genes, your wealth, and your luck will determine if you become a Player or a worker."

In the back of the room, Kirito stares out the window. He is an orphan, a "Zero" in a society that measures worth by mana-density. He watches Sila, the wealthy school beauty, as she practices her mana-circulation with ease, her parents having provided her with top-tier elixirs since birth.

He feels the weight of a million years of inequality. He doesn't know that the System Core in Axhelm is no longer watching the "Prodigies" or the "Super Novas." It is scanning for a soul that has been forged in the same fire as the ancient Asher.

The Eye in the Dark

Deep in the Sanctuary of Axhelm, the three Keepers observe the boy.

"He has no resources," Lira whispers, her heart aching for the lonely orphan.

"He has no strength," Sibrous adds, checking the boy's stagnant stats.

Codos, the one-armed warrior, narrows his eyes. He doesn't look at the boy's muscles; he looks at his spirit. He sees the way Kirito clenches his jaw when the class bully, Tom, mocks him. He sees the quiet, cold fire in the boy's eyes.

"He has the one thing money can't buy," Codos grunts, resting his hand on his claymore. "He has the will to kill a God just to survive the night."

Back on Earth, as Kirito walks home to feed his dog, Golfer, a shadow follows him. It isn't a monster, nor a guild spy. It is the Godslayer System, a sentient fragment of the Force, drifting through the neon-lit streets.

It ignores the mansions. It ignores the Guild Halls. It dives into the slums, seeking the one vessel that won't shatter when the "Red Crimson" finally awakens.

The clock is ticking toward 15:30. The Godslayer is about to be found.