David was moving toward the spaceship wreckage when the voice echoed again. An involuntary chill passed through his body. He spun toward the sound but found nothing. Just as he dismissed it as an illusion, his eyes caught a glint in the center of the dried blood pond—a tiny, house-like model.
He reached for it, his hand closing around the miniature structure. The moment his fingers made contact, a tremendous force yanked him inward.
His figure reappeared, standing before an old man who seemed to command the very space around him.
"So, you are the successor favored by the lord," the old man intoned.
"Who are you? Where am I?" David demanded, his voice tense.
"You are inside the small house you saw. I am its spirit."
"The blood outside, and the monster—what happened to them?"
"Shut up, kid! Can't you figure it out, or are you dull?" the spirit snapped. "You devoured it all—the blood and the monster's remains. As for how… that's a long story. My lord left many inheritances here. The blood was merely the first verification."
"So… I'm the first to succeed?"
"No. Many have come. None survived. The monster you saw was one of them, slain by the trial long ago," the spirit explained. As for the level of the inheritance… "It is a power beyond a Universe Master." He offered no further details.
"Then what is my inheritance?" David asked, expectancy burning in his eyes.
The house spirit observed him for a long moment. "This house is an artifact with many functions. For your current level, you may use the Virtual Combat Space. You may have heard of such things in the Human Alliance, but this one is different. It copies the combat data of powerful beings from ancient times for you to spar against, honing your fighting instincts and innate abilities.
"Second, there is the Monument Cave within, containing steles placed by my lord. You may have heard of Law Monuments; these are monuments to all laws. Beyond this, you will receive cultivation methods for body and soul tempering, and more as you progress.
"Now, the basics are explained. Further secrets will unlock with your strength. But before you touch the Law Monuments, you must temper your body and soul to 100% control. You must hone your combat power into pure instinct—on the battlefield, instinct is all that saves you.
"Your bloodline potency has already increased over a thousandfold, which is adequate. As you temper your body with the blood of stronger monsters in the future, it has a chance to reach its theoretical limit. Your cultivation, at the 9th Star Realm, is sufficient for now. Do not seek to advance it further until you comprehend a law and complete your bodily tempering.
"For that tempering, you may begin by harvesting blood from the monster corpses near the wreckage. They will suffice for your initial steps."
David found himself outside the little house again. He looked toward the distant wreckage, where only the top of a colossal spaceship was visible above the dark terrain.
As he moved closer, the full scene unveiled itself, sending fresh chills down his spine.
"What the hell is this place? Is it… cursed?" he whispered, seeing the sheer scale of death.
"No. This is the Forbidden Secret Realm of the Dark Lord. Even a True God would perish here without permission. Your luck is monstrously good. Every being who came here before you was the strongest of their universe or race. Who would have thought a mere Star Realm child would be recognized?" the spirit's voice echoed in his mind.
David, who had spent his entire life confined to his mother's ancestral planet, was now seeing the outside universe in its most brutal form. He studied the fallen monsters and humanoid figures, memorizing their features and collecting the space rings scattered among the remains without immediate inspection.
Near the main wreck, he saw a corpse kneeling, its hand frozen in the act of pulling something from a ring. David didn't hesitate, pocketing the ring and scanning the area. His eyes landed on a black sword, its blade sheathed in dried blood. He stored that as well.
The corpses were everywhere, littered every mile as if sown into the landscape—a grisly harvest. Was this a battlefield, or a dumping ground? He couldn't tell, but he felt a staggering sense of luck to be alive and chosen.
Reaching the ship, he saw it was utterly crumpled, as if squeezed by a giant hand, its hull scarred by countless violent impacts. He climbed inside with vigilant caution, recognizing the design. This was an S-Grade or higher vessel—an Immortal-Grade craft typically used by Immortal Realm experts.
Spaceships were graded from D to SSS. D-Grade could travel at light-speed, with shields barely holding against a 9th Star Realm warrior. C-Grade achieved five times light-speed, shielding against Universe Realm attacks, and was armed with lasers capable of repelling Star Realm foes.
As grades increased, the materials and power escalated exponentially. An SSS-Grade ship was said to be capable of slaying powerful Immortals. He'd only heard of such things in dreams.
This wreck was definitely S-Grade or above, bearing the logo of one of the five great economic powers of the Human Alliance. This ship was from his home universe.
Inside the bridge, a body was slumped against the wall, its face etched with final exhaustion. Another lay near the central console. David collected their rings and found the inventory hold. The door yielded to a punch—whether from depleted energy or the realm's strange rules, he didn't know.
Inside, he found a trove: A and S-Grade weapons, over a hundred sets of battle armor, and rare cultivation resources. This was no mere personal craft; it was a transport for a major organization, likely ambushed and looted.
After gathering everything, he moved toward the ship's mainframe, hoping for a final surprise. Without overthinking, he forced the reinforced door.
A sudden, blaring alarm shattered the silence.
"Breach in the spaceship main frame!" a synthetic voice announced.
"Automatic destruction initiated!"
"Self-destruction mode activated!"
"Detonation in 30 seconds."
The alarm reverberated through the broken hull. David didn't wait—he turned and sprinted with every ounce of his enhanced strength, realizing his horrific mistake. He had misjudged. This wasn't just an S-Grade ship. It was an SSS-Grade fortress, and its self-destruction could erase even an Immortal.
He fled toward the distant little house, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"20… 19…"
The countdown echoed in his mind. He didn't look back.
"10… 9…"
He dove behind a jagged spar of alien metal.
"3… 2… 1."
"BOOM."
A sun was born at his back. A wall of annihilating fire and force, bright enough to blind the gods, devoured the wreckage and raced toward him, consuming the very ground he stood on. The last thing he felt was the little house in his hand growing fiercely hot, as the world turned to white fury.