Sumi stood frozen, eyes locked on the hovering screen as the words shifted and rearranged themselves. The soft blue glow reflected faintly in her dark irises.
Then a voice spoke. It came from inside her head.
A clear, smooth. Mechanical feminine voice.
[Vessel successfully acquired the system.]
Her breath hitched.
"Wha— who is it—"
[Transferring state zero knowledge.]
A sharp pressure slammed into her skull before she could finish. It felt like something cracked open inside her mind.
Pain detonated behind her eyes.
Her hands flew to her head as her knees buckled. A violent pulse tore through her thoughts, flooding her with fragments—symbols, languages she had never studied, unfamiliar structures of power, words that burned as they carved themselves into her memory.
Her vision blurred and her eyes shifted. The black bled away, replaced by a deep, glowing red.
Blood spilled from her nose first, warm against her lip. Then from the corner of her mouth, thick and metallic.
Her body trembled. The pressure grew unbearable.
Then she screamed.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
The sound ripped through the jungle, scattering birds from the trees.
The voice returned, calm and untouched by her agony.
[Successful.]
Without warning, something cool slid over her skin.
A thin layer of silver liquid appeared out of nowhere, spreading across her arms, her shoulders, her face. It flowed like water but clung like silk, coating her completely. It moved over her body in slow ripples, absorbing the blood as if drinking it in.
Where it passed, the pain dissolved. The burning inside her skull faded. Her red eyes dimmed, returning to their natural black.
The blood vanished with the silver sheen, leaving no stain behind.
The liquid shimmered once—then disappeared entirely.
Sumi dropped to her knees. Her palms hit the dirt. She dragged in air as if she had been drowning. Her heart pounded violently against her ribs, each beat loud and heavy. Her eyes were wide, unfocused, trying to steady themselves against what had just happened.
[Congratulations, Lady Sumi. You have successfully gained access to the Invoker Interface.]
The voice sounded closer and clearer now.
She remained kneeling, body still shaking faintly from the aftermath of the pain.
Her lips parted.
"Aires…"
The name slipped out before she could think about it. A brief pause.
[Yes, Lady Sumi.]
Her fingers curled weakly into the soil.
She lowered herself onto her side, then onto her back, staring up through the canopy at the fractured sky above. Light filtered down in thin strips, brushing over her pale face.
Her voice came out faint.
"What is this…"
She swallowed, throat dry.
"Why do I feel like I know this voice…"
Her hand drifted to her temple.
"And what was that? I felt like…"
She shut her eyes tightly.
"I felt like a lot of information was forced into my head all at once."
Her chest rose and fell unevenly.
Sumi pushed herself up slowly, her legs still unsteady from what had just torn through her head. Dirt clung to her knees. Her heartbeat had calmed, but not by much.
The voice returned, smooth and measured inside her mind.
[You only got state zero features and knowledge. For further access, you need to level up and unlock other states.]
A faint blue shimmer pulsed in front of her eyes.
[You have gained the state zero set.]
Lines of text began stacking one after another.
[New skills unlocked:]
[Water Magic Resistance]
[Light Magic Resistance]
[Earth Magic Resistance]
[Poison Resistance]
[Paralysis Resistance]
[Mana Recycle]
[Death Vines]
[Vitality Absorption]
Her eyes widened with each new line.
"Wait… what? This world has magic?"
Her voice barely rose above the rustling leaves.
The small blue system light appeared again, unfolding into the transparent interface.
[Yes. This is a completely different world from the one you came from. There are demons and monsters too.]
The word demons settled heavily in her chest. She swallowed and looked at the screen more carefully.
The text had changed.
[Name: Sumi Hana
Title: ????
Age: ????
State level: 0
Available creatures: Water Slime and Ice Ants.]
Her gaze lingered on the unknowns.
Title: ????
Age: ????
Her lips parted slightly.
"I'm sure now…"
Her voice sounded distant even to herself.
"I know you, Aires. And this system…"
The leaves above shifted as a breeze passed through.
Aires answered without hesitation.
[You have always known me.]
Her breath caught.
"What…?"
Confusion tightened her expression. This was her first time seeing this interface. First time hearing this voice.
Yet beneath the fear and disbelief, there was something else.
A faint sense of familiarity.
[As I said, there are monsters in this world.]
"Yeah… I heard you…"
Her voice dropped to a near whisper. The jungle suddenly felt heavier. The air thicker.
[Just like the one behind you.]
The words slid into her mind without urgency.
"Huh?" Sumi gasped.
A low, guttural growl rolled through the trees behind her. It vibrated in her spine before it reached her ears.
Slowly, stiffly, she turned her head.
It stepped out from between the trunks. A massive wolf. Jet black. Its fur didn't sit still—it shifted and rippled, flowing over its body like living shadow. Three long tails swayed behind it, cutting through the air with slow, deliberate movements. Its red eyes burned, locked onto her with raw, animal hunger.
It bared its fangs. Her throat tightened.
"What is that thing?"
[True Appraisal: Shadow Ghost Wolf (S-Rank Monster).]
"What! S Ra—"
The wolf vanished. One second it stood several meters away.
The next—
A crushing force slammed into her. She didn't even see the movement. Only felt it. Something tore through her shoulder.
A wet ripping sound filled her ears. For a fraction of a second, her mind refused to understand what had happened.
Then she saw it.
Her arm—gone.
Blood sprayed across the dirt. Pain exploded through her body, blinding and absolute.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
Her scream shredded her throat. She collapsed sideways, clutching at empty air where her arm had been. The agony was unbearable, sharp and scorching, spreading from the torn flesh through her entire body.
The wolf landed a short distance away, licking blood from its fangs.
[Your body is far too weak for an S-Rank opponent. You must invoke a creature immediately.]
Aires' voice remained steady. Sumi's vision blurred.
'invoke… I know…'
The word echoed in her head, tangled in pain. Her teeth clenched. Her breath came in ragged pulls.
She forced sound past her burning throat.
"Summon… water slime… and ice ants!"
The sky cracked.
A bolt of lightning split the air in front of her, slamming into the ground with a deafening crash. Light flared, and from it formed a silver, nearly transparent slime. Its body wobbled softly, surface glimmering faintly under the canopy light.
Another bolt struck beside her. Then another. Then dozens.
Lightning hammered the earth in rapid succession, and with each strike, something crawled out from the scorch marks left behind.
Ice ants.
Hundreds. No—thousands. Their bodies were crystalline, sculpted from pale blue ice. Their legs clicked sharply against the soil as they gathered, forming a wide, shifting mass around her.
The slime bounced once, then turned toward Sumi. A soft, curved shape formed on its surface—almost like a smile.
But when it truly looked at her face—
The smile faltered. Its surface rippled strangely, as if confused. As if it didn't recognize what it was seeing.
Then its attention snapped to the wolf. The red-eyed beast stood still, tails swaying slowly.
The slime's body tightened. The faint curve that had resembled a smile flattened. Its surface darkened slightly, tension radiating from it.
Sumi noticed that the pain—
It was gone.
She blinked, breath shaking, and looked down at her shoulder.
Silver liquid coated the torn flesh. It moved the same way it had before—smooth, seamless, flowing over exposed muscle and bone. Before her eyes, tissue reformed. Skin sealed. Fingers flexed.
Her arm was back again. Not even a scar remained. Her eyes widened as she lifted it slowly, staring at her own hand.
"What the hell is going on!?"