What kind of world is filled with people who have superpowers? That question filled Dante's head with curiosity. He had no idea something terrible was waiting for him ahead.
Dante was escorted into a room where a capsule bed awaited. He was told to lie inside.
"Dante, is that your name? The New World is very far from here. To reach it takes 49 days. During that time, we'll put you to sleep." the nurse explained.
"Yeah, whatever. I've made my choice, haven't I? I've been alone since birth, with no place in this world. Even God gave me something abnormal that pushed me further away from everything, "Dante replied calmly. And with that, his consciousness slipped into darkness.
Hours later, the capsule was transported by nurses onto a high-speed underground bullet train. The train began its long journey.
Somewhere in the New World…
The area was dark, shrouded in thick smoke and mist.
Inside an ancient, temple-like structure, a man in black robes sat on a bench, worshipping a bizarre alien statue — a head full of sinister holes.
It was Nephorix, God of Plagues. Oblivion is sacred; life is corruption. His doctrine taught that purification came through disease.
To his followers, illness wasn't misfortune — it was the divine touch. A sacred infestation that broke the strong and exalted the suffering.
"My master will bring purity to this world," the man murmured in reverence.
After a while, another man entered and said,
"Grand Priest, I bring news."
"Ah, I see. It's that time of the year again, isn't it?" the priest — the Supreme Leader — replied.
"Yes, Supreme Leader. Every year they transport a group of biological vessels here. They are the finest offerings we can provide to our master. Do you grant us permission to begin the operation?"
"Go. Do it. Bring victory to our master."
"Yes, Leader."
Meanwhile, as the bullet train sped through a tunnel…Something ruptured the tunnel wall.
An explosion rocked the area — the train was derailed and torn apart. Debris scattered everywhere. Chaos reigned.
Yet, miraculously, Dante's capsule remained completely intact — though no one knew where it ended up. No one except Dante himself.
Sometime later, Dante awoke inside the capsule in a pitch-black cave. Confused, he raised his hand and opened the capsule.
"What is this? Where am I? A cave? Hello? Anybody?"
He wandered through the passage, noticing strange claw marks along the walls — as if something had dug this tunnel out. But Dante didn't care. He kept moving, looking for anything of use.
When he reached the mouth of the cave , a chill ran down his spines.
"There's... something in the dark. A malicious will. I must be careful."
Dante froze, startled. He immediately ran back into the cave.
"What was that? It felt like I could read its mind. It wasn't words... it was overwhelming greed. What was that thing?"
Dante had the ability to read the minds of living beings — both humans and animals. Though reading the thoughts of animals was often unclear, he could still understand their basic instincts.
"That greed… it was like when I once read the mind of the neighbor's dog before it was about to eat. But this… this felt different."
Rustle.
Dante heard a faint rustling sound — the telltale sign of some reptilian creature. He quickly ducked behind the capsule, trying to hide.
Scanning the area for a weapon, he found a rod nearby — not made of wood or metal, but solid enough to use.
The rustling grew louder.
Then… at the cave entrance, a shadow appeared — deep and foreboding.
Dante peeked out. He saw a grotesque creature: an enormous spider-like monster with insectoid legs, each covered in fine, twitching hairs.
"What the hell is that thing?!"
The spider slowly crept toward the capsule — or rather, toward Dante, who was hiding behind it. Heart racing, Dante gripped the rod tightly, ready to strike if it came too close.
Luckily, the creature didn't seem particularly fast.
"Shit. Shit."
As the spider drew near, Dante leaped over the capsule and swung his rod with full force. But the spider reacted quickly — it jumped back, dodging his attack.
Dante fall back then stumbled on a rock and nearly fell — saved only by the capsule behind him.
The spider lunged again, but without room to gain momentum, its charge was sluggish. Dante, tapping into his power, read its next move before it happened and raised the rod to strike again.
Again, the spider dodged.
"I see… next time, I won't miss. Come at me, freak."
With adrenaline surging through him, Dante's fear melted away, replaced by raw focus. He realized his previous missed strikes were the result of primal fear.
And even then, he had managed to drive it back — all because he could sense the spider's thoughts: its hunger, its hunting instinct.
That ability let him anticipate its moves and counterattack in time.
Suddenly, the spider did something new — it climbed the wall, crawling up toward Dante from above.
"So that's how it is."
Dante wasn't afraid. Its movements were even slower to him now.
He bent down, grabbed a stone — no, two — and took aim.
He hurled one with precision. The rock struck the spider in the eye, making it screech in pain and fall from the ceiling.
Seizing the moment, Dante rushed in and smashed his rod against the spider's head — once, twice, over and over — then to its abdomen, until its greenish slime spilled out and the creature stopped moving.
Still, Dante didn't stop. He kept smashing the rod against its head — just in case.
Breathing heavily, rod in hand, he stared at the grotesque carcass.
"That was lucky… it climbed the wall, giving me more time to react."
And it helped that Dante used to play a lot of rock-throwing games, so he could aim well. Even luckier — the rock had hit its weak spot.
"Phew… what's next?"