Chapter 1: Awakening, When the World Shattered
Kade was supposed to be asleep when the world ended.
Instead, he woke up falling.
The wind roared in his ears, the air freezing against his skin as his body tumbled through endless darkness. His brain barely had time to process what was happening before—
CRACK!
He hit the ground. Hard.
Pain flared through his body, but it wasn't as bad as it should have been. He groaned, rolling onto his back, his heartbeat thundering in his ears.
And that's when he saw it.
The world was collapsing.
Kade wasn't sure how long he lay there, struggling to breathe. The sky above him was crimson, cracks of swirling black void spreading like shattered glass. The air smelled of smoke, blood, and something unnatural.
His hands curled into the dirt beneath him.
This… wasn't the city he remembered.
The last thing he recalled was being in his apartment. He had been lying on his couch, exhausted after a long day. Alone. Like always.
Now, he was here.
His instincts screamed at him—danger. His pulse quickened as his body moved on its own, trained from years of discipline. He checked his surroundings, scanning for cover, for weapons, for anything useful.
A distant scream broke his thoughts. Then another. And another.
He pushed himself up, ignoring the soreness in his muscles, and took in the destruction around him. Buildings had crumbled. Fires burned across the streets. And in the distance, portals—massive, glowing wounds in reality—pulsed like beating hearts.
From those portals, monsters crawled out.
His breath hitched. "What the hell is happening?"
---
A sudden chime rang in his ears.
The air shimmered before him, runes spiraling into the shape of a glowing, ethereal tome—a floating parchment of light, pulsing with divine authority. A whisper echoed across space and time:
✦ "Arcane Codex:Initialization Complete."✦
> "You have been chosen."
Kade's vision blurred. A rush of heat coursed through his body, sending shockwaves of energy through his veins. His knees nearly buckled, but he clenched his jaw, riding out the sensation.
And then, words etched themselves into reality.
---
✧ [Arcane Codex: Awakening of the Vessel] ✧
[Status Screen]
Name: Kade Voss
Level: 1 [0/200 EXP]
Rank: Unranked (0/100)
---
✦ Skills
Eclipse Twin Blades
A weapon born of dual moons. Converts motion into lethal force. Unleashes stored kinetic energy in devastating arcs.
(Reward Enhancement)
Fate bends to your victory. The greater your conquest, the richer the reward. Defeating foes beyond your rank grants enhanced reward
---
✦ Core Stats:
Strength: 13
Agility: 14
Endurance: 10
Aether: 5
Luck: 9
Unused Stat Points: 0
---
The Codex shimmered once more, its runes folding in on themselves, vanishing like ashes in the wind.
---
Kade stared at the floating screen, his gut twisting.
This wasn't normal. He had never seen something like this.
And yet… he didn't panic. His instincts took over, analyzing every detail.
A Codex. A status screen. Blessings? Essence?
"Is this a dream? What is this place?"
His fingers twitched. He hated not having all the answers.
But first—survival.
A deep, guttural snarl echoed behind him.
Kade turned just in time to see a twisted, humanoid creature charging straight for him. Its skin was gray and stretched too thin over jagged bones, its mouth filled with rows of sharpened teeth.
It moved fast.
But Kade was faster.
His body reacted before his mind could catch up—his hands instinctively reaching out.
A weight settled into his palms, cold metal forming out of nothing.
Twin swords.
Their blackened steel shimmered in the crimson light, faint purple energy crackling along their edges.
> [Eclipse Twin Blades: Kinetic Charge – 0%]
He didn't know where these blades came from, but he couldn't care about that now.
The monster lunged. Kade dodged to the side, spinning on his heel as his right blade sliced clean through its shoulder.
Black ichor sprayed from the wound. The creature staggered, but didn't fall. Instead, it turned, its mouth twisting into something close to a smile.
Kade's grip on his swords tightened.
"It's smiling!?"
The monster lunged again, claws aiming for his throat. This time, he met its attack head-on.
Clang!
His blades clashed against its claws, sending a shockwave through his arms.
> [Kinetic Charge – 12%]
His eyes widened. That number… increased.
Then it hit him.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Let's test this out, then."
The creature slashed again. Kade parried.
> [Kinetic Charge – 20%]
Another attack. Another block.
[Kinetic Charge – 30%]
Now.
Kade shifted his stance, exhaling sharply as he channeled all the stored energy into his next strike.
The twin blades glowed bright purple as he lunged forward, both weapons slashing in a crisscross motion.
A single, devastating slash tore through the creature's torso.
It didn't scream. It didn't even have time. Its body split apart in an instant, dissolving into black mist.
A familiar chime echoed in his ears.
---
> [Enemy Defeated – Unranked Abomination]
[Essence Acquired]
+2x Rewards (Unique Skill: Reward Enhancement
[You Have Received:]
• Aether Crystal (Uncommon) ×2
• Reinforced Leather Armor (Rare)
[Level Up!]
(+1 to every stat) ×2
(+5 Unused Stat Points) ×2 → 10 Unused Stat Points
---
Kade touched the floating screen in front of him. He understood the concept of a game, and though he had no idea what Aether was, he didn't have the time to figure it out now. With a quick decision, he evenly distributed the 10 unused stat points across all attributes, ensuring balanced growth.
His muscles tightened, his movements felt smoother, and his body became more resilient. A strange sensation flickered in the depths of his being—Aether—but he pushed the thought aside. There were more immediate concerns.
Kade stood there, breathing heavily, his grip on the twin blades tightening.
Something was wrong. Something was deeply, fundamentally wrong.
"It really feels like a game... Or am I in one?"
The Codex, the monsters, the portals—this wasn't war. This wasn't even Earth's usual chaos. It all felt like a game.
But he didn't have time for answers.
As he glanced around at the burning city, his gaze fell on something in the distance.
A smaller portal, unlike the others. It pulsed with an eerie, controlled glow.
His instincts screamed at him.
That portal… was different.
And whatever was inside was calling to him.
---
[Awakening of the Vessel]
Description: Make your mentality stronger subconsciously
Will:???