The sword was heavier than he expected.
Even rusted and chipped, it felt alive in his hand. The metal hummed faintly, as if carrying the weight of all the lives it had taken before it reached him.
Lü Bu stared at the blade in silence.
It was ugly.
But it was real.
No more sharpened sticks. No more broken wood.
This was his first step toward becoming more than a boy hiding in the forest.
That night, he sat alone beside a small fire — a fire he had learned to build with flint and patience. The flames flickered in his tired eyes, casting shadows on the trees.
His shoulder throbbed from the bandit's cut. He had wrapped it in leaves and cloth, but the pain was constant.
Still, it didn't matter.
I killed a man today.
He wasn't proud of it.
But he wasn't ashamed either.
It had to be done.
If he hadn't, he would've died. Just like his family. Just like all the nameless people trampled under the boots of war.
That thought lit a new fire in his chest — hotter than the one before.
I will not die nameless.
I will not be forgotten.
Suddenly, the System stirred.
System Prompt
— User has passed Initial Survival Threshold.
— Identity Fragment Detected.
— Do you wish to bind a name to your path?
Lü Bu frowned.
"A name?"
The voice in his mind repeated:
— Once chosen, your name will carry weight. It will echo through your growth, your path, your legend.
— This is your first step toward the future.
The boy looked into the flames, remembering the ashes of his village, the look in his mother's eyes, the wooden spear that had snapped in his hands.
He thought of strength. Of war. Of rising from the dirt.
Then he spoke aloud — not for the system, but for himself.
"My name… is Lü Bu."
The flames seemed to flare as the System responded.
Name Confirmed: Lü Bu
— Identity Bound
— Title Unlocked: Nameless to Rising Star
— New Feature Activated: Destiny Progression Path
In that moment, something inside him changed.
He wasn't just a boy anymore.
He had a name.
He had a blade.
And now… he had a future.
Even if he had to carve it out of blood, stone, and fire.
"I was born with nothing."
"But I will rise with everything."