Pain was the first thing Kael Veyr felt. Not the subtle sting of injury or the slow ache of fatigue — this was raw, soul-deep agony, as if his very existence had been torn apart and crudely stitched back together.
He gasped, choking on air that reeked of rot and iron. His eyes shot open, but the world remained a crushing, suffocating blackness — a black so complete it seemed alive, pressing in on him, whispering threats. His lungs burned with each shallow breath, the air thick and foul.
Where... am I?
Memories swam like shards in his mind, painful and distorted: the cold stone floor beneath him, the screams of the crowd echoing in his ears, the sharp sting of betrayal as his brother's blade found his heart, and the cruel laughter of nobles who had once called him brother.
"Treason," they had called it. "A dog biting its master."
But Kael had uncovered something worse — the royal bloodline's unholy pact with demons, their power rooted in corrupted magic that poisoned the land. For that truth, they had killed him.
Yet now, here he was. Naked. Cold. Alive?
[System initializing...][Welcome, User: Kael Veyr][Installing: Ascension Code]Warning: Illegitimate system detected. Classification: Forbidden.]
A flickering blue interface appeared in front of his eyes, pulsing like a heartbeat. His breath caught. This was no ordinary Royal Sigil System — no familiar mana-core or noble bloodline artifact. This was something else. Something dangerous.
[System fully linked. Ascension Code Online.][Initializing User Attributes...]STR: 1 | DEX: 1 | CON: 1 | INT: 3 | CHA: 0 | LCK: ???[Class: Unbound][Skill Acquired: Adaptive Learning (Lv.1)]
His stats were pathetic — weaker than a starving child, more fragile than a newborn fawn.
Kael's fingers twitched, trembling as he pushed himself to sit. Every muscle screamed in protest; bones ached as if shattered and poorly reset. The ground beneath him was damp and coarse, a putrid mixture of mud, blood, and decay. The smell clung to him like a curse.
Something deeper gnawed at him — a sense of being watched. Not by any human, but by something darker. Something ancient.
A faint, flickering light danced in the distance. Green. Weak and wavering like a dying flame, but unmistakable.
Kael forced his legs forward, dragging himself toward the glow. Pain lanced through every movement — a punishment for disobedience — but he kept crawling. Survival demanded it.
[New Location Discovered: Dungeon—Shattered Origin][Threat Level: Extreme][Survival Rate: <1%][Quest Received: Escape the Forgotten Pit]— Objective: Reach the Surface.— Time Limit: 72 Hours.— Penalty for Failure: Soul Erasure.
Soul erasure? That was no game mechanic — that was true death. Total annihilation. No second chance.
The light grew stronger, revealing its source — a cracked crystal embedded in the damp stone wall, its green flames flickering unevenly. Beneath it, skeletal remains sprawled across the floor, bones bleached and brittle.
A rusted blade lay half-buried beside a shattered ribcage.
Kael's dry lips moved in a whisper. "Better than nothing."
His shaking hand closed around the weapon, the cold metal biting into his palm.
[Item Acquired: Rusted Iron Dagger]— ATK: +1— Durability: 6/20— Trait: Bloodthirst (Dormant)
A low growl shattered the silence.
Kael froze.
From the shadows, a figure lunged — four-legged, eyes blazing red, teeth jagged like saw blades. Its fur hung in patches, twitching unnaturally as it drooled black saliva.
[Enemy Identified: Carrion Hound Lv.2]— Status: Starving, Corrupted— Weakness: Throat, Left Eye— Drops: Flesh, Bone Fragment, ???[System Alert: Kill or Be Killed]
The beast sprang again.
Kael rolled sideways, heart pounding as sharp stone gouged his back. The creature whirled, jaws snapping mere inches from his face.
Too fast.
He gripped the dagger tightly, no time for technique, no room for mercy.
When the hound lunged, Kael stabbed blindly upward, feeling the blade sink into a burning orb.
The creature shrieked, thrashing violently, slamming Kael against the cold stone wall. Pain exploded in his ribs, but he clung to the blade, twisting it deeper.
Finally, the beast collapsed, twitching in death throes.
[Enemy Defeated: Carrion Hound Lv.2]+50 EXP[Level Up! You are now Lv.2]Stat Points +5 | Skill Points +1[New Trait Absorbed: Blood Hunger (Lv.1)]— Heals minor wounds upon enemy kill.— Increases aggression during combat.
Kael slumped down, sweat and grime mixing with blood, lungs ragged.
The world was still dark. Still cruel.
But he was alive.
Stronger.
A new message blinked in his vision.
[Ascension Path Unlocked: Path of the Predator]— Feed. Fight. Dominate.— Next Unlock: 3 kills.
His heart thundered. This system didn't just raise stats — it grew instincts. Traits. Hunger.
Power. Raw and primal.
They had killed him to silence a truth. Now Kael held the blade of vengeance.
He rose slowly, eyes burning under the flickering Mana Torch's sickly green glow.
"Let them come," he whispered, voice hoarse but unbroken. "I'm no longer the man they murdered."
In the distant tunnels, a horn sounded — low, ancient, and terrifying. Something had noticed the death. Something far worse than a starving beast.
Kael tightened his grip on the rusted dagger.
The dungeon had claimed many souls.
But he was not one to be claimed.
Not yet.
End of Chapter 1