Chapter 4: Blood-Bound Oath
Rayden didn't sleep that night. He sat by the edge of the cliff, the black crystal shard clutched tightly in his hand, glowing faintly like a cursed ember. The visions hadn't stopped. Every few minutes, he'd see flashes of the past — of a warrior wrapped in smoke and crimson, slaughtering armies with laughter in his voice.
The Berserk System remained dormant, but its presence pressed against Rayden's thoughts like a hand constantly on his shoulder.
By morning, Rayden had made his decision.
He would master it — or die trying.
The next day, he ventured into the outskirts of the forest, farther than he had ever gone before. There were whispers of an old shrine to the east — a forgotten place where forbidden systems were once buried. If the Berserk System had a past, perhaps it was tied to that place.
The forest thickened. Birds fell silent. Even the wind dared not speak here.
He found the shrine by accident. A ring of blackened stones surrounded a small altar, long overrun with vines and ash. The air was heavier here, denser, like it remembered every scream that had ever echoed in this place.
Rayden knelt, placing the black crystal on the altar. The moment it touched the stone, the ground trembled.
[SOUL ANCHOR DETECTED]
[WARNING: System Integration at 12%]
[Corruption Risk: Moderate to High]
[Skill Unlocked: Blood-Bound Oath — Passive]
► When blood is spilled by your hand, your power surges temporarily.
A mark burned across his chest — a glowing red sigil that faded under his skin.
Rayden gasped, falling to his knees. The rush of energy was overwhelming, as though his very blood had caught fire. The trees around the shrine bent slightly, reacting to the unnatural power swirling around him.
Then, for the first time since his awakening, he heard something new:
[Sub-Quest Triggered: Discover the Fate of the First Berserker]
Objective: Seek out 3 Lost Memories scattered across ancient shrines.
Reward: Berserk System Expansion | Unknown Skill Unlock
He didn't know where to begin.
But something deep inside him — maybe the System itself — tugged him northward.
Before leaving, he carved a symbol into the shrine — his mark. Not just as a warning to others… but as a vow.
A blood-bound oath that he would master what had once broken others.
Let the world call it cursed.
To Rayden, it was destiny.
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