Samuel sat cross-legged on the floor, holding the faintly humming Lightning Crystal. The moment it touched his chest, electricity surged through his veins.
⟦Skill Acquired: Lightning Surge⟧
⟦Effect: Your body becomes a conduit. Emit electrical energy at will.⟧
Sparks danced across his fingertips. Tsuki raised a curious brow. Hayze let out a low whistle.
"That's sick," Hayze said. "Try not to fry your heart."
Samuel grinned. "Only if someone touches my snacks."
⸻
After a night's rest, the trio ventured out again. Food, water — nothing was ever enough. The streets reeked of rot and ash, shadows twitching between wrecked buildings.
Zombies.
⟦System Directive: Purge the Rotten⟧
⟦Objective: Eliminate 30 Zombies⟧
⟦Reward: Earth Elemental Crystal⟧
They moved like a pack. Tsuki's doppelganger flitted through alleyways, drawing the undead toward Hayze's fists. Samuel surged through the swarm like a storm given flesh.
Thirty corpses later, the reward shimmered among the dust.
⟦Warning: Power Limit Reached⟧
⟦User may not absorb a third Awaken power.⟧
Samuel tossed the Earth Crystal to Hayze. "Your turn."
Hayze caught it. The ground trembled.
⟦Skill Acquired: Earth Guardian⟧
⟦Effect: Conjure an earthen shield to block physical and elemental force.⟧
They barely had time to marvel before a figure stepped from the shadows. A young man, fire dancing at his fingertips. An awakener — and judging by the smirk, not a friendly one.
"Drop the loot. Or burn."
⟦Hostile Entity Detected⟧
⟦New Directive: Neutralize Threat⟧
⟦Reward: ???⟧
"Wrong day, wrong people," Samuel muttered.
Flames met lightning. The ground cracked. The battle ended before it began.
Ashes settled. The System chimed.
⟦Reward Granted: Dark-Type Awaken Crystal⟧
Samuel handed it to Tsuki. Her eyes gleamed. Shadows curled at her feet.
⟦Skill Acquired: Shadow Doppelganger⟧
More hours. More blood. More undead. By dusk, they returned with 47 Leveling Crystals and a dagger that shimmered with heat.
That night, they sat in silence. Absorbing power.
• Tsuki: Dark Level 2 — Skill: Shadow Doppelganger
• Hayze: Earth Level 3 — Skill: Earth Chain
• Samuel: Lightning Level 2 — Skill: Space Dash
⸻
The next morning, they raided a mall. Most shelves were gutted, but the warehouse in the back stood untouched. The moment they entered, a strange cold gripped the air.
Hayze shivered. Samuel's breath caught. Tsuki… didn't react at all.
"Check it," Samuel said.
Tsuki nodded. Her doppelganger split from her shadow and disappeared into the gloom.
Fifteen minutes later, she returned — and something followed.
A crimson-feathered crow. Its eyes glowed with menace.
⟦New Mission: Bind the Cursed Beast⟧
"Control it," Samuel ordered.
"I tried," Tsuki said, voice tight. "It's too fast."
Samuel narrowed his gaze. "Birds don't like electricity."
He surged a charge — a snap of voltage — and the crow dropped, stunned but alive.
The System translated its voice:
"This is my domain," the crow rasped. "Touch my chickens, and you die."
"…Chickens?" Samuel echoed, confused.
The crow flared its wings, talons scraping the ground. Protective. Possessive.
Samuel smirked. With a thought, he stored every chicken in the Sacred Realm.
The crow screamed.
"Chill," Samuel said, summoning a slab of raw chicken. He cooked it mid-air with a pulse of lightning. The scent filled the room.
The crow hesitated. Then took a bite. Then another. It devoured the meal.
"You've got two choices," Samuel said. "Eat this every day… or die now."
Silence. Then:
"…Fine," the crow grumbled. "But I want seasoning next time."
⟦Objective Complete: Cursed Beast Subjugated⟧
⟦Reward: Thunderstrike Combat Gloves⟧
Samuel tested the gloves. Lightning licked the surface — responsive, brutal.
"Too flashy," he muttered, and handed them to Hayze.
Hayze's grin could've split rock. "Now we're talking."
Samuel turned to the crow. "Name?"
"…Kairo."
"Kairo," Samuel said, nodding. "Welcome to the team."
Chapter 2: End.