Kellan stared at the floating screens all around him. Everything was so bright and empty—just him and those strange, grey balls. He felt cold inside.
He let out a tired breath, almost a sigh. "This has to be a joke," he muttered. "Just some weird dream." But the floating timer kept ticking down.
0:43
He swallowed. He couldn't stand here forever.
So he stepped up to the spheres. There were nine in total, all swirling grey, faint colors mixed in hidden under the surface. The colors made shapes but he couldn't tell what any meant. No sign or anything.
"Whatever," he said and reached out. His hand touched the one right in the middle.
The world seemed to click. Something deep in his chest buzzed.
\[CONGRATULATIONS: YOU HAVE GAINED THE ABILITY: LORD OF SPEARMANSHIP\]
Description:
You are blessed by the spirit of all spear-users. Your skill with spears, polearms, and even makeshift staves grows quickly—even if you have never picked up a spear before. Sharper reflexes, better technique, and greater accuracy are granted automatically. As you fight and learn, your mastery grows, and you may create new spear arts unique to you. The more battles you survive, the greater your legend becomes. Legendary spear-users and stories will become easier for you to learn from, even by watching or fighting them.
Kellan blinked, stunned. He'd barely even held a broom properly, let alone a spear. His head spun, unsure if it was real or not—but the System was still there.
A new screen popped up.
\[CHOOSE YOUR STARTING CHALLENGE DIFFICULTY\]
A line of choices appeared:
* Easy
* Standard
* Difficult
* Hard
* Very Hard
* Nightmare
* Abyss
* Hell Pit
Kellan stared at the list. Who would pick "Hell Pit"? Or "Nightmare"? He barely belonged here at all. But "Easy" seemed like cowardice, "Standard" too basic, "Difficult" not enough if he wanted to grow strong.
He clicked on Hard. If this was all real, he'd learn quickly—if not, it wouldn't matter anyway.
\[Difficulty set to: HARD.\]
\[Host will now be sent to the tutorial phase.\]
Kellan tried to keep his breath steady. "Is that it?"
Another screen floated up, this one different—almost warmer, blue with a soft glow.
\[PERSONAL SYSTEM ACQUIRED: IDEA FORGE SYSTEM\]
\[This system allows you to feed on the ideas, dreams, and beliefs of others. You gain knowledge, inspiration, and even powers from what people think and believe in.\]
He raised an eyebrow. "What, another ability? Is this a glitch?" he whispered. "Or a bonus?"
TheSystemchimed,voicecheerful:
<(NO GLITCH! THE IDEA FORGE SYSTEM IS PART OF YOU, HOST. IT'S AN EXTENSION OF YOURSELF—YOUR UNIQUE TALENT IN THIS WORLD!)>
Kellan frowned. "Extension of me? What does that mean? Where did you even—"
A bright light cut him off, swallowing him whole. He closed his eyes against the glow, and when he opened them, things had changed.
Instead of the empty space, he was now standing in a small village. Simple wooden houses rose all around. The air felt...wrong He wore rough, heavy clothes, a spear clutched in his hands. He looked down—boots, guard vest, old gloves. A badge on his chest: Village Guard.
Next to him, a tall gate stood open. A few other guards stood to each side, staring ahead. Then there was a shout.
"Kellan! Watch out!"
From the dirt road, a small, ugly creature rushed forward—sort of like a hog mixed with a goblin, with tusks jutting from its mouth and wild, mud-covered fur. The thing grunted and charged him, swinging a club.
The spear in his hands felt strange, but also…familiar, somehow. He braced himself the best he could, heart pounding.
This was all real now.
And it was time to see what he could do.