The vial pulsed faintly in my hand, glowing with a brilliance that painted my bloodstained fingers in shifting hues of silver, gold, and crimson. It felt warm, alive, as if the liquid inside were breathing with me.
I stared at it for a long time.
A laugh, dry and bitter, slipped past my cracked lips.
"Funny," I muttered. "In the game, this belonged to someone else. A villain who rose to the top… who forced even the protagonist to his limits."
And now, here I was. Holding it.
The Vial of Ascension.
The kind of miracle that could change everything.
But miracles never came free.
I knew what would happen once I drank it. The memories of the game hinted at it—violent pain, a rebirth that crushed weak bodies if they weren't strong enough to endure it. Many who tried died before the power could take root.
I already went through quite a lot of main not too long ago. But I knew that his pain was going to hit different.
It was a gamble.
But so was everything in my life now.
"I'd rather die trying to rise than live crawling."
I uncorked the vial.
A faint hiss escaped as the seal broke, and a sweet, almost intoxicating aroma filled the air. The liquid shimmered unnaturally, twisting between colors, refusing to remain one shape or form.
I raised it to my lips.
The first drop slid down my throat like fire.
I gasped as the liquid spread instantly through my body, not settling in my stomach but dispersing into my blood. Heat seared my veins, racing through every limb, every nerve, until it felt as though molten metal had replaced my flesh.
The rest of the vial emptied before I could stop myself.
And then the pain began.
It was not pain I could describe. Not the cut of a blade, not the burn of fire, not even the crushing weight of broken bones. This was pain that lived inside me, tearing apart every thread of my being and stitching it back together wrong, only to rip it again.
I collapsed, writhing in the dirt, my body convulsing violently. My screams echoed through the forest, raw and unrestrained.
My vision went white. My blood felt like it was boiling, like my very soul was being pulled out and reshaped.
"Ghh—aaaghhh!"
Every heartbeat was a hammer strike. Every breath a knife dragging across my lungs. My muscles twisted, expanded, tore, and reformed. My bones cracked, split, and knit back together stronger.
It was endless.
Time lost all meaning.
I clawed at the earth until my nails ripped bloody. I bit my lip until the taste of iron drowned me. My body was no longer mine—it was a battlefield, and I was losing.
This is what it means to defy fate.
The thought burned in my mind, even as my consciousness frayed.
If I couldn't endure this, then I didn't deserve this power.
If I couldn't endure this, then I was just Arthur Dravenloch again—a stepping stone, a pathetic villain destined to die.
"No," I hissed through gritted teeth, forcing the word out like a curse. "Not again. Not this time."
The pain reached a peak. My body arched violently, blood spilling from my nose and ears. My vision blurred, but somewhere in that blur—
—I saw the system panel flicker to life.
---
**\[System Alert!]**
*[Vial of Ascension Consumed]*
[Beginning Transformation…]
Warning: Host body unstable. Survival rate—37%.
---
Through the haze, I croaked, "...Not exactly encouraging numbers, you know."
---
**\[System Notice:]**
Encouragement not part of my functions. Would you like a funeral estimate instead?
---
"Ha… screw you," I rasped, before another wave of pain tore through me.
---
[Reconstruction in progress…]
---
My screams turned hoarse, my throat raw.
Every nerve felt like it was burning, but beneath the fire—there was something else. A current. A surge.
Power.
It flooded me, raw and untamed, as though a dam had burst open and mana itself poured into my veins.
The agony dulled. Slowly. Gradually.
And then—silence.
My body collapsed onto the ground, chest heaving, drenched in sweat and blood. For a long time, I couldn't move. Couldn't think.
Only breathe.
When the system panel returned, it was faint at first, then clear.
---
**\[Transformation Complete.]**
[Host , you can now check your status]
---
"Status"
------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Arthur Dravenlock
Class: Swordsman
Talent: **Limitless**
Attribute: Locked --(Partial unlocking 40%)
.....
Strength: 18 → 22
Speed: 17 → 21
Endurance: 16 → 20
Dexterity: 17 → 20
Perception: 17 → 21
Mana: 12 → 18
.....
Passive Skill: Perfect Poker
Active Skill: Dash
.....
Arts:
Basic Sword Style (Common)
Basic Non-Armed Combat (Common)
------------------------------------------------------------
I blinked, staring blankly at the glowing words.
Talent… Limitless.
"Hahahah , finally "
No ceiling. No chains. No defined number.
The limit that had bound me—shattered forever.
This means that I can grow stronger. Stronger than anyone .
For a moment, I couldn't believe it. My hands trembled as I raised them before my eyes. The trembling wasn't from weakness anymore. It was from power. A current thrummed beneath my skin, restless, eager, like a caged beast.
I clenched my fists. The forest air itself seemed to bend faintly around me, as if the world itself was acknowledging the change.
"Mana… 12 to 18, huh?" I muttered. "That's… wow. Six whole points. Guess I can finally light more than one candle before passing out. Maybe even two if I'm feeling adventurous."
**\[System Note:]**
Statistical improvement: 50% increase. Probability of surviving minor fireball: slightly above zero.
---
"…You really don't know how to flatter a guy, do you?"
When I again looked at the status screen, the line beneath Talent made me pause:
Attribute: — Locked — (Partial Unlocking: 40%)
My brows furrowed. "Partial unlocking… forty percent? So it isn't fully sealed anymore."
"So when it hits a hundred percent… the door opens. My Attribute comes out."
In the game, characters' Attributes weren't just boosts or passive perks — they were terrifying powers that shaped destinies.
A laugh broke from my lips, ragged but real.
"…So this is what it feels like. Honestly? Still hurts like hell, but at least now I look badass while suffering."
For the first time, I wasn't a prisoner of this body.
For the first time, I wasn't pathetically weak.Wel scratch that I'm still weak , but from now on I can grow stronger. I won't remain a weakling like the real Arthur did.
The pain hadn't vanished. My wounds still ached. My ribs still protested every breath. But beneath all that was strength—raw, undeniable strength.
I had stepped into a different world.
But as the euphoria ebbed, a cold thought settled in.
In the game, the villain who found this vial had become a nightmare for the protagonist. His strength had warped him, turned him into a monster who stood against the world.
I glanced at the empty vial lying in the dirt, then at my trembling hands.
Now that villain… no longer existed.
I did.
And I had his power.
"…The future really has changed."
The shadows around me whispered faintly, as if testing me.
I stared into the darkness between the trees, my jaw tightening.
If the world wanted me to remain a stepping stone, then it had made a mistake.
Because Arthur Dravenlock was no longer weak.
And I would never be weak again.