Chapter 18 – Aric
Aric crouched behind the dense foliage, his pulse quickening. Today, he would face something he had only studied from a distance: a system agent. The legends his father had told him were chilling enough, but now, standing on the precipice of his first true confrontation, fear mingled with a strange thrill.
Daren had warned him: the System was everywhere, and its enforcers were precise, efficient, and relentless. This wasn't a duel between mortals; this was an encounter with something designed to strip every ounce of magical potential from a human—or worse, report them to the central mana core for extraction.
Aric peeked through the leaves. A figure materialized in the clearing ahead, draped in a faint, almost ethereal shimmer—the telltale sign of a System agent. Its form was humanoid, yet there was something unnatural in the way the air bent around it, how the mana seemed to pulse from its body with quiet authority.
He took a deep breath and recalled everything he had observed of his father's techniques. Every movement, every nuance of combat, every tactical choice Daren had made in countless skirmishes—Aric attempted to commit it all to muscle memory in real time.
The agent's eyes—or what passed for eyes—glimmered. It was aware of him. Slowly, it began to glide forward, each step silent, each movement calculated. Aric's hand instinctively went to the small mana conduit he had learned to form, channeling a modest burst of elemental energy around his fists.
"Show yourself," the agent said, voice emotionless yet resonating with authority. "You are operating outside of sanctioned parameters. Submit."
Aric's jaw clenched. Submission was not an option. Not now. Not ever. He leaped from his cover, wind and sparks of energy erupting as he launched a surprise strike. The agent moved with inhuman swiftness, sidestepping without so much as a hint of effort, almost as if reading Aric's intent before he thought it himself.
This was unlike anything Aric had faced. Every strike he landed was parried with grace, every maneuver anticipated. His heart pounded, but he forced himself to observe, recalling Daren's lessons: anticipation, understanding patterns, controlling the flow of battle.
He feigned a retreat, luring the agent into an overextension. When the moment came, he pivoted and struck again, this time combining wind and fire in a single, fluid arc. The agent staggered—not seriously wounded, but caught off guard. Aric's eyes widened in realization: even a brief lapse from the System's perfect rhythm could be exploited.
The agent recalibrated instantly, eyes narrowing. With a silent flick of its hand, a surge of energy shot toward Aric, forcing him to leap backward. The force of the attack tore through the forest floor, leaving scorch marks on rocks and trees alike. He gritted his teeth, rolling to absorb the impact, and came up on his feet with renewed focus.
"You have potential," the agent said, almost casually, as it advanced again. "But raw potential without control is dangerous—for yourself."
Aric's mind raced. This was more than a fight; it was a lesson. He began to mimic what he had watched his father do, integrating movement, perception, and minor elemental shifts in a seamless pattern. Fire became wind, wind became a shield, a subtle flow of energy misdirected the agent's strike. For the first time, Aric felt the balance shift.
The agent paused, a slight quiver of surprise in its stance. Aric's eyes flared with determination. "I'm not just learning," he shouted, voice carrying across the clearing. "I'm surviving. I'm growing. And I will surpass this… System!"
The confrontation ended not with a victory, but a stalemate. The agent retreated, vanishing into the shimmer of the System's domain, leaving Aric panting, covered in sweat and soot. But he smiled, however faintly. He had survived. He had adapted.
For the first time, Aric truly understood the magnitude of what he faced: the System was merciless, precise, and far beyond ordinary humans. Yet with observation, patience, and a mind willing to learn, there was hope. He wiped his brow and whispered to himself, "This is only the beginning. I will master this world… and then, I will bend it to my will."