Kael stared at the floating prompt, heart hammering against his ribs. The meadow stretched around him, still bathed in the glow of late afternoon, but all he could see was the flicker of shadow twisting at the forest's edge.
[Unique Event Detected.][Warning: High difficulty. Recommended Level: Unknown.][Do you wish to investigate? Y/N]
He swallowed. Every fiber of logic screamed at him to turn away. He was level one. His armor was nothing more than cloth stitched to leather, his weapon a dull beginner's blade. One wrong move and he'd be nothing but pixels dissolving into light.
But the prompt lingered, taunting.
A unique event. Something hidden. Something meant to be found.
Kael clenched his fists. If he ignored it, would someone else stumble on it? Would he read tomorrow that a lucky player had uncovered some secret quest and shot to the top of the leaderboards?
"No," he muttered. "Not this time. Not me sitting on the sidelines."
His finger trembled as he tapped the 'Y'.
The world shivered.
The meadow blurred, the sunlight snuffed out like a candle. Darkness swallowed him, not empty but pressing, thick as water. For a heartbeat he couldn't breathe. Then a jolt shot through his chest, and the ground returned beneath his feet—stone, cold and uneven.
A cavern stretched before him, walls slick with condensation that caught faint light from torches burning with ghostly blue flames. The air reeked of damp earth and something sour, like rotting flesh. His sword felt suddenly inadequate in his grip.
[Quest Accepted: The Forgotten Depths.][Objective: Survive.]
Kael blinked. That was it? No instructions, no map, no clear enemy to fight. Just survive.
His throat tightened.
He took one cautious step forward, boots echoing softly. Shadows stretched across the walls, twitching with each flicker of torchlight. His ears strained. A drip of water. The faint scuttle of something small in the distance. His own heartbeat pounding too loud.
The cavern opened wider, the ceiling lost in darkness. Strange markings were etched into the stone floor, worn and fractured. He crouched to brush his fingers across one, and the system pinged faintly.
[Ancient Script Detected. Incomplete translation.]["Here lies the—"]
The message cut off.
Kael's skin prickled. He straightened quickly, scanning the shadows.
Then he heard it.
A growl, low and wet, rolling from the darkness like thunder.
Kael's grip tightened on his sword. His feet shifted instinctively into a stance he didn't even know he knew.
Something moved in the dark.
Two pinpricks of pale light flared, like eyes catching the glow of the torches. They rose higher, taller, until a hulking shape emerged—half-wolf, half-decay, its hide peeling back to reveal muscle and bone. Saliva dripped from jagged teeth, sizzling as it hit the stone.
[Corrupted Beast – ???][Warning: Level far exceeds current capacity.]
Kael's mouth went dry.
The beast lunged.
He barely rolled aside, the claws raking sparks from the ground where he'd stood. His sword lashed out instinctively, grazing its flank. A sliver of red flickered above its health bar, but the beast barely seemed to notice.
"This is insane," Kael gasped, scrambling to his feet.
The creature turned, eyes blazing, and leapt again. He dodged, the air of its strike brushing his cheek. Every nerve screamed to run, but where? The cavern stretched into shadows, no exit in sight.
He slashed again, this time burying his blade into its shoulder. The beast roared, the sound shaking the walls. It snapped its jaws, and Kael yanked the sword free just in time to avoid losing his arm.
His health bar dipped—claws had grazed him, pain sparking through his body. Not unbearable, but real.
[HP: 87/100]
Kael staggered back, chest heaving. He couldn't fight this thing head-on. Every strike took only the tiniest bite of health, while one solid hit would probably kill him outright.
Think. Think.
His eyes darted around the cavern. The markings on the floor, the torches burning blue, the way the walls glistened with moisture. Nothing screamed salvation.
The beast lunged again. Kael dove left—his shoulder slammed into stone. Pain shot through him, but he ignored it, rolling to his knees. His sword arm trembled.
[Skill Available: Observe.]
The notification blinked, almost mocking.
"Fine," Kael hissed, triggering it.
[Corrupted Beast][Level: ???][Status: Unstable][Weakness: Light]
Light. His gaze shot to the torches.
The beast snarled, charging. Kael bolted, sprinting for the nearest flame. His breath tore in ragged gasps, boots slipping on damp stone. The creature thundered behind him, each impact rattling his bones.
He reached the torch, yanking it from the wall. The blue flame licked at his skin but didn't burn. He spun just as the beast lunged.
With a desperate cry, Kael shoved the torch forward.
The fire flared, dazzling bright. The beast shrieked, staggering back as smoke hissed from its hide. Its health bar plummeted, chunks of red tearing away faster than his sword ever managed.
Kael's heart leapt. "That's it!"
He pressed forward, jabbing again and again with the torch. Each strike sent the beast recoiling, its form blistering, dissolving into ash and light.
At last, with one final roar, it collapsed. The cavern shook as its body shattered into fragments of shadow that dissolved into the air.
Kael stood frozen, chest heaving, torch still raised. His health bar blinked at 63. His arms shook from exhaustion.
Then the system chimed.
[Quest Complete: The Forgotten Depths.][Reward: Fragment of the Seal of Worlds (Bound).][Additional Reward: +100 EXP, +1 Free Attribute Point.]
Light gathered before him, coalescing into a shard of crystal, jagged and pulsing faintly with inner light. Symbols etched across its surface shifted like liquid, too complex to read.
Kael reached out, breath shallow. The shard floated into his palm—and heat surged up his arm.
[Warning: Unknown Artifact Detected.][Analyzing…]
Pain lanced through him. Not simulated pain, not the muted sting of combat—real, tearing pain. He gasped, dropping to one knee, clutching his chest as the shard dissolved into light and sank into his skin.
[Binding Complete.][Seal Fragment: 1/12 Acquired.][Effect: ???]
The system glitched. Text flickered, scrambled.
[Error: Unauthorized data stream detected.][Error: Accessing restricted layer.]
Kael's vision blurred. He thought he heard whispers, faint and alien, threading into his mind.
"…chosen…""…the seal must not break…""…twelve scattered… bound by fate…"
Then silence.
He collapsed onto the stone, gasping. His body felt heavy, his heart racing. For a moment, he feared he'd actually die—not in-game, but for real. The sensation had been too vivid, too raw.
But the pain ebbed, leaving only a faint warmth pulsing in his chest, as though the shard still glowed within him.
Kael pushed himself to his feet, legs trembling.
"What the hell was that?" he whispered.
The cavern around him shimmered, the torches dimming. The world pulled away again, light folding over itself.
When his vision cleared, he stood once more in the meadow, the sun dipping toward the horizon. Birds chirped in the trees, the grass swayed in the breeze. As though nothing had happened.
Except the shard was still with him.
He opened his status window with shaking hands.
[Kael Ardent]Level: 2Race: HumanClass: NoviceHP: 63/110MP: 55/55STR: 12AGI: 12INT: 10VIT: 11LUK: 5Free Points: 1Special: [Seal Fragment 1/12 – Bound]
The words glowed faintly at the bottom of the window, almost out of place.
Kael stared, unease crawling through him.
This wasn't just a quest. This wasn't part of the normal game.
Something had chosen him.
And somehow, he suspected the consequences wouldn't stay inside the game.