The fragments of the stone knight still glowed faintly on the ground, crimson cracks fading into silence. Elder stood in the center of the ruined chamber, his chest rising and falling with ragged breaths.
The warmth inside his body had not disappeared. It lingered, pulsing like a heartbeat not his own. The sphere of light—the Covenant's Seed—rested within his chest, unseen but undeniable.
"Level one…" he whispered. His voice echoed against the broken walls.
A screen shimmered before his eyes once again:
[Status Window – Elder]
[Level: 1 – Initiate of the Covenant]
[Attributes Unlocked: Strength +2, Vitality +2, Perception +1]
[Skill Unlocked: Covenant Sense]
His lips trembled as he read the words. Attributes? Skills? It felt like he had stepped into one of the countless fantasy games he had once wasted his nights playing. But this wasn't a glowing monitor. This wasn't escapism. The cuts on his arms and the ache in his lungs were too real to deny.
"This is… my reality now."
The chamber's silence weighed on him. The shattered statue's empty eyes still seemed to stare at him from the rubble. Elder clenched his fists.
The system had given him power, but also a warning: greater trials awaited. If this was only the first… how much worse would the rest become?
A sudden vibration rolled through the chamber. Dust rained from the ceiling. Elder turned toward the massive door at the far end—the one covered in runes that had revealed itself after his victory.
The pathway of light leading to it still shimmered faintly, as though urging him forward.
Elder swallowed hard. "No point in standing here."
He stepped onto the glowing path. With each step, the runes beneath his feet flared, responding to his presence. The door groaned as it began to open, its stone surface splitting slowly, revealing a blinding brilliance beyond.
Elder shielded his eyes with his arm, heart pounding. The air that rushed through the widening gap smelled different—rich, alive, tinged with smoke and wildness.
When the door finally opened wide enough, he stepped through.
The world struck him like a hammer.
Mountains like jagged teeth pierced the crimson sky, their peaks lost in storm clouds. Forests of black-barked trees stretched endlessly, their leaves glowing faintly with bioluminescent veins. Strange winged creatures circled the horizon, their cries sharp as steel.
And far in the distance, he saw it: a city of spires, towers glowing with runes of silver and gold, walls that shimmered with protective enchantments. Civilization, alive amidst the chaos.
Elder's breath caught in his throat. "This… is another world."
The Covenant's voice stirred within him, cold and calm.
[Welcome to Aedryn, the War-Torn Realm.]
[Survival Protocol continues. Prepare for hostile contact.]
As if summoned by those words, a low growl rumbled from the forest edge. Elder turned sharply, his pulse quickening.
Eyes glowed between the trees—three pairs, low to the ground, predatory.
The creatures stepped into the open. Wolves, but not the kind he knew. Their fur was midnight black, their jaws lined with jagged teeth that shimmered like obsidian. Their bodies rippled with muscle, and faint red light pulsed beneath their skin like molten veins.
"Monsters," Elder whispered.
The largest of the wolves snarled, saliva dripping from its fangs. The others spread out, forming a triangle around him.
[Warning: Hostile entities detected.]
[Initiating Combat Assistance.]
A faint circle of light appeared beneath Elder's feet, runes forming around his body.
[Skill: Covenant Sense – Active.]
Suddenly, Elder felt it. The wolves' movements slowed in his perception, their muscles tensing before they leapt, the faint shift of air before an attack. His body still trembled, still weak, but for the first time he could see.
The first wolf lunged. Elder dove sideways, rolling across the dirt. Claws slashed where he had stood, leaving deep gouges in the stone path.
He scrambled to his feet, eyes darting wildly. I can't fight them head-on. I need something… anything.
[Advice: Utilize environment. Adapt to survive.]
The system's voice was steady, detached. Elder's gaze snapped to a fallen pillar nearby, its sharp edge broken into a jagged spear-like form. He sprinted for it as the wolves growled and gave chase.
His lungs burned, legs shaking. He grabbed the broken stone, barely lifting it with both hands. The weight nearly dragged him down, but desperation gave him strength.
The second wolf leapt. Elder swung wildly.
The stone edge collided with the beast's side. A sickening crack echoed as shards of obsidian-like bone shattered. The wolf yelped, tumbling to the ground in a spray of dark blood.
Elder's arms throbbed with pain, but his heart surged. He had wounded it. He could fight back.
The third wolf snarled and pounced. Elder turned, raising the broken pillar as a shield. The impact knocked him flat, claws raking across his chest. His vision blurred with pain, but before the killing blow landed—
The Covenant's Seed pulsed. A thin barrier of light flickered around his body, deflecting the strike.
Elder roared, shoving the wolf aside with desperate strength. He staggered to his feet, blood dripping from his wounds, and rammed the jagged pillar into the beast's throat.
The creature gurgled, dark ichor spraying as it collapsed.
The last wolf circled warily now, eyes glowing with cautious hunger. Elder stood trembling, drenched in sweat and blood, clutching his makeshift weapon like a lifeline.
"Come on…" he growled. "If I die here, it won't be running away."
The wolf lunged. Elder met it head-on.
The fight was chaos—snarls, blood, the crash of stone against bone. In the end, Elder stood victorious, barely. His chest heaved, his body screaming with agony, but three corpses lay scattered around him.
The system chimed.
[Battle Complete.]
[Experience Gained: 120]
[Level Up: 2]
[New Attribute: Strength +1, Vitality +1]
A faint glow mended some of his wounds, easing the pain. Elder dropped the bloodied stone pillar, staring at his trembling hands.
He had killed monsters. He had survived.
The fear still lingered, but beneath it burned something fiercer: resolve.
"I won't be weak anymore," he whispered. "Not here. Not in this world."
The wind carried his words into the distance, toward the glowing city beyond the mountains.
The Covenant's voice spoke again, colder than ever.
[Second Trial Approaches. Prepare, Vessel.]
Elder lifted his gaze. His journey had only just begun.
And in the shadows of the forest, more eyes were already watching.