Inside the deepest chamber of Gishui Shrine…
Massive stone vaults line the walls, each one cradling an ornate sarcophagus sealed for centuries. This is the tomb of the Gishui Knights, warrior-kings buried with riches to accompany them into the afterlife.
Gold gleams in Izora's eyes as she wrenches open a sarcophagus. A puff of dust rolls out, revealing a corpse clutching piles of gleaming coins and ornaments.
"Jackpot," she whispers, her voice trembling. "Real Gishui gold."
Alodius stands a few paces away, more absorbed by the carvings on the walls than the treasure. He has seen fragments of these ruins before, partial reports, smuggled notes from defected scholars.
"As I thought," he murmurs, brushing his hand across the engraved text. "They hoarded their riches in death. Typical of old noble orders."
He pushes open the lid of a nearby sarcophagus. Inside lies a mummified corpse, its gaunt hands curled tightly around a black short sword. Unlike the others, there is no treasure here.
"Guess that's your share," Izora calls, laughing as she scoops coins into her sack. "Better luck next time."
Across the chamber, Curhan cracks another lid, then whoops. "Hell yeah! Who needs the military after this? We're rich. No more scrubbing blood in barrack latrines."
"You idiots." Juzor steps forward, sneering. "I'm not wasting this on comfort. I'm buying my second awakening."
The room goes still.
"A-Rank," Juzor mutters, "maybe higher."
"You think that pile is enough for a reawakening?" Curhan scoffs. "Let alone for us four?"
Juzor's gaze slowly drifts to Alodius, cold and deliberate. "But we can all agree he's the deadweight."
Alodius goes cold. "Please, don't. This isn't funny."
"You're the weakest Awakened in all of Tredal," Curhan says, almost apologetic. "If we have to kill someone… you're the safest bet."
"I brought you here," Alodius mutters, stepping back. "I studied the ruins. Translated the text. Without me, you'd have walked into a death trap."
"Which is why," Juzor says, drawing his sword, "this is so ironic."
Alodius seizes the black short sword from the sarcophagus. The instant his hand closes around the hilt, pain stabs his palm.
"Ahk!"
He drops it. The blade clatters to the floor. Two thin needles retract into the grip, slick with his blood.
Curhan, on the other hand, keeps scooping gold into his sack, seizing the chance while he still can.
But then, when the last piece leaves the coffin, a sharp click echoes under it. The ground shudders, and everyone freezes.
"Curhan…? What the hell did you just do?" Juzor asks, face dread with uncertainty.
"I… I don't know!" Curhan stammers.
Alodius glances at the carvings on the sarcophagus lid, his lips moving before he realizes he's speaking aloud:
"Every desire demands sacrifice. Unless you have the courage to fight for it without sacrificing anything."
It sounds like a warning. But greed outweighs caution. They just keep hauling coins.
As the weight shifts, hidden gears grind into place.
Clack… drrrt… crak!
"Shit! It's a trap!" Curhan yells.
Above them, the ceiling groans and lowers. Beneath, cracks split across the floor, and skeletal hands claw their way up as the dead awaken.
"What in the hell's name are those?"
"Are they zombies?"
Alodius snatches the black sword again. The bite in his palm sears, but he refuses to let go this time.
The blade thrums in his grip as he slashes. Bones shatter, skulls breaking, but each one reassembles and rises again.
"Oh, no… get to the stairs!" Alodius shouts.
The others are already running away, actually leaving him behind. But In the chaos, Juzor's bulging sack smashes into Izora, sending her sprawling.
She tumbles down the steps with a cry, nearly taking Alodius with her as he stumbles to catch her.
"Juzor! Wait!" Izora screams.
Yet she still scrambles for her fallen sack, fingers clawing at the spilled treasure.
"Leave it!" Alodius snarls, yanking her arm.
"No, my bag!"
"It's not worth it!"
She fights him for a breath too long, but Alodius rips her free, hauling her to her feet. Together, they lunge for the staircase, scrambling upward toward the only hope of escape.
Then Juzor turns, sword half-drawn, eyes narrowing as the skeletal warriors coming to them. His hesitation lasts only a heartbeat, and then his boot slams into Alodius' chest.
"What the…?!" Alodius gasps, flung backward.
"Sorry, dude!" Juzor smirks, already shoving Izora ahead of him. "Why don't you hold them here?"
Above, the staircase narrows as the collapsing ceiling seals itself. Juzor scrambles over the edge, dragging Izora with him, and the stone trapdoor slams shut with a thunderous Doooom!!!
Sadly for Alodius, he is one step too late.
"Shiiiit!!!"
Dust fills the chamber. Only the light on his helmet left now, cutting a harsh beam through the dark. Behind him, skeletal warriors close in, bone and steel rattling.
Alodius' lips tremble, but he refuses to bow. He swings again and again, each strike slower than the last.
The sword grows heavier with every blow, but shattered bones knit themselves back together and rise anew.
Alodius' kinetic pulse, his one meager gift since the Awakening, lashes outward. Instead of shielding him, it only bleeds his strength dry.
Then the mummified warrior stirs, the one whose coffin he had robbed. It rises with a dreadful authority, the air itself bending beneath its presence.
"That's right," Alodius growls, desperate. "You're the boss. If I kill you, maybe the rest will stop."
He charges, driving the blade into its chest. The mummy staggers but does not fall. Its hand clamps onto his arm, cold, immovable.
"No… let go!"
Alodius strains, pushing with everything he has. His kinetic pulse flares once more, veins bulging, blood trickling from his nose. But the force is pathetic, too weak from the very start.
"Please… not like this…"
"Oh, God…"
"Is this how it ends?"
Despair floods him. Hatred for Juzor and the others burns in his chest. Even regret gnaws at him for ever helping Izora.
"Damn it… This is what happens when you try to be a hero…"
But the mummy doesn't strike. Instead, it pulls him close, pressing its skull to his forehead. And then, a voice detonates inside his mind.
[Let's test your greed]
Alodius blinks. "What the…?"
[System Initialization in Progress…]
[Install Sequence: 67%... 92%... 100%.]
[To start your trial, a portal will open.]
The mummy crumbles to dust. And a blue portal whirls open above its remains, blazing with impossible light.
Alodius staggers back, sword tight in his hand, staring at the rift.
"What… is this? A portal?"
Meanwhile, the skeletons raise their weapons again, advancing.
With no other choice, Alodius tightens his grip on the black sword and leaps into the portal, hurling himself into the unknown.
Once he gets to the other side, his boots slam onto solid ground, and the portal disappears behind him.
Before his eyes, suspended in the air, a translucent window flickers into existence. Symbols etch themselves into form, sharp and unnatural, like a HUD interface from a machine that doesn't belong to his world.
***
[System Notification]
Initial Scan Complete
Status:
Fitness Level: 93%
Fatigue: 34%
Vital Signs: Stable
Current Equipment:
Tredal Military Tactical Uniform (No enchantments detected)
Tactical Helmet (Standard issue, non-magical)
Combat Boots (Standard issue, non-magical)
Weapon Identified
Bloodfang (Two-Socket Short Sword)
Base Stats:
Damage: +27
Critical Chance: 23%
Critical Damage Multiplier: 230%
Magical Properties:
Vitality Surge: After slaying a monster, you gain a vitality boost for 5 minutes.
(Effect scales with the level of the slain monster.)
***
Alodius studies the blade, lips curling in doubt. It's dull, unremarkable, hardly the kind of weapon that should carry any so-called enchantments.
But before he can dwell on the thought, fresh lines shimmer into existence across the hovering display, rippling as if the system itself is choosing what to reveal next.
***
[Area Entry Detected]
Welcome, Apprentice.
You have entered: The Proving Grounds (Tier-1 Training Zone).
Objectives:
Grow stronger by slaying hostile entities within this area.
Defeat the Zone Warden to activate the exit portal.
Note: This zone is sealed. Retreat is impossible until objectives are complete.
***
Alodius stares at the hovering text, throat dry.
"...What the hell is this?"