Alodius staggers, another chamber stretches around him, vast and bare, lit by luminous inscriptions that crawl across the stone walls in glowing blue. They pulse faintly, filling the air with a low hum that vibrates against his bones.
"What the hell…? I just saved from some immortal skeletons, and now I'm trapped?"
But before he can calm his mind, new lines of text ripple before him.
***
[System Notification]
Initial Scan Complete.
Basic Attributes Revealed
Status:
HP (Health Points): 187 / 200
MP (Mana Pool): 14 / 20
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 11
Intelligence: 8
Fitness Level: 93%
Fatigue: 34%
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)
Durability: Comparable to diamond-scale alloy (resistant to fracture, edge loss minimal).
Sharpness Retention: 98% efficiency even under repeated high-impact strikes.
Structural Integrity: Self-repairing microfibers within the blade reduce wear.
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 frowns, bringing the sword up to his face. Its edge looks dull, its surface scarred, but at the hilt are two faintly glowing sockets, hollow circles, like something meant to hold a bullet, yet too smooth, too deliberate.
"What the hell are these supposed to be?" he mutters, running his thumb across one.
The interface shivers in response, as though answering him directly.
***
[Socket Mechanic Activated]
Sockets can host Skill Gems.
Inserted Skill Gems grant combat abilities, support effects, or passive enhancements.
Note: Socketed Skill Gems consume mana for activation.
***
Alodius blinks. "...Mana?" The word tastes ridiculous on his tongue. "What is this? Some kind of stupid game?"
The HUD pulses again, as though not finished.
***
[Additional Notice]
Mana Pool insufficient for Skill Gem activation.
Minimum MP requirement for basic Skill Gems: 50.
Current MP: 14.
***
Alodius lets out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Figures. Even in a cursed hallucination, I'm still the weakest bastard in the room."
The HUD flickers in reply.
***
[Progression Path Unlocked]
Growth Method: Slay hostile entities to collect Experience.
On Level Up:
— Base Attributes increase by +1.
— Gain +1 Passive Skill Point.
Passive Skill Points can be allocated to the Atlas Grid, unlocking permanent abilities and enhancements.
***
Alodius squints at the final line. But suddenly, a low hum rolls through the chamber, cutting him off. The glowing inscriptions flare once, as if reacting to its presence.
The inscriptions dim again, and Alodius realizes something chilling: the chamber has no exits, except a single gaping corridor yawning ahead of him, the only way forward.
But from that darkness of the corridor comes a sound, a wet shuffle, a dragging thud. And soon, shape staggers into view.
Its shoulders brush the stone edges of the corridor as it squeezes through. Skin hangs loose, pale and sagging, while its eyes burn faintly with an unnatural blue glow. The stench of rot hits him before its hands even rise.
***
[Entity Detected: Lesser Undead – Rank F]
Recommended Strategy: Engage and eliminate.
***
Alodius curses under his breath. "Of course. Just one damn way out, and it's blocking it."
He circles back, desperate, scanning the chamber walls for cracks, doors, anything. But it's barren, sealed. The runes pulse faintly as if mocking him, like the whole place was designed for this.
The corpse drags itself fully into the room, jaw hanging at an awkward angle. Alodius tightens his grip on Bloodfang. The sword feels heavier than he'd like, but it hums faintly, waiting.
"Alright… guess it's straight through you."
He lunges, driving Bloodfang down with both hands. The blade crunches through the corpse's skull, bone cracking like brittle stone as black ichor sprays across the floor. For a fleeting second, glowing text flashes in the air…
Critical Hit!
…before fading as the body collapses in a lifeless heap.
***
[Kill Confirmed!]
+8 Experience
Vitality Surge Activated (Duration: 5 minutes)
***
A hot pulse floods his chest, strength coursing into his muscles. He can breathe again. His grip steadies.
But before he can even process the words on the floating screen, two more corpses stagger through the corridor and lunge at him. Their movements are clumsy but sudden, faster than he expects.
"Shit…!"
He reacts a moment too late. A claw rakes across his left forearm, tearing fabric and skin. Blood spatters, pain sears.
His eyes widen at the wound. "No… no, no, no! Don't tell me… it's like in the movies. One scratch and I turn into one of them?!"
But instead of spreading black veins or rotting flesh, the wound hisses. A thin haze of steam rises from the gash, the flesh sizzling as if burned from the inside.
Alodius panics. "What the hell… what's happening to me?!"
Now the corridor becomes a funnel of groaning death. He stumbles back, but the undead are still on him, jaws snapping.
Fear boils over. He roars and swings wildly, Bloodfang carving deep into necks and chests. Bone cracks, ichor bursts, and both corpses collapse in broken heaps.
It's easier than he expected, easier than it should be. And unlike the skeletal warriors in the shrine, these corpses don't rise again. Their bodies just wither, sagging in rapid decay until they dissolve into foul-smelling puddles.
Alodius drops to his hip, chest heaving, his mind rattling between disbelief and raw survival. His wound still smolders, but then the haze fades.
When he dares to look at his left arm, the wound is gone, smooth skin where torn flesh should be. Before he can even begin to question it, his attention shifts to the two floating HUD.
***
[Kill Confirmed]
+8 Experience
Vitality Surge Activated (Duration: 5 minutes)
***
The words hang in the air, cold and mechanical, indifferent to his panic, like this whole nightmare is just a set of rules being enforced.
"Vitality…?" Alodius mutters, eyes narrowing. "So it heals me. Has to be the sword's magical property."
The thought steadies him, if only a little. He's still trapped in the unknown, but maybe it isn't hopeless.
"Kill these freaks, get stronger. Level up." He exhales sharply, almost laughing at the absurdity. "Like some twisted game."
He doesn't understand why this is happening, or why he's been handed this so-called system. But questions won't open doors.
For now, he has only one choice: move forward, deeper into the passage, and carve his way out of this place.