The king's throne room had never felt so suffocating. Ethan stood alone in its center, the weight of dozens of eyes pressing against him like sharpened blades. Courtiers whispered, knights measured him with suspicion, and Kael—the ever-composed prince—watched with the faintest smile tugging at his lips.
The air was thick with expectation.
"Ethan Cross," King Aldric's voice rumbled like a storm contained within stone walls. "The gods have marked you with something extraordinary. This… 'system' of yours. It is untested, unproven. Yet you claim strength enough to protect my kingdom."
"I claim nothing, Your Majesty," Ethan said calmly. His heart was pounding, but he kept his voice steady. "I only ask for the chance to prove that I won't let those who trust me fall."
The words hung heavy, raw and sincere. Ethan wasn't speaking as a warrior or subject—he spoke as a man who had already failed once, back in his old world, when he couldn't save Claire. That wound bled into every vow he made here.
The king's piercing eyes softened, just for a heartbeat. But then his tone hardened again.
"Then you will train. You will fight. You will bleed. If you endure, I will acknowledge you. If you falter…" His gaze flicked briefly to Kael, who inclined his head ever so slightly, lips curving. "…then you will prove that you are nothing more than a dangerous gamble."
A heavy silence followed. Then the king raised his hand. "Captain Roderic. Take him to the Crucible."
The Crucible
Ethan soon discovered that the Crucible was no ordinary training ground.
Beneath the castle, a sprawling cavern had been carved out, its walls lined with faintly glowing runes. The air shimmered with heat, and from the ground itself emanated waves of pressure—as though the entire chamber sought to crush whoever stepped within it.
"This place," Captain Roderic explained, his voice gravelly, "was made by the ancients. The Crucible bends mana, reshaping the body and soul of whoever trains inside. But it does not coddle—it breaks the weak."
Ethan swallowed. "Good thing I don't plan to be weak."
The captain smirked faintly, the closest thing to approval Ethan had seen from the grizzled man.
But before he could take a step deeper, a familiar chime echoed in his head.
[ Supreme Fate-Breaker System Activated. ][ New Quest: Trial of the Crucible ]– Objective: Survive ten hours of training within the Crucible.– Rewards: +5 Strength, +5 Endurance, Skill: Adaptive Resilience.– Penalty for Failure: Severe mana backlash, potential soul damage.
Ethan grimaced. "Severe soul damage, huh? No pressure."
Breaking Point Training
The Crucible wasted no time.
The moment Ethan entered, an invisible weight crashed down upon him. His knees buckled, his bones creaked, and his lungs screamed for air. It was as if gravity had multiplied tenfold.
He fell hard against the stone floor. His chest burned, ribs aching as though they might splinter.
[ Alert: Body integrity at 78%. Warning—system recommends adaptation, not resistance. ]
"Not…ed," Ethan rasped, forcing himself up. Every muscle trembled like jelly, but his spirit roared against collapse.
He drew on the system's guidance, allowing his body to adjust. Instead of fighting the weight, he shifted his stance, learned to balance, spread the pressure across his frame. Slowly, painfully, he rose.
"Good," Roderic said, arms crossed. "Most take hours just to stand."
Ethan clenched his teeth. Hours? He didn't have hours to waste.
He started walking. Every step sent jolts of pain through his joints, but he pressed on. Then came the weapons. Wooden swords, iron spears, heavy shields—all heavier here than they should've been, the mana-thick air amplifying their weight.
His arms screamed as he lifted the blade.
[ Adaptive Resilience: Passive Growth initiated. ][ Endurance +1. ]
A flicker of relief. Progress. The system wasn't just showing him limits—it was helping him surpass them.
He trained. He struck. He fell. Over and over.
Hours blurred into one another, sweat pouring from him like a river. His lungs burned, muscles tore, yet with each collapse he felt himself knitting back together stronger.
And when exhaustion nearly drowned him—
[ Emergency Protocol: Godslayer's Breath unlocked. ][ Temporary stamina recovery initiated. ]
Air surged into him like lightning, dragging him back from the brink. He roared and swung again, his strikes sharper, more precise.
Captain Roderic's eyes narrowed, impressed despite himself.
"Not bad, outsider. Not bad at all."
Shadows Above
But Ethan wasn't the only one busy that day.
In a chamber high above the Crucible, Kael sat surrounded by advisors and spies. His fingers toyed with a goblet of wine, eyes fixed on the scrying crystal showing Ethan's training.
"He adapts too quickly," one of Kael's aides muttered. "No ordinary man should endure the Crucible so soon."
"That's because he is no ordinary man," Kael replied smoothly, though his smile was thin. "He carries power not meant for mortals. And that makes him dangerous."
He leaned forward, his reflection twisting in the goblet's crimson depths.
"Send word to the Black Talons. If the Crucible doesn't break him, we'll arrange… another test."
The shadows listened. The shadows obeyed.
Breakthrough
By the ninth hour, Ethan's body was a battlefield. His arms were shredded with microtears, his skin raw with sweat and grit. He could barely lift the blade anymore.
But then—
[ Quest Progress: 90% Complete. ][ Critical Bonus Opportunity Available. ]– Push past your limits for one final strike.– Reward: Fate-Breaker Surge (Temporary).
He grit his teeth, staring at the dummy before him. His vision swam. His heart thundered like a war drum.
"This… is for Claire."
He raised the blade. Every vein in his body felt like it might burst, his bones cracking under the strain.
And then he moved.
The strike wasn't elegant. It wasn't beautiful. But it was raw, primal, burning with every ounce of his fury and will.
The training dummy shattered into splinters. The force rippled through the cavern, making even the runes flicker.
Silence.
Then—
[ Trial of the Crucible: Completed. ][ Reward Granted: Adaptive Resilience (Passive). ][ Strength +5, Endurance +5. ][ Bonus Unlocked: Fate-Breaker Surge (Temporary). ]
Ethan collapsed to his knees, gasping. But there was a fire in his eyes now—one that hadn't been there before.
Captain Roderic stepped forward, placing a calloused hand on his shoulder.
"You've got steel in you, boy. Maybe even fire. The king will want to see this."
Ethan managed a weak grin. "Then let's show him."
Foreshadowing the Storm
Later that night, Ethan staggered back to his quarters. His body still screamed, but the system's recovery was already knitting him together.
He collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
For the first time, he felt… maybe he had a fighting chance in this world.
But then the system chimed again.
[ Warning: External interference detected. ][ Attempted override by unknown divine signature… Loki. ]
Ethan's breath caught.
Loki. The god who had toyed with him, who had ripped him from his old life.
A chill slid down his spine.
And in the shadows outside his chamber window, a cloaked figure whispered into a crystal.
"The order is given. Tomorrow night, we strike."