Ardent Kael descended from the rooftop, his boots hitting the cold stone stairs with a measured rhythm. The wind had barely settled from the white light that had transported him here, but his mind was already focused.
"System… do you have something like an inventory?" he asked aloud, testing the waters of this new reality.
[Yes.]
Kael summoned it. Inside, there was a single weapon: a normal sword, plain and unremarkable. Yet, for him, it was enough. He drew the sword, feeling its weight in his hands. Not much… but perfect for a start.
Now, the hunt begins.
Just a few steps down the staircase, he spotted his first target—a level 1 zombie. It shuffled forward with a grotesque, uneven gait. Its flesh was partly gone; bones jutted from its arms and legs, parts of its skull exposed where the skin had rotted away. The smell of decay was sharp, and its empty eye sockets seemed to fixate on him like a predator recognizing prey.
Before the zombie could lunge, Kael's training—years of grueling hope he never thought would pay off—kicked in. Even if I never became a knight, at least my body remembers the drills. With a swift motion, he thrust the sword clean through the zombie's neck. Its head slumped, twitching once, then collapsed.
[Points gained: 10]
Kael wiped a bit of the zombie's blood from the blade. Only 10 points… but it's a start.
He continued down to the next floor, where a larger horde awaited. Twenty zombies, fifteen level 1s and five level 2s, turned as he approached. Their jaws gaped, limbs jerking awkwardly, moving in a wave toward him, moaning and growling in unison—a grotesque display of hunger and decay.
Even the level 2 zombies were slow, their movements uncoordinated. Kael's grin widened. "This is too easy."
He lunged into the fray. Steel met decayed flesh, skulls cracked, limbs tore apart. Blood spattered his clothes and hands, painting him in the aftermath of carnage. The fight was one-sided; the zombies barely scratched him as he moved with precision and speed, every strike a dance perfected from years of futile training in his old life.
Within moments, the floor was littered with broken bodies, bones snapped, blood pooling across the steps. Kael stepped back, breathing heavily.
[Points gained: 250]
Huff… huff…
He wiped his blade and glanced at the system panel again. "Now… now I can level up."
Clicking the level-up button, he felt an odd surge of energy. Symbols formed around him: a star appeared above his head, and a circle of light enveloped him. He felt magic coursing through his veins and strength he had never known, blending swordsmanship and arcane power.
"So this… this is it. I'm not just a swordsman. Not just a magician… I'm both. A Sword Magician."
A dark, triumphant grin spread across his face. "Ha… everyone who mocked me, laughed at me… just wait. This is only the beginning."
The taste of blood, the thrill of battle, and the surge of power filled him with a feeling he had never experienced before. A new life, a new chance—and the first steps toward becoming supreme.
Ardent Kael clenched his fist, then slowly exhaled. "I can feel the difference… after creating the first star and the first circle."
His senses had sharpened. The world felt clearer, sharper, alive. He could feel the faint energy in the air—the flow of mana that ordinary people could never perceive. It was like breathing a new element.
But when he tried to summon it, reality struck. "Damn… I can sense mana, but I can't really use magic yet. I've never practiced spells."
Still, fragments of knowledge from the books he had read in the Ardent family's library surfaced. Fire magic—the most basic. The formula was simple in words, but difficult in execution.
He focused, concentrating the faint mana swirling in the air and forcing it to gather into his palm. He visualized flames, imagined their heat, their color, their form.
A flicker appeared—tiny sparks flaring in his hand before erupting into a small flame. It danced for barely two seconds before fizzling out, leaving only smoke.
Kael smirked. "So… that's the limit of my mana right now. Just enough to spark a flame, nothing more. I'll need to level up, create more circles, store more mana… only then will I unleash real magic."
He pressed his palm against his chest, feeling the strange duality inside him. "Star and circle… knight and magician."
Knights cultivated by forming stars within their hearts, absorbing mana to strengthen their bodies and blade. Magicians, on the other hand, created circles within their hearts, storing mana to unleash spells.
For centuries, this distinction had divided the world. Some dreamed of mastering both paths, but all who tried paid with their lives. The human heart could not endure both systems at once—circles and stars clashing until the organ burst. History was littered with the corpses of failed hybrids.
And yet… here he stood. Alive. Breathing. Wielding both.
A grin carved across Kael's face, his eyes glinting with madness and triumph. "System… you're truly a monster. To make me the first in the world who can wield both swords and magic… ha! This world has no idea what's coming."
Blood on his blade, mana in his veins, and the system at his back—Ardent Kael felt untouchable.