Three months had passed since the first wave.
The battle of Elarron Woods became a legend whispered even among the elves — endless nights of roars, fire, and blood.
Every dawn, the forest floor was painted red again.
Every dusk, Haru still stood — shield raised, sword soaked, body trembling but never falling.
The elves began to whisper his name.
> "The Human Wall."
"The Shield of the Grove."
"The One Who Never Sleeps."
But Haru didn't fight for titles.
He fought because stopping meant dying.
And then, on the ninetieth day — when the last abyss beast fell beneath his sword — the sky flashed crimson and a System notification burned across his vision.
✨ Level Up!
Current Level: 60
Title Unlocked: RANKER
> Description: One of the strongest System Holders chosen by the System of Asher. Only the top 20 in the global ladder may bear this mark.
Effect: +20% increase to all base stats.
A deep red aura surrounded Haru, glowing like blood in the sunlight.
His body pulsed with strength — raw, terrifying, alive.
Haru clenched his fist. The air around him trembled.
He could feel his heartbeat syncing with the world itself.
Then came another system message — one that made his spine tingle.
Global Rank: #1
You may now perceive all beings with a System.
Additional Reward: Blood Lust (A+)
> When activated, all beings with a lower level than yours will feel crushing fear. The greater the level gap, the higher the mental and physical suppression.
Haru's breath fogged.
The world around him grew silent — even the birds had stopped singing.
He took a step forward. The ground cracked beneath his boot.
Elves nearby trembled instinctively, clutching their chests as the air thickened like gravity itself.
Haru blinked, startled — and the aura instantly vanished.
He looked at his hands, trembling.
> "So this is… power," he muttered softly. "But it feels more like a curse."
He gazed up at the burning sky above Elarron Woods.
He had survived the abyss.
He had reached the top of the ladder.
But deep down… he felt the world itself watching him now.
Another month passed.
The forest that once whispered with wind and birds now screamed with the clash of steel and the roar of monsters.
The Battle of Elarron Woods — it never ended.
Every dawn, they fought. Every dusk, they buried the dead.
The elves' numbers had dwindled to a fraction. Those who remained were pale, trembling, but unbroken.
And Haru — still standing at the frontline — had become something else entirely.
---
Name: Haru Villamor
Age: 24
Job: Warrior
Level: 61
Title: Ranker
Strength: 135
Intelligence: 125
Agility: 120
Vitality: 140
Sense: 155
Skills:
A+ Rank Arthur's Manual (Experience): Knowledge from countless battles. Every strike guided by instinct, not skill. The body remembers what the mind forgets.
A Rank Crimson Blade (Active): Imbues the weapon with red aura, increasing damage by 80% for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 1 hour.
B Rank Flash Step (Active): Instantly close distance. Bonus damage when chained with another attack.
C Rank Mana Reinforce (Physical Type): Temporarily strengthens the body using mana for 30 seconds.
A Rank Barrier of Barrack (Active): Creates a barrier of light that reduces all incoming damage by 50% for 20 seconds.
A+ Aura Blade (Passive): Amplifies damage fivefold when aura is infused into a weapon.
A+ Bloodlust (Active): Unleashes a suffocating killing intent. Enemies with lower level experience suppression and mental collapse.
---
As Haru sat on a fallen log, blood dripping from his fingers, the ground trembled again.
Far beyond the line, explosions echoed — bright flashes tearing through the distant canopy.
> "Another uproar," Lynelle muttered, tightening her bowstring. "The other side of Elarron Woods… it's getting worse every day."
Haru turned his gaze toward the smoke that climbed into the sky.
> "Why aren't the High Elves here? Why aren't the elders sending their elites?"
Lynelle's lips tightened.
> "Because they can't." She looked at him, eyes hollow. "On the far side, the elves are fighting something worse — the Demon Army itself. We're only the defense line. Our job is to keep these monsters from breaking through to the Silver Grove."
A loud boom shook the ground again. Trees splintered. Birds fled.
From the smoke — dozens of creatures emerged: fanged beasts, winged horrors, and grotesque forms of abyssal hounds.
Lynelle whispered, "They're here again."
---
Haru stood, gripping the wooden sword Lynelle had given him — the blade now darkened from endless battles.
The faint red aura of Crimson Blade hummed around its edge.
> "Then I'll hold them," Haru said, his voice calm — almost too calm. "That's what a warrior does."
He slammed his shield into the ground. The shockwave rippled outward.
Bloodlust ignited — crimson air spread from him like a storm.
Monsters froze mid-charge. Their eyes turned bloodshot. Some stumbled, choking on their own fear.
Haru dashed forward — Flash Step, then Aura Blade.
His sword sliced through three hounds in one motion — their bodies turned to mist before hitting the ground.
A serpent lunged from the left — its scales thick like armor. Haru raised his shield, deflecting the blow, the impact ringing like thunder.
He countered, mana flaring — Crimson Blade + Mana Reinforce.
The sword blazed scarlet, cutting through the serpent's neck cleanly.
---
"Retreat behind the barrier!" Lynelle shouted, firing rapid arrows that glowed with light.
The elves fell back behind Haru as he planted his shield again.
Barrier of Barrack — a glowing dome of golden light surrounded them. Every strike from monsters splintered harmlessly against it.
But the pressure didn't stop.
For every creature that fell, two more took its place.
Haru gritted his teeth, blood dripping down his chin. His muscles screamed, but his body — forged through pain — refused to break.
> "If a dragon's fifty times stronger than a man…" he muttered, slicing through a beast's head, "then what are we, the System Holders?"
He lunged again, his voice low, almost inhuman.
> "We are the system itself."
His aura exploded — red and white light colliding as hundreds of monsters howled in terror.
The battlefield became a storm of light and blood.
---
By the end of the night, there was silence.
Bodies of monsters blanketed the forest floor like black snow.
And in the middle stood Haru — his sword cracked, his armor scorched, his shield shattered — but still standing.
Lynelle approached quietly, her bow trembling in her hand.
> "You're insane," she whispered.
Haru only smiled faintly.
> "No," he said, turning to face the dawn. "I'm still alive."