Chapter 3 – The Price of Resurrection
The tunnel beyond the crimson door stretched like a throat of stone, breathing faint drafts of cold air.
Rael walked with measured steps, every sense alive. The System's faint hum hovered inside his skull like static, always listening.
> [Main Quest Active: Balance of Light and Shadow.]
[Optional Test: Use Skill – Devour Trace.]
He flexed his hand. The sigil on his palm pulsed once, responding to thought.
"I suppose you want proof I'm worth the resurrection," he murmured.
The corridor opened into a wide hall littered with debris. Shards of armor lay scattered—husks of training constructs, long inert. He knelt beside one and touched the metal. The sigil flared.
A faint wisp of golden dust lifted from the ruin, spiraling into his palm. It vanished with a whisper like a sigh.
> [Residual Fate Absorbed – 0.03 Units.]
[Vital Efficiency + 1%.]
Rael blinked. He felt it: a subtle sharpening of focus, as though the world came into clearer alignment. Power through consumption—simple, elegant, and terrifyingly efficient.
Yet with the surge came an aftertaste, a heaviness that pressed on his chest.
He staggered, gripping the wall. "So there's the price."
> [Correction: Energy Transfer Requires Narrative Compensation.]
[Compensation Detected: Host Fatigue + Minor Memory Loss.]
Memory loss. The System demanded balance not in blood, but in story. Every gain cost a fragment of himself.
He straightened, forcing calm. "Then I'll learn to trade carefully."
A faint echo carried through the tunnel. Steps—soft but deliberate.
Rael extinguished the glow from his palm and slipped behind a broken pillar.
A voice drifted nearer, wary but human. "Anyone here? The light just… flickered."
Through a crack, he saw the newcomer: a young man in patched armor, sword drawn, a lantern trembling in his grip. An explorer or scout—maybe part of the guild that maintained this ruin.
Rael's thoughts raced. If the heroes rebuilt their network, this man reports what he sees. If he recognizes me…
The scout stopped near the pile of constructs, frowning at the disturbance.
Then his gaze lifted toward the pillar. Their eyes met—brief, electric.
"Who's there?" the man demanded. "Identify yourself!"
Rael stepped out slowly, palms open. "I mean no harm."
Even as he spoke, the System pulsed.
> [Threat Assessment: Host Detected by Potential Witness.]
[Suggestion: Neutralize or Reconfigure Fate Thread.]
"Neutralize?" Rael hissed under his breath. "He's just a—"
> [Warning: Exposure Risks Narrative Instability.]
The scout took a nervous half-step back. "That mark on your hand… you're corrupted!"
Rael's pulse spiked. The sigil had begun to glow again, reacting on instinct.
"Wait—don't—"
The scout swung his blade in panic. The strike missed, but the motion triggered the System.
Crimson runes flared, circling Rael's arm. The air thickened with pressure.
> [Skill Triggered – Devour Trace (Adaptive).]
A vortex of light pulled between them, drawing the faint shimmer that clung to the scout's armor. His lantern shattered, scattering sparks across the floor. The glow lasted a heartbeat, then vanished.
The man collapsed, unconscious but breathing, his aura dimmed.
Rael staggered back, horror and awe mixing in equal measure. The System chimed softly:
> [Fate Fragment Absorbed – 0.4 Units.]
[Skill Progress + 12%.]
[Side Effect: Emotional Dissonance Detected.]
He knelt beside the fallen scout, checking for signs of life. Pulse steady. No wounds—only drained energy, as if fortune itself had been siphoned away.
He whispered, "So that's the price. I take their chance, not their life."
> [Clarification: Fate Determines All Outcomes. Life Or Luck Is A Variable Result.]
The words chilled him more than any threat. The System didn't differentiate between moral and mechanical.
He rose, mind whirring. If one frightened adventurer could provoke such a reaction, what would happen when he faced the heroes themselves?
The tunnel lights flickered again. Far away, a metallic chime echoed—the kind of sound that marked a completed quest.
> [Sub-Quest Completed – First Reclamation.]
[Reward: Skill Upgrade – Devour Trace Tier 1 → Tier 2.]
[New Feature Unlocked: Echo Memory.]
Rael steadied himself as new information streamed into his mind: a flicker of the scout's recollection—his route through the dungeon, his guild crest, his fear. Echo Memory allowed Rael to glimpse what others knew.
He exhaled slowly. "Knowledge, power, fragments of fate… and in return, I lose pieces of myself. That's your equation, isn't it?"
> [Affirmative.]
The scout stirred, moaning softly. Rael stepped back into shadow. Leaving the man alive was a risk, but killing him—or letting the System consume more—was another kind of loss.
He whispered to the empty air, "No heroes yet. I'll need to choose my fights."
The crimson symbol faded from his hand, leaving a faint ache. The System went quiet, waiting for his next command.
Rael turned toward the exit tunnel that led upward. A faint draft carried the scent of rain and the murmur of distant city bells. The surface.
His lips curved in a wry half-smile. "Round two begins aboveground."
> [Main Quest Updated: Reintegration into World – Observe the Heroes.]
He paused at the threshold, glancing once more at the unconscious scout.
A whisper of conscience lingered—perhaps the last remnant of the man he'd been.
Then he stepped into the light.
The door sealed behind him with a quiet hiss, and somewhere within the System, invisible gears began to turn.
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Author's Note:
Rael's first real test shows that power in this world always demands balance.
If you're enjoying his awakening and the System's eerie logic, don't forget to tap "Add to Library" or leave a comment — each one keeps the story climbing the rankings.
See you in the next hunt!