"There be beasts whose breath can lay low a city,
and there be adventurers whose blade may strike them down.
Yet in this same world dwell many who cannot guard their own lives.
Thus is the burden laid upon the strong—
to stand, that the weak may endure."
—Stein Dreadmour, Dragon-Slayer and Champion of the Hinora Kingdom
…
In a small adventurers' guild located at Greystone Village, a lean young boy stood before the news board, staring at the quote pinned to it.
The boy's name was Kairo. His frame was thin, neither tall nor short. To most who passed him by, he looked more like a servant boy who had lost his way than an adventurer.
And yet, he kept staring at the words. To others, they were a sign of strength and courage. To Kairo, they were a reminder of his place.
He was one of the weak spoken of in that quote, a boy barely strong enough to crawl through dungeons, clinging to life by coin and chance. His fingers curled at his sides.
But even so, the man who had spoken those words, Stein Dreadmour, was his role model. The kind of adventurer Kairo dreamed of becoming, even if the whole world seemed set on reminding him he never would.
"Kairo! … Kairo! … Kairo!"
A voice barely reached him. Lost in thought, he didn't notice until a hand fell on his shoulder.
Kairo blinked, jolted out of his thoughts, and turned.
Mira stood there, arms crossed. She was similar to Kairo's age, her hair light brown, and with her honey brown eyes, she looked at him.
"How long should I keep calling you?"
"Everyone in the party is waiting."
Kairo glanced past her. At a table near the corner, Ronin and Draven were waving enthusiastically, motioning for him to come.
He sighed faintly, a small smile tugging at his lips. Even though we are weak… we are still adventurers.
Kairo responded in a whisper barely audible, "Sorry. I was… lost in thought."
Mira rolled her eyes, a teasing smile forming. "Let's go, daydreamer." She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the others.
The four of them, Kairo, Mira, Ronin, and Draven, had known each other since childhood. Growing up together in Greystone Village, they used to spend their days playing 'adventurers and monsters' in the fields, waving sticks like swords and pretending to slay monsters.
Even back then, Kairo had always been the quiet one. He rarely raised his voice, and even when he did, it was never rough or loud. It was something the others often teased him for, but it was also why they liked having him around.
The group gathered, and they began to talk about their last quest.
"After we killed that goblin in the last quest," Ronin said, puffing out his chest, "my total XP went up to thirty-four!"
That "last quest" had been a single goblin. One miserable, half-starved creature that took the four of them nearly half an hour to kill. It had stumbled before Mira finally landed the killing blow.
Draven groaned. "What? Thirty-four XP? Mine only went to twenty-nine!" His fist hit the table.
Ronin laughed. "Guess the system likes me more!"
Mira smirked, folding her arms. "Hah. I'm at sixty-two XP now." Her voice carried a note of pride.
Both boys froze.
Draven's eyes widened. "What—?! Sixty-two?!"
Ronin grinned. "That's our leader!"
Mira lifted her chin proudly, but her gaze softened when she noticed Kairo. He sat silently beside them, his expression unreadable.
He wasn't laughing.
Instead, his eyes drifted to the faint, shimmering window only he could see, his status screen.
...
[STATUS SCREEN]
Name: Kairo
Age: 16
Race: Human
---
Level: 1
Experience: 0 / 100
Rank: F
---
Class: Grunt (Basic Warrior)
Sub-Classes: -
---
Health: 20
Mana: 5
Stamina: 25
---
Strength: 2
Agility: 5
Vitality: 4
Magic: 1
Dexterity: 2
Luck: 0
---
Skills:
- [Basic Slash Lv.1]
- [Guard Stance Lv.1]
- [Will to Survive Lv.0]
...
Kairo muttered under his breath, "…Still zero."
Mira's expression shifted, "Don't worry, Kairo. You'll get there. Everyone starts somewhere."
Ronin clapped him on the back. "Yeah, we'll drag you up with us if we have to!"
Draven grinned. "That's right. Next quest, you're bound to get something."
Kairo smiled faintly at their encouragement, though deep inside, the words barely reached him.
He had been at this for over a year and a half.
Over a year of quests, carrying supplies, gathering herbs, scraping through the lowest of dungeons and forests. Still, he did not get a single point of experience.
The system was cruel. Everyone knew its rule. It was whispered in taverns, a truth no one could escape.
When an adventurer awakened, they had two years. Two years to gain even a single point of XP. The clock started ticking the moment the status screen first appeared before their eyes.
If they failed… their growth would end there, locking in weakness for the rest of their lives. No second chances.
For Kairo, more than a year had already passed. Eighteen months of struggle, eighteen months of watching that zero remain unchanged.
If he didn't earn even one point of experience soon… then like so many others who once dreamed of glory, he would be condemned to remain nothing more than a powerless boy in a world where magic and monsters ruled.
The strong would rise. The weak would fade.
This was the cruel truth of the system they lived under.
A system that granted power to some, while leaving others behind forever. No matter how hard they fought.
"We got a quest lined up." Mira said, "Harvesting medicinal herbs near the forest edge."
Ronin leaned in, "How much?"
Mira replied, "Fifteen coppers, split four ways. Easy money if we're quick."
Draven snorted. "Better than chasing goblins for scraps."
"Let's move out then." Mira stood up.
...
They left the guild and walked the dirt trail toward Greystone Forest.
By noon, they reached the forest edge. Trees rose before them, but scattered between them lay massive grey stones, some as large as houses, others half-buried in moss and roots.
The forest earned its name honestly. It was not only trees. An equal amount of grey stones were found in it.
Their quest was simple, gather medicinal herbs.
Mira and Ronin took up guard positions at the clearing's edge, weapons drawn, eyes scanning the shadows between the trees.
Kairo and Draven knelt among the roots, plucking leaves and stems, filling their baskets with sprigs of silverleaf and moonvine.
This area of the forest was usually filled with monsters like slimes.
The forest was quiet. Too quiet.
Then—
A wet sound.
Something leaped from the bushes. A slime, translucent, and wobbling.
Kairo froze, his fingers still wrapped around a stem.
Before he could react, Mira rushed forward and intercepted it mid-leap.
She swung her sword, the edge biting into the slime's body. It split briefly, then knitted itself together again, undulating and reforming.
"Tch—[Firebar]!"
A burst of flame erupted in her left hand. She thrust it forward, and the fire slammed into the slime, scorching its surface.
Ronin followed through, slamming his sword down with a shout. The slime splattered apart, melting into the dirt in a puddle of acidic residue.
Mira turned, panting, "You okay, Kairo?"
Kairo nodded shakily, "I… got scared for a second."
Draven laughed, "As long as Mira's around, nothing can touch us!"
Mira smirked, sheathing her blade. "You'd better remember that."
They resumed their work. The sun crawled across the sky, shadows lengthening. By evening, their baskets were full.
The setting sun painted the forest in hues of gold and red..
Then—
A scream.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
The sound came from deeper within the woods, they turned instantly.
A middle-aged man stumbled toward them. He was drenched in blood, his clothes torn, his eyes wide with terror. His mouth opened and closed, words failing him.
Behind him, a troll lumbered forward.
Massive. Gray-skinned, muscles bulging beneath cracked hide. A crude log gripped in its hands like a weapon.
The ground shook beneath its steps. Each stride snapped branches and uprooted saplings.
Kairo's breath hitched, his chest tightening. "A troll? Here? They only live inside dungeons…"
Mira's eyes widened, her face draining of color. "Run! It's coming this way!"
"RUN!"
They started to run in fear for their lives.
They bolted as branches whipped at their faces, thorns tearing skin.
Kairo looked back as he heard a scream. He saw the troll's massive foot come down, crushing the fleeing man flat. Bone crunched and blood sprayed across grey stone.
His body froze. His foot caught a root.
He stumbled and fell, hitting the ground hard.
Ronin and Draven crashed into him from behind, tangling limbs, gasping for air.
Mira rushed back and helped them, she grabbed Ronin and Draven up who were on top of kairo.
She then grabbed Kairo's arm, hauling him upright. "Run!"
But the troll was already upon them.
Mira shoved Kairo aside just as the troll's log came swinging at him, a blur of motion.
Crack.
Mira's body twisted unnaturally, ribs shattering, spine breaking. She was flung through the air like a broken doll, limbs flailing. Blood splattered across Kairo's face, hot and wet.
"Mira…"
She hit the ground with a lifeless thud, her eyes still open, staring at nothing.
At that moment, seeing Mira die in front of his eyes, one of his skills, [Will to Survive], which had never activated before, even once, was activated.
[Skill Activated: Will to Survive Lv.0]
His limbs surged with strength, muscles flooding with unnatural energy. His feet dug into the earth, and he sprinted, faster than he ever had before. Faster than he thought possible.
He caught up with Ronin and Draven, then passed them.
The moment he passed them, Kairo heard more screaming sounds.
Kairo glanced back. He saw the troll's hand shoot out, fingers wrapping around Draven's leg. It swung him like a rag, then slammed him into a tree. The trunk cracked, and Draven's body went limp.
Ronin lay on the ground, both legs shattered, bone jutting through skin. He reached out weakly, fingers clawing at dirt. "Kairo… help me…"
No… I have to help them… I can't leave them…
Kairo's throat tightened. He wanted to stop. He wanted to turn back.
But his body refused. The [Will to Survive] forced his muscles to move, even as his heart screamed. His legs carried him forward against his will.
He ran. Tears blurred his vision, streaming down his cheeks.
Then, a shadow fell from the right.
The troll's log.
It struck him before he could react, slamming into his side.
In the next second, he found himself lying on the ground. His skull was broken, fragments pressing into his brain. Broken neck, ribs caved in, shoulders shattered, legs twisted at wrong angles.
The last thing he saw was the troll towering over him, the setting sun burning behind its silhouette, a halo of dying light.
His fingers twitched weakly. He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
His thoughts dimmed to a single whisper.
I… want to live…
Darkness took him.
...
SYSTEM ERROR!
Skill [Will to Survive] — evolving…
[Will to Survive] → [Refuse to Die]