Intrigued by Grey's endurance, the Emperor complimented him.
"Wow, kid, you survived the hands your captain fought so hard to keep away from."
Grey, in thought: "Of course my endurance is the strongest weapon in my arsenal because I trained my body to the limit every day. And not to forget my crazy parkour training. So, of course, my body can endure, but still… that's not enough to save me."
He tried to run and hide, but the Monster Emperor destroyed the area with a barrage of light beams. He got hit and then was taken out with a Void Claw attack. His body got wrecked. In his mind, he realized he was about to die. He grunted in pain.
"Eyaaah!"
"I'm dead… so this is how I die…"
"This is it… death. I'm at the doorstep. I'm… going t-to pass out."
As Grey drifted toward the brink of death, his body glowed with a faint blue light, his hair flowing like seaweed.
As the Emperor closed in for the kill, Grey Lucas's eyes snapped open, revealing an intense, piercing gaze with a cold blue in them.
"How dare you touch this body?" he growled, his voice low and menacing.
With pressure riling out of Grey, the Emperor shouted in shock.
"H… how? Just how can I sense this presence from a weak little human?"
He guessed, "Is he awakening or something?" Within the blink of an eye Grey Lucas reached him. With a swift, precise motion, Grey struck the Emperor, sending him crashing through the planet.
The Emperor quickly stood his ground and rushed at Grey. "You little f—" Without him completing his speech, Grey attacked.
The two clashed in a flurry of attacks, their powers locked in a struggle that shook the very foundations of the realm.
As the battle raged on, Grey's abilities continued to evolve, his strength and speed increasing exponentially. The Emperor, however, refused to back down, unleashing a maelstrom of attacks that pushed Grey Lucas back as he blocked them. Grey, in serious mode, brought out a sword out of nowhere.
In a final, desperate bid to turn the tide, the Emperor transformed into his true form, unleashing a torrent of void energy that threatened to consume everything in its path. His Ekrin changed, turning full black, and his body harmonized, releasing chains that lashed at Grey, trying to bind him.
*"Full Abyssal &^%%%#$%#"
But the force from Grey's blade shattered them.
"You are too loud," Grey Lucas said.
Grey Lucas, undaunted, countered with a devastating slash, his sword slicing through the Emperor's defenses and striking true. The Emperor's body cracked. As he rushed at Grey, hitting him into the air, with sheer speed he reached Grey, trying to claw him into the ground. Grey retaliated—catching his claws and swinging him like a rope through the battlefield.
Grey calmed. "Well, that's not nice. Let's put an end to this."
His hair turned blue with some remnants of his natural black hair. His eyes brightened with an intensity in them. He used Force Sight and then attacked with an Energy Flash Slash.
The monster couldn't see it but could sense it. He instantly moved behind Grey, hoping to get him from behind. The slash shook almost the entire realm with destruction on the scale of a galaxy. Grey gazed at the destruction. The Emperor tried to attack him from behind, but he blocked without even looking and parried the Emperor.
"T-this… guy," the Emperor proclaimed in frustration.
As the Emperor was swung back, he retaliated with an attack.
"Void Hole Attack!"
An attack that pulls in anything—blast, slash attacks, even people—like a black hole. It hit the monster, twisting him into the core of the planet. Grey reached him and slashed him through the core of the planet with one of his techniques he called out ferociously:
"Force Void One-Handed Blank Slash!"
In the Emperor's eyes, everything turned blank and came rushing in all at once. In pain he thought, "I'm not like this guy. He used Force and Void control perfectly to gain a huge advantage on me. And not to forget that cocky state he's in… because of that form, this has just been a one-sided ass whooping. Ha, fuck!!!"
The monster flew through the planet's core, destroyed it, and cut through the surface. Grey instantly teleported to the surface where the monster had landed.
The Emperor, looking all beat up and cornered, sighed in exhaustion. Grey looked at the Emperor with anger. "You used darkness to destroy. How about you have a taste of that kind of medication? It's fun for me handing your ass to you like that. I missed it. Now eat this—Dark Energy Erasure Blitz."
The Emperor dissipated and was banished from existence through death.
As the dust settled, Grey Lucas stood victorious, his chest heaving with exhaustion. A message popped up showing that a skill named Artifact's Work needed to be activated in order to absorb experience, skills, and strength.
"Art… works…"
The realm, however, was forever changed, the fabric of reality torn asunder by the clash of their powers.
He looked around and saw a piece of the archer that was attacked first. Looking tired, he said, "Oh! So this is where he landed." As Grey's consciousness began to return, he found himself at the entrance of the dungeon, the portal gone. The other Hunters lay unconscious around him, their bodies battered and bruised.
A voice, low and gravelly, echoed in Grey Lucas's mind. "Darn it, boy. Can't you let me finish before you gain consciousness?"
Grey's eyes snapped open, confusion etched on his face. "What the…? Who are you?"
The voice responded, "I am your… guide, your new partner," said with a sweet tongue. "And you, Grey Lucas, are something special indeed."
As Grey struggled to comprehend the voice's words, officials from the Dungeon Detection Centre rushed onto the scene, bearing stretchers to transport the injured Hunters to the hospital. Out of the ten Hunters that went into that dungeon that day, there were only five survivors: Grey Lucas, Brook David, Crevan Freatte, Carl Rune-Brawl, along with one other member.
The voice in Grey Lucas's mind whispered, "This is just the beginning. Your journey is about to take a dramatic turn…"
After the Link incident at the Labret, the remaining survivors were hospitalized. Two days later in Grey Lucas's room…
Sunlight shuffled in through the windows and hit him diligently. Then he slowly opened his eyes, grogginess etched on his face. "Ha… I feel so tired. What… happened? Did we sur… v?" he mumbled.
"What! He's waking up!" exclaimed Jenna Lucas, Grey's mom, as she rushed to his side, relief washing over her as she saw her son wake up and seemingly unharmed. "Grey! Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" she exclaimed.
Grey's gaze drifted to his mother. "What? Mom… when did you get here?"
"Why wouldn't I be here? I was worried about you," she said, smiling.
Jay, Grey's little brother, interrupted, "Big brother, are you okay?" Smiling in relief as he thought back on what happened in the dungeon, Grey answered, "Mon… Jay, I'm fine," reassuring them, his voice weak but steady.
Jenna's eyes lingered on her son's face, searching for any signs of distress. "We were worried sick about you, Grey. But don't worry—your earnings from the Hunt were sent to us. So don't worry, we will be fine." Grey exhaled in relief and nodded.
She brightened the room. "Oh, I almost forgot—you got a scholarship to attend the Hunter Academy. Isn't that great news?"
"Whoa, for real?" Grey's face brightened. "So I brought you some clothes you can wear when you get discharged. Okay? Get better soon, and don't forget to rest," said Jenna Lucas as she left the room.
"Bye, big brother," Jay waved as he followed his mom.
Grey, with a faint smile on his lips, said, "Thanks, Mom. I'll get some rest and come home soon," and then waved too.
As his mother and brother departed, Grey's thoughts turned to the events leading up to his hospitalization. He started thinking about what really happened that day. He tried to recall, but it was hazy, refusing to form a clear narrative.
Just as Grey was about to give up, a strange, futuristic interface materialized before him. The sudden appearance of the holographic display sent Grey tumbling out of bed, his heart racing with surprise.
Grey's expression changed as he was scared and misunderstood the situation. "What the…?" A strange light shone and there was a status window. "...hell…" Grey stuttered, his eyes fixed on the glowing screen.
Suddenly he started remembering the event clearly. "This is weird… and that power resonating inside of me back then… even the weird voice I heard…"
"Is my voice really that weird?" said the low, gravelly voice, sending shivers down Grey's spine. "What happened back there was that you awakened. Now shut up and prepare for a lot of briefing."
Grey's confusion gave way to curiosity. "Who are you? What is this?" he demanded as he yelled. His voice reached outside the room, but the voice remained silent, leaving Grey with more questions than answers.
Immediately, a nurse burst into the room, concern etched on her face. "What's wrong? Are you okay, Grey?" she said with a surprised and suspicious look. "Who were you talking to? There's no one here," she asked, care in her voice. She asked again, "Who were you talking to?"
Grey hesitated, unsure of how to respond. The nurse's puzzled expression told him she couldn't hear or see the mysterious interface.
Grey, in thought: "So she can't see this glowing console? Or even hear that annoying voice?"
"It's nothing," Grey said finally, attempting to reassure the nurse. "I'm just a bit disoriented."
The nurse nodded, her eyes lingering on Grey's face, searching for any signs of distress. "If you need anything, just call for me, okay? Now get some rest." The nurse stepped out.
SYSTEM: "Wow, they take pride in their work here. So from now on, don't talk to me like that. We can use mind conversation."
"…Ok," Grey replied to the system.
Grey softly asked, "So… what are you?"
The strange voice answered, "I'm your system guide, or you can just call me your Guardian."
"What?!!" Grey asked in surprise.
SYSTEM: "Hahahahahah, sorry, I jest. You can just call me Law."
An angry Grey replied, "Who makes jokes like that?"
SYSTEM: "I'm sorry." A strange silence filled the room.
Law broke the ice with his own words of encouragement. "Phew, okay. Now that the nurse is gone, we can get to business. You were lucky they didn't take you as a psycho patient or call a therapist to check if the dungeon incident caused any trauma."
"I'm glad… that would have been bad."
"And a waste of time."
"What? Why?" Grey asked.
Law replied, "Why, you say? Don't you want to learn how to use your newly found powers? I'm going to train you."
"Wow, for real?"
"Yes. Now get some sleep. Training begins tomorrow."
The next day was gloomy and rainy, a day for everyone to stay indoors—a quiet day for training.
"Okay, first let's access your stats and see the kind of physical training you require. Try opening the system window," Law asked.
Grey: "System window."
With a whooshing sound, the interface window appeared.
"Wow," exclaimed Grey.
SYSTEM WINDOW
NAME: GREY LUCAS (Rank F)
LEVEL: 25
POINTS: 100 GOLD
TITLES: NONE
CLASS: SWORDSMAN (E)
AURA: ETHERIC PLANE
EKRIN: 1ST CORE
STATS:
STR: 54
VIT: 36
AGI: 46
SPE: 60
INT: 40
STA: 48
DUR: 52
ELEMENTS: WIND
AUTHORITIES: ART'S WORK, RULER'S TOUCH
SKILLS: EMPEROR'S CHAINS (A)
SHOP / INVENTORY
TRAINING REGIMENT
WORLDS: SYSTEM REALM
STATES: NONE
"Wow, kid, you have some good stats. So you are going to do some little wake-up exercise."
"Okay… what sort of exercise are you talking about here?" asked Grey, curiosity etched on his face.
Law, in excitement, replied, "Give me 100 push-ups, 100 squats, 100 sit-ups, 100 pull-ups."
Grey, with a little smile on his lips: "I do 500 of these every day. This will be easy."
"Okay? Just do it."
Grey started the exercise, and within a few minutes of brief workout, he was done.
"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said it would be easy," Law said in shock. "This kid is well-built, and his physique is pretty good for his age," he thought. "Okay, how about we skip to the next level?" Law exclaimed.
"Okay?" Grey replied.
"Before we do that, you need to be a little prepared," Law said as he explained, "You are going to be fighting some real monsters… with your own power. Because I can't do that thing I did back at the double dungeon again."
"Why?" Grey asked.
"I can only do it one more time now. But before that, I have to go into hibernation. But before that, I'm going to help you prepare for your next training," Law explained.
"Okay, once more, open the window."
Grey replied, "Yes."
With that, the glowing interface appeared.
Law said, "Okay, now time to buy some skills and weapons to help you fight. Now open the shop."
Grey exclaimed, "So I can buy weapons and skills with gold coins!!"
Law replied with a laugh. "Oh, you can do more than that. During your training in the system realm, I'll be educating you on Aura, Ekrin, Skills, the System, the world, the things in it, and beyond it. You need to know a lot, so get ready."
Grey opened the shop. Exciting and amazing slots appeared.
In excitement for his training, Grey exclaimed, "You really are an amazing Guardian. Thanks."
In that moment, Law's heart skipped a bit. In hesitance he said, "Oh… w-well, let's get on with the important business."
SHOP
SKILLS
STATES
WEAPONS / GEAR
CLOTHES
POTIONS
TRADE
Entering skills, the skill slot opened.
SKILLS:
FIRE HEART: Utilize fire in any part of the body (25G)
INSTANT MOVEMENTS: Instantly move anywhere he can see (35G)
LUMINOUS SHIELD: Creates a protective barrier (36G)
AURORA'S HEART: Heal and regenerate any part of the body; can also restore allies (40G)
SOLAR BLESSING: Unleashes a concentrated blast of light energy (39G)
MAGMA FRENZY: Deals massive fire damage to enemies within a large radius (60G)
BLAZING AURA: Surrounds the user with a fiery aura (70G)
LIGHT SPEED: Increases movement speed and reaction time (42G)
PRISMATIC AURA: Surrounds user with a colorful aura, enhancing abilities and healing (63G)
HEALING RADIANCE: Heals stamina, relieves fatigue and stress (20G)
DAZZLING DISPLAY: Creates a dazzling display of light and color, disorienting enemies (80G)
LUMINOUS LEAP: Teleports a short distance, leaving a trail of light (42G)
SOLAR EMPOWERMENT: Enhances magical abilities, increasing damage and reducing cooldowns (55G)
PYROCLASTIC FLOW: Creates an aura that grants fast movement (34G)
GEOLOGICAL STABILITY: Increases defense and stabilizes physique (65G)
WIND BLADE: Creates a sharp blade of wind (20G)
BLAZING VORTEX: Creates a swirling vortex of flames (20G)
MAGMA BURST: Releases molten magma (25G)
WIND TUNNEL: Creates a tunnel of wind that increases movement speed (42G)
HEALING TIDES: Restores health and heals injuries (20G)
GALE: Releases a blast of wind that pushes enemies back (21G)
HEALTH STABILITY: Relieves diseases, poison, curse, abnormalities (45G)
WIND PRESSURE: Shoots out condensed air (22G)
GEOLOGICAL SENSE: Increases awareness of surroundings (30G)
AERIAL ACE: Increases movement speed and jump height; potential flight (40G)
SWORD SLASH: Deals massive damage with aura slashes (25G)
WHIRLWIND SLASH: Creates a whirlwind of sword slashes (30G)
SWORD FOCUS: Increases sword damage and heightens senses (40G)
HEIGHTENED VITALITY: Grants near-infinite stamina and regeneration (68G)
ICE SHARDS: Deals massive ice damage (36G)
EKRIN SHIELD: Surrounds user with Ekrin shield that absorbs attacks (67G)
EKRIN DRAIN: Drains Ekrin from enemies (35G)
EKRIN INFUSION: Increases Ekrin regeneration (80G)
TIME DILATION: Slows down time (80G)
RADIANT AURA: Radiant aura increases aura regeneration (85G)
INFUSION: Infuse skills into any weapon (80G)
SKILL SOLINIZATION: Combine two different skills (90G)
With the amount of gold he possessed and the skills he needed, Law analyzed that he should buy Healing Tide (20G) and Instant Movement (35G), and then told him to choose one extra skill that could be helpful to him. He chose Fire Heart (25G) and Wind Blade (20G).
"I chose this one," Grey said.
Law explained, "Okay, that means you have no gold left. But don't worry since you're going to be there a long time."
"What!? How long?" Grey said in surprise. "You do know that I have less than one week before I'm discharged, right?"
Law explained, "Yes, I know. But in the System Realm, time flows differently. One hour here is one day there. So you see, we have lots of time to whip you into shape."
"So we are going in now," Law said as the System Realm opened up.
Grey stepped in, and it closed behind him. To his surprise, he was in another world. But that was not the only surprising thing. There was a herd of monsters waiting for him. The monsters varied: Goblins, Spirit Wolves, Trolls, Ogres, Hellhounds, and some other wicker monsters.
"What is this…?"
The monsters rushed at him with the intent of having eaten nothing but weaker monsters for years.
"So this is what happens in a real battle…"
Grey covered his body with fiery aura (Fire Heart activated) and then smashed the face of a goblin, taking its weapon.
"Haaah!" he yelled as he used Instant Movement to get through some monsters, swooshing past their blind spot with flames covering him as he cut them down.
GREY
Although this is an ambush… it still… it… it still feels great. I'm having a blast. But I don't want to die. So this is how it goes… I'm going to have to get a lot stronger.
There's one monster coming from my left… he's trying to hack me. I'll dodge it and retaliate quickly.
He struck the monster with the machete he took earlier. An Ogre kicked him, sending him flying through the forest, breaking tree branches.
Ah, they're going to be on me soon. I have to balance myself. Law cautioning in my ear… the monsters pushing me into the forest where they have more advantage.
This is it… I need to focus.
Rushing through them, I continued using my flames to get through the air. Landing on the trees, I struck them from above—killing all the goblins and the rest of the wicker monsters in one go, like the flame boar and others.
Without any rest, two Spirit Wolves came at me, speed-blitzing around me, preparing for the right moment to strike. I need to take care of them because five Ogres are coming. They move slow—Ogres are rather slow when they aren't attacking, but when they attack they are very fast and difficult to predict for their size.
A Spirit Wolf came at me, bit my leg. As soon as they sensed me being off balance, two more swooped in, hitting me.
Ah… this is not easy. I'm getting hit—they're hitting my sides, chipping at me.
There's something Law said to me—be focused… be in a state of mind and flow. Get immense in the flow of battle.
I'm seeing it—a state of full innate domain. My vision is getting wider. It feels like they're moving slower. My body can't keep up but my mind can.
Damn, I'm getting so much information in such a little time—whoaa!! This is great. Now—time for some output.
Zone
I finally got one of the Spirit Wolves, cutting its leg, then I gutted it. Standing up, I used Tide Healing. Water flowed out of my body and healed me, refreshing my entire body.
That's good. Let's go.
The two wolves rushed at me. They growled, trying to rely on their speed. Using the information I could see, I hit them precisely at their weak points, killing both of them in an instant.
The five Ogres reached me with their crazy speed. Good—I'm still immersed in this power. I dashed forward with my heat and sliced their feet and torsos, killing them without even thinking.
Whoa! I think I just found my new power.
Glitter—Sparks.
"Stay focused, kid."
Ah, shit. I lost focus and it turned off. Some Trolls and Hellhounds are still here trying to eat me—not a chance.
Using Instant Movement, I reached the Trolls and burned them with the flames coming out of me, striking them down. Then I sliced using Wind Blade. Wind solidified—wind flew at them, piercing through them, cutting through all the Hellhounds as it extinguished them.
SYSTEM: Level up! Level up! Level up! Level up! Level up! Level up! You've gained system rewards!
Blood covered the entire battlefield, and the fighting ended.
"Phew… that was close," Grey exhaled as he breathed heavily.
"You did a great job. Now let's get to a safe haven before we progress."
"While you are resting, your education on your system and how this world really works will begin. If you have any questions, you can ask after the briefing."