The first sensation was pain. A dull, throbbing ache resided in his left arm, which was pinned
beneath his body. The second was cold. A deep, seeping dampness that had soaked through
the simple, rough-spun tunic he now wore.
Kael groaned, pushing himself up. His body felt... healthy, but unmistakably normal. There was
no surge of power, no enhanced senses, no sudden understanding of divine techniques. He
was just a man, sore and confused, in a forest that felt impossibly ancient.
The trees were colossal, their bark a purplish-green, and the canopy was so dense that only a
few motes of light dappled the forest floor. The air was rich and loamy, so clean it almost made
him dizzy.
"System?" he whispered, his voice hoarse.
A plain, black-and-white interface appeared in his vision, as minimalist as a '90s text adventure.
Name: Kael Path: The Knight (Guardian's Path) Level: 1 Experience: 0/100 Vows: None
Status: Healthy HP: 100/100 Stamina: 100/100
Skills:
● [Iron Will (Passive) - Lvl 1]: Your mind is your fortress. Grants minor resistance to
mental influence and fear. (0/100 EXP to Lvl 2)
Kael stared at the "Vows: None" line. This was the core of his new power, and it was empty.
"Uphold Oaths to gain power," the description had said. He had no oaths, so he had no power.
He gripped the hilt of the sword beside him. It was a standard longsword, well-balanced but
utterly plain. No glow, no runes, just steel. He could feel the weight of it, a solid, reassuring
burden.
"Okay," Kael muttered, forcing himself to his feet. "First things first. Find... well, find anything."
He remembered the first rule from his web novels: sense the Qi. He closed his eyes, mimicking
the descriptions he'd read a thousand times. He breathed deeply, reached out with his 'spiritual
sense,' and tried to feel the flow of energy in the world.
He felt... nothing.
He felt the breeze on his skin. He felt the ache in his arm. He heard a distant, alien bird-call. But
there was no "energy." No warm tingle, no flow, no river of power. The world felt muted, like he
was standing on the outside of a concert hall, able to hear only the faintest thrum of the bass.
This was it. This was the "0.0001% compatibility." He was Qi-deaf, a true mundane in a world of
magic.
Panic, cold and sharp, began to prickle at the back of his neck. He was alone, unarmed save for
a piece of steel, and completely cut off from the world's power system.
It was this panic that his skill, [Iron Will], reacted to. The fear didn't vanish—it was still there, a cold knot in his stomach—but it was... contained. It no longer clouded his thoughts. He could
still think, still reason.
"Okay. Can't sense Qi. That's fine. What's next? Water. Survival 101."
He chose a direction—downhill, hoping for a stream—and began to walk. The forest was eerily
silent, and he felt the unwelcome sensation of being watched.
He didn't have to wait long. A rustle in the undergrowth to his left made him freeze. He raised
his sword, his knuckles white. The stance was awkward, something he'd copied from a movie,
and he felt utterly ridiculous.
A low growl answered his thoughts. Out from the shadows stepped a creature that was
emphatically not a normal wolf. It was the size of a calf, its fur a matted, sickly green. Its eyes
glowed with a faint, predatory red, and a wisp of green-tinged... something... steamed from its
open jaws.
Kael's brain supplied a term from his reading: "Qi-infused beast." A low-level monster, barely a
threat to even the newest cultivator, who could crush it with a single "Qi-blast."
To Kael, it was the most terrifying thing he had ever seen.
The beast lunged.
There was no thought, only reaction. Kael didn't try to block or parry. He yelped and threw
himself to the side, tumbling over a mossy root. The beast's claws raked the air where he'd
been.
[Stamina: 95/100]
The wolf snarled, surprised by its prey's clumsy but effective dodge. It turned, its movements
faster than any earthly animal.
Kael scrambled to his feet, raising his sword. He was shaking, his breath coming in ragged
gasps. [Iron Will] was working overtime, keeping him from simply collapsing into a fetal position.
The wolf lunged again. Kael, with no training, tried to swing his sword. The beast was too fast. It
ducked under the clumsy arc and slammed its shoulder into Kael's chest, knocking the wind
from him. Its claws tore through his tunic, raking four bloody lines across his ribs.
Pain, sharp and blinding, exploded in his chest.
[HP: 85/100]
He cried out, falling hard. The wolf snapped at his throat. Kael, on his back, held the sword in a
two-handed grip like a desperate, flimsy bar. The beast's jaws clamped down on the steel, its
fangs scraping. Green, acrid saliva dripped onto Kael's face.
He was losing. He could feel the beast's strength; it was pushing the sword closer and closer to
his neck. His arms burned, his stamina draining with every second.
[Stamina: 60/100... 55/100...]
No! He thought. Not like this. Not after just getting here. I chose this!
He roared, a sound of pure terror and desperation. With a final, agonizing push, he shoved the
sword upward and to the side, diverting the wolf's head. At the same time, he brought his knee
up, smashing it into the creature's already-injured ribs.
It was a cheap, dirty, desperate move.
It worked.
The wolf howled in pain and recoiled. The opening was a split second, but it was enough. Kael,
still on his back, thrust the longsword with all the panicked, desperate strength he possessed.
He wasn't aiming. He just stabbed.
The blade sank deep into the beast's soft underbelly, grating against bone.
For a second, everything was still. The wolf looked down at the sword buried in its gut, then at
Kael, its red eyes wide with a strange, almost human shock.
Then it erupted. A wave of green energy, its dying Qi, exploded from its body. Kael was hit by a shockwave of
pure force, throwing him back against a tree.
[HP: 79/100]
The world went white with pain. His head cracked against the bark, and the sword was ripped
from his grasp. The wolf thrashed, gurgling, and finally, mercifully, collapsed.
It took Kael a full minute to be able to breathe again. He was shaking violently, his chest on fire,
his head spinning. He looked at the massive, dead beast. He had won. He had survived.
A small, cold notification popped into his vision.
[Combat Engaged. Threat Neutralized.] [Evaluation: Poor.] [Gained: 1 EXP.]
Kael stared. "One... experience point?" he wheezed. His body was a tapestry of pain. He'd
nearly died. And for what? One point.
He checked his skill.
● [Iron Will (Passive) - Lvl 1]: (1/100 EXP to Lvl 2)
He let his head fall back against the tree and started to laugh, a dry, painful, hysterical sound.
This path wasn't just hard. It was a joke. It was the universe's most brutal punchline.
He had no powers. He had no way to heal but time. He had no way to advance but to hurl his
mortal body into near-death fights for a single, pathetic point of experience.
"So this is the Knight's Path," he whispered, his laughter dying into a cough. He pushed himself
to his feet, his legs trembling. He stumbled over to the wolf, pulled his bloody sword from its
carcass, and wiped it on the grass.
His arm was bleeding. His ribs were on fire. He was lost, exhausted, and completely out of his
depth.
But he was alive.
[Stamina: 15/100]
"Right," he panted, ripping a strip of cloth from his ruined tunic to tie around his arm. "Water.
Then... a vow." He looked down at his shaking hands. "A vow to not be this weak. Ever again."
He turned from his first kill and limped downhill, the steel in his hand feeling heavier than ever.