Don ran through the Veiled Shadowfen with mechanical efficiency, his enhanced Agility of 112 carrying him across the twisted terrain without sound.
Bloodfang's camp was six hours behind him now, reduced to corpses and ash. The map tucked in his armor showed the second camp two kilometers northeast—his next target.
But something was different.
His body felt... restless. As if energy was building inside him, pressing against his skin, demanding release. His mana churned in his channels. His stats seemed to pulse with each heartbeat.
And then—
[DING!]
[LEVEL 10 MILESTONE ACHIEVED]
[SYSTEM EVOLUTION AVAILABLE]
[MANDATORY STATUS REVIEW REQUIRED]
Don slowed to a stop, his yellow eye narrowing at the notifications. Mandatory? The System had never forced him to review anything before.
[HOST MUST ACKNOWLEDGE CHANGES BEFORE PROCEEDING]
[RECOMMENDATION: FIND SECURE LOCATION]
Don looked around. The forest here was denser, the trees larger—ancient things with trunks wide as houses and branches that formed natural platforms dozens of meters above the moss-covered ground.
Perfect.
He chose the largest tree nearby and began climbing, his enhanced Strength and Dexterity making the ascent trivial. Within thirty seconds, he'd reached a massive branch—easily three meters wide, sturdy as stone—that extended out from the trunk like a natural bridge.
Don settled into a crouch, back against the trunk, The Executioner's Edge hovering behind his shoulder in its semi-transparent state. From here, he could see the forest stretching in every direction, the crimson twilight casting everything in shades of red and shadow.
Secure enough.
"Status," Don said quietly.
The familiar blue text materialized—but different this time. Brighter. More detailed. As if the System itself had evolved along with him.
╔═══════════════════════════╗
STATUS SCREEN
╚═══════════════════════════╝
Name: Don Valdruun • Age: 12
Health (HP): {10/-} • Mana (MP): {3960/3960}
Stamina (STA): {99/99} • Experience (EXP): {847/4000}
Level: 10 • Status Points: 0 • Madness: 18%
— CULTIVATION —
• Stage: 1 - Iron Will • Level: 3/6
• Foundation: Supreme (Seven Sacrifices)
• Manifestation: The Executioner's Edge (Guillotine Blade)
• Manifestation Growth: 5%
— ATTRIBUTES —
• Strength: 110 • Agility: 112 • Vitality: 97
• Dexterity: 97 • Stamina: 99
• Wisdom: 102 • Magic Power: 99 • Intelligence: 99
• Sense: 5 • Luck: 50
— TITLES & TALENTS —
• Title: Survivor of Death's Deceit
• Title: Greenskin Hunter ◆ ACTIVE ◆
• Talent: Child of Luck
• Talent: Nexus of All Energies
— SKILLS —
• Skill 1: Immortality (Lv. 10)
Passive: +10 Physical Stats per level
Sub-Skill: Emotion Suppression (Lv. 10) - Duration: 11 min | Cost: 81 Mana
Sub-Skill: Hardened Skin (Lv. 5) - 16% damage reduction
Sub-Skill: Life Steal (Lv. 1) ◆ NEW - UNLOCKED AT LV.10 ◆
Passive: Successful attacks restore small amount of HPActive: Drain life force from living targets (Cost: 50 Mana)Scales with damage dealt
• Skill 2: Learning and Adaptation (Lv. 10)
Passive: Adept Mastery
Current Masteries:
Knife (Adept) | Sword (Adept) | Spear (Adept) | Shield (Adept)Energy Control (Adept) | Combat Arts (Adept)Goblin Language (Adept)
Sub-Skill: Soul Library (Lv. 5) - Books: 3
Sub-Skill: Analyze (Lv. 5) - Cost: 9 Mana (FREE vs Goblins)
Sub-Skill: Devoured Traits (Lv. 5)
Sub-Skill: Evolutionary Traits (Lv. 1) ◆ NEW - UNLOCKED AT LV.10 ◆
Devoured Traits can now EVOLVE through usageCommon → Uncommon → Rare → Epic (higher grades at higher levels)Evolution requires: repeated use + specific conditionsCurrent traits can begin evolution process
• Skill 3: Imagination (Lv. 10)
Passive: +15 Mind & Soul Stats per level
Sub-Skill: Manifestation Forging(Lv. 10) ◆ EVOLVED-Create temporary/semi-permanent weapons from energyCan forge: Swords, Spears, Daggers, Shields, Bows, etc.
Duration: 10 minutes (temporary) / 24 hours (semi-permanent, high cost)Quality increases with level and mana investmentCan imbue with elemental properties (see Elemental Manipulation)
Sub-Skill: Telekinesis (Lv. 5) - Cost: 18 Mana/second
Sub-Skill: Elemental Manipulation (Lv. 1) ◆ NEW - UNLOCKED AT LV.10 ◆
Basic Elements Available:
Fire: High damage, burning effect
Water: Versatile, healing properties at higher levels
Earth: Defense, terrain control
Air: Speed, cutting attacks
Complex Elements Available (Limited at Lv.1):
Lightning: Extreme damage, armor piercing, paralysis effect
Poison: Damage over time, weakening effectIce: Slowing,
freezing (requires Water mastery)Applications:
Create elemental constructs (walls, barriers, simple shapes)Imbue weapons with elemental propertiesDirect elemental attacks (fireballs, lightning bolts, etc.)Environmental manipulation (limited at current level)
Cost: Varies by element and complexity (10-100 Mana per use)
Note: Combines with Primal Weapon Crafting for enhanced effects
— IRON WILL ABILITIES —
Passive: Severed Emotions (Supreme Foundation)
Active 1: Executioner's Judgment - 30 Mana | 10s cooldown
Active 2: Will Manifest - 10 Mana/second
— DEVOURED TRAITS —
• Night Vision [Common]
• Enhanced Smell [Common]
• Poison Resistance [Common]
• Battle Instinct [Common]
• Basic Dark Mana Sense [Common]
• Leadership Aura [Common]
• Battle Veteran [Common]
╚═══════════════════════════╝
Don stared at the screen, his mind processing the new information with clinical precision. Three new sub-skills. Life Steal, Evolutionary Traits, and Elemental Manipulation.
The last one was particularly interesting.
He held out his hand experimentally, focusing on the new skill, imagining fire—
Heat gathered in his palm.
Not the black energy of his Nexus talent, but actual flame—orange-red, flickering, real. It danced across his fingers without burning him, responding to his will with the same ease as his other abilities.
Don closed his fist, extinguishing the flame. Then opened it again, this time imagining lightning—
Crackling blue-white energy arced between his fingers, the sound like breaking glass and distant thunder. The complex element was harder to control, requiring more focus, more mana—but it worked.
He dismissed the lightning and tested poison next—a sickly green mist materialized, smelling faintly acidic, before he dispersed it with a thought.
Three complex elements available at Level 1. Limited, yes—he couldn't create massive storms or coat entire battlefields in poison. But targeted applications? Imbuing weapons? Direct attacks?
Very useful.
[Interesting development, little seed,] Madness's voice was quieter than usual, almost contemplative. [You're becoming quite the arsenal.]
Don didn't respond. He was still reading the status screen, noting the details of each new ability, when more text appeared:
[LEVEL 10 MILESTONE - CLASS SELECTION AVAILABLE]
[Analyzing Host's path, abilities, and actions...]
The notifications paused for several seconds, text scrolling rapidly as if the System was processing enormous amounts of data. Then:
[Analysis Complete]
[4 Compatible Classes Found]
[RARITY: ORIGIN-TIER]
[WARNING: These classes are UNIQUE to your specific combination]
[WARNING: Choice is PERMANENT]
[WARNING: Information limited to Stage 1 benefits - higher stage abilities locked]
Four boxes materialized before Don's eyes, each containing detailed information about a class. He read them carefully, his enhanced Intelligence letting him process and compare the information with perfect clarity.
Class 1: Apex Predator - The ultimate hunter. Bonuses to XP, tracking, execution. Perfect for someone who treated combat as systematic extermination.
Class 2: Void Walker - Master of stealth and space. Teleportation, phasing, undetectable movement. Perfect for an assassin.
Class 3: Nexus Sovereign - Master of all energies. Massive cost reduction, energy absorption, hybrid power creation. Perfect for someone with his Nexus of All Energies talent.
Class 4: Executioner of Fate - Death incarnate. Manifestation evolution, fate manipulation, guaranteed kills. Perfect for someone whose Iron Will was a guillotine blade.
Don's eyes lingered on the last two options.
Nexus Sovereign was tempting.
Very tempting. An additional 30% energy cost reduction would stack with his talent's 10%, giving him 40% total reduction.
He could spam abilities almost without limit. The energy absorption would make him functionally immortal in any fight involving magic.
And the hybrid energy creation—combining different types into unique forms—opened tactical possibilities that made his tactical mind practically salivate.
But...
He looked at The Executioner's Edge hovering behind him. His manifestation. The physical representation of his Iron Will, forged from sacrificing every emotion, built on a Supreme Foundation that shouldn't exist.
Then he read the Executioner of Fate description again. Particularly one line:
"Manifestation Multiplication: 2 blades at Stage 1 (Increases with each major stage: Stage 2 = 4 blades, Stage 3 = 8 blades)"
Two blades at Stage 1. Four at Stage 2. Eight at Stage 3.
By Stage 7—if he ever reached that impossible height—he'd have 128 guillotine blades floating around him. An army of execution weapons, all controlled by thought alone.
The image was... compelling.
And the Fate Points—the ability to literally manipulate probability, force critical hits, guarantee survival, even restore resources instantly—that was power that transcended simple stat bonuses.
Don's hand moved toward the Nexus Sovereign option. Paused. Moved toward Executioner of Fate.
The choice should have been difficult. Both options were incredible. Both offered paths to power that would make him nearly unstoppable.
But when he thought about his journey through the Abyss—the systematic hunting, the cold efficiency, the way he'd reduced five hundred goblins to statistics and experience points—one path felt more natural than the other.
He wasn't a mage. He wasn't someone who stood back and manipulated energies from a distance.
He was an executioner.
Cold. Efficient. Inevitable.
Don selected Executioner of Fate.
[CLASS SELECTED: EXECUTIONER OF FATE]
[CHOICE LOCKED - CANNOT BE CHANGED]
[INTEGRATING CLASS ABILITIES...]
Power flooded through Don's body—not painful, but overwhelming. His Iron Will cultivation resonated with something deeper, something fundamental in the class itself.
The Executioner's Edge behind him pulsed, the crimson veins glowing brighter, the steel darkening to something closer to midnight than gray.
And then—
A second blade materialized.
Identical to the first in every way—two meters of guillotine perfection, steel-gray darkening to black, crimson veins pulsing with his heartbeat.
It positioned itself behind his left shoulder, mirroring the original perfectly.
Two blades. Two promises of death. Double the execution capacity.
[CLASS INTEGRATION COMPLETE]
[NEW ABILITIES UNLOCKED]
[MANIFESTATION EVOLUTION ACCELERATED]
[FATE POINT SYSTEM: ACTIVE]
[CURRENT FATE POINTS: 0/15]
Don stood slowly on the branch, and both blades moved with him, maintaining perfect position behind each shoulder. He could feel them—not as separate objects, but as extensions of his will.
Moving one was as easy as moving his arm. Moving both simultaneously was as natural as breathing.
He activated Will Manifest, and both blades became fully solid, hovering at his sides.
Then he tested their range—they moved out to five meters perfectly, could attack independently or in perfect synchronization, could defend while the other attacked.
The tactical applications were immediately obvious. He could engage two enemies simultaneously. Could attack from multiple angles at once. Could create complex attack patterns that would be impossible with a single blade.
[Two blades,] Madness said quietly. [How delightfully EFFICIENT. You're becoming something truly special, little seed.]
Don dismissed the blades back to their semi-transparent state and checked his updated status:
[CLASS: EXECUTIONER OF FATE] ◆ ACTIVE ◆
Stage 1 Benefits:
Manifestation Evolution Speed: +100%Manifestation Count: 2 (The Executioner's Edge × 2)Death Mark Sense: Active (enemies below 25% HP)Fate Point Generation: 3% per killManifestation Ability Costs: -20%
Stage 1 Skills:
Inevitable Strike (guaranteed critical, 1 hour cooldown)Death Parade (+8% damage per kill within 8 seconds, max 10 stacks)Executioner's Judgment - Enhanced (2 charges)Marked for Death (fear effect on wounded enemies)Fate Points: 0/15
Good. Very good.
Don turned his attention to the final notification still blinking at the edge of his vision:
[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE]
He focused on it, and text expanded:
[DING!]
[NEW QUEST ASSIGNED]
[QUEST #3]
Objective: Eliminate All Three Goblin Camps in the Veiled Shadowfen
Progress: 1/3 Camps Destroyed
Remaining Targets:
Camp 2: ~600 goblins (2km Northeast)Camp 3: ~550 goblins (3km East)
Requirements:
Kill all inhabitants (no survivors)Defeat camp leadersTotal extinction of goblin presence.
Reward: System Upgrade
Time Limit: None
[Accept Quest?]
Don didn't hesitate. He'd already planned to eliminate the other camps anyway. Having it formalized as a quest just meant he'd get a reward for what he was going to do regardless.
"Accept."
[QUEST ACCEPTED]
[QUEST #3: ACTIVE]
[System Upgrade will be applied upon completion]
[Good hunting, Host]
Don filed that information away and began his descent from the tree. Two more camps. A thousand more goblins. And apparently a System Upgrade as a reward—whatever that meant.
His enhanced Strength and Dexterity made the descent even faster than the climb. Within seconds, his boots touched moss-covered ground, and he was running again, the two Executioner's Edge blades trailing behind him like shadows of death.
The second camp was close now. Perhaps half a kilometer based on the map's scale.
Don ran through the twisted forest with mechanical efficiency, his enhanced night vision turning the crimson twilight into perfect clarity.
His new Elemental Manipulation skill sat ready in his mind, waiting to be tested in actual combat. His two blades hummed with barely contained violence.
And then—
He felt it.
A pressure in the air. Heavy.
Oppressive. Dangerous.
Don stopped running immediately, every combat instinct screaming warning. His Greenskin Hunter title wasn't detecting anything—which meant whatever he was sensing wasn't a goblin preparing an ambush.
This was something else.
He activated Analyze, pushing it to maximum range, scanning the forest ahead—
[WARNING: POWERFUL ENTITY DETECTED]
[STAGE 2 CULTIVATION SENSED]
[THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME]
[IDENTITY: UNKNOWN]
[ESTIMATED POWER: FAR EXCEEDS HOST'S CURRENT CAPABILITIES]
Stage 2.
Don's mind raced with cold calculation. The camp leaders had been Stage 1, Level 4—challenging but manageable.
Stage 2 was an entirely different category. A fundamental gap in power that stats alone couldn't bridge.
And based on the information from his cultivation book, Stage 2 entities were called Generals among goblin tribes.
There were six of them supposedly in the Shadowfen, each commanding a region.
He'd just found one.
The question was: which of the six? And more importantly—was it aware of him?