Archelius stood over the steaming, quickly dissolving carcass of the Void Lurker, his mind struggling to integrate the sheer, impossible reality of his situation. Just hours ago, he was running laps, failing exams, and dreaming of power. Now, he was a Level 1 System-User in a world of sulfur, obsidian, and immediate hostility.
He flexed his hand, still feeling the thrilling residual heat of the War God's Fist. The increase in his base stats was significant—he felt lighter, faster, and the constant ache of exhaustion was gone. The System had bypassed his biological failure and wired him directly to unimaginable power.
[Core Power: 95/100 (Remaining)]
[Available Skill Points: 1]
He focused his attention on the floating text. Skill Points. He had to use them to survive.
He recalled the description of the only skill he possessed.
[War God's Fist (Rank F): Channels System Energy into a single, devastating punch. Cost: 5 Core Power.]
It was good, but it was purely close-range, and the cost was negligible for now.
I need something to improve my durability or give me an edge, Archelius thought.
He mentally tapped the 'Skill Points' section. The System instantly presented a new menu, shimmering with potential abilities.
[Available Skills (Rank F):]
[Iron Skin (Passive): Minor resistance to physical damage. Cost: 1 Skill Point.]
[Sprint Burst (Active): Briefly increases Dexterity for fast evasion. Cost: 1 Skill Point.]
[Sense Danger (Passive): Basic awareness of immediate threats. Cost: 1 Skill Point.]
Iron Skin, Archelius decided instantly. In this harsh world, durability was key. He mentally confirmed the selection.
[Iron Skin (Rank F, Passive) Acquired. Cost: 1 Skill Point.]
[Defense +5. Physical Resistance +10%.]
[Available Skill Points: 0.]
He instantly felt a subtle, hardening layer settle just beneath his skin, a feeling of resilience he had never known. The sting of the volcanic air on his skin immediately lessened.
"Okay," Archelius muttered, his voice hoarse from disuse. "I'm in Aethelgard. I have a System. And I need to get stronger, fast."
The Obsidian Path
His next priority was locating any safe ground, or at least a path. He consulted the System, hoping for a map.
[Map Function: Requires Rank E Upgrade. Current Rank: F.]
"Right, no easy navigation," he sighed.
He had to move. The toxic, bruise-colored sky offered no guidance, but Archelius noticed that all the colossal, jagged mountains seemed to converge toward a massive, swirling column of black energy on the horizon. It looked like a permanent, terrifying storm.
If this is the world of 'Eternal Conflict,' that's probably the center of it all. I should move away from the conflict, at least until I'm Level 10.
He chose a path that seemed to lead toward the lesser, distant peaks—a desolate, obsidian path littered with razor-sharp shards of rock.
Archelius began to walk, pushing his new Endurance. The walk was difficult, the air thick and heavy, but the tingling energy of the System sustained him.
After what felt like an hour, the hostile landscape seemed to grow even more oppressive. The obsidian path gave way to steaming fissures, hissing with poisonous vapor.
[Warning: High-Level Threat Detected in Proximity.]
[Threat: Shadow Wyvern. Level 20. Flying.]
[Warning: Immediate Evasion Recommended.]
Level 20. Archelius swallowed hard. That was four times his current power. He scanned the sky frantically. The clouds were too thick, but he heard the sound—a deep, resonant thrumming, like a colossal, living drum beating far above.
He threw himself behind a low ridge of broken rock just as a shadow, the size of a small Academy carriage, passed overhead. He didn't dare look up, pressing himself flat against the cold, jagged ground.
The sound faded slowly. The sheer scale of the danger here was overwhelming. The Shadow Wyvern was likely just passing through, but it underscored how fragile his Level 1 existence was.
I can't stay on the open path. I need cover and a steady source of XP.
The Grotto of Grotesques
He continued along the base of the shattered ridge, seeking any form of shelter.
The System was suddenly much quieter, allowing the natural silence of Aethelgard—a silence punctuated only by distant thunder to settle in.
Finally, he found it: a crack in the obsidian rock, leading into a narrow, dark passage. He cautiously entered, drawing the first true breath of semi-safe air since his arrival.
The passage opened into a small, subterranean grotto. The air was warmer here, and the black stone walls were slick with condensation.
[Threat Detected: Low-Rank Corrosive Grotesques]
[Level: 3]
[Level: 3]
[Level: 3]
The threat was low, but immediate. Three small, hunched creatures emerged from the damp shadows. They looked like oversized, eyeless slugs, their bodies pulsating with sickly yellow light. They oozed a thick, corrosive fluid.
They were Level 3, beneath the Void Lurker, but three of them.
Archelius knew this was his training ground. Survival meant combat.
He focused his mind, preparing to use the War God's Fist.
[War God's Fist. Cost: 5 Core Power.]
He realized his mistake instantly. He had only one powerful punch before he had to engage in dangerous close-quarters combat with two other creatures. He had to be strategic.
"Come on, you ugly sacks," Archelius muttered, his voice still shaky, but infused with a sliver of confidence earned from his first kill.
The Grotesques, sensing life, advanced slowly, their oozing bodies making wet, sickening sounds on the stone floor.
He charged the closest one. He needed speed and precision.
Archelius delivered the War God's Fist with a guttural grunt, aiming for the creature's thickest point.
CRUNCH!
The silver-white energy obliterated the first Grotesque, sending splatters of yellow corrosive fluid harmlessly against his newly acquired Iron Skin.
[Corrosive Grotesque (Level 3) Defeated.]
[XP Gained: 30. Core Power: 90/100
(Remaining).]
He pivoted instantly. The remaining two Grotesques were upon him, their acidic ooze splattering his trousers. He felt a faint burning sensation, immediately neutralized by his Iron Skin.
He resorted to pure physical combat, something he was severely untrained for. He kicked the nearest creature hard, but it was like kicking a wet sack of sand. The creature attached itself to his leg, its oozing body burning through the fabric of his Academy trousers.
[Health: 98/100.]
He panicked and tried to pull it off, but its grip was suction-cup strong. The second creature was moving in for his chest.
Think! I have to be fast!
Archelius remembered the Skill menu. Sprint Burst! He mentally allocated his next Skill Point to it, even though he didn't have one available.
[Warning: Skill Point Required. Execution Failed.]
He was going to die. No. He had escaped a life of worthlessness; he wouldn't die to two slugs.
He channeled the last surge of adrenaline into his unattached leg and stomped furiously, grinding the first Grotesque against the obsidian floor until it burst into foul-smelling goo.
[Corrosive Grotesque (Level 3) Defeated.]
The second creature, sensing the demise of its ally, hissed aggressively and lunged, aiming its sharp mouth for Archelius's face.
Archelius sidestepped clumsily, feeling the chilling draft of the creature passing his ear. He delivered a desperate, non-powered punch to its flank, staggering it.
He needed 5 Core Power. He only had 90. He had to finish it.
He took a deep breath, channeled the silver-white energy, and delivered a second, weaker War God's Fist.
CRACK!
The punch landed, but the creature was only stunned, its yellow skin splitting open. It wasn't dead.
[Core Power: 85/100 (Remaining).]
The Grotesque quickly recovered and prepared for a final, deadly strike.
[Executing Core Power Transfer. Warning: Unstable.]
Another surge—stronger this time—flowed through his body.
[New Skill Acquired: War God's Strike (Rank F)]
[Skill Description: A continuous channeling of energy into a melee weapon or object. Cost: 2 Core Power per second.]
The System had provided the means. Archelius grabbed a sharp, obsidian shard from the ground, the size of a dagger. The silver-white energy flowed from his hand and coated the obsidian, turning the crude rock into a glowing, lethal weapon.
With newfound speed and confidence, Archelius plunged the energized obsidian dagger straight through the Grotesque's central mass.
The creature dissolved instantly into dust.
[Corrosive Grotesque (Level 3) Defeated.]
[XP Gained: 30. Total XP: 110. Level Up: User Level 2.]
He stumbled backward, the obsidian dagger still glowing faintly. He had survived. His clothes were ruined, his leg stung, but he had survived four enemies in Aethelgard.
[Current Stats:]
[User: Archelius]
[Level: 2]
[Core Power: 83/100 (Remaining).]
[Strength: 15 (+7)]
[Endurance: 13 (+7)]
[Dexterity: 14 (+7)]
[Available Skill Points: 1.]
He had leveled up, increasing his raw abilities and gaining another critical Skill Point. He looked at the smoking debris of the Grotesques.
In Aethelgard, weakness is death. Power is survival.
He spent the Skill Point immediately.
[Sprint Burst (Rank F, Active) Acquired. Cost: 1 Skill Point.]
[Skill Description: Briefly increases Dexterity for fast evasion. Cost: 3 Core Power.]
He was still trembling, but the terror was giving way to a cold, hard determination. He now had the power to fight, resist, and run.
He looked at the mouth of the grotto, back toward the hostile world. He had a Level 2 Rank F body, a System, and a long way to go. He needed more XP. He needed to be strong enough to understand why he was here.