The world didn't wait for him to catch up.
The crimson sky rumbled like thunder made of screams. Charred temple stones fell around Kael, still warm with the blood of his mentors. His hands trembled—not from fear, but from the strange burning inside his veins.
[Survive: 23:48:03 Remaining]
[Objective Updated: Eliminate 3 Monsters – Progress: 0/3]
A bestial roar echoed through the ruins.
From the smoldering smoke crawled a creature—a hulking, misshapen monster with molten skin and jagged claws. Its eyes were empty sockets filled with writhing flame. It let out a shriek, and behind it, two more emerged.
Kael's heart pounded.
He had never killed anything. Sparred? Yes. Fought? Sometimes. But this was different.
[Combat Tip: Weakness detected – Neck seam glows under firelight. Strike swiftly.]
A translucent interface hovered in the air before him, glowing with divine clarity.
"I don't know what this is," Kael muttered, raising his sword, "but if this is what the System demands…"
He dashed forward.
His body moved faster than ever before—fluid, instinctive, refined by years of monk discipline—but something else flowed with it. A whisper of energy coiled in his limbs.
The first monster lunged.
Kael dropped low and spun, slicing his blade across the fiery seam in its neck. Sparks burst. The creature stumbled, screeched—and crumbled to ash.
[Kill Confirmed: Ember Fiend – +50 XP]
[Skill Unlocked: Battle Flow Lv.1 – Movement speed increases slightly after each successful strike.]
He blinked. "I… unlocked a skill?"
But there was no time. The other two charged, mouths wide, fire spraying like liquid death.
He rolled beneath the first, slashing its tendons. Then—without thought—twisted mid-air and plunged his sword into the second's neck as it pounced. Ash and flame exploded behind him.
[Mission Complete – Reward Unlocked]
[You have Awakened a Class: Blade Initiate]
[Skill Tree Unlocked: Swordpath of Heaven's Descent]
[New Passive: Inner Blade – All physical attacks gain a minor energy boost.]
Kael gasped, falling to one knee. His sword shimmered, subtly glowing with an inner light. His eyes flickered—not with pain, but evolution.
He was changing. The System wasn't just a power. It was rewriting him.
But then…
The air turned cold.
From the shattered gate of the temple, a figure emerged. Not a monster. Not a beast.
A man.
Dressed in a black cloak, armored in shadow-forged plates, and bearing a long spear that bled dark mist.
[Warning: High-Level Threat Detected – "Dreadlancer of the Abyss" – Estimated Level: 25+]
Kael stood slowly.
"I've killed monsters," he said, gripping his sword tighter, "let's see how I do against nightmares."