He opened his eyes slowly. As the blurry images gradually became clearer, he found himself in the middle of a battlefield. The sky was painted red, the sun was about to set. The air smelled of burnt flesh and gunpowder. When he turned his head, the sight before him took his breath away.
He was surrounded by corpses. Some were human bodies — torn apart, covered in blood, wounded soldiers. But others... others were completely different. Non-human creatures he had never seen before lay motionless on the ground. Their skin was scaly. They resembled snake-human hybrid creatures.
"What the fuck…" he said to himself. His own voice sounded hoarse and unfamiliar to his ears. As if he hadn't spoken for a long time.
When he tried to sit up, waves of pain radiated from all over his body. There was a particular ache in his stomach. When he lifted his shirt to look, he saw a huge healed hole wound in the middle of his abdomen. The skin seemed newly closed, pink and sensitive. When he checked his back, there was a similar mark there as well.
"Impossible," he murmured, feeling the wound with his fingertips. "Didn't I just... die?"
He looked around more carefully. His clothes were in tatters, with dried bloodstains on them. A sword lay beside him.
With trembling hands, he grasped the sword and slowly stood up. His knees were shaking, his head was spinning. There was a large gap in his memory. How had he gotten here? What was this war? Why weren't some of the corpses human?
He couldn't even remember his name.
In the distance, beyond the battlefield, the silhouette of a city was visible on the horizon. Its towers rose into the sky, but some structures seemed to be burning. Smoke hung over the city.
"I need to go there," he thought. "Perhaps there are answers there."
When he took his first step, his foot caught on something. Bending down to look, he saw that it was a helmet. It was a strange, pointed helmet that didn't look like it would fit a human head. Still, following an impulse, he picked it up from the ground and examined it. Inside, sewn into the lining of the helmet, was a small symbol — three interlocking circles. This symbol seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't figure out why.
He dropped the helmet and continued walking. With each step, he grew a little stronger. Though his wounds hurt, they were far from fatal. How had he survived a wound that should have been impossible to survive?
Walking in the middle of the battlefield, his attention was drawn to a human lying on the ground. He was different from the others; he wore shining armor and his face looked almost peaceful. He knelt beside the man and looked at his face. Did he know this man? The lines on his face, his gray beard seemed to remind him of something.
The man was holding something tightly in his hand. When he opened the fingers, a small medallion was revealed. It bore the same symbol — three interlocking circles.
"This... I feel like I should take this. Why does it seem so familiar?"
He continued to move toward the city. The sun had completely set now, darkness was falling over the battlefield. Wolf howls could be heard from afar. Or perhaps it wasn't a wolf; the sound was a bit different, deeper, more frightening.
After walking for about an hour, he saw a small cottage by the roadside. A warm light leaked from its windows. He was tired and hungry. Perhaps there was someone inside who could help.
He approached the door and knocked hesitantly. Footsteps came from inside, then the door slowly opened. An old woman stood before him. The woman's face was full of wrinkles, while her eyes were sharp and intelligent.
"I think what I thought would happen, happened," said the woman, as if she had been expecting him.
The man looked at her in surprise. "Do you know me?"
The woman smiled, her deep wrinkles becoming even more pronounced.
"Eiden," said the woman.
The man—Eiden—looked at the woman in amazement. His name echoed in his ears: Eiden. Yes, that was his name. A door opened in his memory, but the information behind it was still shrouded in fog.
"I'm sorry, I'm having memory issues. Can you tell me exactly what happened? Where am I? The battlefield just now, the burning city... What's going on?"
"This morning you rode out of the city with your horses, accompanied by everyone's cheers. You were going to war. But from your appearance and the fact that the city has been invaded, I'm guessing you lost, didn't you?"
"Yes, I suppose... But how am I still alive? I was wounded in the stomach. I felt myself die," said Eiden, looking at the burning city once more.
The old woman sighed and stepped aside. "Come in, son. It's not safe outside."
Eiden hesitantly entered. The cottage looked bigger from the inside. The walls were filled with dried plants, strange objects, and books. A small hearth was burning in the center, with a pot boiling on it.
"Sit," said the woman, pointing to the table. "You must be hungry, the food is almost ready."
Eiden slumped into a chair. "Who am I exactly? Why am I here? What were those creatures?"
The woman went to the hearth and stirred the pot. "Be patient, young man. I will tell you everything. But first, you need to recover." She filled a bowl with soup and placed it in front of Eiden. "Eat. Gather your strength. Then we'll talk."
The smell of the soup made Eiden's stomach growl. He took the spoon in his hand and began to drink. With each sip, it was as if his body grew stronger. The pain in his wounds was diminishing.
"What happened?" he asked, after finishing half the bowl. "I can't remember. Not being able to remember is really bothering me."
The woman sat across the table, her aged eyes locked with Eiden's. "You Dragon Guards set out to protect the city. The Serathi — the creatures you saw — had gathered an army and were moving to attack the city. And you went out to stop them."
"But we failed," said Eiden, feeling a lump in his throat.
The woman nodded her head. "And now the city has fallen. The Serathi leader Sseth-Kaa has captured the royal palace."
Eiden pushed away the bowl. "Then how am I alive? I remember dying... I felt the pain."
"I don't know what to tell you, son."
-----
[Detecting multiple high-level lifeforms in the area. Are you certain whatever you're doing is worth it?]
-----
Eiden was startled by this strange voice suddenly echoing in his mind and looked around bewildered.
"What was that?" he muttered. Eiden turned anxiously to the old woman. "Did you hear that voice? Did it come from the sky? Or am I going crazy?"
The old woman frowned, a momentary uneasiness appearing in her eyes. "What voice, son? Nobody spoke."
Eiden ran his hands through his hair. "I... I should probably get going."
The old woman smiled and said gently, "You haven't finished your soup yet. You need to regain your strength."
Eiden nodded. "Thank you, but I'm full. I need to go to the city. Perhaps I'll find something there that might bring back my memory." He stood up and headed toward the door.
"I told you, it's been invaded..."
"I'll just observe from a distance."
When he reached the cottage door, he extended his hand and grasped the door handle. But the handle wouldn't budge. He pulled harder, but it was useless. The door was locked.
"I think the door is stuck," said Eiden, still struggling with the door handle.
The voice from behind him was no longer old and weak. "Before eating your meal, you should make sure your meal has eaten their meal."
Eiden spun around quickly. His blood froze at the sight before him. The figure sitting at the table was no longer an old woman. Her body had elongated, her skin had turned a greenish color, and her fingers were long with sharp claws. Her eyes glowed with a yellow light, and she had sharp teeth in her mouth.
"You..." Eiden stammered. "You're not human. What are you?"
The creature smiled, its mouth splitting wide to its ears. "I am much older, young one! I am a Vorema! When I sensed you approaching, I possessed the soul of the old woman who lived here and waited for you. I didn't think you would notice so easily," it said with a terrible laugh.
Eiden instinctively reached for his sword. "What do you want from me?"
"Don't you know?" said the creature, rising from the table and gliding toward Eiden. He noticed its feet weren't touching the ground; it was suspended in the air. "I want to eat your soul. Your soul... is very different. Very special. Very... delicious. Even its scent is enough to excite me!"
Eiden stumbled backward, his back hitting the door.
There was very little time to think. Even a moment's hesitation would mean falling into this creature's clutches. Eiden quickly scanned his surroundings and noticed a window in the corner.
The Vorema followed his gaze and grinned. "Do you think you can escape? No one who has encountered me before has ever escaped."
Eiden glanced sideways at the creature and with a sudden movement threw himself to the ground. Just as the Vorema was about to pounce on him, Eiden grabbed the iron poker next to the fireplace and snatched a hot coal from the burning hearth, hurling it at the creature. The moment the hot coal touched the Vorema's dry, scaly skin, it burst into flames. The creature let out a terrible scream, its yellow eyes clouding with pain as part of its body caught fire.
Taking advantage of this brief moment, Eiden threw his sword at the window and lunged toward it. With a swift movement, he crashed through the broken glass.
He didn't even feel the pain as glass shards cut through his skin. When he leaped out of the window, he saw a small path leading straight into the forest. The moment his feet touched the ground, he began running with all his might.
The scream that came from behind made his hair stand on end. The Vorema's voice no longer resembled a human voice—it was high-pitched, metallic, and filled with pain. He sped up to escape, not stopping even as branches and bushes scratched his face.
As he ran deeper into the forest, the trees grew denser. The sun was about to set, and soon it would be completely dark. But stopping was out of the question. With adrenaline coursing through his veins, he just looked ahead, his eyes rapidly scanning for any threat in his surroundings.
He was out of breath, his chest heaving, but fear drove him forward. As he passed through the trees, he could hear his own heartbeat drowning out all other sounds except for the crackling of branches and rustling of leaves.
"You cannot escape!" the Vorema's voice echoed through the forest. "I will have your soul, Dragon Guardian!"
Eiden didn't dare look back. He just kept running, slithering like a snake through trees and bushes. His foot caught on a root and he tumbled to the ground, but he immediately got up and continued running.
Deep in the forest, at a point where light barely penetrated, he finally stopped. The sound from behind had ceased. Panting heavily, he leaned against a tree, his heart pounding as if it would burst from his chest.
"What was that all about?" he muttered to himself, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead. He collapsed against the side of a tree from exhaustion.
He sat there for a while, trying to catch his breath. Suddenly, he heard another voice in his head.
-----
[Danger has passed, you are safe.]
-----
Eiden jumped up. The same woman's voice... again echoing inside his brain. He quickly looked around, as if he might find the source of the voice outside.
"Who are you?" he whispered, his voice trembling. "How can you talk to me? Why can only I hear you?"
He was beginning to think his mind was playing tricks on him. Perhaps the terror and fear he had experienced had affected his mind.
[You still haven't accepted the class given to you. If you want to accept, say "I accept."]
Eiden looked around in confusion. "What is this? Where is this voice coming from? I think I'm going crazy..."
He waited silently for a while, hoping to hear the voice again. Perhaps he was just hallucinating from exhaustion. "I accept," he finally said, feeling strange.
-----
Name: Eiden Flareheart
Class: AOE Mage
Specialty: Area Damage
HP: 20
Mana: 50
-----
Stats
Agility: 6
Endurance: 3
Intelligence: 10
Perception: 5
Strength: 4
------
New Spell
Fire Bolt
-------
"What is this screen in front of my eyes? I think I'm really losing my mind. It's like I'm inside a game," he said to himself, but he noticed something. "A game?"
He paused for a moment. These things he was seeing—a character screen, levels, abilities... They seemed very familiar from somewhere. A memory stirred in the depths of his brain, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite grasp it.
"This is like a game interface," he muttered while pressing his fingers to his temples. "But how do I know this? Why does it feel so familiar? It's as if... as if I've seen something like this before."
For a moment, he felt a sharp pain in his head. Images from another life—screens, keyboards, desktop computers—flashed before his eyes for an instant. But these images came and went so quickly that he couldn't fully comprehend what he was looking at.
"I can't remember," he said to himself, disappointed. "But this... this isn't normal. Something strange is happening here."
----
New Quest: [New Clothes]
Due to the Swarm curse, creatures have appeared in the forest where you are.
Objective: Investigate the forest 0/1. Reward: Simple shirt. Bonus Objective: Defeat ten lesser monsters 0/10. Reward: Simple pants.
----
"Hey! What creature are you talking about? I don't even know how to use the spell you gave me!"
Rustling began to come from the bushes in the clearing where he stood.
"Hey, hey! I'm not ready yet! Just a sec—"
He hid behind a tree in fear. A small, squirrel-like animal emerged from the bushes. With its small round ears, large bright eyes, and fluffy tail, it looked quite adorable. The creature watched Eiden carefully.
"Aww, aren't you just the cutest thing!" said Eiden, kneeling down and extending his hand to call the creature to him. He was surprised by his own reaction. Just moments ago he was fleeing from death, and now he was calling a forest creature cute.
The squirrel-like creature slowly approached Eiden. It hesitated at first, then took a few more steps. Just as it was about to reach Eiden's hand, it suddenly stopped.
A change came over the creature's face. First, its cute little teeth began to elongate. The sharp, needle-like teeth emerging from its mouth couldn't belong to a squirrel. Then its eyes turned blood red, emitting a bright light.
"Holy shit..." said Eiden, staggering backward. Apparently nothing in this world was as it seemed.
The creature suddenly let out a high-pitched scream and lunged at Eiden. His reflexes kicked in and he threw himself to the side. The squirrel-like monster dug its claws into the spot where Eiden had been.
Eiden quickly got to his feet. He wanted to run but something stopped him. He was tired of running. The pain, fear, and confusion had given way to anger.
"A squirrel. I'm not going to lose to a damn squirrel!" he shouted. But how would he fight? He had no weapon. Suddenly he remembered the system information that had appeared before his eyes: the "Firebolt" ability...
He extended his hand toward the creature, trying to focus his anger. "I don't know how to do this but..." he muttered, trying to concentrate. "Fire Bolt!"
Nothing happened.
The creature lunged at him and with a swift movement bit his leg. The sharp teeth sank into Eiden's calf.
"Let go of me, you little devil!"
Howling in pain, he shook his leg violently. The creature loosened its teeth and fell back into the bushes it had come from, describing a short arc in the air. Eiden clutched his calf in pain, feeling blood seeping between his fingers.
----
[To learn how to use Fire Bolt, use the command "How to use Fire Bolt".]
----
"How to use Fire Bolt!" Eiden screamed.
----
[Visualize a warm spark in your mind. Hold this spark steady, allow it to grow. Imagine the spark growing to the size of a small ball. Feel it flowing from your body to your arms, and from there to your hands.]
----
Eiden closed his eyes and tried to visualize a spark in his mind. He slowed his breathing, focusing on feeling the energy within him. "Concentrate," he murmured to himself. "Come on, you can do this..."
Just then he heard the rustling sound from the bushes. When he opened his eyes, he saw the red-eyed creature lunging at him again. He felt a wave of adrenaline course through his body.
"No way! You don't even give me a minute!" he shouted angrily. As the creature leaped toward him, Eiden quickly raised his leg and delivered a kick with all his might.
His foot struck the small creature's soft belly. The creature let out a painful scream and was thrown back into the bushes it had come from. The high-pitched growls coming from the bushes indicated it would return.
"Fuck off! Now," Eiden said quickly. "I have to finish this."
He closed his eyes and focused all his attention on a single point. He set aside the chaos, fear, and pain in his mind. He felt a warmth inside, like a small spark. He concentrated on this spark, trying to make it grow. It was as if he was lighting a small fire in his mind.
The spark slowly grew, turning into a small piece of ember. He imagined this fire flowing from his body to his arms. He felt a strange tingling in his palms.
"It's working..." he whispered, his eyes still closed. "I can feel it."
As the warmth traveled from his arms to his wrists, and from there to his fingers, his entire body filled with energy. He extended his hands forward, opened his palms, and opened his eyes.
In the center of his palm was a bright fire bolt the size of a fist. Red and orange flames danced without burning his palm. The ball vibrated, sparkled, and undulated slightly, as if it were alive.
Eiden was amazed. What he felt was truly magical. He could feel the heat of the fire in his palm, but it didn't hurt.
"Incredible..." he whispered.
Just then, a stronger rustling came from the bushes. The red-eyed creature leaped out, this time even more angrily, and lunged directly at Eiden, its sharp teeth exposed.
"Here it comes!"
Eiden moved instinctively. He tried to hurl the fireball at the creature, just like throwing a stone, but the Fire Bolt seemed fixed to his palm.
"Fuck it!" he said and swung his palm toward the squirrel jumping at him.
There was a bright flash of light at the moment of impact. When the bright light passed, he saw the creature's small body lying motionless on the ground. The small squirrel-like body was now covered with burn marks.
----
You have defeated [Angry Squirrel]. Defeat lesser monsters 1/10.
----
Eiden slowly approached the creature. Its red eyes had gone out, it was now motionless. Despite the pain of the bite on his leg, he felt a strange sense of accomplishment.
"I did it..." he murmured. "I really did it! I DEFEATED A SQUIRREL!"
He straightened up with the confidence given by this small victory. There was a sense of new power within him. Perhaps he could survive in this world.