Chapter 3: Finding Strength

  The faint golden glow of the system interface lingered in Elian’s vision, a stant reminder of the surreal reality he had been thrust into. The injured woman sat a few feet away, her back pressed against the wall, her face pale but her breathing steady. Her gaze flickered nervously between the reinforced barricade and Elian’s glowing hands.

  “You… you saved us,” she murmured. “That thing would’ve killed us if it got through.”

  Elian shook his head, brushing off the pliment. “We’re not safe yet,” he said, his voice low. “That trap won’t hold forever. But… we’ve got time to pn.”

  The woman swallowed hard, her eyes darting to the barricade again. The creature’s muffled snarls and thuds were quieter now, but they hadn’t stopped. The monster was still alive, still dangerous.

  “What’s happening out there?” she asked, her voice trembling. “What are those things? And that… that glow on your hands. How are you doing this?”

  Eliaated, trying to find the right words. He settled onto the floor, fag her. “I don’t uand all of it either,” he admitted. “But… it’s called a system. Everyone has access to something like it. It’s like a… status s, showing your abilities and stats.”

  The woman frowned. “A status s? Like a game?”

  “Sort of,” Elian said. “I only found mine a bit earlier. But if you focus and think about it, you should be able to see yours too.”

  The woman looked skeptical, but after a moment, she closed her eyes. Her brows furrowed in tration, and Elian waited patiently. A few tense seds passed before her eyes snapped open, wide with shock.

  “I see it!” she gasped. “It’s… it’s like a list. My name, some numbers, and—abilities?” Her voice rose in disbelief.

  By asking her question, he firmed her status was different from his, she didn’t have the divinity se, the missions, the achievement, the title or a domain.

  “What does it say?” Elian asked, leaning forward slightly. “Do you have any abilities?”

  She nodded slowly, her voice shaky as she read the information aloud. “It says… Name: Lay. Level: 1. And under abilities, there’s something called: [Phoenix].”

  “Phoenix!?”

  “Y-yes, is it something good?” She said while looking at me fused. Did she not know what a phoenix was?

  Elian’s mind raced. Her ability could mean so mud it sounded extremely powerful. “We’ll have to test it,” he said with enthusiasm.

  She hesitated, her gaze falling to her injured leg. “But… I ’t even walk. What good is an ability if I ’t use it?”

  Elian thought for a bit, wasn’t there a ce she could heal herself? Its not like she was hurt badly or anything, she probably only had fouled her ankle.

  As Elian was lost in his mind thinking about many things, siletled between them, Elian’s thoughts drifted to Cire. He ched his fists, frustration bubbling in his chest. Was she still alive? Had she made it to her dorm? The st time he saw her, everything had been normal—or at least, as normal as it could be before the sky ripped open and unleashed monsters onto the world.

  “I o find someone,” he said abruptly, breaking the silence.

  Lay looked up, her brow furrowed. “Who?”

  “A friend,” Elian said. “Her name’s Cire. We worked together at the café downtown, she’s the only person I would call a friend. I… I don’t know if she made it out.”

  Lay’s expression softened. “You want to look for her.”

  Elian nodded. “I have to, But…” He g her leg, guilt tugging at him. “I ’t leave you here like this. Not with that thing outside.”

  Lay hesitated, then gave him a small, determined smile. “I’ll be fine. You’ve done enough already—more than anyone else would have.”

  “That’s not the point,” Elian said, shaking his head. “I’m not going to leave you alone. Not until I know you’re safe.”

  A faint rumble echoed from outside, and both of them froze. A creature let out a low growl, quieter this time but no less menag. Elian’s pulse quied. Time was running out.

  “I’ll need your help,” he said after a moment. “If we’re going to survive this, we’ll both o use everything we’ve got—your ability, my ability, all of it.”

  Lay hough her hands trembled slightly as she clutched the edge of her jacket. “I’ll do what I .”

  Elian forced a small smile. “We’ll figure this out. Oep at a time.”

  But even as he spoke, a voi the back of his mind whispered doubts. The world outside was falling apart, and the monsters weren’t going to wait. If he wao find Cire, if he wao protect Lay, he would need more thaermination. He would o uand his system and fast.

  Elian stood in the ter of the room, his eyes sing the scattered debris for anything that could be repurposed. His thoughts moved rapidly, fueled by the golden threads of structive Insight weaving through his mind for a solution. The system’s warmth guided him, turning chaos into opportunity.

  “I might have an idea for y”

  She looked at me with hope. “Were you a doctor?”

  “No, but if I’m right it might be 10 time better then having a doctor close. Trust me alright, close your eyes.”

  She looked a bit hesitant but ended up doing it. Elian pondered how he should bring the step to her.

  “Now, take your attention to where it hurt and try imagining the hottest fire you think of, try to feel it.”

  2 seds – 5 seds – 15 seds – 60 seds. I guess that didn’t wo…

  Then out of sudden her leg started to glow in a red light, I could evehe heat from here.

  “It worked! It doesn’t hurt anymore!”

  [Achievement Unlock: Create the phoenix fist step]

  [Create the phoenix first step: You’ve help the first hatg phoenix oh since a millennia take her first step.

  Reward: /%?&*(

  Error…

  Domaine of the user interfere with the reward.

  Reloading…

  Error…

  The user doesn’t have a plete domai.

  …

  …

  Reload success.

  Reward: sub ability: Phoenix]