Kain’s first breath tasted like copper and smoke. His lungs burned as though he’d been dragged from a deep ocean trench and left gasping beneath a red sky. The sharp sting of cold earth beneath his fingers grounded him as his eyes snapped open.
The world was dark. Dim light filtered through a storm-heavy sky, casting jagged shadows across a jagged landscape of black stone and broken ground. A faint violet glow pulsed beneath the cracks in the earth like a dying heartbeat. The air reeked of sulfur and wet iron.
Where the hell am I?
Kain pushed himself upright, his muscles screaming in protest. His body felt… wrong. Like it wasn’t fully his. His hands trembled, the fingers thinner, the skin paler than he remembered. His heart hammered against his ribs, too fast, too loud.
A sharp chime echoed through the air.
> [System Initialization…]
[User Identified: Kain Valtorin]
[Integration… ERROR.]
[Anomalous data detected.]
[Proceeding with limited integration.]
A burning sensation flared across Kain’s vision. He squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them, a translucent blue screen hovered just beyond the edge of his gaze.
---
Name: Kain Valtorin
Level: 1
Class: None
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Health: 100/100
Mana: 50/50
Strength: 12
Dexterity: 10
Constitution: 11
Agility: 9
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 8
---
Kain’s breath hitched. A system screen? A stats window? His eyes narrowed. He’d heard of similar constructs before—virtual overlays in combat simulations back on Earth—but this was… more. It felt real.
Another chime.
> [Skill Acquired: Adaptive Instinct (Passive)]
Description: Your mind and body rapidly adjust to new environments and combat stimuli. Resistance to environmental hazards +10%. Reaction speed increased by 5%.
> [Welcome to the Ascendancy System.]
[Survive.]
The ground beneath Kain’s feet rumbled. Slowly, he rose, the cold bite of gravel digging into his palms as he stood. His muscles still ached, but the pain was already dulling, his breathing steadier.
A low growl sounded from the nearby shadows.
Kain’s head snapped toward the noise. A pair of yellow eyes blinked open in the dark. Then another. Then another.
Three creatures stalked toward him, moving low to the ground. They resembled wolves, but their bodies were too lean, too segmented. Black plates of chitin lined their spines, curling into serrated edges along their limbs. Their eyes glowed faintly, predatory intelligence burning beneath their hunger.
> [Bloodfang Hounds – Level 5]
[Hostile.]
“Of course,” Kain muttered. His mind sharpened, instinct taking over. He crouched low, fingers curling into fists. He didn’t have a weapon—no armor—but the numbers in his stat sheet had to mean something. He was stronger than he should be.
The first hound lunged. Kain sidestepped, and his body reacted faster than his mind. His arm shot out, his fist connecting with the creature’s throat with bone-snapping force. The hound yelped, crashed to the ground, and lay still.
> [Direct Strike: Critical Hit!]
[Experience Gained: +10]
The other two hounds closed in. Kain ducked as one’s claws slashed through the air, twisting behind it and driving his heel into the creature’s side. A wet crunch sounded as its ribs gave way.
> [Adaptive Instinct Activated.]
[Combat Awareness Enhanced.]
It’s helping me…
The final hound leapt. Kain caught its foreleg, twisted, and slammed it to the ground. He dropped his knee into the creature’s back, a swift, brutal snap of his hands ending the threat.
> [Bloodfang Hounds Defeated.]
[Experience Gained: +30]
[Level Up!]
---
Level: 2
Strength: +1
Dexterity: +1
---
Kain sat back on his heels, heart pounding. His body still hummed with adrenaline. The corpses of the hounds lay in the dust around him, their black blood pooling in the cracks of the ground.
“Okay,” he muttered, standing. “I don’t know where I am. But I can figure this out.”
The system’s screen flickered.
> [Next Objective: Reach the Nearest Settlement.]
[Danger Level: High.]
Kain’s eyes narrowed. He pulled in a slow breath, rolling his shoulders as his muscles steadied. His mouth curved into a thin, humorless smile.
“Let’s see what this world has to offer.”
He stepped forward into the dark.
