Kael Thorne blinked, confused. Not because of the number of stars—there were many—but because none of them looked “normal.” The Milky Way? Gone. Southern Cross? Vanished. The constellations above looked like runes. Or arcane emojis. Hard to tell.
He was lying on his back, feeling the cold grass underneath him, trying to understand how he went from an unemployed software guy with acid reflux to a fantasy background character.
“This is… isekai?” he muttered, still dazed.
[Arcane Master System initializing…]
Kael choked on his own spit.
“Excuse me??”
A black grimoire floated above him, glowing faintly with purple light. The cover pulsed like it had a heartbeat. Totally normal.
[Welcome to the Path of the Master. You have been selected to train disciples. Your strength will grow as theirs grows.]
“No. No. I didn’t sign up for anything! Where’s the terms and conditions??”
[Lifetime contract activated. Good luck.]
Kael sat up slowly. Looked around. Forest. Silence. Bioluminescent mushrooms. The kind of place where you definitely die first in a fantasy novel.
A system panel popped up in his head.
[Arcane Master System – Active]Status: WeakDisciples: 0Prestige: 0Authority: 0 (no one respects you)Combat Style: None. Start pretending.
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Kael sighed.
“At least it’s honest…”
Suddenly, the system buzzed again.
[Hostile presence detected. 37 steps away.]
He turned.
A giant creature stomped into view—part bear, part eel, all nightmare. Venom dripped from its fangs.
“SYSTEM, GIVE ME SOMETHING!”
[New Ability Unlocked: Intimidating Master’s Aura (Lv. 1)]
“Does it actually do anything?”
[Effect: Makes you look like you know what you’re doing.]
Kael stood up, threw his cloak behind his shoulder, raised one hand dramatically and shouted:
“One more step… and I’ll turn you into a forgotten legend!”
The monster stopped.
Wind blew.
Then… it backed away. Two steps. Three. And ran like it had just seen its final exam.
Kael didn’t move. Just stood there, sweating bullets.
“That… worked?”
[New Trait Unlocked: Mysterious and Deadly Silent Master]
“You’re trolling me.”
[Nope. Rare trait. Congratulations.]
Kael sat back down on a rock and looked up at the strange stars.
“Okay. I’m gonna die. Probably tomorrow.”
[Correct. Unless you find suitable disciples and maintain the act.]
“You suck at encouragement.”
[Also honest.]
Kael stood tall.
Torn cloak. No real combat ability. A possibly cursed floating book.And now… the aura of a fake legend.
“Well then,” he said, cracking his neck.“Let the lies begin.”
[Main Mission Activated: Form Your First Disciple Oath]
“And if I don’t?”
[Horrible death. Possibly comedic.]
Kael smirked.
“Of course.”