The family mounted their horses and rushed towards the outskirts of the Barony. I witnessed a colossal tower emerging amidst a dense desert. It stood tall with around 15 floors. The entrance was wide, and I ventured inside alongside my father and his entourage of men. My father locked eyes with me and said, "Son, this is where a boy becomes a real man. This dungeon is unique, housing monsters ranging from Rank F- to B+. The first floor consists of Rank F- monsters, while the 15th floor holds Rank B+. It is here that you will awaken your element."
"Why elements, father?" I inquired curiously.
"Elements were bestowed upon us humans by the gods because our race was considerably weaker compared to others. It grants us unique elemental abilities. Alright, your first task is to slay a monster, and we'll be facing goblins. They are roughly your size and not much stronger," he explained with a playful jab. Ignoring his comment about my physique, I refused to get angry like a 5-year-old. I'll have my revenge when I grow up.
As we ventured deeper into the dungeon, I noticed a small creature resembling a naked child with feeble movements and stumbling legs. It dashed towards me, its green body a comical sight. "Focus with your sword, don't lose this fight," my father advised with a slight frown, as I had paid no attention to the approaching green creature. I even dropped my sword to the ground, and my father's face twisted in shock at my foolish action.
However, everything changed when the goblin neared me. WOOSH! The sound of a whip crackled as I delivered a swift sidekick straight to the goblin's face. The goblin collapsed unconscious on the ground, leaving my father's eyes wide with astonishment. "That's my son! I knew you wouldn't lose to a measly goblin," he exclaimed, and I responded with a smirk. I picked up my sword and proceeded to gouge out the goblin's eyes, followed by piercing its body in various places, causing it to die in agony and blood loss. "Can I keep these eyes as my First Kill Souvenir, Daddy?" I innocently asked, sporting the most angelic smile I could muster. My father, taken aback by the mercilessness displayed by a child, simply nodded his head. Excellent. It seems I can showcase more of my skills to put an end to their pestering.
CONGRATULATIONS! THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN UNLOCKED. A voice resounded in my head, and the moment I thought about it, a window appeared before my eyes:
[Username: Abel]
[Level: 1]
[Experience: 0/100]
[Rank: F-]
[Health: 100/100]
[Mana: 50/50]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 8]
[Intelligence: 12]
[Vitality: 10]
[Element: Death]
[Cultivation Realm: Earth Warrior]
[Cultivation Stage: 5]
[Skills: None]
[System Message:] Welcome, Abel, to the system interface. Here's a quick overview of your stats and their meanings:
· Level: Your current level indicates your overall progress and experience within the world.
· Experience: The amount of experience you have gained towards your next level. Keep challenging yourself to earn more experience points.
· Rank: Your current rank determines your power level within the system. As an F- rank, you are at the beginning of your journey, but with dedication and effort, you can climb the ranks.
· Health: Represents your physical well-being and ability to withstand damage. When your health reaches zero, you will be unable to continue fighting.
· Mana: Represents your magical energy reserves. Mana is essential for casting spells and utilizing magical abilities. Be mindful of your mana usage and replenish it when needed.
· Strength: Reflects your physical power and ability to deal damage. A higher strength stat increases your effectiveness in close combat.
· Agility: Determines your speed, reflexes, and overall agility. A higher agility stat allows you to move swiftly and dodge attacks more effectively.
· Intelligence: Represents your mental capacity, problem-solving abilities, and magical aptitude. A higher intelligence stat enhances your magical prowess and spellcasting abilities.
· Vitality: Indicates your overall resilience and endurance. A higher vitality stat increases your ability to withstand attacks and recover from injuries.
· Element: Your elemental affinity is Death. This element grants you unique powers and abilities related to death and decay. Explore and experiment with your elemental abilities to unlock their full potential.
· Cultivation Realm and Stage: Currently, you are at the Earth Warrior realm, Stage 5. Cultivation allows you to enhance your physical and spiritual capabilities, progressing through various realms and stages. Each cultivation realm imposes a limit of 10 points that can be allocated to each stat. As you advance in cultivation, you will have the opportunity to invest these points strategically, maximizing your potential in specific areas.
· Skills: At this point, you have not acquired any skills. Seek out training opportunities and quests to learn new skills and expand your abilities.
Remember, Abel, these stats and attributes are not fixed. Through training, experience, and exploration, you can improve and unlock new potential within yourself. Embrace your journey, overcome challenges, and become a formidable force in this world.
[System Window - End]
This is a lot to take in, I thought to myself. So, does that mean I'm the only one with a system? Interesting. My element is death, which sounds fitting and perfect for me. "So, what element did you acquire? As long as it's not fire, we don't need two fire mages in our household burning everything down during arguments," my father joked.
"It's alright, father. It's not fire; it's death," I replied, and my father fell silent. He asked me to confirm once again, and I repeated, "Death." My father's expression turned grave, and I felt a hint of fear creeping in. Curious, I inquired about the matter.
In a flash, my father teleported, and the next moment, I witnessed all the guards' heads rolling off their bodies with a thud. "Listen, son, when I say never tell anyone about this again, I mean it. I had to kill these guards because you possess something that has only been spoken of in legends. It is considered taboo to even mention it. The first king of the Thornfeild Kingdom, King Eldric Thornfeild, was granted this power, and he became known as the Death King. He killed and resurrected his enemies in battle, leading to the unification of the entire continent under his banner. However, he succumbed to the lure of power and began turning innocent people into undead. The continent fell into chaos, and that's when the God of Light, Helios, arrived in our realm. Helios ended King Eldric's reign and forbade anyone from ever speaking of this abomination again. Other gods descended upon this realm as well and decided to imprison Helios for two centuries. It may be considered a myth now, as nobody remembers this tale, but I don't want to take any chances. So, ensure that you never use your power around members of the Holy Church of Light, as they can detect Death energy. However, around others, you can pass it off as a darkness element. Do you understand?" he asked with urgency. I responded with a resolute "Yes, father."
"Alright, are you ready to delve deeper into the dungeon?" he inquired, and I nodded in response.