Aryn staggered to his feet, still reeling from the strange encounter. His heart pounded in his chest, and his mind buzzed with a thousand questions, but the cavern around him remained silent, offering no answers. The eerie glow of the altar had faded, leaving the chamber dim and lifeless once more.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. The voice—whatever it had been—was gone, but the words it had spoken lingered in his mind. The Ascension System. A power. A curse. He repeated the terms in his head, trying to make sense of them.
Aryn took a tentative step away from the altar, his eyes scanning the chamber for any other clues, but there was nothing else—just the ruined remnants of battles long past. He was alone with this mysterious new power, whatever it was.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden flash of light in the corner of his vision. Aryn blinked, startled, as a small, translucent screen appeared before his eyes, hovering in the air. He reached out instinctively, but his hand passed right through it. The screen remained, glowing softly.
[Welcome to the Ascension System, Aryn Valorn.]
[Status: Initiate]
[Current Level: 1]
[Skills: None]
[Abilities: None]
[Quests: None Assigned]
Aryn stared at the screen, his confusion deepening. This was unlike anything he had ever seen or heard of. It was as if the world had suddenly turned into one of those adventure games he'd heard of in passing, where heroes leveled up by completing quests and defeating monsters.
But this wasn't a game. This was real.
As if responding to his thoughts, the screen flickered, and new text appeared.
[First Quest Assigned: Awaken the Hero]
[Objective: Reach Level 5 to unlock your first ability.]
[Reward: Basic Skill Set]
[Failure: None]
Aryn's eyes widened. A quest? He had no idea how to interpret any of this, but if reaching level 5 would give him some kind of ability, it was worth a shot. He was desperate, after all, and the thought of finally having power—real power—was too tempting to ignore.
But how was he supposed to level up? What did that even mean in this context?
He reached out to the screen again, hoping for more information, but before he could do anything, the sound of movement echoed through the chamber. Aryn's heart leaped into his throat as he spun around, eyes darting toward the source of the noise.
From the shadows at the far end of the cavern, something stirred. Aryn's breath caught as a massive shape began to emerge—a hulking, armored figure, its outline just barely visible in the dim light. The creature's eyes glowed a sinister red, and its footsteps echoed ominously as it lumbered toward him.
"Oh, gods…" Aryn muttered under his breath. He instinctively reached for the rusty short sword at his belt, the only weapon he had. It had never seen much use—he wasn't a fighter, just a scavenger who barely knew how to swing a blade. But now, he had no choice.
The creature stepped fully into the light, and Aryn's blood ran cold. It was a Sentinel, a guardian of ancient ruins—an undead warrior animated by dark magic. Its armor was rusted and cracked, but its sheer size and the glowing runes etched into its body made it a terrifying sight.
Aryn's hands shook as he tightened his grip on his sword. He had heard tales of Sentinels, of how they were nearly impossible to defeat by ordinary means. They were relics of a bygone age, protectors of long-forgotten treasures. If this one had been guarding the altar, then it must have been triggered when Aryn activated the Ascension System.
The Sentinel let out a low, guttural growl, and in one fluid motion, it raised a massive, rusted halberd that looked as though it could cleave Aryn in two with a single swing. Aryn's mind raced—he had to move, had to do something, but fear rooted him in place.
The creature advanced, each step deliberate and unyielding. Aryn forced himself to take a step back, then another, but he knew he couldn't outrun it. His eyes darted around the cavern, searching for an escape route, but there was none. The tunnel he had come through was too narrow, too far away.
His only option was to fight.
"Come on, Aryn," he whispered to himself. "You can do this. Just… focus."
He took a deep breath and readied his sword, trying to steady his nerves. The Sentinel was almost upon him now, its halberd raised high. Aryn gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the impact.
And then, just as the Sentinel swung its weapon down in a deadly arc, Aryn's body moved on instinct. He rolled to the side, barely avoiding the halberd as it crashed into the ground with a thunderous boom, sending shards of stone flying.
Aryn scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding wildly. He couldn't rely on strength alone—he had to be quick, had to use his agility to his advantage. But how could he even hope to damage a creature like this?
The Sentinel turned, its glowing eyes locking onto Aryn once more. It swung the halberd again, and Aryn dodged to the left, this time managing to get closer to the creature's exposed flank. With a burst of desperate energy, he slashed at its side, the blade striking metal with a sharp clang.
The Sentinel didn't even flinch.
Aryn cursed under his breath. Of course, a rusted sword wouldn't do much against enchanted armor. He needed to find a weak spot, something he could exploit. But with the Sentinel pressing the attack, he had little time to think.
Another swing, another dodge—Aryn barely managed to keep up. His stamina was waning, and the Sentinel showed no signs of slowing down. If this kept up, he would tire out long before the creature did.
"Come on… think, Aryn, think…" he muttered, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
The Sentinel swung again, this time with more force, and Aryn ducked under the blow, the wind from the halberd whistling over his head. As he did, he noticed something—the runes on the Sentinel's armor, they glowed brighter whenever it attacked.
An idea sparked in Aryn's mind, a desperate gambit, but it was all he had. He needed to disable those runes.
He dodged another swing, this time staying close to the Sentinel's body. With a quick, fluid motion, he slashed at one of the glowing runes on its leg, putting all his strength behind the strike. The rune flickered, and the Sentinel staggered, just for a moment, but it was enough.
"That's it…" Aryn whispered. "I just need to keep hitting those runes."
His confidence bolstered, Aryn circled around the Sentinel, dodging its attacks with renewed vigor. Each time he saw an opportunity, he struck at another rune, chipping away at the Sentinel's defenses. The creature began to falter, its movements growing slower and more erratic.
Finally, with a last, desperate swing, Aryn drove his sword into the largest rune on the Sentinel's chest. The blade pierced the armor, and the rune shattered with a burst of light. The Sentinel let out a low, echoing moan, its eyes dimming as it crumpled to the ground, lifeless once more.
Aryn collapsed beside it, gasping for breath. His body ached, and his mind was a whirlwind of exhaustion and relief. But he had done it. He had defeated the Sentinel.
As he lay there, staring up at the cavern ceiling, the translucent screen reappeared before him.
[You have defeated a Sentinel.]
[Experience gained: 100]
[Level Up: 1 → 2]
[Reward: Basic Combat Skill Unlocked: Quickstep]
Aryn blinked, hardly believing what he was seeing. He had leveled up. He didn't know exactly what that meant, but it was something—proof that the Ascension System was real, that it could make him stronger.
He sat up slowly, wincing as his muscles protested. The pain was worth it, though. He had gained something valuable from this fight, not just the experience, but a new skill as well. Quickstep—the name suggested it was some kind of enhanced movement ability. He would need to test it out later.
But for now, all he wanted was to rest.
Aryn glanced at the altar one last time, a mixture of fear and awe in his eyes. This was only the beginning, he realized. The Ascension System had chosen him, for reasons he couldn't yet understand. But one thing was clear—his life was no longer his own.