[Void Eclipse Blade (Level 1)]
Active Skill: Void Edge - Temporarily imbues the blade with void properties, allowing it to cut through enhanced defenses.
Passive Skill: Dark Resilience - Permanently increases Strength by 2 points while equipped.
Noah lay in bed, pretending to sleep while Kelvin's snores filled their room. His mind raced with possibilities as he examined his new weapon's capabilities.
'Extra strength is always useful, but it's that active skill that could be a game-changer.'
He rolled onto his side, checking his updated stats.
[Strength: 12]
'Not bad. Would've been helpful against that level 3 beast in the cave.' His hand unconsciously touched his chest where the beast's armored hide had nearly crushed him. 'Or today with Raven, for that matter.'
Noah glanced at his sleeping roommate before sitting up. He needed to test this properly.
The transition to his domain was smoother now, almost natural. The familiar void-touched clearing materialized around him, eternally lit by that strange ambient light. A red blur shot toward his legs, accompanied by excited chirping sounds.
"Easy there, little guy," Noah laughed as Nyx tumbled around his feet, still clumsy with its growing body. The death dragon had doubled in size since their first meeting, now about as big as a puppy, its scales gleaming like fresh blood.
Nyx responded by trying to catch his own tail, nearly falling over in the process.
'Hard to believe you'll be terrifying someday,' Noah thought with amusement. He extended his hand, summoning the Void Eclipse Blade. The weapon materialized in a swirl of darkness, causing Nyx to stop his playing and stare at the pretty lights with wide eyes.
Noah approached one of the dead trees dotting his domain. 'Alright, let's see what you can do.'
[Void Edge activated]
[Duration: 10 seconds]
The blade's geometric patterns flared with purple light. Noah swung at the tree, and the weapon passed through the trunk like it was made of mist. Both halves toppled with a resounding crash, startling Nyx who leaped behind a rock with a surprised squeak.
'Interesting. No resistance at all.' Noah examined the cut - perfectly clean, as if reality itself had been divided. 'But ten seconds isn't long. Have to make it count.'
He spent the next hour testing different strikes, angles, and timing. Each activation of Void Edge felt like flipping a switch - either the blade was normal, or it simply ignored whatever it struck.
'This would've torn right through that beast's armor,' Noah realized. 'And Raven's hardening wouldn't have meant a thing.'
Nyx had fallen asleep nearby, tiny puffs of black smoke rising from his nostrils with each breath. The dragon barely stirred as Noah continued his practice, the sound of falling trees becoming a rhythm in the eternal twilight of his domain.
'But it's not perfect,' he thought, letting the blade rest. 'Ten seconds, then I'm vulnerable. Need to time it right, make each activation count. Surprise will be everything.'
The blade pulsed once in his grip before dissolving back into shadows. Noah looked at his sleeping dragon companion, then at the grove of cleanly-cut trees surrounding them.
'Well,' he thought with a slight smile, 'this should make things interesting.'
Noah stared at his palm in the dim light of his domain, contemplating the Null Strike skill he hadn't dared test yet.
'A void-enhanced punch sounds great until I have to explain a mysteriously shattered hand to the healers,' he thought wryly. 'That's a test for another day.'
He pulled up his system interface, examining his progress. The fight with Raven had proven one uncomfortable truth - he hadn't improved nearly enough.
[Name: Noah Eclipse]
[Level: 1]
[Class: Void Walker]
'Still stuck at level one. Whatever this system wants, it's not impressed easily.'
His mind drifted to the previous quests. The vault raid for Nyx's cores had triggered one. Then the fight with Raven. Both dangerous, both unexpected.
'So that's the pattern? The system likes it when I take risks?' He frowned. 'Great. Just great.'
The unfinished quest about evolving Nyx nagged at him. Speaking of his troublesome pet, Noah checked his void storage. The last of the stolen cores was gone, consumed by his growing companion.
'Should've grabbed more while we were there,' he thought, watching Nyx chase shadows in his sleep. 'No telling when he'll need feeding again. Not like death dragons come with instruction manuals.'
The baby dragon had doubled in size, but Noah still had no idea about proper feeding intervals. Every time he thought he had a pattern figured out, Nyx would surprise him.
'One problem at a time,' he decided, feeling exhaustion creep in. 'First, survive whatever tomorrow brings. Then figure out how to feed a growing dragon.'
He took one last look at his stats before preparing to leave his domain. The numbers felt mockingly low given what he was up against.
'Tomorrow's another day of pretending to be normal,' he thought as he stepped back into reality. 'Whatever normal means anymore.'
___
Like he rightly guessed, the day didn't start off normal at all. Or at least it did for the most part when Miss Brooks's heels clicked against the floor with deliberate rhythm as she entered the classroom, carrying a simple black box that somehow commanded everyone's attention. Noah couldn't help but notice how several male students straightened in their seats.
'Even the box looks ominous,' he thought, watching his voluptuous teacher place it on her desk with careful precision.
"Today," she announced, her voice carrying that hint of amusement it always had when she knew something they didn't, "we'll be assigning your third-year guides for the Cannadah expedition. Just so you know, your team members from the last... expedition will remain the same,"
A wave of whispers swept through the class. Noah's eyes narrowed.
'Group assignments. That means four of us, including whoever we get stuck with from the top 25.'
"Since we're doing this fairly," Miss Brooks continued, "we're going in reverse order. Class 1C has already made their selections, and now it's your turn."
Kelvin leaned over, keeping his voice low. "First time the school's thought about the little guys, huh? Though why give 1C first pick is beyond me."
'Unless the top students didn't want to babysit the lowest-ranked class,' Noah realized. 'Which means...'
One by one, group leaders approached the box. Some drew their numbers with excitement, others with visible disappointment. Numbers 20, 18, 15 - solid ranks, but not the elite.
Noah felt his groupmates' eyes on him. Kelvin, Lila, and Cora all stared expectantly.
'When exactly did I become the leader?' he wondered, pushing himself up from his seat. 'Pretty sure we never voted on this.'
The walk to the box felt longer than it should have. Noah reached in, his fingers brushing against the remaining paper slips.
'Please be someone quiet. Please be someone who'll just let us do our thing-'
He unfolded the paper and nearly choked.
Number 5.
"Congratulations, Mr. Eclipse," Miss Brooks said with that knowing smile of hers. "Quite the fortunate draw."
'Fortunate isn't the word I'd use,' Noah thought, feeling the jealous stares of his classmates burning into his back.
Then Adrian Albright stood up, his perfect hair catching the morning light just so. He practically glided to the box, surrounded by his usual entourage of admirers.
'Here comes the golden boy,' Noah thought, retaking his seat. 'Bet he gets someone in the teens-'
"Number three," Adrian announced, his voice carrying just the right amount of surprise. "Sienna Voss."
The classroom erupted in shocked murmurs. Noah caught fragments of conversations:
"What did 1C pick?"
"Two top five students still available?"
"This can't be right..."
A man in crisp military attire entered, collected the box from Miss Brooks, and departed - presumably headed for Class 1A's selection.
"Oh, and one more thing," Miss Brooks said, gathering her things with casual grace. "Pack your bags tonight. We leave tomorrow morning."
She strode out, leaving behind a classroom full of stunned students trying to process that they'd be on a different planet in less than 24 hours.
'A top five student and an alien planet,' Noah thought, feeling Lila's excited gaze boring into him from two seats over. 'What could possibly go wrong?'
Kelvin was already pulling up information about their assigned guide on his tablet, while Cora looked like she might faint from excitement.
Tomorrow would either be the start of something amazing, or - more likely given his luck - something terrifyingly interesting.
'Wonder if the system gives quests for surviving field trips?'
They gathered outside the classroom, just the four of them, discussing their draw with the sort of quiet urgency that usually came with impending doom. Noah leaned against the wall, arms crossed, while Kelvin paced in small, tight circles.
"I'm telling you, this is bad," Kelvin said, stabbing the air with a finger for emphasis. "Micah Reed? The guy thinks he's the second coming of the Void Core. He's going to screw this up for us, and we'll be lucky if we survive long enough to get expelled."
'He's not wrong,' Noah admitted to himself. He glanced at Lila, who had her hands clasped in front of her like she was physically holding herself back from rolling her eyes.
"Okay, okay," Lila said, raising her voice just enough to cut through Kelvin's rant. "Look, I get it. Micah has… a reputation. But we can't judge him before we even give him a chance. For all we know, he might actually be good at this."
Noah snorted. "Good at what? Talking about himself in the third person? Have you heard the things they say about him in the dorm? Guy once said his reflection was lucky to have him."
Kelvin barked a laugh, but Lila shot them both a sharp look. "Guys, seriously. This is important. If we can't even act like a team now, how are we supposed to handle Cannadah?"
Cora, who had been quiet until now, straightened up from where she'd been leaning on the railing. "For the record, I don't take orders from anyone, especially not some bald-headed narcissist who probably sleeps with a mirror under his pillow."
'So much for unity,' Noah thought, already regretting Lila's attempts at diplomacy.
Then, as if summoned by their collective annoyance, a voice broke through their conversation.
"Hi, guys."
Noah turned and immediately regretted it. There he was—Micah Reed in all his smug glory, flanked by three third-years who looked more like his personal cheer squad than students. His bald head gleamed in the sunlight like it was polished every morning, and the smirk on his face was somehow even shinier.