The sulfuric air stung Arion's lungs as he limped along the jagged terrain, the obsidian shard in his hand sticky with blood—his own and the creatures he had slain moments ago. His body screamed in protest, the sting of claw marks across his chest and arms refusing to let him forget how close he had come to death.
Above him, the sky was a roiling vortex of crimson and black, its clouds churning with an unnatural rhythm. The horizon was no less daunting—a vast expanse of cracked earth split by rivers of molten lava. The oppressive heat pressed down on him, making each breath an ordeal.
"This can't be real," he muttered, his voice hoarse. But the ache in his limbs and the blood on his hands told him otherwise.
"Welcome to the First Circle, Arion Valerius," the System intoned, its cold, detached voice echoing in his mind. "Pain is your teacher, and suffering your companion. Adapt, or you will perish."
"Yeah, thanks for the motivational speech," Arion hissed, dragging himself toward a cluster of jagged rocks. The heat radiating from the ground made his boots feel like they were melting, but the rocks offered some semblance of cover.
He slumped against one of them, chest heaving. The mark on his arm pulsed faintly, its glow dimmer now, as if conserving its strength.
"I don't even know how I got here," Arion muttered, staring at the swirling sky. "Or why..."
But he did know. Pride. His sin. The System's cold voice had made that abundantly clear.
Memories flooded back unbidden—the arrogance, the lies, the people he had crushed underfoot to climb to the top. His final act of hubris, standing on the balcony of his penthouse, toasting his empire, only to slip on spilled champagne and fall to his death.
The irony was almost laughable. Almost.
Before he could dwell on it further, a low growl cut through the suffocating silence. Arion froze, his hand tightening around the shard.
From the shadows, three figures emerged. They were smaller than the beast he had fought earlier but no less menacing. Their skin was leathery and charred, their eyes glowing embers set deep into twisted faces. They moved on all fours, their claws clicking against the stone.
"Seriously?" Arion muttered, pushing himself to his feet. His muscles protested, but survival outweighed the pain.
The first creature lunged, a blur of claws and teeth. Arion sidestepped, swinging the shard in a desperate arc. The blade caught the creature across the jaw, sending it skittering back with a hiss.
The other two circled him, their movements coordinated, predatory.
"Not fair," Arion growled, shifting his stance. The System's interface hovered in his vision, flashing a message.
"Enemy threat detected. Combat instincts activating."
"Could've activated them a bit sooner!" Arion snapped, ducking as the second creature leaped at him. He drove the shard upward, piercing its chest. The creature howled, its body convulsing before crumbling into ash.
"Enemy slain. +10 EXP."
The remaining two creatures hesitated, their ember eyes narrowing.
Arion adjusted his grip on the shard, his breathing ragged. "Come on, then. Let's get this over with."
The creatures didn't charge. Instead, they began to move in unison, their glowing eyes locking onto his mark. A chill ran down Arion's spine as he realized they were studying him, waiting for him to falter.
Suddenly, a sharp pain flared in his arm where the mark burned. He gasped, doubling over as the System's voice rang out.
"Skill unlocked: Infernal Resilience."
"What the—" Arion straightened, the pain subsiding as a strange warmth spread through his body. His senses sharpened, the sluggishness in his limbs replaced by an unnatural energy.
The creatures attacked simultaneously, their claws aiming for his throat and legs. But this time, Arion was ready. He spun, his movements quicker, more precise. The shard in his hand sliced through the air, cutting into the first creature's neck.
It crumpled instantly, its body disintegrating.
"Enemy slain. +10 EXP."
The final creature hesitated, its ember eyes flickering with uncertainty. Arion didn't give it the chance to retreat. He lunged, driving the shard into its skull with a ferocity that startled even him.
The creature spasmed before collapsing into ash.
"Trial Complete. +20 EXP. Health restored: 15%."
Arion stood amidst the remnants of his enemies, his chest heaving. The warmth in his body ebbed, leaving him trembling but alive.
He glanced at the glowing interface, which now displayed his updated stats.
Level: 2
Skill Unlocked: Emberstrike
"Emberstrike?" he muttered. The shard in his hand flickered, glowing faintly.
"You've survived your first trial," a new voice drawled, low and mocking.
Arion spun, the shard raised defensively. From the shadows emerged a figure unlike anything he had encountered so far. It was humanoid but impossibly thin, its limbs elongated and its face hidden beneath a mask of bone. Glowing red eyes regarded him with cruel amusement.
"Who are you?" Arion demanded.
"Call me Viryx," the figure said, bowing mockingly. "I'm here to... observe. And perhaps offer a bit of guidance—if you're entertaining enough."
"Guidance?" Arion's eyes narrowed. "Why would you help me?"
Viryx laughed, the sound like dry leaves scraping against stone. "Help? No, mortal. I simply enjoy watching your kind flail about. But you've piqued my curiosity. Most don't make it past the first trial."
Arion gritted his teeth, lowering the shard slightly. "Then tell me what's next."
Viryx's grin widened. "Beyond that ridge lies the true entrance to the First Circle. The gate. But you'll have to earn the right to pass."
"What's guarding it?"
"Something that will crush you if you're not prepared," Viryx said, his tone almost gleeful. "But don't worry, mortal. You've already taken your first step. Let's see if you can keep climbing."
With that, Viryx vanished, leaving Arion alone once more.
He stared at the distant ridge, his grip on the shard tightening. The gate awaited, and beyond it, a world of horrors he couldn't yet imagine.
But Arion wasn't the man he had been in life—the man who fell to his death consumed by pride.
"I'll survive," he murmured, stepping forward. "No matter what it takes."