LUNARETH CITY
In this world, twin moons dominate the sky, their brilliance transforming the city of Lunareth into a shimmering vision of magic. The larger moon, Aelora, bathes the world in soft, ethereal light, while the smaller, more enigmatic Vaelith casts a faint crimson glow.
Together, their combined radiance paints the city in hues of twilight, making it appear like a dream born of silver and shadow.
Lunareth, with its architecture crafted from luminous stone, glows as though imbued with the very essence of the moons above.
Its streets bustle with life: merchants in the Moonlit Bazaar exchange goods and laughter, children play beneath glowing lamplights, and lovers stroll through blooming gardens, their faces lit by the celestial dance above.
The air is rich with the scent of moonflowers, their delicate fragrance blending with the soft strains of music spilling from open windows. Here, the mundane and the mystical coexist in perfect harmony, making Lunareth a city celebrated far and wide for its unparalleled allure.
It is no wonder, then, that the famed elven swordsman, Aelion Stormblade, chose to settle in the serene forest bordering Lunareth. Drawn by its night-time beauty, he built his refuge amidst the trees, finding solace in its tranquility and the glow of the twin moons.
Ash ventured into the city, seeking a place to rest before his journey into the unknown. he checked into a modest inn, claimed a room for the night, and enjoyed a warm dinner.
After a refreshing shower, he left behind the comfort of civilization and made his way towards the forest.
His goal was clear: to find a secluded cave where he could safely bond with the Rune of Balance.
The forest stretched endlessly under the twin moons, a labyrinth of trees and shadows. After an hour of wandering through dense foliage and thorny bushes, He finally stumbled upon an abandoned cave.
It was dark, remote, and utterly silent—the perfect place for what he needed to do. he blocked the entrance with a boulder and branches, ensuring he wouldn't be disturbed, and ventured inside.
Sitting cross-legged in the center of the cave, he pulled the Rune of Balance from his pouch. Its surface shimmered faintly, almost as though it were alive, waiting for this moment.
Ash pricked his finger with a blade, letting a single drop of blood fall onto the rune. Holding it close to his heart, he spoke its name with reverence and resolve.
"Rune of Balance."
BOOOMM !!
A blinding white light filled the cave, so intense it felt like the sun itself had decided to drop in for tea. The rune disintegrated, its power surging into his body like a thousand bolts of lightning. At first, he thought, this isn't so bad. Then the real pain began.
The pain hit like an enraged dragon on steroids. he blacked out almost immediately, but even unconsciousness offered no refuge.
Blood streamed from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth, his muscles shredded themselves like overcooked meat, and his bones? They crumbled like crackers beneath a giant's boot.
Death was pounding on the door, but thankfully, the Rune of Stability—bless its overachieving little heart—stepped in to save him. It stabilized his body, mind, and soul, pouring its energy into balancing the chaos and slowing down the process.
Slowly, agonizingly, time seemed to rewind. His shattered body began to mend itself. Black sludge oozed from his every pore, purging the impurities within. As the brilliant white light finally dimmed, the transformation was complete.
Then it happened. The mana inside him started converging, rushing toward his abdomen. The pull was immense—every last drop of mana was sucked into a single point, condensing into a small, pure white core, flawless and without impurities.
The moment it formed, mana surged outward, flowing through his body along meridians that the Rune of Stability had opened.
As the dust settled and silence reclaimed the cave, all that remained was...
A six-year-old boy, unconscious, lying peacefully in a pool of blood and black goo.
**
I slowly opened my eyes, blinking against the sharp sting of light. The air around me felt heavy, thick with the scent of blood and the unmistakable odor of something vile—black goo, oozing from my body like an aftermath of some twisted transformation.
It coated my skin, mingling with the pool of blood that I lay in. Despite the grotesque sight and the overwhelming stench, I forced myself to sit up.
My body trembled as I placed a hand against the cool stone floor to steady myself, the darkness of the cave pressing in on me. Ignoring the discomfort, I focused inward, reaching for my Status Window, a familiar tool I had come to rely on.
With a flicker of thought, the translucent screen appeared before me. The soft, ethereal glow of the window illuminated the cave's walls, casting strange reflections on the blood-stained ground.
I read the words carefully, my heart pounding as I processed the information displayed.
**
STATUS SCREEN
Name: Ash Burn
Age: 6
Level: 5 (0/3000)
Class: Swordsman ( PARTIALLY - LOCKED)
**
Strength: 12
Agility: 12
Intelligence: 12
Vitality: 12
Magic Power: 12
Charm: 12
**
[Skill Creation] (Unranked)
Description: The ability to create new skills from imagination per level. The more diverse and unique the imagination, the more powerful the skills created.
‣[Mana Manipulation]-(Level 4)
Description: The user's mastery over mana absorption and control has reached an advanced stage. The flow of mana within user body has become highly refined, allowing for smoother and more efficient absorption of energy. Mana can now be directed with precision to enhance physical attributes, temporarily imbue objects like weapons and shields with magical properties.
‣[Sword Mastery]-(Level 2)
Description: Increases proficiency with sword-related tasks, allowing for greater precision and effectiveness. As the skill level increases, the user's insight into sword techniques improves.
‣[Inspect]-(Level 2)
Description: The ability to carefully examine objects, places, and people to discern hidden details, uncover secrets, or identify points of interest. It can also tell the emotional state of the person you're inspecting.
Skills(3/5)
**
I stood in the center of the cave, my body still shaking from the intense transformation. The Rune of Balance had done its work—perfectly, too perfectly.
Everything about me had been reset to a state of perfect equilibrium. My physical strength, agility, vitality, intelligence and even my magical potential had been brought to a balance.
At first glance, it seemed like a curse: no overpowering strength, no blazing speed, no exceptional intellect. But I knew this wasn't a limitation.
This was an Blessing that anybody would die for.
I touched my chest, where I could still feel the lingering power of the runes, vibrating beneath my skin.
The Rune of Balance was more than just a tool to reset my body. It was a system that harmonized every part of me, ensuring that no aspect of my being grew faster or stronger than another.
If I trained my body—practicing martial arts or honing my sword skills—my Strength, Agility, and Endurance would naturally grow, but so would my Mana and Intelligence.
Magic wasn't separate from my physical growth, and my physical training didn't come at the cost of my arcane abilities.
Each action, each practice, fed into every aspect of who I was. Every sword strike, every spell cast, every drop of sweat—it all counted toward my Overall development.
As I continued to train, my stats would rise in perfect balance. If I pushed my body to its limits, my mind would grow sharper to keep pace, and my mana would strengthen to support whatever magical feats I attempted.
There would be no overwhelming strength without magic, and no impressive magic without the body to wield it. I would grow evenly, each skill building on the other, without ever needing to sacrifice one for another.
It was a slow, steady progression, and perhaps not the fastest path to power, but it would ensure that I was never lacking in any area. I wouldn't just be a master of swordplay, nor would I be a powerful mage—I'd be both, seamlessly intertwined, adaptable to any situation.
A balanced warrior. A balanced mage. And in a world that demanded extremes, I would stand as something different: A PARAGON, A MAGIC SWORDMAN.
The second thing I noticed was my class—it was partially awakened. This meant I'd grow stronger faster, especially while practicing with a sword.
A flicker of excitement ran through me, but I quickly turned my attention inward. Closing my eyes, I focused on my core, and what I saw left me utterly speechless.
From what I'd read in the novel, when a core is first formed upon awakening, it's usually black, filled with impurities.
But mine... mine was pure white. It radiated an almost sacred aura, a core that could rival those of high-rankers—SS Rank individuals who had painstakingly purged every impurity from their bodies and cores.
This revelation hit hard. In terms of purity, I was already comparable to an SS Rank, yet I lacked the strength, skill, and experience to match such power.
Still, the thought filled me with a thrill of anticipation. Not even the main character in the novel possessed a pure core like this.
It must be because he got the rune after his awakening, But still its beneficial for me because for a mage or a warrior Most difficult thing is to remove impurity from their core as that process usually takes a long time.
But I didn't have to undergo that process, that means I can Rank up faster than Other people if I want but it will make my foundation weak if I Rank up to fast.
After a few moments, I forced myself to calm down and took another look at my body.
The transformation was undeniable. After a refreshing dip in the cool water from his dimensional ring, he slipped into a fresh set of clothes and emerged from the cave, still feeling the subtle aftershocks of the Rune of Balance.
As he stepped into the peaceful silence of the forest, he pulled out something small from his pouch—a cheap, full-sized mirror he'd bought with the last of his spare change. At first, he'd thought it was a ridiculous purchase, but now? Now it was a very welcome tool.
He stood there, staring at the reflection in disbelief. His eyes, a striking crimson with a dash of gold, seemed to burn with the intensity of both fire and sun, an almost hypnotic gaze that felt...otherworldly. He couldn't help but chuckle. He was different now.
He had grown. His height had shot up from a mere 1.17 meters (46 inches) to 1.68 meters (56 inches) in what felt like the blink of an eye. He now looked like a 10-year-old, though with the delicate features of someone even younger.
His skin, once the picture of innocence, now looked impossibly smooth and translucent, almost as if he wasn't meant to exist in this world of rough hands and calloused hearts.
His hair—previously a tangled mess of dark, abyssal strands—now flowed in glossy waves to his shoulders, darker than the night itself. It framed his face like an ethereal veil, giving him a hauntingly beautiful look that he wasn't sure how to feel about.
And then... the lips. Soft, parted, doll-like, with a vulnerability that seemed straight out of a fairytale. His features, delicate and unnervingly perfect, almost seemed too symmetrical for someone who actually lived in this harsh world.
If someone were to glance at him, they might mistake him for a girl—this childlike, unmuscular frame didn't scream warrior. But then, it wasn't his features that made him stand out the most.
It was his eyes. Those blazing crimson and gold eyes. They weren't just captivating; they were magnetic. He hadn't realized it until now, but people would notice.
Not just look at him, but stare, almost compelled. He wasn't sure how he felt about it—okay, actually, he knew how he felt: he didn't like it one bit.
The Rune of Balance had done something unexpected. Sure, he was now a balanced warrior-mage, but he was also... well, a walking magnet for attention.
And in a world where getting noticed was dangerous, this was a problem. The last thing he wanted was to be a celebrity for all the wrong reasons. He'd have to figure out a way to make himself less... eye-catching. Maybe a new haircut? He sighed. He could feel the gaze of the world on him already, even before he took his first step.
This was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, his beauty—if he could call it that—was like a magical cloak, drawing attention wherever he went.
On the other hand, it was a curse. People would talk, stare, gossip. And in a world where the sharpness of a sword and the cleverness of a mind kept you alive, his new-found allure might just be the most dangerous weapon of all.
With a reluctant sigh, he tucked the mirror back into his pouch. He was stuck with this, for better or worse. The Rune of Balance had given him a strength he hadn't asked for—beauty that would draw all the wrong kinds of eyes. Now, he'd have to figure out how to navigate this newfound burden... one step at a time.
***