Let's kick things off with a powerful, intense prologue where Vlad is betrayed and left for dead — the perfect spark for his ascension.
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**The Bait**
Blood dripped onto the cold dungeon floor, the crimson droplets lost in the sea of corpses. Broken weapons and shattered armor lay scattered like remnants of forgotten hope. The only sound that echoed through the vast, cavernous expanse was the labored breathing of a dying hunter.
Vlad.
His body trembled, pinned to the ground by a monstrous claw the size of a boulder. The creature that held him down — a **Crimson Reaver** — snarled, its serrated jaws inches from his face. Hot, foul breath washed over him as the beast relished its victory.
The rest of the hunting party was already gone.
They had run.
They had left him.
**"Just hold it off for a few seconds, Vlad!"** Mark, the team captain, had shouted. **"We'll regroup!"**
A lie.
They never intended to come back.
He was the weakest in the party — an **F-rank hunter** who could barely contribute. To them, he was expendable. A human shield to buy them time to escape.
And he had done just that.
His arms felt like lead. His ribs, shattered. His vision blurred. But Vlad forced himself to keep looking at the tunnel where his party had vanished.
The place where his so-called comrades had abandoned him.
**Cowards.**
**Liars.**
The Reaver growled, pressing its claw deeper into his back, causing his spine to crack. The pain was unbearable, yet not as sharp as the betrayal that burned in his chest.
But even in the face of death, he refused to look away.
If he was going to die, he wanted his last thoughts to be of his family.
His little sister, always drawing pictures of him as a hero.
His little brother, dreaming of building machines and staring at the stars.
His parents, working tirelessly in their small restaurant to provide for them.
He couldn't protect them.
He was too weak.
**"I... can't die here..."** Vlad rasped, blood spilling from his mouth.
The monster didn't care. It lifted its massive claw, ready to crush him entirely.
In that moment — in the last flicker of his consciousness — something awoke deep within him.
A voice.
Cold. Calculating. Infinite.
**[System Activation Complete.]**
**[User Detected: Vlad.]**
**[Initializing Celestial Forge Protocol...]**
**[Welcome, Creator.]**
Vlad's eyes, once dim with despair, began to glow with a faint golden light.
And he smiled.