[Welcome to the Continental Strife.]
[Each of you chosen to participate will not only represent your homeland but, perhaps, your entire race.]
[This competition is a path to power, treasure, and dominance. To the strong-willed, the lucky, and the relentless—victory awaits.]
[Only those with both wits and strength will endure.]
[May your strife be auspicious.]
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[Your status is now available to view.]
————
A cold wind howled through the jagged cliffs, carrying with it the scent of pine and raw earth. The sky stretched infinitely above, a muted gray, as if the heavens themselves observed in silent judgment.
Viktor stood on rocky ground, the uneven terrain pressing sharply against his boots. Towering peaks loomed in the distance, their craggy surfaces partially hidden by mist. Below, a vast sea of dark green forest stretched out, its depths unknowable.
His breath came slow and measured, but his mind reeled.
One moment, he had been hammering molten steel in the forge—the next, he was here. No transition, no warning. Just an abrupt shift, as if reality itself had twisted.
Viktor glanced down at himself, still in his work clothes. The scent of metal and soot clung to him, a fleeting anchor in this strange place.
A soft hum flickered at the edge of his vision. He turned toward it.
Before him, a translucent screen floated in the air, its letters shifting into something he could understand.
It was... unreal.
"Did I overwork myself?" Viktor muttered under his breath. He felt no fatigue, but maybe he'd passed out in the forge. Was this some heat-induced delusion?
Before he could dwell on the thought, a shadow passed overhead—a massive one.
An instinct deep within him roared to life. His muscles seized, and his breath locked in his chest. A pressure—primal and unrelenting—pressed down on him like a weight.
His gray eyes shot upward.
A dragon.
Its wings stretched across the sky, blocking out the light as it soared above the treetops. Its sheer presence, the deliberate power in its flight, sent a shiver down his spine.
Viktor heart pounded.
For the first time in his life, he felt truly insignificant.
The weight of its presence crushed him—not just fear, but something deeper, more visceral. His instincts whispered of prey before predator, of ember before inferno.
Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the dragon vanished beyond the cliffs, leaving only silence in its wake.
Viktor stood frozen. His legs ached, not from movement, but from the effort of staying grounded in the face of such overwhelming presence.
He stared at the empty sky, his thoughts unraveling like brittle iron.
"...Fuck," he breathed, his voice almost drowned by the wind.
This wasn't a dream. It wasn't some heat-induced hallucination.
Dragons were real. And if dragons were real, then this 'Continental Strife' would be nothing short of brutal.
His fingers flexed at his sides, the roughness of his calloused palms grounding him once more. He didn't know where he was, or why, but one thing was certain—he wasn't just a blacksmith anymore.
Shaking off the lingering weight of the dragon's presence, Viktor turned his attention back to the floating screen.
It was time to learn what this 'Continental Strife' truly was.
…
Reading through the messages, Viktor learned three things.
First, race and competition mattered here.
Second, he had no idea where he stood in either.
And third—the nature of the competition wasn't stated.
The text spoke of survival, power, and status, but nothing was clear. Was it a war? A tournament? A hunt? A free-for-all? There were no explanations—only the expectation to struggle.
Viktor eyes lingered on the words "represent your home, perhaps your entire race."
What did that mean?
He was human. That much was obvious. But was that a factor? Was everyone here human, or were there others?
A flicker of unease settled in his chest, but now wasn't the time for endless questions. Answers would come later.
Looking at the last screen, Viktor thought inwardly:
'Status'
As the new screen unfolded before him, revealing information he'd never seen displayed in this way.
….
[Status] —
Name : Viktor
Race : [Human — Lv. (N/A)]
Innate : [ Unavailable (N/A) ]
Innate Rank : [ N/A ]
….
[Attributes] —
Health 120/120
Stamina 55/60
Mana 25/25
Strength: 11
Agility: 9
Constitution: 12
Spirit : 5
Undisturbed stats : 0
….
Viktor's mind raced, trying to process the stark simplicity of the display. Level N/A? Innate unavailable? He blinked. What the hell does that even mean?
His gaze lingered on the unfamiliar stats, confusion deepening. What was this supposed to tell him about himself? The numbers, the terms—it felt like reading an incomplete blueprint of his own existence.
He mulled it over. Then, as if on cue, a new prompt flickered into view.
[Level]: A measure of a user's race and existence, representing their growth in complexity and power. With each level-up, stats will automatically increase based on the user's race, and additional undistributed stat points will be awarded.
Viktor's raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" He focused on the words, wondering if more details would appear.
And so, he tried again.
[Innate]: Upon integration with the system, all individuals gain a distinct, progressive ability. This power manifests at level 1 and grows alongside the user.
[Innate Rank]: A measure of an innate ability's strength and potential. It advances at certain level intervals—(10, 20, 30, etc.), unlocking greater proficiency and new applications.
[Throughout all the Continental Stages, All innate skills are categorized into nine ranks: G, F, E, D, C, B, A, S, EX.]
Viktor's exhaled slowly, absorbing the information. The structure was simple yet absolute—power was earned in stages, dictated by the system. And right now, his level was zero.
So, I need to level up to unlock my Innate Ability and Skills?
As if in response, new text materialized.
[Innate Skill] : an ability linked to the user Innate Ability, unlocked after Each ten-level milestone, categorized into nine ranks: [G, F, E, D, C, B, A, S, EX].
[Strength] : A measure of muscle power and raw physical force.
[Agility] : Governs speed, reflexes, movement fluidity, and reaction time.
[Constitution] : Determines stamina, endurance, bone density, and natural durability.
[Spirit] : Affects five senses, thought processing speed, mana pool, and critical thinking ability.
[Health = Constitution x10, Stamina = Constitution x5, Mana = Spirit x 5]
After reading through the descriptions, Viktor's gained a clearer understanding of the system and his Status. However, one crucial question remained unanswered.
How do I level up?
No matter how much he focused on the words, no new information surfaced—only what he had already seen.
"Hm… maybe—"
Before he could finish his thought, a new prompt materialized.
And this time, a voice accompanied it.
…
[Dear Participants, welcome]
[You have been summoned without warning, thrown into a new place—a new world]
[This is your chance—to carve your fate, to seize strength, to rise]
[The 'Continental Strife' is a universal event, held once every era. Here, heroes are forged, and the victor takes all]
[A new age has begun. The era of Strife is upon us]
[We wish you all—good luck]
…
[The "First Step" have been listed]
...….
UPCOMING NEXT - CHAPTER 2 - First Step, First Kill.
...….
GLOSSARY -:-
[1] Status — A comprehensive view of a character's attributes, including health, race, skills, and level. The system tracks and updates the character's progress.