The air inside the gate was suffocating thick with the metallic stench of blood and the raw, damp smell of decayed monsters. Lucas Arthur tightened his grip around his worn-out sword, sweat dripping from his brow as he tried to steady his breath.
They had been inside for nearly an hour, cutting down the beasts that lurked in the shadows of the ruined fortress. The Rank B gate was more than just a challenge it was a death sentence for someone like him, a mere C-rank hunter, but desperation had long since replaced fear. He needed the money.
Jack, their leader, was the only one who moved without hesitation, his powerful strikes cutting through the monsters like they were nothing. He was Rank A, a true hunter while Lucas and the others merely followed in his shadow.
Lucas knew his place. He wasn't a hero, nor was he someone who could turn the tide of battle. He was just another expendable body someone who existed at the bottom of the food chain, lucky to even be here.
Yet, deep inside, he loathed it. He loathed the way his heart pounded in terror at every encounter. He loathed the way he had to rely on others, scraping together whatever little reward they tossed at him after each raid. He loathed how powerless he truly was.
A massive, wolf-like creature emerged from the darkness. its fur bristling with dark energy.
Jack cursed under his breath. "Shit. That's not a normal one."
And he was right.
Before anyone could react, the monster lunged forward, moving with terrifying speed. The first hunter in its path barely had time to scream before razor sharp fangs crushed his throat. The sickening crunch echoed through the cavernous ruins.
"Fall back!" Jack barked, his sword igniting with a fiery aura. "Defensive formation, now!"
But the chaos was already spiraling out of control.
Dozens of smaller monsters surged forward, their grotesque forms slithering and leaping from the shadows. What had been a controlled hunt had turned into a bloodbath within seconds. Lucas barely managed to evade a clawed swipe that could have gutted him, rolling to the side and stabbing his blade into the nearest creature's throat.
Then he heard the scream.
André.
Lucas turned just in time to see the young man collapse, his abdomen torn open by one of the beasts. He was gasping, choking on his own blood as he struggled to keep his insides from spilling onto the floor.
For a moment, everything else faded. The sounds of battle, the cries of his teammates, even the looming monsters. All Lucas could see was André his body twitching, his terrified eyes darting toward them, silently begging for help.
Jack's voice cut through the moment. "He's done for. Move out."
Lucas whipped his head toward him. "What?!"
Jack didn't even look at him. His face was cold, indifferent. "We can't save him. We'd just be throwing our lives away."
One of the other hunters a burly man who had barely broken a sweat nodded. "Jack's right. He won't last more than a minute anyway."
Lucas looked at the others, hoping praying that someone would object. But no one did.
André coughed violently, his hand reaching out toward them. His voice was weak, barely a whisper. "P-Please…"
Lucas clenched his teeth.
His legs refused to move.
"Lucas!" Jack's voice was sharp. "Don't be an idiot. We're leaving."
But Lucas didn't follow.
Instead, he dropped to one knee beside André.
André's lips curled into a weak, almost grateful smile.
"Dumbass…" he wheezed.
Lucas swallowed hard. His heart pounded so violently he thought it might burst. This was suicide. He knew it. But something inside him refused to let him walk away.
And then
A flash of blue light.
Lucas's breath hitched as a glowing screen materialized in front of him, its ethereal presence illuminating the crimson-stained ground beneath him.
[Congratulations! You have acquired the unique skill: "Systems Creator (SSS-Rank)"]
His mind reeled. His vision blurred as something surged through him a foreign, overwhelming power that sent electric pulses racing through every fiber of his being.
The air around him seemed to shift, bending under an unseen force. He gasped, his hands clutching his chest as an indescribable energy coiled within him, demanding release.
---
Lucas's breath was uneven. His fingers twitched as they hovered over the glowing blue screen that had materialized before him.
[Congratulations! You have acquired the unique skill: "Systems Creator (SSS-Rank)"]
He read it once. Twice.
The words didn't change.
His mind raced, grasping at any logical explanation. No skill in existence exceeded S-Rank he knew that as an undeniable fact. Yet, right before his eyes, a system had declared otherwise. SSS-Rank.
A skill so absurdly powerful it shouldn't exist.
His heart pounded violently against his chest, but he didn't have the luxury of time to process it. Because right next to him, Andre was dying.
Blood pooled beneath his broken body, his breath coming in shallow, fading gasps. twitched in weak resistance, but his eyes were already losing focus.
Lucas clenched his fists. The team had abandoned Andre without a second thought, leaving him like discarded trash. Jack, their so called leader, had made the decision without hesitation. "He's finished," he'd said. Just like that.
And maybe... maybe they were right.
But even if the world had decided Andre was beyond saving, Lucas refused to believe it.
Then, the second notification appeared.
[You have met the special conditions for creating a new system! You can give Andre the Evolution System (Condition: Dying)]
Lucas's breath caught in his throat.
A new system? He could give someone a system?
Yet, here it was. A glowing confirmation, waiting for his response.
His instincts screamed at him that this was wrong this was unnatural. But his rational mind was shoved aside by something far stronger: desperation.
Andre was about to die.
If there was even the smallest chance to save him
Lucas pressed [Accept].