Far from the burning chaos of the city—
In a mountain range buried deep within the forest region—
Silence reigned.
The entire region was eerily lifeless. No chirping insects. No rustling leaves. Not even a single blade of grass dared to grow. The air shimmered with heat, the ground cracked like scorched glass.
It was as if the world itself had exhaled and forgotten to breathe again.
Inside a cavern on the mountain's side—
Flicker.
A faint movement broke the stillness.
A pair of eyes fluttered open, reflecting the dull glow of molten light seeping through cracks in the cave wall.
"...Ugh."
Raiden Ignatius groaned as he tried to sit up. Every muscle screamed in protest, as if molten lead ran through his veins. His vision blurred, his head pounding.
When his sight steadied, he found himself staring at a stone wall, rough and cracked. He touched his neck, half expecting to still feel claws around it.
"Where... am I?" he muttered, scanning his surroundings. "How did I—?"
Then it hit him.
A rush of fragmented memories. Flames. Screams. Blood. Slivia.
"Oh... Slivia…"
His voice cracked, his chest tightening. He clutched at the ground, trembling, eyes glassy as tears welled and fell silently.
For several minutes, he just sat there, breathing, lost between disbelief and grief.
Finally, when the pain dulled to a numb ache, he pushed himself up and staggered out of the cave.
The moment he stepped outside, the sight froze him.
The mountain stretched above him like a burning god. Lava poured from its veins, sliding down in glowing rivers that turned the very earth to ash. The air rippled with unbearable heat.
Yet… he felt nothing.
The inferno that should have cooked him alive felt oddly comforting—like basking in sunlight after a cold night.
"What... the hell?" Raiden muttered, baffled. "No one could survive this heat… so why—"
He stopped mid-sentence as something clicked in the air, like the sound of glass shattering inside his skull.
A glowing panel of fiery light blinked into existence before his eyes, hovering like a hologram made of sunlight.
---
[ CONGRATULATIONS — YOU HAVE AWAKENED THE FLAMMIFERUS PHOENIX SYSTEM ]
---
Raiden blinked. "Huh... What the hell? I'm definitely hallucinating. This is it. I've finally snapped."
But the screen didn't vanish.
Instead, more fiery letters appeared one after another, accompanied by a faint ringing tone that made the air hum.
---
[ FORCED TRANSFORMATION STATE — TRIGGERED BY BLOODLUST AND DESPAIR ]
[ HOST HAS SLAUGHTERED MULTIPLE MUTANTS ]
[ EXPERIENCE ACQUIRED: 3,250 / 1,000 ]
[ LEVEL UP! ]
[ LEVEL UP! ]
[ LEVEL UP! ]
[ HOST CURRENT LEVEL: 3 ]
[ TO ACCESS SYSTEM MENU, SAY: "SYSTEM INTERFACE." ]
---
Raiden stared blankly, mouth slightly open.
A part of him wanted to laugh, another wanted to cry. "Okay, so… not a dream. Or I'm having one hell of a breakdown."
Still… curiosity won.
"System Interface," he muttered hesitantly.
FWOOM.
A new screen appeared—this one detailed, layered with fiery edges that flickered like living flame.
---
[ SYSTEM INTERFACE ]
— STATUS
— QUESTS
— SKILLS & ABILITIES
— BLOODLINE EVOLUTION
— SHOP (LOCKED)
— TITLES (LOCKED)
---
"Holy shit… this looks like a game menu," he whispered. "Alright, let's see where this rabbit hole goes. Status."
Another flare of light—
---
[ STATUS SCREEN ]
NAME: Raiden Ignatius
RACE: Human (Dormant Hybrid)
SYSTEM: Flammiferus Phoenix — Level 1
HOST LEVEL: 3
EXP: 250 / 4000
ENERGY (Mana Core): 250 / 300
HP: 379 / 400
ELEMENTAL AFFINITY: ⚡ Lightning (Lv.1)
BLOODLINE: Phoenix — Locked (1%)
---
[ CORE STATS ]
🩸 Strength: 13
🔥 Endurance: 15
💨 Agility: 17
🪨 Resilience: 11
⚡ Perception: 20
🧠 Intelligence: 21
💎 Willpower: 14
✨ Arcana Control: 9
[ Unassigned Points: 10 ]
---
Raiden stared for a while, trying to take it all in.
"Level... stats... this is so unreal."
He glanced around until his gaze fell on a loose rock.
"Alright, let's test this madness."
He picked up the rock, tightened his grip, and hurled it with all his strength.
WHOOSH!
The rock vanished into the sky and didn't come down for several seconds. When it did, it crashed almost two kilometers away, leaving a distant plume of dust.
Raiden's jaw dropped. "Okay... that's new."
Curiosity burning, he reopened the screen.
"Let's see... strength. Add five points."
---
[ STRENGTH +5 ]
[ CURRENT STRENGTH: 18 ]
---
A warm surge spread through his body, like fire weaving into his muscles. He felt lighter, stronger—his heartbeat steady and powerful.
He grinned. "Oh yeah. Definitely not hallucinating."
He picked up another stone and threw it again.
BOOM.
This time, the stone shot out like a bullet, vanishing into the horizon.
Raiden laughed. It wasn't the sound of madness—it was raw, unfiltered relief.
For the first time in his life, he wasn't weak.
"This power... I'll never let anyone step on me again," he whispered, his voice trembling with conviction. "Slivia... I'll make them pay. I'll protect whoever I have left."
He took a deep breath, straightened his back, and stepped forward into the molten light.
Then he stopped.
Something… dangled.
He looked down, and realization dawned.
"...Oh hell no."
He quickly covered himself. "Seriously?! No clothes? Did they burn off when I transformed? Great. I'm a naked superhero now."
He looked around, spotted a faint structure in the distance—a farmhouse—and jogged toward it, crouching behind trees when he saw no movement.
Minutes later, he emerged wearing worn, dusty clothes that hung loosely on his frame. They weren't much, but they covered him.
"Better than streaking into civilization," he sighed.
He resumed his run through the forest. Eventually, the dense trees broke, revealing a massive iron gate and a line of people being inspected by guards in uniform.
Beyond the gate sprawled a city.
Raiden exhaled in disbelief. "So… this isn't home. That mountain must be miles away." He clenched his fist. "Fine. New world, new me."
And with that, he started walking toward the gates—
Unaware that every step he took would echo through history.
---