Marcus leaned against the trunk of a scorched tree, chest heaving. His hands were blackened, skin cracked and glowing faintly from the raw power still pulsing beneath his flesh.
The System had gone quiet for a moment.
Then—just as the sun crested the distant hills and bathed the ruined forest in a pale gold—text blazed across his vision.
SYSTEM CORE NOTIFICATION – SYNC COMPLETE.
You have survived a Tier-Three Adversary encounter.
System Level: 3 – Flameborn Initiate
Path Chosen: Ember Root – Unstable Branching Activated
Trait Gained: Ash-Walker's Resilience
Skill Acquired: Firestorm Vein (Tier II Burst Skill)
Stat Increase:
Strength +3
Spirit +4
Agility +1
Core Control +2
Warning: Core Unstable – You are no longer bound by the Standard Wielder Limit.
Unlocking Adaptive Skill Tree: "Vessel of Ruin."
Marcus blinked hard.
The screen didn't vanish. It pulsed with eerie heat, then fractured into shards, revealing deeper glyphs beneath—far older than anything he'd seen from the System so far.
A voice—not the System's—whispered into his thoughts.
> You burn beyond what should be allowed. You are not a wielder. You are the beginning of an end.
He staggered.
"Marcus?" Elara's voice was faint but worried.
He turned, the screen fading just as she reached him, still limping. Her blade was sheathed, her face drawn with exhaustion.
"Your veins were glowing," she said. "I thought you were about to explode."
He gave a bitter laugh. "Might still."
They sat in silence for a moment.
Then, as the wind stirred the ashes around them, Marcus whispered, "I leveled up."
"No kidding."
"Not just that." He held out his hand. A slow flicker of flame danced along his fingertips. It wasn't like before—no longer wild and feral. It responded to his thoughts now, delicate yet potent. "The System said I'm Flameborn now."
Elara frowned. "That's not a regular path, is it?"
"No. It unlocked something called the Vessel of Ruin." Marcus swallowed. "And I think... it's alive. Or aware."
She was quiet for a beat too long. "That's not supposed to happen."
"I know."
She looked at him, searching his face. "What does that make you?"
Marcus didn't have an answer. But deep down, in the pit of his soul, he felt it—power unchained, pushing against the edges of his skin, whispering that he was no longer playing by the world's rules.
The Court would come again.
And next time, he wouldn't run.
---
Marcus's Ability Breakdown (Post-Chapter 4):
System Level: 3 – Flameborn Initiate
Core Type: Infinite Vessel (Unstable)
Elemental Alignment: Ember Root (Fire)
Unlocked Trait:
Ash-Walker's Resilience – When Marcus drops below 25% health, all fire damage dealt increases by 40% for 10 seconds. Can trigger once per battle.
New Skill:
Firestorm Vein (Tier II Burst Skill)
Unleashes a ring of high-heat pressure fire in all directions, targeting up to 5 enemies within 15 meters.
Cooldown: 3 minutes
Overuse may damage user if Core Control stat is too low.
Adaptive Path Unlocked:
Vessel of Ruin (Unique Branch – Corrupted System Override)
Grants Marcus access to non-standard, hybrid skills.
Fusion of traits from other elemental paths is possible but comes with side effects.
Stat Overview (Updated):
Strength: 6
Spirit: 10
Agility: 4
Core Control: 3
Vengeance Mark: Dormant