Elshua's lungs burned as he scrambled up the rocky outcrop, his small hands scraping against jagged stone, each desperate grab a fight for survival.
The forest's cacophony chased him: the skitterbeasts' claws scratching earth, their mandibles snapping like castanets, and the distant, ominous roar of the high demon, still far but growing closer.
His bare foot stung with every step, the cold rock biting into his skin, but he pressed on, driven by the system's cryptic hint about a hidden crevice.
The air carried the scent of pine and damp earth, laced with an acrid tang that made his nose wrinkle—dark magic, he recognized, from the novel's vivid descriptions. His heart pounded, not just from fear but from the sheer absurdity of his predicament.
Yesterday, he was Jun, dodging rain and midterms; now, he was a scrawny kid in a fantasy novel, fleeing monsters straight out of his favorite book. He reached a narrow ledge, chest heaving, scanning for the crevice.
"Instincts your instincts," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "My instincts are screaming 'run faster,' not 'find a magic hidey-hole.'"
The ledge was barely wide enough for his small frame, the drop below a twenty-foot plunge into roots and rocks. He pressed against the stone, feeling for any crack, fingers trembling.
The skitterbeasts were close, their scratching claws echoing up the outcrop, and the demon's roar, though still distant, sent birds scattering from the trees with a frantic flutter.
His hand brushed a loose stone, and he yanked it free, hoping for a passage. Instead, the rock gave way with a grating crunch, and the ledge shifted.
"Oh, come on!" he yelped, flailing as he slid down a steep incline, his tunic snagging on sharp edges.
He landed hard in a shallow alcove, knees buckling with a thud that knocked the breath from him. The alcove was no crevice—just a dead-end nook, too small to hide him, surrounded by sheer walls.
No escape.
Just him, a useless stone, and the skitterbeasts, their shadows flickering at the entrance as they climbed.
Panic surged, but so did defiance. Jun wasn't a fighter, but he'd never quit. He gripped his stone, crouching, ready to throw it at the first monster.
The system window shimmered into view with a soft ping, startling him so badly he nearly dropped his weapon. The text was more detailed now, glowing with a golden hue:
⟪System Notification: Critical Moment Detected!⟫
༺═════════════════༻
Character Update: Elshua, Son of None
Class Unlocked: Saint (Support)
Title Granted: Bearer of the Divine Spark
——————————————
Abilities Unlocked:
- Heal (Restores minor wounds and vitality to allies. Cooldown: 30 seconds.)
- Shield (Creates a temporary protective barrier for allies. Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute.)
——————————————
Objective Updated: Survive the Skitterbeast Pack.
Note: Your divine spark has awakened. Your skills are bound to aid others, Saint. The world watches.
༺═════════════════༻
Jun's eyes widened. "Saint? Me?" he whispered, half-laughing.
The system had upgraded him from tragic nobody to holy figure, but the skills were useless for him alone.
"Heal and Shield, but only for others? What am I, a glorified medic?"
No fireballs, no swords—just support skills that couldn't touch a skitterbeast's carapace. The irony stung: Jun, who'd spent his life helping others, was stuck with a class that demanded allies he didn't have.
But there was no time to sulk. A skitterbeast's head poked into the alcove, mandibles clicking, and Jun's instincts kicked in.
He hurled his stone, aiming for the creature's eyes. It struck with a crack, and the skitterbeast screeched, rearing back and knocking its companion off the ledge with a clumsy thud. Jun grinned, but the victory was fleeting.
The third skitterbeast lunged, its venomous tail whipping toward him. He dove aside, shoulder scraping the wall, and realized his skills were useless here—no allies to heal or shield.
The ground trembled faintly, the demon's roar still distant but a stark reminder of the ticking clock. Jun's mind raced, his college days of problem-solving kicking in. He had no offensive skills, but there's the environment, and Jun was nothing if not resourceful.
The alcove's walls were jagged, with loose stones and vines snaking through cracks. Above, stalactites hung like teeth, their tips glistening. An idea sparked, reckless but possible.
"Okay, monsters," he muttered, "let's try physics."
He grabbed a vine, testing its strength, and climbed onto a narrow ledge, his bare foot slipping on slick stone. The skitterbeasts snapped at his heels, one grazing his ankle with a mandible, drawing a sharp sting of blood.
He winced, wishing he could use Heal on himself, but the system's rules were clear.
"Great, I'm a saint who can't even bandage his own cuts," he grumbled.
He reached for a stalactite, fingers wrapping around its damp surface. The skitterbeasts were below, their tails lashing with frustrated snaps. With a grunt, Jun yanked the stalactite free, the rock breaking with a loud crack.
He hurled it down, crushing the first skitterbeast's skull with a wet crunch. The creature collapsed, twitching. The system pinged:
༺═════════════════༻
System Update: Skitterbeast Defeated (1/3).
Objective Progress: 33%.
༺═════════════════༻
"One down!"
Jun cheered, but the second skitterbeast leaped, claws raking the air. He stumbled back, nearly falling, and scrambled for another plan. The system's restriction gnawed at him—no allies meant no skills, just his wits and a scrawny body.
He spotted a vine dangling across the alcove and grabbed it, swinging to the opposite ledge with a flail that would've embarrassed any action hero.
He landed with a thud, gasping, "I'm not cut out for this!"
The third skitterbeast climbed with eerie precision, claws clicking like a typewriter. Jun's eyes darted to the stalactites.
He couldn't break another, but the vines gave him an idea. He looped one around a stalactite's base, tugging to weaken it, the fibers creaking.
"Come on, you overgrown roach," he taunted, voice cracking.
The skitterbeast lunged, and Jun yanked the vine. The stalactite crashed down with a boom, pinning the creature's tail. It thrashed, screeching, and Jun dove aside, narrowly avoiding its snapping mandibles.
༺═════════════════༻
System Update: Skitterbeast Defeated (2/3).
Objective Progress: 66%.
༺═════════════════༻
The last skitterbeast was pinned but alive, its mandibles snapping. The ground trembled again, the demon's roar louder now, though still far enough to give Jun a sliver of hope.
He couldn't stay here—the alcove was a trap, and the high demon was coming, its dark energy crackling in the air like static. He glanced at the pinned skitterbeast, then at the vines and scattered rocks.
"No way I'm fighting that thing," he muttered.
Recalling the novel's description of the demon: a towering mass of shadow and flame, unstoppable by a kid with no offensive skills. His best bet was to run, find Eldenreach, and hope for allies to use his powers on.
He grabbed another vine, tying it to a boulder the size of his head. His hands shook, the fibers slipping through his fingers, and he curse.
"Who designed this kid's dexterity? I'm working with noodle arms!"
The skitterbeast was almost free, its tail wrenching loose with a grinding scrape. Jun heaved the boulder, using the vine to swing it like a makeshift wrecking ball.
It smashed into the skitterbeast's side with a sickening crack, sending it tumbling into the alcove's wall, where it slumped, motionless.
༺═════════════════༻
System Update: Skitterbeast Pack Defeated (3/3).
Objective Progress: 100% (Skitterbeast
Threat Neutralized).
༺═════════════════༻
⟪WARNING!⟫
⟪High Demon Approaching. Seek safety in Eldenreach. Your actions have altered fate, Saint Elshua.⟫
Jun collapsed against the wall, panting, his body aching from head to toe.
"I did it," he gasped, a grin spreading. "Take that, chapter one!"
But the distant roar reminded him he wasn't safe. The air grew heavier, the acrid tang stronger, and the forest seemed to darken, as if the demon's presence sucked the light from the moon.
He peeked out of the alcove, heart racing. The red glow of the demon's eyes was visible through the trees, still a ways off but closing fast. He had minutes, maybe less, to get out of here.
He scrambled out of the alcove, sliding down the outcrop with a clumsy tumble, landing in a heap at the forest's edge. The system's hint about Eldenreach burned in his mind.
The village was his only shot—somewhere with people, allies he could use his skills on. He sprinted into the forest, his bare foot splashing through puddles, the cold mud squelching between his toes.
Branches whipped his face, leaving stinging scratches, and he tripped over a root, sprawling with a thud into a pile of leaves.
"This is not my day," he groaned, scrambling up.
The forest was a maze, every tree looking the same, every snap of a twig making him jump.
The demon's roar echoed again, closer, the ground trembling faintly. Jun's heart raced, but so did his mind. He knew this world from the novel—Eldenreach was near a river, and the stream he'd seen earlier might lead there.
He veered toward the sound of gurgling water, dodging vines that snagged his tunic with a rip.
"Come on, river, don't fail me," he panted, his voice barely audible over the rustle of leaves and the distant crunch of the demon's footsteps.
The stream appeared, its water glinting under the moonlight, and he followed it, praying it would guide him to safety.
A low growl behind him made his blood run cold. He glanced back, expecting the demon, but it was just a lone skitterbeast, a straggler from another pack, its claws clicking as it scuttled after him.
"Really? Another one?" he yelped, picking up speed.
His bare foot slipped on a slick rock, and he flailed, arms windmilling, before catching himself on a branch.
The skitterbeast lunged, and Jun dove into the stream, the cold water shocking his system. He splashed to the other side, grabbing a stick and waving it like a pathetic sword.
"Back off, bug!" he shouted, voice cracking.
The skitterbeast hesitated, its mandibles clicking, and Jun took his chance, bolting downstream.
The stream widened, and hope flickered as he spotted a faint glow through the trees—lanterns, maybe, from Eldenreach. The demon's roar was louder now, but the village was close.
He pushed through the underbrush, ignoring the sting of thorns and the ache in his legs. The system pinged again, its tone almost encouraging:
༺═════════════════༻
System Update: Objective Progress: Escape to Eldenreach (50%).
༺═════════════════༻
⟪Note: Your survival reshapes the thread of fate. Find allies, Saint Elshua, and wield your divine spark.⟫
Jun grinned, breathless but determined. He was bruised, half-naked, and armed with nothing but a stick and useless support skills, but he was alive.
The glow of Eldenreach grew brighter, and with it, the promise of allies—people he could heal, shield, and maybe even save. The demon was coming, but Jun—Elshua—wasn't the tragic figure from the novel anymore.
He was a saint, or at least trying to be, and he'd run, stumble, and fight his way to a new destiny, one clumsy step at a time.