Chapter 10: The Crimson Scar
With Whispersteel strapped across his back, Rayden descended from the canyon, the weight of the blade oddly familiar — as if it had always been meant for him. Every step he took echoed with a new confidence, yet deep within, something darker stirred.
The Berserk System had grown quiet.
Not dormant — but watching.
As if waiting for the next trial.
Rayden's path brought him to a dry, cracked land — a place locals once called the Crimson Scar. Legends spoke of a battle here so fierce that the earth never healed. The soil remained red. The rivers, dry. The wind, thick with ancient rage.
He wasn't alone.
As he ventured deeper into the scar, he began seeing bones. Human. Beast. Some unrecognizable. Many bore claw marks, scorched armor, and deep gouges that only something monstrous could've inflicted.
Then came the voices.
Low murmurs. Whispers in a forgotten tongue. Rayden gritted his teeth as his system flickered.
[WARNING: Aura Distortion Detected]
[Residual Fury Field Detected – Origin: Unknown Berserker Presence]
[System Synchronization: Partial]
The world tilted.
For a moment, he wasn't in his body. He saw through someone else's eyes — running, snarling, dragging Whispersteel's twin across the ground as blood splattered in waves.
Then… darkness.
Rayden collapsed to his knees.
When he came to, someone stood before him.
A girl.
No older than him, draped in blood-colored robes, with silver hair and crimson eyes.
"You're not the first to come here," she said. Her voice was quiet, but heavy with knowledge. "But you may be the last."
Rayden stood slowly. "Who are you?"
"I'm Ashra," she replied. "Daughter of the Last Berserker General. And I've been waiting for the system's next heir."
Rayden's pulse quickened. "Then you know what this is?"
Ashra's eyes narrowed. "I know what it's done. My father… lost himself in it. This place — the Crimson Scar — is his grave."
Rayden stepped forward, but Ashra raised her hand.
"You want to awaken your full system? Then you must survive what he couldn't."
She pointed behind him.
Rayden turned.
The bones had reassembled.
A towering figure made of fury and memory rose from the earth — a giant wreathed in flames, bearing eyes like dying stars.
[System Challenge: Memory of General Varn]
► Objective: Endure for 3 minutes without succumbing
► Reward: Berserker Core Fragment – 2/3
Rayden drew Whispersteel.
The fight for his soul had just begun.