The air was thick with the stench of decay, a choking miasma that clung to Elias' skin as he struggled to his feet. His limbs trembled; the once-powerful warrior's body was now frail and weak.
Glancing around the dimly lit chamber, Elias took in the crumbling stone walls and the faint blue glow emanating from the air before him. Lines of text hovered in the air, a foreign language that nonetheless seemed to beckon him forward.
[ Welcome, Survivor. ]
[ The Survivor's System has chosen you. ]
Elias' brow furrowed as he read the words, a chill running down his spine. The Survivor's System? He had never heard of such a thing, yet the text before him seemed to imply it held some great power.
His gaze drifted downward, taking in the pathetic numbers that displayed his current state:
Level: 1
Health: 100%
Stamina: 100%
Stats:
Strength: 1
Fortitude:1
Agility: 1
Charisma: 1
Magic: 1
Kael Ardyn, the once-mighty Blade of Eternity, now reduced to a frail child, barely clinging to life. The irony was not lost on him, and a bitter laugh escaped his lips.
But then his eyes landed on another line, one that sent a spark of hope igniting within him.
[ Passive Skill unlocked: Survivor's Tenacity – Power increases proportionally to how close you are to death. ]
A slow smile spread across his face, the madness that had once defied empires now burning in his gaze.
"If all I need to do is survive..." he murmured, clenching his trembling fists, "then I'll crawl through death itself to rise again."
The cycle had begun anew, and this time, the world would not be ready for the reborn Kael Ardyn. He would forge a path through the darkness, carving a new legacy from the ashes of his former life.
With a renewed determination, Elias stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the glowing text. This Survivor's System had chosen him, and he would not squander this second chance.
The shadows seemed to whisper, welcoming him into their embrace. Kael Ardyn was dead, but Elias Ironforge would rise from the depths, a phoenix reborn - with newfound strength, fortitude, agility, charisma, and magic to match his tenacity and the will to survive in this strange, unfamiliar world.