Waking up after a deep sleep, I opened my eyes to high vaulted ceilings. There was stone beneath me.
Old. Carved by hands long dead.
I sat up slowly. My fingers dragged over rough stone. I still had a body. Not the one I remembered, maybe, but something close enough.
Columns stretched tall in all directions, steeped in light that reached all the corners of the vast open building. Deep moss grew in patterns across like veins. Thick iron chains hung from above, swaying with the strong fresh air.
Far in the distance, between other broken columns, I saw the sun grace over ruins that stretched for miles.
Empty bridges of pale stone curved over dried aqueducts. Statues lay toppled, faces missing, their names long buried beneath soil and dust.
A hawk circled overhead. No magic shimmered in the air. No divine hum beneath my skin.
This place... it had been abandoned for a long time. And whatever powers once ruled here, they were forgotten.
Then I heard it.
The softest purr.
A shape materialized before me on a circular stone table nearby. Small, furred, and glowing faintly in purples and blues, like starlight woven into a bunny-like silhouette.
Big, fluffy, cat ears. Fairy wings. A long, curled tail ending in a tiny star.
It blinked at me, eyes too large for its head. They shimmered like twin galaxies.
"... Hi," it said, voice drowsy, like someone being woken from a nap. "Dolores."
It stretched once, arching its back lazily, and then plopped down onto its belly. "Mmm. Name's... don't have one. Not important. But I'm your guide now. Until you die. Or ascend. Or implode."
Its ears twitched. "You seem like an imploder."
I stared at it.
It blinked back. Then grinned.
"Let's start simple, yeah?"
A ding echoed in the room.
[SYSTEM TUTORIAL INITIATED]
A translucent panel hovered in front of me— clean, white text on a faint black-blue interface. Angular, efficient. Like a HUD from a game I'd seen once.
Welcome, Dolores.
You have been bound to the unique system: [ASCENSION PROTOCOL].
All mortals gain power through trial. However, you can gain trial through power.
"That means," the cat said helpfully, "You level up kind of like the cheaty accelerated way. You've got a system to guide you. Everyone else just... bleeds and trains. A special gift."
Muttering, it starts examining one of its claws. "Mortals think the world hates them. Magic doesn't answer. Cultivation takes decades. Gods ignore their prayers." Its tail tapped the table. "But you? You got a divine cheat sheet."
Another ding.
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
Core Focus: Combat growth, personal evolution
Growth Methods:
➤ Experience Points (EXP) — gained from kills, quests, and training
➤ Quests — failure brings punishment
➤ Hidden Triggers — unlock deeper potential
I reached out, and my hand passed through the panel like mist.
"You can't touch it. Just read and follow. Or don't. But then you'll probably suffer, which could be fun."
A new panel replaced the old.
STAT SYSTEM UNLOCKED
ATTRIBUTES:
➤ Strength — how hard you hit
➤ Agility — how fast you move
➤ Vitality/Stamina — how long you last
➤ Defense — how little you flinch or take damage
➤ Health — how much damage you can survive from
➤ Magic — how much divine power you can manifest and control
➤ Critical Rate — chance to land a 'lethal' strike
➤ Critical Damage — how bad it hurts when you do
"These numbers grow with quests, or just... intense suffering. Also training. But suffering works best, reaaally drives up growth."
It started floating lazily in a circle above my head. "Most people have to build themselves up all alone. You, however, get assistance from me."
Another shift of text:
SKILL SYSTEM UNLOCKED
Skill Acquisition:
➤ Through experience (fighting, training, surviving)
➤ Through magical items (scrolls, grimoires, old bones, who knows)
Skill Tiers:
Common → Uncommon → Rare → Unique → Legendary → Mythical → Godly
Skills may evolve or mutate. Some may devour others.
"... Devour?"
The cat yawned. "You'll see."
Then the starry eyes narrowed slightly, floating closer.
"You're also being tracked."
MORALITY AND MENTALITY TRACKING ENABLED
Karma: Your overall moral weight
Sanity: Your internal stability
Alignment: Evolves based on actions and intentions
Current Path Affinity: Evil / Chaos
Status: [UNSTABLE]
'Evil and chaos'. My jaw clenches.
"You break too much, you might stop being you," it said, "You go too far, and maybe you become something else."
It plopped back down on a table in the middle of the building, licking its paw. "Anyway. All of that will update as you do things. You won't see your karma or sanity tick until something big shifts. The system doesn't bother with small stuff."
The last pop-up hung in the air.
[QUEST]
Objective: [Work out]
Penalty: [Pain Simulation: 93% Authentic]
Reward: [Experience]
"..."
The devil-cat blinked slowly. "Your first quest. Get going. This place isn't just for tutorials."
Its tail flicked once.