Cold.
It crawled up his spine and bit through skin that should have been dead.
Ragnar Hale opened his eyes to a sky bruised violet and split by three moons. He lay naked on damp grass, his breath sharp in the chill. The air smelled of metal and wet soil, and the forest around him pulsed faintly with veins of glowing moss.
He pushed himself upright. His body moved like a machine rebuilt — strong, efficient, silent. He remembered dying, the gods, and the light that had swallowed him whole. Now… this.
A tone echoed in his skull.
Cool, metallic, absolute.
> [SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]
User: Ragnar Hale
Divine Signatures: War | Fate | Space | Language
Soul Integration: Stable.
Tutorial Mode: Active.
Lines of light stitched together before him, forming a hovering pane of symbols. As he blinked, the letters resolved into language he understood — the Language Blessing taking hold.
> [SYSTEM OVERVIEW]
The Oathless System grants the user measurable progression through combat, achievement, and divine tasks.
You are the sole registered user in all known worlds.
LEVELING:
– Earn EXP by defeating monsters, enemies, or completing quests.
– Each level grants 3 free stat points to allocate as desired.
– At key thresholds (Lv.10, Lv.25, Lv.50, Lv.100, Lv.200), evolution occurs.
EVOLUTIONS:
– Every evolution increases all stats by 50%.
– Evolution allows selection or upgrade of a Class.
– Classes determine automatic stat growth per level.
STATS:
– Vitality: Determines health and regeneration. Each point adds +10 HP.
– Strength: Governs physical power. Each point = +10% force increase.
– Endurance: Governs stamina, pain resistance, and bodily durability.
– Agility: Governs reflexes, reaction speed, and mobility.
– Dexterity: Governs coordination, flexibility, and accuracy.
AVERAGE HUMAN BASELINE:
– 10 in all stats.
Your current attributes exceed this range.
The panel shimmered once more, then displayed his readout.
---
────────────────────────────
[STATUS MENU — LV 1]
────────────────────────────
Name: Ragnar Hale
Race: Human (Altered)
Rank: Copper (Human)
Class: None
HP: 180 / 180
Stamina: 160 / 160
Mana: 120 / 120
Vitality: 18
Strength: 18
Endurance: 16
Agility: 15
Dexterity: 19
Free Stat Points: 3
Blessings: War / Fate / Space / Language
────────────────────────────
---
Ragnar stared at the numbers.
"Baseline ten," he murmured. "So this is how you measure a man."
He rotated his wrist. Power rippled through the muscle, precise and contained. "Eighteen strength... I could tear a door off its hinges."
He looked up at the sky again. "Not a bad start."
"System," he said. "Inventory."
[INVENTORY]
– Empty
He snorted. "Figures."
The chill cut deep. Survival first. Talk later.
---
He began to move, quiet and deliberate, scanning the terrain like he would a combat zone. The forest was alien — wide trees, roots that pulsed with faint light, distant shrieks carried on the wind. He found a narrow stream and crouched, tasting the water. Cold, clean, good enough.
The System blinked again.
> [QUEST DISCOVERED]
Primary Objective: Adapt and Survive
– Locate Shelter
– Create Fire
– Craft Weapon
Reward: +10 EXP | Skill Unlock: [Primitive Crafting I]
Ragnar read it twice. "So that's how you talk. Missions, not warnings."
He gathered stones, bark, and branches. After a dozen failed strikes, he coaxed flame from sparks. The fire's warmth crawled over his skin like the memory of life. He built a lean-to with stripped branches and moss, then sharpened a branch to a crude spear.
> [QUEST COMPLETE]
Reward: +10 EXP | Skill Acquired: [Primitive Crafting I]**
Effect: Improves efficiency when creating basic tools and shelters.
A pulse of heat slid through his chest. His body adjusted — stronger, sharper. He smiled faintly. "Alright, that's real."
Night fell. The moons rose higher. He sat by the fire, watching light crawl across the woodgrain of his spear. The System hovered near, silent again now that its mission was done.
Then everything went still.
No rustle, no insects, no wind. Just the slow, suffocating quiet that always comes before something bad.
The hairs on his neck rose. His stomach tightened. Danger Sense.
Not words — just instinct, a whisper of Fate through his bones.
He stood, gripping his spear. "You going to warn me about this, System?"
Silence.
A low growl rumbled in the dark beyond the firelight. Eyes blinked open between the trees — too wide, too low for a man.
Ragnar exhaled. "Didn't think so."
He shifted his stance, every muscle tightening. Firelight caught the edges of his scars as the beast moved closer, the reflection of flame in its teeth.
The System stayed quiet.
The blessing of Fate screamed in his blood.
And Ragnar stepped forward to meet it.