Years passed slowly in the small village of Tianyu.The world of Arkhésia was anything but gentle, yet childhood—brief as it was—offered Ren Tianyi a fragile kind of peace.
Even as a child, he learned fast. While the other kids swung wooden swords, he watched the adults—how they worked, how they trained, how they whispered about sects and clans.
His father, Ren Jian, was a woodcutter.No Qi, no techniques. Just raw strength and calloused hands.Still, Ren respected him deeply.
"Even without power, he keeps fighting. That… is cultivation too."
🌕 Three Years Later
Ren could already walk and talk, though his words still carried the lisp of youth.Inside, however, an adult mind worked relentlessly.
He rose before dawn, sitting outside their hut while the morning mist drifted through the trees.The System had grown more active.
[Additional Function Unlocked: Training Log][Allows recording of physical and mental practices that aid growth or cultivation.]
"Mental training counts… perfect."
He began small—stretching, breathing, trying to feel the energy in the air, the Mana magi used to shape the world.At first, nothing.But on the thirteenth day, something stirred.
A faint warmth flowed through his fingers, like a breeze brushing from the inside out.Weak—but real.
[Mana Detected][Affinity: High][Current Realm: Arcane Initiate – 1st Layer]
Ren smiled, barely believing it.
"So this is how it begins…"
🌲 The Slave Caravan
One morning, the rumble of carts echoed beyond the village gate.Four-year-old Ren ran to the fence and peeked through the cracks.
There they were—the same merchants he had heard years ago.But this time, their convoy was smaller; some wagons lay shattered, and among the prisoners were children—some eyes burning with fury, others hollow with despair.
The System reacted instantly.
[Potential Observer Activated][Targets Detected]
His vision shimmered. Translucent lines appeared above the captives' heads, faint words only he could see.
[Potential: A+] – Affinity: Shadow / Assassin[Potential: S] – Affinity: Fire / Elementalist[Potential: B] – Affinity: Runic Mechanics / Technomancer
Ren's heart raced.
"They're real… my future companions."
But reality struck.The village chief argued with the caravan leader; voices rose, sharp and hopeless.The villagers were too poor to buy anyone's freedom, and the merchants—afraid of bandits—wanted to leave quickly.
As the carts rolled away, Ren tugged on his father's tunic.— "Dad, are they… bad people?"
Ren Jian sighed, gaze distant.— "Not all. But this world is cruel, son. The weak are taken by the strong."
The words carved themselves into Ren's mind like a scar.
"The weak are taken by the strong."
When the caravan vanished down the road, a soft chime rang within his thoughts.
[Guild Quest Unlocked][Quest: Rescue the Nine High-Potential Targets Detected][Reward: Partial Unlock of 'Base Creation' Function]
Ren drew a deep breath.
"So this is it… the first step of the Immortal Guild."
🌄 Years Later – The Seed Grows
Time flowed like wind between the trees.Ren turned eight.His black hair brushed his shoulders, and his blue eyes carried a calm no child should have.
The villagers called him the quiet scholar.He rarely laughed or fought—only watched, learning in silence.Sometimes, he vanished into the forest for hours.
There, amid ancient roots and moss, he trained.Simple light spells, gusts of wind, focused breathing.And, in secret, something greater.
A hidden clearing where he began to shape the first structures from roots and stone.The humble beginning of what would become the Immortal Guild Base.
[Quest Progress: 12%][Current Members: 0 / 10]
Kneeling in the clearing, sweat dripping down his brow, Ren closed his eyes and whispered:
— "One day… all of us will live here. Free."
The wind swelled, rustling the canopy above.And for a heartbeat, he thought he heard a voice—faint, distant, familiar:
"Then find us, Ren Tianyi…"
His eyes snapped open, heart pounding.
[Vital Signs of Targets Detected. Location: Aurelis Continent, Southern Region.][Main Quest Updated.][Prepare for the Awakening of the Immortals.]
Ren smiled.Destiny had whispered—and he was ready to answer.