Chapter One — The Day the Sky Cracked
The first sign that something was wrong came as a tremor beneath the earth — subtle enough that most villagers ignored it, but strong enough to rattle the wooden spoon in Arlen's hand.
He froze mid‑stir, watching the stew ripple like disturbed water.
Then the second sign arrived.
A chime, bright and crystalline, rang through the air. Not through the tavern. Not through the village.
Through him.
A translucent blue window snapped into existence before his eyes.
SYSTEM INITIALIZING…
Welcome, Arlen Thorn.
Class: Unassigned
Level: 0
Aptitude Assessment Pending…
Arlen stumbled backward, knocking over the pot. Hot stew splashed across the floorboards, but he barely noticed. The window hovered, waiting, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.
"What in the Nine Roots…?" he whispered.
Outside, shouts erupted. The tavern door slammed open and Mira, the blacksmith's daughter, burst in. Her eyes were wide, reflecting the same blue glow Arlen saw.
"You see it too," she said. Not a question.
Before Arlen could answer, the sky cracked.
A jagged line of white fire tore across the heavens, splitting the clouds like parchment. The air hummed with raw energy. Every hair on Arlen's arms stood on end.
Another window appeared.
WORLD EVENT: THE AWAKENING
A dormant system has been reactivated.
All inhabitants will undergo Class Assignment.
Survive the next 24 hours to receive your Class.
Warning: Hostile entities emerging.
A distant roar rolled across the valley — deep, guttural, and impossibly large.
Mira swallowed hard. "Hostile entities… that means monsters, right?"
Arlen didn't answer. He was staring at the third window.
QUEST RECEIVED: FIRST SURVIVAL
Objective: Stay alive.
Reward: Class Assignment
Failure: Permanent Death
Timer: 23:59:52
The timer began counting down.
The First Attack
The roar grew louder. Closer.
Villagers ran past the tavern windows, some screaming, some frozen in place as their own blue screens flickered around them.
Arlen forced himself to move. He grabbed the iron ladle — the closest thing to a weapon — and stepped outside.
The ground split open twenty paces away.
A creature hauled itself from the fissure: a wolf-shaped mass of obsidian shards, glowing cracks running through its body like molten veins. Its eyes burned with orange light.
A new window flashed.
Enemy Identified: Emberfang Whelp
Level: 3
Threat: Moderate
Advice: Run.
The creature locked eyes with Arlen.
"Run?" he muttered. "Yeah… that sounds reasonable."
But Mira didn't run. She grabbed a fallen cart wheel, hefting it like a shield.
"Arlen! Move!"
The Emberfang lunged.
Arlen swung the ladle on instinct. It connected with a metallic clang, sending a shock up his arm. The creature barely flinched.
Another window appeared.
You dealt 1 damage.
Effectiveness: Pathetic.
"Thanks," Arlen snapped at the system. "Very helpful."
The Emberfang reared back for another strike — and Mira slammed the wheel into its flank. The impact knocked it sideways, shards scattering across the dirt.
Arlen blinked. "How did you—"
"I don't know!" Mira shouted. "It just felt… right!"
A window appeared in front of her.
Skill Unlocked: Improvised Shield Bash (Rank F)
Arlen stared. "You're unlocking skills already?"
"Less talking, more hitting!"
The Emberfang recovered, molten cracks brightening as it prepared to pounce again.
Arlen tightened his grip on the ladle. His heart hammered. His mind raced.
He needed something — anything — to level the playing field.
The system chimed.
Aptitude Detected.
Initiating Early Class Fragment…
A new window unfolded like a blooming flower.
CLASS FRAGMENT ACQUIRED:
Path of the Tactician (Incomplete)
Passive Skill Unlocked:
• Situational Analysis (Rank F)
- Briefly reveals enemy weaknesses.
Arlen's vision sharpened. The Emberfang's body glowed with faint red outlines — and one spot, just behind the jaw, pulsed bright blue.
"There!" Arlen pointed. "Hit the joint under its jaw!"
Mira didn't hesitate. She charged, wheel raised.
Arlen followed, ladle ready.
Together, they struck the weak point.
The Emberfang shattered into a burst of glowing shards.
A final window appeared.
Enemy Defeated!
+20 XP
Level Up Pending (Class Assignment Required)
Arlen exhaled shakily. Mira leaned on the wheel, panting.
The sky above them continued to crackle with white fire.
"Arlen," she said softly, "what's happening to our world?"
Arlen looked at the countdown ticking in the corner of his vision.
23:52:11
"I think," he said, "we've just been drafted into something much bigger."