The wind howled as Zhang Wei emerged from the Guardian's temple, the ancient stone doors groaning shut behind him with a finality that echoed through his bones. The world outside was unlike anything he remembered. A crimson forest stretched endlessly before him, its trees gnarled and twisted like the bones of forgotten titans. The leaves shimmered with unnatural hues—scarlet, violet, even hints of deep obsidian—and a heavy mist clung to the ground, curling around his feet like the fingers of some invisible phantom.
The sky above was dim and alien. No sun. No stars. Just a swirling sea of crimson clouds, occasionally lit from within by flashes of violet lightning. The very air felt charged, dense with some kind of arcane energy. It was both terrifying and invigorating.
Zhang Wei took a deep breath and adjusted the tattered robes he wore. They were simple, brown with faded gold trim, but light and flexible. The Guardian had handed him a staff before he left—a crude wooden thing, barely more than a polished branch. Yet even as he held it, he could feel something pulsing within it, faint but unmistakable. It was alive, or at least connected to some latent force.
"Alright," he muttered to himself. "New world. New rules. No fish."
He had barely taken three steps when a chime echoed in the air. A glowing glyph materialized before him, hovering in midair like a hologram. It shimmered with blue-white energy, its lines forming symbols he somehow understood despite never having seen them before.
[Quest Activated: Path of Ascension - Complete Your First Trial]
Objective: Survive the Forest of Emberthorns.
Reward: ???
Zhang Wei squinted at the glyph. "So this world has quests now? Stats next?" He waved a hand through the glyph and it vanished.
"Figures."
With a deep breath, he stepped forward onto the path winding into the forest. Each step felt deliberate, like he was walking into the jaws of something ancient and waiting. His ears strained against the silence, but there was no birdsong. No rustle of leaves in the breeze. Just the creak of branches and the low rumble of distant thunder.
He didn't get far before he felt it—that prickling sensation at the back of his neck. The unmistakable feeling of being watched. He spun, staff raised, muscles tensed.
A shadow darted between the trees.
Zhang Wei's eyes narrowed. "Alright, you want to play? Let's play."
From the underbrush leapt a creature that looked like a cross between a wolf and a scorpion. It had fur black as pitch, eyes glowing violet, and a segmented tail tipped with a serrated blade. It snarled, revealing rows of uneven, rotting teeth.
Zhang Wei didn't hesitate. He sidestepped the initial pounce, swinging his staff in a wide arc. The blow connected with the beast's side, and to his surprise, there was a pulse of energy. The creature yelped and tumbled sideways, more shocked than hurt.
"Not bad," Zhang Wei muttered. "Let's see if I can do better."
The beast circled, wary now. Zhang Wei mirrored it, his stance low, staff ready. When it lunged again, he met it head-on, driving the end of the staff into its chest. This time, he felt the energy channel through his limbs, into the wood, and into the beast.
A shockwave rippled outward. The creature was blasted backward, crashing into a tree with a sickening crunch. It didn't move again.
Panting, Zhang Wei took a step back.
Another chime. Another glyph.
[Trial Progress: 1/3 Creatures Defeated]
+10 Experience+1 Combat Instinct
Zhang Wei raised an eyebrow. "Experience? Are you kidding me? This really is an RPG."
He looked at his staff. It was glowing faintly now, almost humming with energy. He could feel something changing inside him, too. A clarity. A focus he hadn't possessed before.
"Alright. Two more. Let's get this over with."
The forest did not make it easy.
Over the next hour, Zhang Wei faced two more of the scorpion-wolves, each more aggressive than the last. The second one ambushed him from above, dropping from the branches in a blur of motion. He barely managed to roll aside, and the fight that followed left him with a long gash along his arm and a bruised rib.
But he won.
The third was smarter. It stalked him, testing his reactions, trying to bait him into mistakes. It nearly succeeded. Zhang Wei found himself cornered, bleeding and out of breath, staff splintered at one end. But something inside him clicked. He stopped thinking. Stopped analyzing.
He moved.
One perfect strike. A downward swing that crushed the creature's skull and sent a surge of raw energy flooding through his veins.
The final glyph appeared:
[Trial Complete: Forest of Emberthorns Survived]
Level Up!
Vitality +3Strength +2Combat Instinct +2New Skill Unlocked: Surge Strike
Reputation: +15 (Realm of Cinders)
Zhang Wei collapsed to one knee, gasping.
"Is this what leveling up feels like?"
His wounds were already beginning to close. The pain was fading. He could feel his muscles knitting, his breath stabilizing. The strength returning to his limbs was almost euphoric.
A rustling nearby made him jerk his head up.
But it wasn't another monster.
It was a man.
Tall, cloaked in dark green robes, with silver eyes and a long staff tipped in crystal. He stepped from the trees like he belonged to them, calm and unthreatened.
"Impressive," the man said. His voice was smooth, cultured, but carried an edge. "Few survive the Emberthorns alone. Fewer still without formal training."
Zhang Wei stood, leveling his staff. "Who are you? Another Guardian?"
The man chuckled. "Hardly. Guardians don't interfere. I am called Seris. I am... an observer."
Zhang Wei narrowed his eyes. "Observer of what?"
"Of potential. And you, Zhang Wei, have a great deal of it."
"You know my name."
"Of course. Word spreads quickly when someone reincarnates with the Mark of the Spiral."
Zhang Wei blinked. "The what now?"
Seris smiled thinly. "You'll learn in time. For now, consider this a warning: the world you've entered is more than just trials and monsters. There are factions, politics, ancient powers that slumber beneath the roots of mountains. And now... they'll be watching you."
Zhang Wei crossed his arms. "Let them watch. I'm not here to play it safe."
"Good. You'll need that attitude. But be careful. Reincarnation is not without cost. There are those who envy the power it grants. And those who seek to harvest it."
Zhang Wei tilted his head. "Harvest?"
Seris didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his cloak and tossed something toward Zhang Wei.
Zhang caught it. A crystal, glowing faintly with blue light.
"A Soul Shard," Seris said. "Use it in times of great need. It can shield your essence from destruction... once."
Zhang Wei looked up. Seris was already walking away, vanishing into the mist like a ghost.
He stared down at the shard.
"Great. Mystery men, RPG rules, and things that want to harvest my soul."
He pocketed the shard and looked ahead. The mist was clearing slightly, revealing a worn stone path leading deeper into the forest.
"Whatever. Let them come. I've got nothing to lose anymore."
And so he walked.
Toward destiny.
Toward power.
Toward the next trial.