Arin's eyes opened slowly.
His body screamed with pain. Every inch ached bruised, cut, or broken. His right arm hung limply, possibly dislocated. His vision was blurry, and blood filled his mouth. But he was alive.
Barely.
The sky above was gone. Instead, he stared up at rough stone and roots clinging to the ceiling. He was in a cave.
He blinked again, trying to remember what happened.
The ledge. The fall. Lira…
His heart clenched. Not from pain. From betrayal.
She had smiled. She had walked away.
She let him fall.
He coughed, the taste of blood bitter on his tongue. He forced himself up with one arm, leaning against the wall. His legs wobbled, but they held. Somehow, he had survived the fall. Maybe a tree had broken his fall. Maybe fate wasn't ready to let him die.
The air in the cave was cool and damp. It smelled of moss, wet stone, and something… strange. Something ancient.
He looked around.
The cave wasn't large. Maybe the size of a small house. But something about it felt… wrong. Or maybe too right. Like it wasn't just a cave, but a place forgotten by time.
In the far corner, a faint blue light glowed from a hole in the wall.
Arin stumbled toward it, curious despite his injuries.
The glow came from a smooth, round object half-buried in the ground.
A sphere. The size of a human head. It pulsed gently, like a heartbeat. Blue and silver swirls danced across its surface, and as he got closer, the air seemed to hum.
It was beautiful.
And it was calling to him.
His hand trembled as he reached out.
The moment his fingers touched the sphere, warmth spread through his arm. The pain in his body faded. Not disappeared but dulled, pushed away by something else.
Something powerful.
And then—
> "Soul Recognition Complete. System initializing…"
The voice echoed not in the air, but in his mind. It was clear, calm, and... female.
> "Hello, Arin. I am your System. You may give me a name, or call me AI."
Arin's breath caught in his throat.
"What… is this?" he whispered.
> "This is your awakening. You have touched a Soul Orb. You are now connected to a personalized system, powered by Kill Points, knowledge fragments, and soul integration."
He stepped back, shocked. Was he dreaming? Hallucinating?
> "This is not a dream. You are awake. And from now on, you will never be the same."
Suddenly, a transparent screen appeared in front of him floating in the air. It was glowing faintly, with clean symbols and a smooth design.
Status Window:
[Name]: Arin
[Age]: 20
[Race]: Human
[Cultivation Level]: Body Tempering Stage (Stage 3)
[Qi Core]: Damaged / Low Output
[Strength]: 14
[Agility]: 13
[Endurance]: 11
[Intelligence]: 16
[Willpower]: 19
[Skills]: Basic Herbalism (Lv. 2), Survival Instinct (Lv. 3), Weapon Proficiency (Lv. 2)
[System Functions]: Status, Inventory, Shop (Locked), Creation (Locked), Quests (Locked)
[Kill Points]: 0
[EXP]: 3 / 100
[Level]: 1
His jaw dropped. "What… is this?"
> "Your status window. It shows your current condition. Your cultivation is low due to Qi channel blockage. This system will assist you in overcoming your limits."
Arin's mind raced. A system? Like in those ancient tales about other worlds? This wasn't something cultivators normally had.
> "Correct. This System is unique. It has merged with your soul due to your compatibility. You were chosen."
"Chosen?" he asked bitterly. "I was left to die."
> "And yet you lived. That makes you stronger than most."
He paused, still struggling to believe.
But part of him… believed already.
Because it explained things.
His slow cultivation. His strange instincts. The voice in his dreams. The pain in his chest whenever he pushed too hard. It wasn't weakness.
Something was wrong in his body.
And now… something had changed.
Suddenly
A low growl echoed from deeper in the cave.
Arin turned. His heart pounded. His injuries were still healing, but he was standing. He reached for a stone and held it like a weapon.
A pair of eyes blinked in the dark.
A cave panther.
Big. Fast. And very hungry.
"AI," Arin said quickly. "Can I fight it?"
> "Unarmed? Odds of success: 9%. But you can gain a basic weapon."
"How?"
> "Say: 'Open Inventory.'"
"Open Inventory," he said without hesitation.
A new screen appeared. Inside were only a few items:
[Rusty Dagger]
[Herbal Healing Paste (x2)]
[Old Cloak]
> "You may summon one item."
"Dagger," he whispered.
In a flash of light, the small blade appeared in his hand.
It was old and not very sharp but it was better than nothing.
The panther growled louder and lunged.
Arin rolled to the side, pain shooting through his leg. He gritted his teeth and slashed wildly. The dagger grazed the beast's leg, and it howled in anger.
He didn't stop. He moved again, using the rock walls to block its attacks. His mind worked fast, calculating every angle, every possible path.
The fight wasn't about strength.
It was about survival.
After several narrow dodges, Arin finally struck true.
He jammed the dagger deep into the beast's neck as it leapt, twisting as they both fell to the ground. Blood soaked his hands, warm and sticky. The panther twitched once—then went still.
Silence returned to the cave.
Arin gasped for breath.
> "Enemy defeated. 9 EXP gained. 1 Kill Point earned."
A soft chime echoed in his ears.
> "Congratulations. You have gained your first Kill Point. And your first real step toward power."
Arin lay back against the wall, exhausted.
His body hurt. His heart ached. His mind raced.
But something was different now.
He had a System. He had a way forward.
He wasn't just a broken orphan anymore.
He was something new.
Something dangerous.
Something… chosen.