In that short pause, where breath held the weight of fate, time seemed to stall.
The lynx snarled, crouched, its body coiled to pounce, but then—
Beep...
A soft chime echoed in Arden's head like it had come from inside his very bones. His vision flickered for a second before a glowing screen snapped into view in front of him, floating silently.
[New Host Detected]
Condition Met: Death... then Life.
Initializing Core Integration.
Acquiring: Life Signature System...
Welcome, Arden.
He blinked.
"What the hell...?" he whispered, almost laughing.
But before he could react again, it hit him.
A sudden rush of warmth spread from his chest. It wasn't like heat—it was alive. Something had sparked deep inside, and he could feel it moving, twisting, settling. A pressure built just below his ribs, then pulsed outward like a heartbeat.
And then the pain was gone.
Every ache in his body melted away. The scratches, the fatigue, the weight of crawling through forest brush—all cleared. His muscles no longer screamed in protest. His breath came easier, lighter, as though the air itself had changed.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at the beast. The lynx hadn't moved. Its fiery tail had dimmed slightly, and though it still growled low, there was a tremor in it—hesitation.
Was it fear?
Arden's gaze sharpened, a strange calm washing over him. He didn't just see the lynx now—he could feel it. Not its power, but something deeper. It was uncertain. Confused. Almost... wary.
"Is this what the system gave me?" he asked under his breath, chest rising slowly.
From the memories he had, no one else could sense this. This wasn't the aether energy others cultivated. This was something different. Something deeper. Something older.
"Life energy..."
The words came to him naturally. It wasn't taught, it was there, inside him now, as if it had always been waiting. He could feel it moving, flowing just beneath his skin, filling him with something raw and real.
He clenched his fists, then opened them slowly. His hands no longer trembled. His stance no longer wavered. He didn't just feel like he'd recovered—he felt better than he ever had before. Stronger. Clearer. Alive.
He smiled, half in disbelief, half in awe.
"This... this is what it means to be isekai'd," he muttered, a little grin tugging at his face. "I'm the main character now."
But even as the joy swelled in his chest, he didn't forget where he was. The lynx's growl deepened again, its earlier confusion fading. Its ears flattened back and its claws dug into the dirt, eyes glowing with rising aggression.
"Guess we're not done," Arden said, cracking his neck and stepping forward.
The beast charged, and this time he didn't freeze.
He moved.
Faster than he thought possible, his body responded without hesitation. He dashed forward, the wind rushing past his ears, his feet light and sure across the forest floor.
And he met the beast head on.
The lynx lunged, fire flaring behind its legs as it dashed forward in a blur of heat. Arden barely had time to react before its claws swiped through the air with a hiss, steam curling from its sharp paws. He threw himself sideways, rolling on instinct, and the ground where he had just been cracked under the strike.
"Damn, it's fast—"
The beast came again, leaping sideways then darting back in, using its speed like a weapon. Its body shimmered faintly, red hot veins glowing as the air around it twisted with heat. Arden moved to block, but the creature disappeared in a flicker and then reappeared by his side, claws flashing again.
This time, he ducked low and twisted, his body responding faster than he expected, smoother, stronger.
His eyes widened mid-dodge.
I shouldn't be this fast.
He felt it now—the strength in his limbs, the sharpness in his senses. His body, though still young and lean, moved like it had trained for years. The reflexes, the awareness... it was like the fight was unfolding just slow enough for him to follow.
This must be what the first stage of a Aether user's feel like. Mid-level, at least.
He subconsciously remembered it, The Vein Realms that defined strength in these world
Vein Spark—awakening.
Vein Flow—basic control.
Vein Surge—advanced casting.
And beyond that, Vein Bloom and more.
Right now, his strength was somewhere between the early and middle stages of Vein Flow. Not impressive by elite standards, but enough to hold his own against a Rank E beast like this.
The lynx circled again, growling low, its heat building.
Arden exhaled and took a half-step back, loosening his arms.
Alright. Let's dance.
The next clash came fast. The lynx pounced again, fangs bared, its tail whipping fire toward him. Arden ducked the flame and sidestepped the strike, planting his foot and launching a quick kick into the beast's side. It yelped and staggered but didn't go down, instead spinning with a snarl and aiming a swipe toward his throat.
He ducked again, felt the heat graze his skin.
But even as they clashed, Arden felt something strange building in his mind. It wasn't just reaction time—he could feel the lynx's focus. Its frustration. Its doubt. It was losing control.
That's your opening.
He baited the next attack—faked a stumble—then turned hard, catching its shoulder with a full-force punch that knocked it into a tree. He followed quickly, dodging the burst of flame that came with its roar, then threw himself low and tackled the beast to the ground.
The two rolled in the dirt, claws and fists flying. Arden took a cut to his arm, but returned a blow to its head. The lynx tried to twist free, but he gripped its burning tail and yanked it off balance.
"You're fast, but you're sloppy when you're mad."
Another crack of impact, then silence.
The beast fell, chest heaving—then finally, still.
Arden stood over it, panting, hands stained, heart pounding. The heat around them faded. The Outlands were quiet again.
And then—
Blazetail Lynx killed.
Life Energy Absorbed.
New Life Signature Acquired: Ignition Reflex.
Effect: When sensing sudden danger, your body instinctively triggers a burst of movement—evading and repositioning with explosive speed. Can be refined and developed further.
Arden stared at the screen, blinking as it faded—but before he could even finish reading, he felt it.
The change.
His muscles twitched.
His spine tensed.
His body reacted like it had always known what to do. The lynx's instincts had become his. He could feel the memory of its reflexes, its explosive speed, even the way it had hunted.
"So this is it..." he muttered, his voice breathless, almost shaky. "This is what the Life Signature System is."
He didn't fully understand it yet, but he was going to.
His hands trembled, not from fear- but from excitement.
He had touched power. Real, living power. Not granted by affinity from Aether but drawn from life itself. And if this was just the first... what else could he become?
He looked out across the wild terrain, the sun peeking through the trees as if the forest itself had gone still.
"I've got a shot now," he whispered. "A real one. This time... I'm not wasting it."
He turned and kept moving, his steps firmer, his heart beating loud with purpose. He had no map, no allies, and no guarantees—but he had a system. He had life.
And he was going to live it to the fullest.
A/N
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