[[Devil Flame – Level 3]
Type: Active
Effect:
Upon activation, the user becomes enveloped in cursed infernal fire—the Devil Flame—an unholy blaze that devours everything in its path. The flames surge with malevolent will, scaling dynamically with the user's Spirit, Stamina, Strength, and Vitality. This allows more complex and powerful manipulations as skill levels up and mastery deepens.
While active, these flames can be manipulated both offensively and defensively: scorching enemies at close range, igniting the battlefield in hellfire, and vaporizing minor projectiles upon contact. The user becomes a walking pyre of destruction, their every motion trailing embers of corruption and ruin.
Activation Cost:
Consumes 5 MP and 5 Stamina Points upon activation.
Sustain Cost:
Consumes 2 MP and 2 Stamina Points every 10 seconds while active.
Duration:
Maintained as long as the user's MP and Stamina reserves allow.
Cooldown:
None – can be toggled freely depending on available resources.
Description:
A mid-tier elemental ability infused with infernal might, Devil Flame is infamous for its relentless burn and overwhelming power. Those who wield it walk the razor's edge between brilliance and self-destruction. The flames grant dominance in battle but demand constant sacrifice of the body and soul to sustain.
Legends tell of battlefields reduced to molten wastelands under its glow—where even the ash dared not cool. To master the Devil Flame is to master agony itself, bending pain into power and fire into fury.]
[[Plant Manipulation – Level 3]
Type: Active
Effect:
Upon activation, the user channels the primal will of nature, commanding plants and flora within their vicinity to obey. Vines, roots, and branches respond instinctively—rising, twisting, and striking under the user's intent. These manifestations can ensnare enemies, form living barriers, or shape into weapons and shields born of verdant fury.
All control, strength, and reach of the vegetation scale proportionally with the user's Spirit and Stamina, allowing more complex and powerful manipulations as skill levels up and mastery deepens. Within natural terrain, responsiveness and growth speed are greatly amplified, turning forests and jungles into deadly allies.
Activation Cost:
Consumes 3 MP and 3 Stamina Points upon activation.
Sustain Cost:
Consumes 1 MP and 1 Stamina Point per 10 seconds while active.
Duration:
Remains active as long as the user maintains sufficient energy reserves.
Cooldown:
None – can be sustained or dismissed freely depending on available resources.
Description:
An art revered among nature-bound warriors and druids, Plant Manipulation transforms the battlefield into a living weapon. With this power, the user commands the wild itself—binding foes in thorned cages, shielding allies behind blooming walls, or forging paths where none existed.
Legends tell of wielders who shaped entire groves into fortresses, their will entwined with the very heartbeat of the forest. But such mastery demands harmony—those who force nature's hand too often risk having their own life force drained, their vitality feeding the hungry roots they command.]
Ethan unlatched the green treasure box, and at once a surge of emerald light erupted forth, flooding the air with a low, resonant hum. The brilliance twisted and coiled like living energy before condensing into a spear nearly two meters long, its shaft etched with intricate, serpentine runes that shimmered like breathing veins of jade.
The weapon pulsed once—alive, ancient, and hungry.
[[Green Devil Spear – Level 3]
A long, wickedly sharp spear forged from cursed emerald steel that glimmers like malice caught in sunlight. Every thrust carries unnatural precision, and each swing leaves behind faint green trails of corrupted energy. Perfectly balanced between reach and control, this spear excels in both sweeping attacks and devastating impalements.
Attack Power: 15–25
Type: Melee / Two-Handed Spear
Effectiveness:
Highly effective against armored and fortified targets below Level 4. Its piercing edge tears through metal plating, enchanted armor, and reinforced hides with minimal resistance. When striking organic targets, the wound festers with a faint green corrosion that weakens tissue and armor durability over time.
Special Trait:
Armor Penetration – Exceptional: Can penetrate both natural and artificial defenses, rendering shields and exosuits far less effective.
Durability: 100/100
Sell Value: 3500 Survival Coins
Description:
A relic of an ancient war fought deep within the overgrown ruins of a forest city. The Green Devil Spear was said to belong to a warlord who commanded nature's fury itself—impaling his foes with roots, then finishing them with this very weapon. Its green hue is no mere paint; it is said to have been forever stained by the countless lives it reaped.
When held, the weapon emits a faint hum—an echo of its former master's wrath. Those who listen too closely claim to hear whispers urging them to strike again.]
Ethan opened the first white treasure box, and a soft hum filled the air. Between bursts of flickering light, treasures materialized briefly before his eyes. One by one, eight white boxes shone brilliantly — until the glow dimmed, leaving behind only two gleaming Straightblades. The rest faded into motes of light, dissolving into nothing.
"Damn," Ethan muttered, watching the glow vanish into the cold wind. "So much for luck."
The air reeked faintly of metal and smoke. Around him, the remnants of the fight still lingered — the twisted bodies of the Hunters, the blackened ground where their magic had scorched the asphalt. He crouched near the four remaining items that had dropped from their corpses. A faint shimmer danced around them — the aura of high-grade relics.
After a brief silence, he pointed decisively. "I'll take the Devil Flame skill book and the Magic Gem."
The Devil Flame was notorious even before the world fell — a forbidden skill said to consume both flesh and soul. Ethan's fingers brushed the surface of the tome, feeling a strange warmth through the leather cover. His eyes gleamed with a mix of hunger and caution. Power was a dangerous thing now… but necessary.
Across from him, Luke knelt by the remaining treasures, his rifle slung casually over his back. His rough features softened slightly as he looked at Grace and said, "You choose first."
Grace, her long black hair fluttering in the breeze, examined the Green Devil Spear and the Plant Manipulation skill book. Her eyes, clear as spring water, shimmered with a quiet intensity. In a world where beauty had become a myth, she looked like a fleeting remnant of it — worn, but still radiant beneath the grime of survival.
After a moment, she looked up at Luna, who was quietly watching her with crossed arms and wind-tossed hair. Grace held up the skill book with a small, firm smile. "I'll take this one. You can have the rest."
Luke nodded and strapped the Straightblade across his back before lifting the Green Devil Spear. The weapon gleamed a deep emerald, its edge whispering promises of death. The cursed metal shimmered faintly in the light, seeming almost alive in his grasp.
Ethan stood a few paces away, his sharp eyes narrowing toward the far end of the bridge. Beyond the wreckage and fog, a bizarre gate shimmered — an arc of light and shadow, rippling like the surface of a disturbed pond.
"I'm going to check it out," Ethan said quietly, his voice low but steady. "Stay here and cover me."
Luna frowned. "Alone? That gate looks… wrong."
Ethan's lips curved faintly, almost amused. "Everything looks wrong these days."
He gestured to Spawn, his skeletal summon, and began moving forward. The two advanced together, his boots crunching over broken glass and spent bullet casings.
The once-proud Jiang Bridge had become a graveyard. Twisted vehicles lay overturned, their metal frames melted or torn apart. The guardrails were splintered, and blood — old, black, and sticky — painted the asphalt like dark veins. Yet there were no corpses, no shuffling undead. Even inside the vehicles, there was only emptiness.
Ethan's instincts buzzed. Too quiet.
His mind, honed by many near-deaths, began to piece things together. The Hunters had been here first — vicious, cunning predators wearing human faces. Perhaps they had devoured every zombie they encountered, feeding on flesh.
He moved faster, keeping his rifle ready. The faint hum of the gate grew louder as he neared.
Finally, the phenomenon came into view — a radiant rift, floating several meters above the ground. Countless particles of light flowed around it, drifting like dust caught in sunlight. Within that glow, Ethan saw something that froze his breath — an ocean of zombies.
Not dozens. Not hundreds. Not tens of thousands. Hundreds of Thousands
They stood motionless beyond the shimmering barrier, their eyes hollow, faces twisted in eternal hunger. The horde stretched endlessly, vanishing into the glowing mist.
Even Ethan, hardened as he was, felt a rare flicker of helpless awe. No amount of bullets or flames could erase that tide.
And yet… they did not move. A mysterious force restrained them, sealing them within that luminous cage.
Ethan took a cautious step forward. The light brushed against his skin like warm fog — then pulled him in.
In an instant, the world shifted. His vision exploded in white.
When the glare faded, he stood on solid ground once more — but everything around him was different.
Gone were the cars, the bridge, the gray sky. He was now standing in a world of floating symbols, glowing lines carved into the very air, and towering stone pillars marked with runes that pulsed like heartbeats. The air was thick with magic — real, suffocating magic — something this ruined Earth had not felt in ages.
Spawn rattled behind him, its bones clicking softly as it turned its empty gaze in every direction. Ethan grinned faintly, despite himself. "Well," he murmured, "looks like we just stepped into something beautiful… and very, very dangerous."
Ethan had barely taken a few steps into the strange, luminous realm when a sudden chime echoed inside his mind — crisp, mechanical, yet divine in its tone.
[Congratulations! You are the first to complete the novice quest: Searching for Havenstead Novice Village. You have been awarded 1,000 Survival Coins as your quest reward.]
[Additionally, as the first to uncover the existence of Novice Village, you have triggered a First Discovery Bonus: Treasure Raffle Prize. You may spin the Divine Roulette. Potential rewards range from Level 2 to Level 6 treasures.]
The words resonated deep in his consciousness, and before he could even react, a brilliant flash of light engulfed him. The world twisted, colors inverting for an instant — and then it appeared.
Before Ethan floated a colossal roulette wheel suspended in midair, radiating both holiness and sin. Its circular frame was carved from obsidian-like metal, its rim edged with flowing golden sigils that pulsed as if alive. Each segment of the wheel shimmered with numbers, from 1 to 999, glowing under a soft divine light. The air itself hummed — a blend of angelic chorus and demonic whisper, both harmonious and unsettling.
Then came the voice again, neither male nor female, reverberating through his skull like a god's decree:
[Please select the number you desire.]
Ethan stood silent for a moment, his eyes narrowing. His mind, trained by months of survival and countless near-death moments, instantly began to analyze. Each glowing number was a mystery — a potential miracle. He studied their order, the subtle flickers of light that danced across certain digits, hoping to spot a hidden pattern, a secret left by the creator of this strange System.