For the first time in his life, he walks unarmed into danger. The weight of that absence makes him tense, but he forces himself forward.
Then, a faint shuffle rises ahead. Groans, wet and broken, shapes stagger into view.
Alodius doesn't hesitate. "Let's test it. Inventory! Take out Bloodfang!"
The air shimmers, and the short sword appears before him. Swiftly, he catches its grip before the sword drop, and charges.
The blade carves into the first infected before it can rise from the ground. Flesh splits, ichor sprays on the ground.
Three other Thralls stir, their heads lolling unnaturally as it lunges. He pivots, cutting through chests and heads, driving the things back into the dirt.
The last one comes faster. Instead of meeting it head-on, Alodius takes a sharp breath, cocks his arm back, and hurls Bloodfang straight into its chest.
Thud!
The blade slams home, knocking the creature onto its back. It twitches once, then goes still.
***
[Kill Confirmed]
+13 Experience
Vitality Surge Activated (Duration: 5 minutes)
***
"...Guess that works too. Now, Inventory! Retrieve Bloodfang!"
The blade vanishes, dissolving into sparks before his eyes. He turns, scanning the hallway. Silence returns, broken only by the drip of water in the distance.
The six corpses already rot away into sludge, leaving behind faint motes of pale light that drift upward before fading into nothing.
There's no item drop this time. But each of them has granted him 13 Exp.
The HUD flares in front of him.
***
[Level Up!]
Base Attributes Increased: +1 to Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence.
Passive Skill Point Acquired: 1.
***
Alodius freezes. "Level up…? Like a damn video game."
Before he can scoff, the interface twists, new lines writing themselves into form.
***
[Atlas Grid Unlocked]
Passive progression system detected.
One Passive Skill Point available.
Please select growth path:
- Strength Path (Grants +5 Strength)
- Dexterity Path (Grants +5 Dexterity)
- Intelligence Path (Grants +5 Intelligence)
***
The glowing display shifts again, showing three branching lines, simple, almost primitive compared to the complexity of the HUD earlier. At the end of each branch is a dim node, pulsing faintly.
Alodius narrows his eyes, tilting his head. "Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence… all the usual crap. But what's that?"
The branches stretch further, faintly illuminated beyond the first node. Each fifth step glimmers with something different. This time, more than just numbers, having unique shapes with unique rewards.
Alodius squints, jaw tightening. "So the real power isn't the base stats… it's what waits down the line."
He exhales, lips curling into a humorless smirk. "Guess the system wants me to play along."
For now, he only has a single point, one step, three possible paths. But if he keeps leveling up, he keeps getting passive skill point, and eventually can unlock everything.
Alodius studies the grid. His eyes flick first to the Strength Path: the first node promises raw muscle, and five steps ahead glimmers with an icon of a clenched fist. The tooltip flickers when he focuses on it.
***
[Iron Resolve]
Passive: Reduce incoming physical damage by 10%.
***
"Not bad," he mutters. "But if I'm already too weak to hit hard, what's the point of just tanking better?"
He shifts to the Intelligence Path, its glow thinner, colder. The fifth node shows a symbol of a burning candle.
***
[Mystic Attunement]
Passive: Increase Mana Pool regeneration by +15%.
***
He snorts. "Great. More mana I can't use. Not when the damn system already said my pool's too shallow to activate even a basic skill gem."
Finally, his gaze slides toward the Dexterity Path. The line pulses faintly, almost eager, the first node offering a simple +5 to Dexterity. But the 5th node… it shines sharper than the others, its shape like a coiled serpent poised to strike.
***
[Predator's Instinct]
Passive: Attacks gain +15% Critical Chance when striking enemies from the front.
Bonus: An additional +30% Critical Chance when striking from behind.
***
Alodius leans closer, breath catching. "Criticals… more chances to hit where it hurts."
His mind flashes back to the glowing Critical Hit text he saw when Bloodfang split through a skull earlier. That flash of raw, decisive destruction.
He flexes his hand unconsciously, remembering the ease that surged through his veins after that kill.
"This… this feels more like me."
He doesn't commit just yet, but his eyes linger on the Dexterity path longer than the others.
"Yeah. If I've got one shot at surviving in this shithole, I'll need to kill fast. Not just endure."
The HUD pulses faintly, as if acknowledging his unspoken choice. Ultimately, he makes up his mind, and touches the first node on the dexterity path.
***
Would you like to allocate 1 Passive Skill point?
***
"Yes, do it!"
The node flashes, and soon, the system shows the change in his basic attributes.
***
Basic Attributes
HP (Health Points): 210 / 210
MP (Mana Pool): 22 / 22
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 12 + 5
Intelligence: 9
***
Alodius bends his knees and gives a small hop in place. He expects his body to feel lighter, sharper, quicker. But aside from the usual strain in his calves, there isn't much difference.
"Tch." He shakes his head, brushing it off. "Too soon to expect miracles. But well… If I keep stacking points, I'll get there. I just need time."
He presses deeper into the maze.
The next cluster of Thralls lunges out of the dark without warning, snarling with twitching jaws. Alodius cuts them down one by one, blade hacking through bone and sinew. But when the HUD flares to confirm the kills, his gut sank.
***
[Kill Confirmed]
+3 Experience
***
"The hell?" His brows furrowed. "Only three Exp each?"
But there is no time to brood. More comes, and he cuts them down all the same. Their claws scraped at his arms and chest, but he moves cleaner, sharper than before.
The difference is subtle, but real. His body feels more responsive now, his balance steadier.
"Okay… maybe it is kicking in," he mutters, panting.
He breaks into a sprint, pushing himself harder, faster, testing the edge of his limits. His boots slaps the stone in rapid rhythm, echoing ahead as he barrels through the dark.
His stride's smoother, less clumsy than before. For a moment, he almost forgets the stench of rot and the weight of blood.
***
Finally, he finds a room at the end of the corridor. As he opens the door, a chamber stretches wide, its floor littered with broken bones, skulls cracked and spines snapped, strewn like gravel.
At the far end stands a throne carved directly into the rock, jagged, cruel in shape. And seated upon it is something, waiting.
The figure is robed in pale tatters, the fabric clinging to a skeletal frame. Its face's masked by a bone helm split down the middle, exposing a single withered eye that glimmered faintly with blue fire.
One claw-like hand rests lazily on the throne's armrest, its nails long and blackened, as though dipped in tar.
Alodius freezes, chest heaving. The HUD shimmers to life before him:
***
[Entity Identified: Ossifer, the Bone Warden]
Class: Zone Warden
Threat Level: Major
Objective: Eliminate to Progress
***
Alodius mutters under his breath, "…So. You're the one I need to kill."
As if amused, the Warden's shoulders shakes. A sound spills from beneath the helm, a high, giddy giggle that warped into a rasping cackle.
It rises slowly from the throne, its robes dragging across the bones with a dry hiss. Then it raises both arms high and chants in a language that scrapes against the ear, guttural and broken.
The entire chamber trembles. The bones littering the ground rattle, and then begin to move. Skulls clack, spines bend, ribcages twist upright.
Piece by piece, the floor's debris fuse into shambling forms. Within seconds, a dozen skeleton warriors stand tall, empty sockets glowing faintly as they turn their skulls toward him.
Alodius swallows hard. "Holy shiiit…!"
And the Bone Warden's laughter echoes in the chamber, jagged and cold.