"Fire! FIIIRREEE!!"
BANG! BANG! BRRAAAKKKK! BOOOMMM!!!
Explosions and gunfire danced wildly in the night sky. The bursts of fire lit up the darkness like the hellish fireworks of war. The ground trembled. Screams and dust filled the air. The Meleter Military Base was being mercilessly bombarded.
"Hold your positions! Not one step back!" shouted an officer from behind the rubble of a shattered wall, blood dripping down his temple.
Inside the command tower, the thunder of explosions shook the walls. One by one, monitors went dark, leaving only the flickering red of emergency lights.
"Reporting in, General! Bases 1 through 7 have been completely destroyed. Only the main base remains... for now."
Brama, the Grand General, stood frozen before a half-destroyed holographic map. His eyes were bloodshot. His jaw clenched tight.
"How…?" he whispered. "How did they break through this fast…?"
"We've lost contact with all units, sir. Most likely... they're all down. This attack was perfectly coordinated and… we were completely unprepared."
Brama spun around, grabbing the collar of the young soldier.
"Did you just say we lost?" he hissed, fire burning in his voice. "Say that again, and I'll plant a bullet in your head myself."
The young man turned pale.
"We haven't lost! Even if I'm the last one standing, even if we're turned to ash—we! Do! Not! Lose!!"
BOOM!! BANG!! DDAAARRR!!!
The earth shook again. Walls crumbled. A soldier burst in, face covered in dust and blood.
"General! The northern barricade is down! They've breached the inner corridors!"
Brama stepped out through smoke and debris, standing before the remaining dozens of soldiers. Some were bleeding, others shaking in fear.
He stood tall, chest heaving. His face blackened by smoke—but his eyes burned with living fire.
"Listen closely!!" His voice thundered, louder than the bombs.
"What's in your heads right now? Are you afraid to die? Thinking of surrendering? ARE YOU MELETER SOLDIERS OR JUST SHADOWS HIDING BEHIND A NAME?!"
Silence. Frozen stares.
Brama raised his weapon high.
"You've trained! You've bled! Your blood has sworn oaths on this battlefield! YOU ARE NOT HERE TO RUN!! You are the final shield of this nation! Even if you have one bullet left—fire it! Even if your hands are crushed—bite! Even if your legs are gone—drag your body and FIGHT!!!"
Another explosion rocked the earth. But this time, it wasn't the only sound—other voices rose, voices of reignited spirit.
"FOR BRAMA!"
"FOR THE NATION!!"
"FOR THOSE WE MUST PROTECT!!"
The soldiers raised their weapons—not with fear, but with blazing fire in their eyes.
Brama looked at them, then gave a faint smile. A smile like dawn amidst the ruin.
"If this is the end… then let history remember us not as victims, but as defenders."
He gazed up at the crimson sky, then charged to the front lines. His body became a shield, a symbol. Amid the storm of bullets, he did not flinch. In the inferno, he stood firm.
---
The next day…
National news reported the total annihilation of the Meleter Base. Not a single soul had survived.
But one audio recording spread—viral and eternal:
Brama's voice, burning with spirit, echoing like a beacon in the darkness of defeat.
That day, millions wept—not from loss, but because they heard the voice of true heroism.
The name Brama was etched into legend as "The Flame That Never Dies."
He became the symbol of courage, strength, and an undying blaze.
---
Some time later...
The scorching sun burned Brama's face.
"Ugh… damn. My body… feels like I got hit by a tank."
He woke up, lying in unfamiliar grass. The scent of wet earth and forest wind filled his nose. He sat up, breathing heavily. The wounds on his body—were gone.
Brama looked around. No ruins. No gunfire. No base.
Only forest. Towering trees. Strange birds singing.
"What… is this? Where am I?"
He touched his chest—his military uniform was gone, replaced by strange, rough brown garments, like something from another era.
"Was I captured...? No, this isn't an enemy camp. In fact... this isn't even the same world."
He stumbled forward, staring at a purple sky with three moons hanging overhead.
"Is this… hell? Or... have I been taken to another world?"
Suddenly, the bushes ahead rustled. A creature the size of a buffalo, covered in blue fur with glowing horns, emerged and stared at him.
Brama froze.
"WOAHH!! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
The creature let out a thunderous roar and ran off. Brama collapsed, breath heavy.
"I'm alive… but not in the same world."
And then—
A voice echoed in his mind.
> [Welcome to the New World. Welcome, Heir of the Flame.]
Brama's eyes widened.
"Is this world… trying to make me a hero again?"
He clenched his fists, looking up at the alien sky.
"We'll see. But hear this, strange world… don't think I'll go down without a fight."
A gentle breeze flowed through the gaps between the towering trees, but to Brama—who was used to the scorching heat of the battlefield—this air felt foreign. Cool, but not the kind that calms. This chill hid a creeping danger lurking in the shadows.
> "Flamebearer System…? What is that?" Brama muttered, half alert, half confused.
Ding.
The Flamebearer System is an AI entity bound to the fighting spirit of its host. This system can analyze the weaknesses of surrounding objects and accelerate the host's cognitive process in critical situations. 'Flamebearer' refers to those whose spirit never dies—those who keep burning, even as their bodies are scorched and the world abandons them.
Brama didn't respond immediately. His face remained firm, almost expressionless. Yet his eyes—eyes that once faced thousands of bullets and explosions without flinching—now gleamed in surprise. But that surprise was buried deep, like a battle tactic not yet ready to be unveiled.
> "Alright. What else can you do?" he asked, still wary of the snapping branches in the distance.
Ding.
Current system version: 1.0. Functions are limited to weakness scanning and cognitive acceleration. To unlock advanced features, upgrades are required… Unfortunately, the upgrade path is unknown to the system.
> "What??" Brama frowned. Even the system doesn't know how to improve itself?
Still, he didn't despair. In his chest, the fire still burned. To him, the system was just a bonus. Even without it, he would survive. He had to.
> "Fine. Can you scan for a safe location?"
Ding.
Location scanning function unavailable.
> "Hmph..." Brama grunted as he scanned the towering trees like green walls. "Are creatures like the one I encountered earlier common here? Are there many?"
Ding.
The system lacks sufficient data. However, basic world information suggests that every human has a spiritual bond with a beast. They can transform with them. And yes—beasts dominate this world.
> "Transformation...? Do I also have a beast spirit linked to me?"
Ding.
The host possesses a soul-bonded creature. However, it has not yet been awakened.
Brama nodded slowly.
> "What is this creature, and how do I awaken it?"
Ding.
The system cannot identify the form or type of the bonded beast. It walks its own spiritual path, beyond system access. However, it can be awakened through two methods: first, by reaching a Blessing Site. Second, by surviving extreme conditions that test the boundary between life and death.
> "Hmm... Interesting. But for now, let's focus on finding shelter."
Brama grabbed a sharp tree branch, shaping it into a makeshift spear. His steps were light but deliberate. This forest wasn't going to give him time to overthink.
Step One: Survive.
He crouched low, crawling under thick bushes. Every rustling leaf was noted. Large claw marks on tree trunks were memorized. The faint scent of blood, carried by the wind, led him to one conclusion: a predator had passed by recently.
> "Avoid the right path…" he whispered to himself, veering left, crossing roots as thick as a man's thigh.
Ding.
Quick analysis: muscle structure of large reptilian creature behind right-side bush shows respiratory weakness on left neck side. Vulnerable to direct attack from above the nape.
Threat Level: 5
Brama instinctively turned. A massive creature with dark purplish scales crept from the shadows, forked tongue flicking. It looked like an evolved komodo dragon, standing over two meters tall. If not for the system's warning, he might have already been within striking distance.
He gripped his spear. But he wasn't some panicked teenager—he was a former general.
In one swift move, he leapt onto a low tree branch to buy time. The creature turned and chased.
Brama dove into the thick brush, scraping his spear tip against a sap-leaking tree. He knew this fluid could blind.
Ding.
Creature's ocular weakness: cornea is highly sensitive to natural acid found in Sylca tree sap.
Brama smirked.
> "Just what I was hoping for."
As the monster lunged, Brama jumped and drove his sap-coated spear straight into its right eye. The creature roared wildly, thrashing its body and smashing trees in its frenzy.
Brama didn't finish the fight. He retreated swiftly. Killing wasn't the goal—survival was.
---
One hour later.
Brama panted behind a small overhanging rock formation, forming a narrow cave-like crevice.
It was dry and warm inside. No claw marks on the stone walls. It was safe... for now.
> "This place will do," he muttered, sitting down and examining a shallow cut on his arm.
He closed his eyes—not to sleep, but to think. About this world. About the beast spirit that remained a mystery. About the system bound to him—yet still so limited. And about the voice inside that kept whispering:
> "Your spirit is not dead. The flame still burns."
Ding.
System detects an energy anomaly within 100 meters. Energy is unstable, containing high-level spiritual resonance…
Brama's eyes snapped open.
> "What do you mean?"
Ding.
Possible explanation: the location is a low-tier Soul Blessing Site…
Brama stood. His legs still trembled, his body worn out. But something was calling from beyond the trees.
Could it be... the place to awaken his beast spirit?