In the shadow of the broken diner, a figure stood motionless beneath a purple cloak. His hat concealed his face, but a faint smirk touched his lips as he watched Josh absorb the sorcerer's core.
No words.
He simply turned—and walked away.
---
Outside town, Kaen supported Josh as they left the gates, moving quickly. Whispers followed them. Some people bowed their heads. Others stayed frozen in fear.
No one tried to stop them.
The path to Blightfall continued.
---
The sun had begun to fade behind the trees. Josh stepped away from the trail and raised his hand. With a small spark, a flame danced at his fingertips.
"Whoa," Kaen said, stepping back a little. "That's… new."
Josh smirked. He extended his palm—and a small fireball burst into the air, spiraling before it fizzled out.
Then another. And another.
He laughed lightly, throwing one like a baseball. It exploded like a firecracker.
Kaen crossed his arms. "You know you gotta be careful with fire. You never know when you'll miss and light up a forest or a village."
Josh nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I wish I had space to myself. Somewhere I could train without—"
Suddenly, the system pinged.
>
---
System Message
Training Wish Detected
▶ Do you wish to create a Combat Arena?
[ YES ] [ NO ]
Josh blinked. "Wait—what?"
Kaen tilted his head. "Now what?"
Josh tapped YES.
>
---
▶ Generating Combat Arena...
▪️ Loading: 50%...
▪️ Loading: 87%...
▪️ Combat Arena: 100%
▶ Activate?
Without hesitation, Josh tapped again: YES.
The world around them rippled.
The trees shattered into purple dust. The sky twisted. The road beneath their feet dissolved into static.
Kaen stumbled as gravity shifted. "W-whoa, what's happening?!"
Josh could only watch as a new realm constructed itself around them—a massive, dark void with glowing purple veins, infinite and empty. Floating platforms hovered in the distance, and geometric shapes pulsed like circuit runes.
>
---
▶ Combat Arena Deployed
Bound participants: 2
Kaen yelled, "YOU PULLED ME INTO THIS?!"
Josh raised his hands innocently. "I didn't mean to!"
>
---
▶ First Training Session: Initializing...
▶ Target: Simulated Dagger Phantom
▶ Enemy Difficulty: Scaling to User Power
A dark humanoid form appeared, blades in both hands, eyes glowing red.
Josh took a step back. "Okay... maybe this is a bit much."
Kaen drew a short blade. "You better not die before we find that sword."
Josh summoned the rusty training sword the system had granted him. It shimmered into his hand with a faint pulse of purple light.
He gripped it tightly.
The phantom enemies—dark, flickering shadows of men—began to close in.
Josh swung.
Wide. Off balance. Sloppy.
>
---
SYSTEM NOTICE
Sword Mastery: Inadequate
▶ Initiating Combat Illusion Playback_
Suddenly, beside him, a ghostly figure of himself appeared—moving smoothly, gracefully, as if born with the blade.
Josh's eyes locked onto the image. He mirrored the motion, stumbling at first, but slowly, instinct began to shape.
Swing.
Block.
Step.
Thrust.
He began to flow.
He struck one of the phantoms through the chest—it burst into shards of black light and vanished.
>
---
Level Up!
▶ Speed: +4%
▶ Combat Power: +4%
▶ Strength: +4%
▶ Durability: +2%
Josh felt it. Power. Precision. Control.
He darted forward, his movement cleaner now, slashing another phantom cleanly across the chest before ducking under a blade.
Kaen, breathing heavily behind him, watched with awe. "You're actually learning while fighting..."
Josh smiled, not looking back. "No time to think—just move."
Kaen nodded, picked up a discarded phantom blade, and began to follow Josh's steps, mimicking his stances and timing.
Together, they danced through the chaos.
Strike. Dodge. Counter.
Phantom after phantom fell, bursting into void-light one by one.
And then—silence.
>
---
Simulation Ended
▶ Participants survived: 2
▶ Progress Recorded
The arena flickered and dissolved into light.
Josh dropped to his knees, panting but smiling.
Kaen sat beside him. "Okay... that was intense."
Josh looked up at the sky above the dissolving void and whispered, "I'm… actually starting to trust this thing."
>
---
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Trust acknowledged.
▶ New Affinity Route: Partial Sync
▶ Current Compatibility: 27%
Josh blinked. "Affinity route?"
Kaen blinked too. "Wait. It's tracking how much you like it?"
Josh smirked. "Guess it's like any relationship. Starts with not eating chips... ends with sword combat training."
They both laughed under their breath.
But above them—hidden somewhere in the system grid—a single purple eye pulsed.
Watching.
Calculating.
Waiting.With sunrise breaking through the trees, Josh and Kaen packed their gear, tightened their belts, and followed the system's glowing map through a narrowing trail.
The terrain changed.
The air grew thick. Moist.
A strange fog began to swirl between the trees, slowly engulfing the forest floor in a white bl
With sunrise breaking through the trees, Josh and Kaen packed their gear, tightened their belts, and followed the system's glowing map through a narrowing trail.
The terrain changed.
The air grew thick. Moist.
A strange fog began to swirl between the trees, slowly engulfing the forest floor in a white blur.
Josh squinted. "You seeing this?"
Kaen nodded. "Feels like magic... heavy magic."
They pressed forward, deeper into the mist. The trees around them grew denser. The path vanished under thick leaves. Then—
Josh turned for a second—and Kaen was gone.
"Kaen?"
Silence.
Only his own echo responded.
Josh took a cautious step back, hand hovering over his side.
From the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow dart past—low and fast. He spun.
No one.
>
---
SYSTEM ALERT
▶ Threat Detected
▪️ Enemy Type: Fogbeast
▪️ Threat Level: Intermediate - Tier IV
Objective: Kill monster and extract core for booster rewards
Josh whispered, "What the hell is a Fogbeast...?"
He took a step forward—then stopped.
A deep, guttural growl echoed behind him.
Josh turned slowly.
The mist split open—and from within stepped a hulking creature, long-limbed and crooked. Its skin was cracked and jagged like tree bark soaked in blood. Its eyes glowed with red embers.
Josh instinctively stepped back.
"Kaen?!" he shouted.
No reply. Just mist.
Just him. And the beast.
>
---
SYSTEM MODE: Combat Initiated
» Enhancing user attributes...
» Purple Core Activation: Basic
Josh's fists began to glow with a dim purple light, crackling with energy.
The beast lunged.
Josh dodged, barely slipping under its arm. He countered—slamming a fist into its ribs. The impact hit, but the beast didn't flinch.
Josh stumbled back.
"What…?"
He charged again, another punch—direct to its chest. Still nothing. Like hitting stone.
The Fogbeast roared, its claws swinging wide.
Josh barely rolled away, breathing hard. "Okay. Tough guy."
He looked at his hand. The purple glow flickered.
>
---
▶ Note: Current Attacks Ineffective
▶ Strategy Tip: Target Weak Points or Find Environmental Advantage
▶ Optional: Attempt Skill Imprint
Do you wish to attempt Skill Imprint?
[ YES ] [ NO ]
Josh's eyes widened.
"...Skill imprint?"
The beast roared again, charging through the mist.
Josh narrowed his gaze. "Screw it—YES."