As Kaelan's consciousness slowly rose to the surface, he felt a cool, damp sensation beneath his body. Blinking against the bright light, he slowly opened his eyes to see not one but two suns hanging in a brilliant blue sky. A rush of fear and confusion coursed through him as he took in the unfamiliar landscape around him.
"What in the world...?" Kaelan muttered, his voice breaking the eerie silence that surrounded him. As he looked down at himself, he saw that his usual bedtime attire had been replaced by simple yet functional garments. In place of his phone was a leather-bound book hanging from his belt.
Trying to make sense of this bizarre situation, Kaelan pushed himself up to a sitting position. The colours of the trees and flowers surrounding him were unlike anything he had ever seen before, almost too vivid to be real. "This can't be happening," he whispered, running a hand through his hair in disbelief. In need of answers, Kaelan spotted a brook nearby and approached it cautiously. Leaning over the crystal-clear water, he splashed some on his face in hopes that it would snap him out of what had to be a dream but the icy cold only confirmed the reality of his surroundings.
"Okay, stay calm," Kaelan said to himself, trying to process everything. "This is just... really strange."
His attention was drawn to the book at his side, and he unfastened it eagerly. At first, the pages were blank, but soon elegant script began appearing before his eyes.
Just as he was about to read what appeared on the page, Kaelan was jolted by a sudden shout.
“What’s a scrawny little twerp like you doing in our territory? I don’t recall you paying the protection fee.”
Kaelan's head snapped up in shock as he saw three figures approaching him. Each one was more intimidating than the last, clad in mismatched armour and wielding crude weapons. The leader, a towering figure with a jagged scar across his face, stepped forward with a menacing sneer. But it wasn't their rough appearance that left Kaelan speechless, what were these things?
“L-lizard men,” he stammered, struggling to wrap his mind around the sight before him.
“WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?” the leader bellowed, his expression contorting into one of pure hatred. “You must be pretty brave or pretty stupid calling a Draconian a lizard, human."
Kaelan's mind raced as he tried to process this new information. "P-protection fee?" he repeated weakly, desperately searching for something to say.
The Draconians laughed, their harsh voices echoing through the air and sending chills down Kaelan's spine. “Don't worry about that now," the leader growled, raising his weapon menacingly. "I'd rather take it from your corpse."
Fear and panic surged through Kaelan as he stumbled backwards, frantically trying to come up with a plan. The Draconians advanced on him with malicious intent, their weapons glinting dangerously in the sunlight. He opened his mouth to call for help, but deep down he knew none would arrive.
The leader swung his club at Kaelan's side, delivering a sharp blow that sent waves of agony through his ribs. He crumpled to the ground in pain, grasping at straws for any way out of this nightmare. But the Draconians showed no mercy, raining down blow after brutal blow until Kaelan could barely think straight.
"Feeling tough now?" the leader snarled, kicking Kaelan in the stomach.
Despite his best efforts to shield himself, Kaelan's strength was quickly fading. Darkness crept into the edges of his vision, and he felt himself slipping away. The last thing he saw was the leader's cruel sneer before everything went black.
Kaelan awoke to a haze of pain pulsating through his battered and broken body. He struggled to open his eyes, blinking against the harsh light. The two suns had traveled further across the sky, indicating that hours had passed since he had last been conscious. Every movement was excruciating as he attempted to sit up, his entire body screaming in protest from the savage beating it had endured.
Through coughs and groans, Kaelan managed to prop himself up on one arm, his vision swimming with dizziness. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, evidence of the injuries he had sustained. With a weak gasp, he collapsed back onto the ground, his breaths coming in heavy pants.
He could barely comprehend what had happened. Less than 24 hours ago, he had been peacefully sleeping in his apartment. Now here he was, on his deathbed in a forest after being viciously attacked by creatures that should not exist.
Struggling to focus through the pain and confusion, Kaelan looked down and saw that the book he had found earlier was still strapped to his waist, untouched. With trembling hands, he opened it once again. This time, the words on the page were clear and bold:
‘Welcome to the world fledgling, place your palm to the page to choose your path.’
Despite every inch of his body protesting against any more movement, Kaelan couldn't ignore the command of the book. He placed his palm on the page, feeling a strange warmth spread from his hand and up his arm. In the blink of an eye, everything went black.
For a moment, Kaelan felt weightless and formless in this void of darkness. Suddenly a translucent box appeared before him with the words ‘Initiating system overlay…’ written in bold letters. Was this some kind of virtual reality? Kaelan's mind raced at the possibilities. It sounds like gaming terminology. Just as he processed this thought, he realized that the intense pain from before was now completely gone. The message on the screen changed.
‘Congratulations, you have begun the journey along your path. You have received Titles. You have received new path options as a result of your achievements. You can view your titles on your status page. Would you like to view your status page?’
For the second time that day, Kaelan could not believe what was happening before his eyes. He had read books and played games with similar concepts, but this couldn't be real. The translucent window flashed and a timer began counting down. “Yes, view status,” Kaelan thought to himself, still feeling weightless and formless in this strange space. And just like that, the system responded to his thoughts and pulled up his status page.
Kaelan Blackwater (Human)
Cultivation Stage: Fledgling.
New Titles:
No pain no gains - Pain is a path to power, endure and grow stronger. For enduring more than 10 broken bones in a fight with a cultivator before choosing a path. Plus 10% to all stats.
You must not know who I am - Outnumbered but not outmatched, you survived alone in fight against 3 or more cultivators before choosing a path. Plus 15% all stats when fighting while outnumbered.
Legendary Survivor - Death was upon you but you would not let it take you. Survive a fatal attack from a cultivator before choosing your path. Pick two stats to receive plus 50%. Plus 50% Endurance. All base stats set to racial base maximum.
Stats: Vitality: 11
Endurance: 16
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 11
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 11
Charisma: 11
Kaelan's mind was reeling, barely able to process the fantastical situation he found himself in. It felt as if he was creating a character for a game, only this time he was the one being created. And those titles! Who’d have thought getting beaten to within an inch of his life, maybe worse than that if his title was to be believed would resulted in such incredible perks! Even though he couldn’t shake the feeling that this must be some kind of dream, regardless of how real the pain had felt, he couldn’t help but embrace it anyway. After all, with the insane boosts he had just received he was sure to become OP as hell. He would have to go back and thank those Draconians… once he figured out how to get back to them.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
He scanned back over his status page and looked at his attributes. If he was understanding them correctly then the maximum base stat for a human was 10 in each category. He still had to choose which two stats would receive the 50% bonus from his legendary survivor title. He made a mental note to see how difficult acquiring titles was moving forward because a 50% bonus to a stat seemed like a massive upgrade.
But before choosing which attributes to allocate the bonus to, Kaelan wanted to see what else this "character creation stage" had in store for him. With a simple thought, he closed his status page and another window materialized before him.
‘Choose your path. You have received new path options as a result of your achievements. View available paths?’
Agreeing with a mental nudge, Kaelan watched in amazement as the window disappeared and was replaced by a galaxy of floating stars. Kaelan didn’t know how but he intrinsically knew that each star represented a potential path for him to embark on.
Overwhelmed by the sheer number of options in front of him, he knew he needed some way to narrow it down. Treating it like a game, Kaelan commanded the system to sort the paths into combat or lifestyle focused categories - and much to his astonishment, it obeyed. The once chaotic galaxy was now organized into two distinct clusters, Kaelan selected a star from each group, starting in the top left corner of both.
Path: Apprentice (Common)The apprentice is a versatile and adaptable individual, able to gain valuable experience by working under specialists in various fields. While they may have slightly lower base stats compared to other paths, the apprentice has the freedom to place their stat points as they see fit. Their abilities focus on enhancing their learning speed and improving either their physical or mental adaptability. For each stage they receive 3 free points to distribute among their stats.
Path: Grunt (Common)For those who believe strength is the most important attribute, the grunt is the path to follow. With every punch and every fight, they will prove that might makes right. Their abilities center around unarmed combat, making them formidable opponents in hand-to-hand combat. For each stage they receive 2 points to strength, 1 point to vitality, and 1 point to endurance, allowing them to become even stronger and more enduring with each passing stage.
The two paths laid out before Kaelan offered a wealth of information for him to work with. He studied them carefully, noticing that they were reminiscent of class options in a video game, each with their own rarity rating. Assuming gaming logic, it was clear that a path with a higher rarity would would offer superior stats and abilities. Kaelan leaned in closer to examine the bottom right star of each cluster, searching for any hints or clues about which path would be the best fit for him.
Path: Soul Keeper (Legendary)
The Soul Keeper is an enigmatic figure, delving into the mysteries of life and death. With their deep knowledge and connection to the spirit world, they possess unparalleled abilities in spiritual guidance, communication with spirits, and protection against death-related threats. For each stage they receive 5 points in wisdom, 3 points in intelligence, 2 points in charisma and 5 free points.
Path: Harbinger of Doom (Legendary)
Dread surrounds the Harbinger of Doom, who wields immense power over death and destruction. In battle, their enemies quiver in fear as the Harbinger gains strength from the chaos around them. Their abilities focus on harnessing their chi to enhance fear manipulation, dark energy attacks, and illusions of despair. For each stage they receive 5 points in intelligence, 3 points in Charisma, 2 points in wisdom and 5 free points.
Kaelan couldn't help but notice that both of the legendary classes he had been presented with revolved around death. As he scrolled through his potential paths, he couldn't ignore the weight of his new title as a legendary survivor and how it had granted him these options. He could see that the next highest path choice in the lifestyle cluster had already dropped down to rare. He had one more legendary option in the combat focused cluster before the rarity level descended again only this time to epic rarity. Kaelan's mind raced as he considered his next move. If this was all just a dream he might as well go all in, he wasn’t going to be taking a life style path. With a sense of determination, he selected his final legendary path option.
Path: Apostate of the Reaper (Legendary)
The Apostate of the Reaper stands as a paragon to those who refuse the inevitability of death. This path delves into the darkest depths of power, tapping into its formidable energy to become an unstoppable force in battle. The embodiment of fierce opposition to death their abilities focus on harnessing their chi to bolster resilience, accelerate regeneration, and enhance crowd control. Receive 5 points in Endurance, 3 points in Vitality, 2 points in Strength and 5 free points.
A dark tank and an affliction specialist. How… grim. This was definitely going to be an Edge Lord play through. As he weighed the two available paths, there was no question in his mind which one he would choose. As an experienced gamer he had always had a natural inclination towards melee over casting. With an already formidable boost to his endurance attribute, it was a no-brainer for him to choose the path of the Apostate of the Reaper. He made his choice and was met with a new system message.
‘Do you wish to follow the path: Apostate of the Reaper?’
‘Congratulations! You have chosen your path. You have received a new title. Good luck on your journey to ascendancy.’
A sense of excitement and anticipation filled him as he prepared for the journey ahead. There was a moment of complete darkness before Kaelan came back to his body, in the emptiness of the void he felt as though he was being watched but he could see nothing. After what felt like an eternity, he opened his eyes to find himself back in the familiar clearing by the brook. The first thing that caught Kaelan's attention was the lack of pain. Despite his clothes still being torn and bloody, he could feel that his body had been completely healed. In fact, it was more than just healed - Kaelan did a double take this couldn’t be right. He hadn’t been in bad shape before but now? Now he would be the envy of an Olympic sprinter. Lean muscles that looked to be chiselled from marble were exposed by the tears in his clothes. He felt better now than he had in his entire life, power and strength coursed through every part of him. As he looked at himself in awe, Kaelan noticed that the book that had led to his transformation was now glowing softly at his waist. Curiosity taking over he opened it to reveal a message.
‘Congratulations on being reborn and beginning on your path to ascendancy. To move forward in your journey, you must advance through the realms of cultivation by gathering energy. You have the foundation, good luck.’
Just as Kaelan finished reading the last word the book started disintegrating and in moments he was left holding a pile of dust. He couldn't help but think that the term 'reborn' was quite fitting for this experience. With a newfound determination, he set out to explore and discover the power and potential of his new form.
"Let's see what we're working with here," he muttered as he accessed his status page, eager to explore the limitless possibilities that lay ahead.
Kaelan Blackwater (Apostate of the Reaper)
Cultivation Stage: Gathering Chi (Early)
Titles: No pain no gains, You must not know who I am, Legendary Survivor.
New Title: Legendary Existence - Upgrade your path to legendary rarity. Plus 10% all stats.
Stats: Vitality: 16
Endurance: 26
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 12
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 12
Please select two Attributes to apply title ‘Legendary Survivor’.
You have 5 Free attribute points.
Techniques: Dark Sweep - Executes a sweeping attack dealing significant damage to multiple foes in a wide arc.
Abilities: Dark Renewal - Dark energy rapidly heals your wounds, continuously restoring health even amidst combat.
Studying his attributes with a sense of disbelief, Kaelan couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. 26 Endurance! It was almost laughable compared to what he would have had before his rebirth. Based on his titles, the racial maximum for a base human was 10, and he highly doubted he would have even come close to that. But now, he had more than two and a half times that amount! As he delved further into his status, he observed that percentage multipliers were added together instead of stacked on top of each other. While it was a bit disappointing, at least the system rounded them to the nearest whole number.
With determination in his eyes, Kaelan considered which attributes to give the bonus percentages to. Ultimately, he decided to stick to his plans of min-maxing and applied the bonuses to strength and vitality. He then used one of his free points to bring strength equal to vitality and put the remaining four points into dexterity to improve his mobility. After all, what good was strength if you couldn't land a hit on your opponents?
Feeling satisfied with his allocated attribute points, Kaelan eagerly reviewed his updated status. The anticipation to test out his new abilities was almost too much to bear.
Kaelan Blackwater (Apostate of the Reaper)
Cultivation Stage: Gathering Chi (Early)
Titles: No pain no gains, You must not know who I am, Legendary Survivor.
New Title: Legendary Existence - Upgrade your path to legendary rarity. Plus 10% all stats.
Stats: Vitality: 22
Endurance: 26
Strength: 22
Dexterity: 17
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 12
Techniques: Dark Cleave - Executes a devastating sweeping attack dealing significant damage to multiple foes in a wide arc.
Abilities: Dark Renewal - Dark energy rapidly heals your wounds, continuously restoring health even amidst combat.
Savouring the moment, Kaelan inhaled deeply, savouring the crisp air that filled his lungs. With a sense of excitement and newfound power coursing through his veins, he shifted into a fighting stance and unleashed a flurry of punches. His muscles flexed with each strike, fuelled by an otherworldly strength that he never thought possible. Kaelan marvelled at the control and precision of his movements. He effortlessly decimated imaginary enemies with his sheer might his incorporeal foes crumbling beneath the force of his blows. With a determined glint in his eyes, Kaelan decided to set out towards the nearby forest and search out his assailants from before his rebirth. He wanted to repay them in kind for the ‘help’ they gave him in acquiring his new abilities. Their actions had not only granted him strength, they had also sparked a fire within him, a desire to grow that he had all but forgotten before his ordeal. And what better way to show his appreciation than with a display of his newfound powers?