Suddenly, Jeff found himself elsewhere, disembodied, hanging in the air over a vast, desolate landscape—a desert completely blanketed in violet-colored sand. Above, twin suns scorched the sky, casting an eerie, double-shadowed light.

Lined up in neat ranks stretching off into the distance, was a huge, ominous army. Skeletal figures fully ten foot tall, garbed in robes of impenetrable darkness, sat astride hideous winged lizards, whose scales more resembled the armor plating of war machines than living beings. Partially obscured by shadowy cowls, the riders’ skull-like faces gave forth an air of dark malice. Each carried a massive black bow, etched with glowing runes of power.

A solitary figure stood before the assembled riders. Jeff knew, somehow instinctively, that this man was a Spellsword, a follower of the same Path as him. Scanning the man gave some more information.

NAME: The Steel Mage

RACE: ?

GRADE: C

HIT POINTS (HP): ??????

MANA POINTS (MP): ??????/??????

Grade C? Just exactly how powerful is this guy? Jeff wondered to himself.

In stark contrast to the malevolent army, the man was a beacon of serenity and composure. Dressed in simple clothing, reminiscent of that of a monk or a priest, he carried no weapons. His appearance was humanoid—fine, delicate features that could be mistaken for human at first glance, but to Jeff still undeniably alien.

Upon the mages’s brow, a single mysterious symbol blazed with power. Jeff was unable to make out the exact shape of it—every attempt to focus on the mysterious sigil caused an agonizing, straining sensation through his mind, as though he were gazing directly into the output of a weaponized laser.

Although vastly outnumbered by the monstrous army assembled before him, the figure stood calmly, emanating an unassailable air.

A guttural order rang forth from the commander of the deathly army, a chilling, hope-destroying sound that caused Jeff to quail. The army obeyed the command instantly—a coordinated salvo of fiery arrows shot forth from a million bows, their passage scorching the air as they arced unerringly towards the figure.

The man stood, unfazed, watching the countless blazing projectiles plummeting down towards him, an inscrutably calm expression etched on his face.

At the final moment, with no apparent urgency, the man whispered a single word. The word, although uttered in a quiet voice, rang out across the battlefield with an unbearable resonance. Jeff felt as though his consciousness would shatter under the sheer intensity of the sound.

The uttered syllable, word or sound, seemed to encapsulate the very concept of ‘sundering’ or ‘rupture’. On hearing it, a damaging sensation washed over Jeff, as though the molecular bonds holding him together were on the verge of unraveling. He knew without a doubt that had he been physically present, rather than a spectral observer, he would have instantly disintegrated.

The fiery arrow storm streaming towards the man suddenly halted in midair, as if colliding with an invisible barrier, then simply dissolved into a fine mist, as if the huge barrage of projectiles had never existed. The shockwave of force created by the mage’s utterance raced on, towards the mounted army of archers.

Reacting in unison, the warriors astride their beasts chanted their own incantations, force shields of arcane energy springing up to protect them from the blast. Even with their shields up, many of them were overcome. Fearsome wounds appeared across their bodies, as if carved with invisible blades, and their mounts reared up, shrieking in agony.

Raising his hand in the air, the man spoke again, a single word. As he finished intoning the power laden syllable, he brought his hand slashing down through the air in a swift, vertical arc, the rune on his forehead flashing brightly.

The word he spoke seemed to encapsulate the very concept of incision. A tapestry of images flashed through Jeff’s mind— blades, honed to molecular sharpness, razors cleaving through the the hardest possible substances, and the potential lethality of all things keen-edged. It was as if he could feel the sensation of a rapier puncturing an impervious shield, an axe splitting through a mile-wide diamond, a sword ceaselessly cutting through the very fabric of reality.

The real-world effect was devastating. The entire army was destroyed instantly. Obliterated. It was as though they had been carefully sliced from top to bottom into an endless array of infinitesimal slivers. No blood, no cries of pain, just a haunting silence as the entire battlefield was scoured clean.

However, the spell’s reach wasn’t confined just to the annihilation of the army. Even the ground on which they had stood suffered a cataclysmic upheaval. A colossal chasm yawned open, splitting the earth asunder.

The chasm gaped wider and wider, the unstoppable seismic forces unleashed were so immense they continued to rend the planet’s tectonic foundation. Down through bedrock, crust, and into the mantle, the power of the ‘Word Made Blade’ split the world in two.

Jeff hung suspended above the chasm, looking down, into and through the molten core of the planet, a planet which was rapidly falling into two pieces below him. Like a cosmic apple neatly sliced down the middle, the two separate halves of the world tumbled away from each other, spinning off into space and out of their orbit, drifting towards the twin suns in a fatal spiral.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Amidst the devastation, the Steel Mage floated, eyes closed, in the vacuum of space, an inexplicable look of contentment on his face.

When his eyes opened, they locked onto Jeff, as if he were staring directly at him.

“Always remember,” he said, his voice full of a supreme calmness and certainty.

“The most important thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cut the enemy—no matter the means.”

Class Selection Successful.

Arcane Duelist 1

Jeff awoke, sprawled prostrate across the cool tiled floor.

Stumbling to his feet, still disoriented from the vision he had just experienced, he reflected on the awesome powers he had witnessed.

The thought that he could one day wield such destructive power seemed incredible. But reminding himself that Earth’s destiny was resting on his shoulders, he resolved to try.

He once again returned his attention to the system interface, now showing various new statistics.

NAME: Jeff Nostro

RACE: Human

HIT POINTS (HP): 80/80

MANA POINTS (MP): 70/70

Path: Spellsword [Hidden]

* Path Rewrite: Awarded if 7 tribulations are completed.

* Tribulations passed: 0/7

GRADE: J, Level 1

CLASS: Arcane Duelist 1SKILLS:

* Physical Fitness (Level 1)

* Identify (Level 1)

CLASS SKILLS:

* Infinite Sword (Level 1)

* Cutting Edge (Level 1)

ATTRIBUTES:

* Strength: 5

* Speed: 2

* Vitality: 2

* Endurance: 2

* Cognition: 2

* Offense: 2

* Defense: 2

* Total Attribute Points: 17

* Unallocated Attribute Points: 0

Grade J… bottom of the ladder. Shuddering, he recalled the God-like power of the Steel Mage, a Grade C entity. Still, in spite of his beginner rank, Jeff felt more powerful than ever. Confidence surged through his veins. He ran his tongue between his teeth wonderingly. What the hell? The edges of his canines and incisors seemed to be sharper, longer. His back teeth were broader and more defined as well. Running his tongue around his mouth, he probed a molar, expecting to feel roughness, only to find a smooth expanse of enamel—the filling he had received in his teens was gone.

Clamping his mouth shut and rubbing his chin and mouth, he noticed his jaw seemed wider, and more muscular…more chiseled.

A sense that he had been transformed in some way, improved again, washed over him, bringing the same spontaneous burst of exhilaration. The rush of energy to his body and mind caused him to involuntarily whoop out loud with pleasure.

“Hell Yeah!” He shouted out, his voice ringing across the vast room.

I could definitely get used to this, Jeff thought, a broad grin spreading across his face as he basked in the warming, post-evolutionary glow.

It seemed that either entry into the System and its Grading, Class selection, or the mysterious Path he was walking had honed him, sharpened him… with certain ‘blade-like’ characteristics.

Staring down at his hands, he noticed how pointed his fingernails appeared. He had always kept them neatly trimmed in the past, but now they were longer, almost talon-like.

Well done! The transformation was successful! Your Class is set for the duration of this Grade. You have also been bestowed with a pair of very useful Skills by the system.

As you progress, new Skills will be bestowed on you as rewards by the System.

As you earn Coins, more Skills will also become available to purchase from the Tournament Store. And as you gain Omega Energy, you level up. Of course, the only way to gain Omega Energy and progress is to achieve. For this reason we will proceed with the tutorial shortly, in order for you to become proficient with the System.

Jeff was struck once again by the similarities with Earthly gaming conventions. The concept of ‘Omega Energy’ seemed extremely similar to XP.

Before moving on on to Tantalus, you are required to complete twelve different stages, in any order, as well as defeating a Training Mini-Boss. The four stage types are Puzzle, Action, Combat and Skill.

While he felt the urge to get the Combat stage out of the way immediately, he reasoned it would be better to hold off until he had become accustomed with his new Skills. Fortune favors the brave, but fools rush in…Best to start with the safer options before attempting anything dangerous.

He decided to get more intel before proceeding.

“What is a Path, Misty?” Jeff asked, attempting to project an innocent tone into his voice.

A Path? Misty repeated, a note of suspicion creeping into her voice.

Where did you hear about Paths, Jeff?

Crap… Jeff realized that he had made a mistake immediately. Backpedalling, he prevaricated.

“I think I heard something about it in a vision I had after I selected my Class…” he mumbled.

A Vision? You had a Vision! This is wonderful news Jeff. Visions are not something that players of your Grade often gets…This indicates the System is taking a special interest in your progression. This should help your viewer ratings greatly.

To answer your question, a System-dweller can usually select a Path at around Grade F, so a long way to go for you yet, Jeff. Paths help you gain further Dao insights and are pivotal in making the leap to Grade D and immortality.

Jeff quickly changed the subject.

Remembering Misty’s previous comment about his newly acquired Skills, he returned to his stat console and looked at the ‘Skills’ section of the display. He saw that he had indeed been allocated two new Skills by the System.

* [Infinite Sword] One blade becomes many. Transforms a melee weapon into one capable of a ranged (Area of Effect) attack on up to three antagonists at once. 5% chance of causing lethal damage. (Level 1)

* [Cutting Edge] Increases the sharpness of a blade 10-fold, causing greatly increased damage (Level 1)

Jeff attempted to select the [Infinite Sword] Skill and waited. And waited.

“Nothing’s happening…”

You need to use the Skill in conjunction with a weapon to activate it.

Jeff, lacking anything better in the way of a weapon, pulled out his pocket knife from his pants pocket and held it in front of him. Once more he activated the Skill. As he waved the short blade in front of him in an arc, a shimmering, surreal line of light appeared at its edge, emanating outwards.… Jeff heard a swishing sound, as if a host of blades was being swung in front of him.

You have cast [Infinite Sword]

Apart from the unearthly sound and the system notification in his HUD, there was no other effect. Jeff did notice however that a bar had appeared in the corner of his vision, showing that his MP had been depleted by the maneuver, dropping from 70 to 50.

Disappointed at the underwhelming Skill, Jeff was about to put his knife away when Misty abruptly spoke up.

That Skill requires targets in order to fully observe the effect. Prepare to enter Combat Training. By the way, this feed is being broadcast live on your home planet and throughout the Metaweb.

The training environment is generated from your memories as well as data harvested from your race’s media and collective unconscious. This will improve the training environment and increase audience engagement.

“Hold on a second…I thought I got to choose!” Jeff said, alarmed at the sudden announcement by the AI.

Misty was deaf to his further protestations. A flash of light was followed by a grinding noise from beneath him, and the floor dissolved, sending Jeff plummeting downwards into a black void.