The city had become a battlefield, torn asunder by creatures straight from a nightmare. Shadowy forms, twisted and grotesque, prowled through the streets, their glowing eyes flickering like distant stars, watching, waiting. Cale Roth’s heart hammered in his chest as he bolted down the alley, his footsteps echoing off the crumbling walls.

His breath came in ragged gasps. The Arcane Blade flickered to life in his hand once more, but it felt foreign, unfamiliar. He had no idea how to wield a sword—he’d never even been in a real fight. And now, monsters were pouring out of the sky, and his only weapon was a blade made of energy summoned by some cosmic system that spoke in riddles.

“Damn it, this can’t be real,” he muttered, his voice shaking.

But it was real. Too real.

Behind him, the sound of claws scraping against the concrete sent chills down his spine. He glanced back to see one of the creatures—a massive hound-like figure, its body comprised of shifting black mist. Its eyes gleamed with unnatural light, a deep, cold crimson that seemed to burn through the darkness. Rows of jagged teeth gnashed as it bounded after him, its form distorting the space around it like a ripple in reality.

Cale tightened his grip on the Arcane Blade. “Keep moving. Keep moving,” he told himself, ducking into a narrow side street. He could hear the thing’s heavy breathing, its growls filling the air. He didn’t have time to think, only react.

With a burst of speed, the hound leaped through the air, claws outstretched, aiming for his back. Cale spun on his heel, swinging the Arcane Blade upward in desperation. The sword sliced through the creature’s ethereal body, severing one of its limbs, but the rest of its form stayed intact. The hound stumbled, growling in pain, but before Cale could take another breath, it surged forward again, this time going for his throat.

“Shit!” Cale cursed, ducking under its snapping jaws. He could feel the creature’s breath on his skin—cold, unnatural. He stabbed upward, driving the Arcane Blade deep into its chest. The light of the blade flared, sending a shockwave through the creature’s form, and with a final snarl, it disintegrated into a cloud of black mist.

Cale staggered back, panting, his legs shaking. “That was too close.”

He looked down at his hand, watching the Arcane Blade flicker in and out of existence. The sensation of power pulsing through him was intoxicating, but there was a weight to it too—a heaviness pressing on his mind. He couldn’t ignore the growing sense of detachment, the coldness creeping into his veins.

He didn’t have time to dwell on it. Another beast—a lanky, humanoid figure with elongated limbs and too many eyes—crawled out from behind a ruined building. Its arms dangled, almost touching the ground as it walked. The air around it shimmered, warping, like heat rising off pavement. Cale felt his stomach twist in revulsion.

It lunged.

Without thinking, Cale raised the Arcane Blade and slashed through the creature’s torso. It screeched, its body splitting in two before dissolving into the same black mist as the hound. Cale stumbled back, almost tripping over his own feet.

“Come on, focus,” he muttered to himself. “You can’t die here.”

The system notification flashed in his vision again.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Quest Updated: Survive the Anomaly (Time Remaining: 48:00). Defeated Creatures: 5.

Only five. It felt like he’d been fighting for hours, yet he hadn’t even made a dent in the swarm. The streets were crawling with them—creatures that defied logic and reason. Some resembled animals, others more monstrous and twisted, with limbs bent at unnatural angles or faces that looked like they’d been ripped apart and stitched back together. Their bodies seemed fluid, constantly shifting, as though they weren’t fully bound by the rules of this world.

But the worst part was their eyes. Every one of them had glowing eyes—red, yellow, or blue—each one burning with a malevolent intelligence that made Cale’s skin crawl. They weren’t mindless beasts. They were hunting him.

He gritted his teeth, gripping the Arcane Blade tighter. “Alright, let’s do this.”

The next hour passed in a blur of violence. Cale fought with everything he had, hacking and slashing at anything that came close. He wasn’t a warrior, but the system seemed to guide him, filling his mind with instincts he didn’t recognize. His movements grew sharper, more precise. Each swing of the Arcane Blade cleaved through the creatures, dispersing them into black mist.

But with each kill, that coldness crept deeper into him.

He felt it in his bones, a chilling numbness that dulled the edges of his fear and pain. His breath came slower now, his heart beating in an eerie rhythm. He had no time to process the change—more monsters were always coming, and he had to keep fighting.

Slash. Stab. Dodge. Repeat.

At one point, a massive spider-like creature charged at him, its many legs clicking against the pavement. Cale ducked under its sweeping limbs and drove the Arcane Blade into its bulbous body, sending a jolt of energy through its form. The creature convulsed, letting out a shrill scream before bursting into mist.

Another monster—a serpentine creature with wings—dove at him from above. Cale barely managed to roll out of the way before it crashed into the ground. He spun around and sliced upward, severing its head in one swift motion.

Quest Updated: Defeated Creatures: 50. Time Remaining: 30:00.

The ground around him was littered with remnants of the fight—black smears where creatures had disintegrated, chunks of concrete torn apart by their claws. Cale stood in the center of it all, panting, his hands trembling. His vision blurred for a moment, and he wiped at his eyes, realizing with a start that they were burning.

He couldn’t stop. He wouldn’t.

The creatures kept coming, a never-ending wave of darkness, but Cale’s body moved on autopilot now. He cut them down one after the other, his expression growing more and more detached with each kill. His mind felt distant, as though it was watching from somewhere far away. The buzz in his ears had become a constant drone, a reminder of how broken everything had become.

Time was running out. Cale could feel the seconds ticking away, but it didn’t matter. All he had to do was survive.

The last creature—a towering beast with long arms and a mouth that stretched across its entire torso—staggered toward him, dragging itself over the broken street. Its body was warped, misshapen, as though it had been stitched together from multiple beings. It let out a deep, guttural growl, its glowing yellow eyes locked onto Cale.

Cale didn’t hesitate. He charged forward, the Arcane Blade humming with energy. The creature swung one massive arm at him, but he ducked under it, sliding across the cracked pavement. He leaped into the air, bringing the blade down with all his strength.

The sword cut through the creature’s head, splitting it clean in half. Black mist erupted from the wound, and the beast let out a final, agonized wail before collapsing to the ground in a heap of dissolving shadow.

Cale stood over its body, panting heavily. His hand shook as the Arcane Blade flickered and vanished once more.

Quest Complete: Defeated Creatures: 100. Time Remaining: 00:00.

A new notification appeared in front of him, the words glowing ominously.

Gain System Access? Yes or No.

Cale stared at the message for a moment, his mind spinning. He looked down at the creature’s corpse beneath him, the last of its black mist fading into the air.

A cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He felt nothing. No fear, no pain. Just a strange, eerie calm.

“Yes,” he whispered, standing over the corpse.

The system flashed once more, and Cale felt a surge of power unlike anything he had experienced before.

He had chosen. There was no turning back now.