The beacon’s faint glow led me through the outskirts of the town, past uneven trails and gnarled trees. Each step felt heavier than the last, like the air itself thickened the closer I got.

When the temple finally came into view, I froze.

The structure was ancient, its jagged edges softened by creeping vines and moss. Faint runes lined its crumbling stone, pulsing with a soft, rhythmic light that seemed alive. It wasn’t just a ruin—it was something… important.

The beacon dimmed, its purpose fulfilled.

I took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The air within the temple was cool and heavy, carrying the scent of stone and damp earth. Faint shafts of light cut through cracks in the walls, illuminating the intricate carvings on the pillars around me.

At the far end of the hall, two figures stood.

The first was a woman with sharp features and dark robes, her green eyes glinting as she studied a glowing mural. She didn’t turn as I entered but spoke anyway.

“So, the beacon called another one,” she said, her tone smooth and amused.

Her companion, a broad-shouldered man in worn armor, stepped out from the shadows. His eyes were hard, and the massive sword on his back made him look more intimidating than welcoming.

“You’re the newbie?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“Uh, yeah,” I said cautiously.

The man snorted. “Figures.”

“I’m Lena,” the woman said, finally turning to face me. “And this charming fellow is Derrick. Don’t mind him—he barks more than he bites.”

Derrick’s frown deepened. “Keep pushing and you’ll see how much I bite.”

Ignoring him, Lena gestured toward the mural behind her. “You’re here for answers, right? Take a look.”

The mural stretched across the wall, its carvings glowing faintly. It depicted a group of figures standing together, each surrounded by a halo of light. Below them, a monstrous, chaotic figure loomed, its limbs stretching and shifting.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“What is this?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“The story of the marked,” Lena said.

“Marked?”

“People like us,” she said, studying me with an almost predatory curiosity. “The system treats us differently—reacts to us differently. You’ve noticed, haven’t you?”

I thought of the strange ripples I’d felt, the anomalies in the dungeon, the way the system seemed to notice my every move. I nodded.

“And that’s why we’re here,” Derrick said, his voice gruff. “To figure out what it all means—and survive.”

The ground beneath us trembled.

It was subtle at first, a faint vibration that sent dust trickling from the ceiling. Then the air grew heavier, thick with the same energy I’d felt outside.

[System Alert: Interference Detected. Anomaly Response Imminent.]

“What the hell?” I muttered, a cold knot forming in my chest.

Lena’s smirk vanished. “The system’s reacting to us,” she said grimly. “Something triggered it.”

Derrick drew his sword, his expression dark. “That ‘something’ is coming.”

A jagged rift tore open in the floor, light spilling out like liquid fire. A low growl echoed through the chamber as a massive, shifting figure began to emerge.

The anomaly was unstable, its form constantly morphing between humanoid and monstrous. Glowing fissures ran along its body, pulsing in time with the runes on the walls.

“An anomaly,” Lena said, her hands crackling with arcane energy.

Derrick raised his sword. “Hope you’re ready, newbie.”

I drew the Chrono-Dagger, its black blade gleaming faintly. The weight of it felt foreign but right, like it belonged in my hand.

The anomaly lunged, its limbs stretching unnaturally fast. Derrick intercepted it with a powerful swing, his blade meeting the creature’s arm with a metallic clang.

“Focus on your timing!” Lena shouted, hurling a fireball at the anomaly. The flames licked at its body, but the creature barely flinched.

I gripped the dagger tighter, my mind racing.

[Chrono-Dagger Skill: Temporal Blink Available.]

The notification blinked in my vision, and I instinctively activated it.

The world lurched.

One moment I was standing in front of the anomaly’s claw, and the next I was behind it, the dagger already in motion.

The blade connected with its back, sending a shockwave of energy through my arm. The system responded immediately:

[Critical Hit: Anomaly Health -15%. Status: Temporarily Disoriented.]

“Nice!” Lena called, her voice cutting through the chaos. “Keep it up!”

The anomaly snarled, its form shifting violently as it lashed out in all directions.

I activated the dagger again, blinking just in time to avoid a massive claw that carved into the stone where I’d been standing. The ability left a faint hum in the air, but the system chimed again:

[Chrono-Dagger: Skill Cooldown Active (10 Seconds).]

Great, I thought, dodging back as the anomaly turned its glowing eyes on me.

“Stay on it!” Derrick shouted, his sword biting into the creature’s side. “It’s weaker when it shifts!”

The system highlighted a glowing fissure along the anomaly’s torso, its fractured form pulsing faintly.

[System Notification: Vulnerability Detected.]

I lunged forward, timing my strike with Derrick’s. The dagger sank into the fissure, the energy within it erupting like a burst dam.

The anomaly staggered, its form flickering violently. Lena unleashed a barrage of magic, the blasts tearing into the creature as it struggled to hold itself together.

The strain was catching up to me—every blink, every attack drained my stamina and focus. But I couldn’t stop now.

“Go for the core!” Lena shouted, pointing to the glowing mass at the creature’s center.

I nodded, gripping the dagger tightly as I activated its ability one last time.

The world shifted, and I reappeared above the anomaly, the blade plunging into its core.

The creature let out a deafening roar, its body collapsing in on itself as light erupted from the wound.

The system again:

[Anomaly Neutralized. Reward: Temporal Shard.]

The shard hovered where the anomaly had been, glowing faintly. Derrick grabbed it, his brow furrowed.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Something important,” Lena said, her tone unreadable.

She turned to me, her green eyes sharp. “You did well.”

The temple was quiet again.