In the world of Aramor there existed a vast continent, with no particular name, simply known as "Aramor." No one knew if the continent was named first or the world itself, but that didn't make much of a difference either way so no one really bothered to find out. The terrain of this continent was very distinct, with a great rainforest in the center, transitioning to a more temperate forest as it extended all the way to the Western coast. To the North lay huge mountains, though they gradually flattened as they led to a tundra that spanned the last hundred or so miles to the northern coast. To the East, gentle hills and expansive plains as far as the eye could see, criss-crossed by wide rivers. In the South was a desert, barren and unforgiving.
Mankind first appeared in the Eastern Plains, quickly occupying the whole Eastern territory before spreading out to the forests to the West. Bountiful resources allowed them to progress rapidly, soon moving into even the Northern and Southern regions of the continent. It wasn't long before civilization reached a technological golden age, marked by incredible scientific exploration and discovery. It was then they first discovered the anomalous energy that came to be called "essence." Humanity had long-since discovered its effects of strengthening the body, even developing techniques to better absorb it, but it was only now they finally were able to scientifically observe it. The discovery led to essence-powered technology, it being an energy source that pervaded the entire world and was seemingly endless. In fact, as essence technology became more and more widespread, essence levels actually rose throughout the world, which naturally made everyone ecstatic. This expansion continued unabated, until one day the whole world seemed to... jolt. As if something, some formless barrier, that had been holding the world back had suddenly broken. And with that jolt - the sky shattered.
Humanity cowered as they watched the heavens that had remained constant for millennia suddenly tear apart, unveiling a cosmos far more expansive and bright than they ever could have imagined as they gazed on in awe and fear. Following that... nothing. Nothing more happened, so mankind celebrated - after all, the stars were so bright now even the light pollution of large cities couldn't block them out. It really was very pretty, a sight worthy of celebration indeed. Unfortunately, good times rarely last long, and it was barely a day after the new sky appeared that humanity came to know true despair.
The ocean raged against the shores as the ground shook and mountains crumbled. Far worse than any earthquake, the whole world trembled as the sky was again rent asunder, though this time no new stars were revealed; instead, through the cracks came hordes of dark purple, scaled, humanoid beings, dressed in crimson armor with menacing horns jutting from their brows. Intricate black patterns adorned their armor, though few humans stopped to notice and those that did quickly found themselves unable to observe any longer as their heads were parted from their bodies. From other rifts descended all kinds of beasts - massive, armored bears, wolves flickering with flames, and all other sorts beyond what humans had imagined possible. These invaders had no intention of settling peacefully, immediately setting to slaughter anyone they came across as mankind found itself unable to resist in the slightest. They repeatedly retreated through the Western forests, the forts that once guarded the borders between nations became united bastions of resistance, though it amounted to naught as the demons and beasts marched on relentlessly, humanity's weapons simply lacking the capabilities to significantly harm them. Billions died as the continent was dyed red, only a few million surviving the day as night finally brought a brief respite.
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Far to the Northwest, situated between the forests and the northern tundra, a scholar sat down in a deep cave, a lantern flickering by his side. He set down a bag with a muffled thump as he took a seat on the ground beside it, reaching inside to retrieve a pen and an ancient-looking tome. He opened the book, flipping through until he came to a blank page and began to write. He wrote of mankind's despair, the hordes that marched from the skies and left rivers of blood in their wake. Of mankind's hopelessness as the survivors defended in vain against an enemy they couldn't harm. Of the imminent downfall of humanity as a whole. He gave a sad smile as he closed the book, and after putting away his pen he gently placed the book on the floor. Despite the care he showed the tome, he didn't look back as he stood and left the cave, leaving it to its fate as he went to meet his, rather unluckily falling under the claws of a lynx wreathed in shadows not even half a mile out from the mouth of the cave. Perhaps his luck was truly just too bad, as barely half an hour later, mankind's fate finally turned for the better.
A man lay atop a tall building situated in the center of one of mankind's last surviving forts. They had retreated almost all the way to the coast, with merely a few million humans remaining. This man was not a soldier, but he had been a hunter and a rather excellent shot at that. He held an anti-tank rifle which rested on a bipod, the stock nestled into his shoulder as he gazed down the scope at the approaching demons. He let out a long breath, steadying himself as he carefully aimed at a demon near the front of the approaching horde. The man held his breath as he calmed his racing heart, his finger slowly squeezing the trigger. It seemed fate was on his side that moment - the very moment his rifle fired, that demon looked up. Not by much, barely a fraction of a degree, but just enough that the bullet passed cleanly through its visor, continuing to pierce through the demon's eye and into its brain, causing the first non-human casualty of the war. And at that moment, he heard a robotic voice sound out in his head and words floated in his vision:
[Congratulations. Your devotion to the Hunt has awakened the Marksman System.]
[Passive ability granted: Extreme Precision.]
[Mission granted: Kill three demons. Reward: Two stat points]
He stared in shock, unable to understand what was happening for a moment. He stopped trying to understand after that moment; it didn't matter what exactly was happening, all that mattered was that he had found a way to fight back. His finding spread rapidly through the survivors, as many others tried to emulate his success. Though very few had the skills, or luck, that it took to kill the demons, and even among them even fewer were able to awaken a system as they seemed to have hidden conditions, the emergence of these System Bearers was enough to force the demons to re-evaluate the power the humans held. Though a final push might be able to wipe out the humans, the demons feared that the desperation might awaken far more of these powerful humans. Thus, they pulled back their forces and decided to open negotiations, pulling in the most powerful of the beasts to join as a delicate balance was found and peace was established, though how long it would last none of them knew.