Click… click… click… click.
The sharp click of his leather shoes echoed off unseen walls, each step amplifying the emptiness around him. The air felt unnervingly thick, pressing against his skin like a heavy shroud. Every breath seemed to be swallowed by the oppressive darkness, which wrapped itself tighter with every passing moment. He wasn’t sure where he was or how he’d gotten there, but the cold of the stone hall seeped into his bones. His palms were slick with sweat, and terror churned in his gut. Still, he moved forward, step by cautious step.
Click… click… click… click.
Crack… tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-TACK.
His foot struck something solid in the dark, sending it skittering across the floor like a skipping stone on a still lake. The noise echoed back at him, far too loud in the stillness. He froze, his breath catching in his throat, as if the darkness itself was waiting, watching. The sound of something scraping against the floor made his skin crawl. It wasn’t just the stone that echoed. He thought he heard something else—a faint, rhythmic clicking, like tiny claws tapping the hard surface, moving toward him.
Reaching out hesitantly, he touched the wall where the object had landed. His fingers met a surface that was cool and smooth, like polished glass—flawless, with no imperfections to break its unnerving perfection. His skin tingled, an unnatural shiver running down his spine. Something about the wall felt wrong, as if it was alive, just waiting for the wrong touch. The air seemed to grow heavier, a suffocating pressure that pressed in from all sides. He could almost hear something shifting just beyond the edges of his perception.
He jumped sideways from the wall as a skittering sound approached suddenly from above, like a bunch of knives hitting marble. He tripped over the hard object he’d kicked earlier and fell in a heap to the ground. Grabbing the object from under his body he tried to recover and maneuver himself away from the sound in the dark. Two points of pain exploded from his calves as, whatever was approaching impaled him through his lower legs. He rolled over and the offending objects tore from his open wounds.
Adrenaline was pumping through his veins, blood pumping in his ears. He couldn’t see, but he could hear the scrabbling of the creature as it tried to right itself; It sounded massive. Jumping on top of it, he found a large, chitinous head, with mandibles snapping furiously, mere centimetres from his fingers as he tried to pin the creature.
Rearing up he brought down the hard object he’d recovered earlier, smashing the monster on the crown of its head.
Over and over, he raised it up again to bring it back down with all the strength he could muster, the creatures screams ripped through his body like they held a physical force; but he kept striking it until the screams had ceased his arms were lead.
Rolling off the creature, blood pouring freely from his maimed legs, he reached out his arm, touching the pasted remains, pricking his soft palm on shards of hard bone…or exoskeleton? ‘What the fuck is this?’
A sound like static crackled in his mind, sharp and alien, before a blue panel illuminated in the darkness before his eyes.
User query detected.
Unregistered user detected.
Access requested.
--- --- --- ---
GRANTED.
Authorization: System Administrator ALPHA013022.
Designation: 'Bryn'.
He gawked at the screen as text appeared, one letter at a time, like an ancient MS-DOS interface coming to life. Confusion gripped him, but before he could process it, new text began to scroll rapidly.
Physical contact established.
User query assessed.
--- --- --- --- ---
ERROR.
Unable to supply adequate response without required skill: ‘Assess.’
SYSTEM OVERRIDE.
Help ticket generated.
ELEVATED... ELEVATED... ELEVATED...
--- --- --- --- ---
System Administrator presence requested for induction of foreign user.
GRANTED.
--- --- --- --- ---
User, standby for induction.
It is advised that you brace yourself, or become seated. IMMEDIATELY.
His eyes widened as the final word flashed in bold red: ‘brace… IMMEDIATELY.’
Before he could react, searing white light exploded above him, accompanied by a deafening roar. It was as if the world’s largest flashbang had detonated mere feet from his position. He smashed his head against the ground, trying to escape the heat and burning light, curling into a ball and shouting his defiance as the relentless assault overwhelmed his senses.
Just as suddenly as it began, the light and sound vanished, leaving him in smothering silence. His head throbbed like a sledgehammer had crashed into the back of his skull. Ringing filled his ears, and the world spun beneath him as bile rose in his throat.
Time lost meaning. Five seconds? Five minutes? He couldn’t tell.
Then he a softness graze his cheek. His body flinched violently, muscles seizing in a scream of agony. Face pressed into his own sick, he was paralysed, his senses overwhelmed. Burning pain flared in his head—in his eyes, his ears, deep within his skull.
The ringing stopped abruptly. Through bleary eyes, he saw a soft blue light.
The glow drifted away, and with it, the sense of something nearby—something moving, crawling along the walls. His heart thudded in his chest, a low thrum that seemed to echo through the suffocating atmosphere. 'They're coming, more of them are coming.' He could feel their eyes in the dark, watching, waiting for the perfect moment.
As his hearing returned, the glow receded, revealing a silhouette leaning over him. He heard a faint click-click again, much closer now—nearly imperceptible, but unmistakably there. His muscles tensed as an unnatural, biting cold ran down his spine. ‘They’re still there, why aren’t they coming?’
A firm voice spoke, sharp and unfamiliar: “Caxan ug whoaxal vo? Epon yeep oyos.”
A ding sounded, and the blue panel reappeared, this time with a refined, polished interface:
Trait Gained: Gift of Myriad Tongues (Epic++)
Grants the ability to master languages’ written and verbal components at 1,000% greater speed than normal.
Grants understanding of cultural nuance and slang as mastery progresses.
This trait may only apply to languages of humanoid biology.
Further details available through novel application or research
The blue-white orb of light floated upward, illuminating everything it touched without casting a shadow. His senses, still on edge, tingled as the creatures shifted in the void, moving deliberately in the darkness. He looked over and saw the remains of a large spider, its body must have been the size of a german shepherd, its head smashed to pieces, shard sticking out on odd angles. ‘How the fuck did I kill that thing?’
The panel disappeared as he focused back on the figure in front of him—a woman in her mid-twenties, her features softened by the light. She tried speaking again:
“Zis wirr be baxal tee slow.”
Her frustration was evident as his shell-shocked, open mouth stare, made his incomprehension clear. But even as her voice reached him, a snip of something sharp sounded from the dark—something large, skittering, just out of sight. His eyes darted to the shadows. He couldn’t see them, but he could feel them—feel their presence, growing bolder. ‘It sounds like there’s an even bigger one out there, I need to get out of here.’
He pushed himself upright again, attempting to right his body and flee, the world shifted and spun under his feet, and he tipped drunkenly to the side, finding himself touching the wall once more, his equilibrium was impaired from his previous injuries, even if they now appeared to be healed. He flinched as the woman reached out and pressed two fingers to his forehead.
System Override.
Language Granted: Haven (Archaic) [Written/Verbal].
Language Granted: Haven (Common) [Written/Verbal].
Language Granted: Haven (Noble) [Written/Verbal].
Achievement Earned: Language is Power (Rare)
You have completely mastered the written and verbal components of one language.
+10% to Intelligence
+10% to Wisdom
2 x Language Comprehension Speed
Most would study for years to reach this level of mastery, but you’ve had the privilege of having it forced into your recently healed grey matter by a cosmic entity.
His head cracked back, as though struck, as a torrent of information surged into his mind. The world blurred again, but the pain quickly subsided. His vision cleared, and he found the woman watching him intently.
“Can you understand me?” she asked. “I’ve implanted the common tongue into your mind and tossed in the written form for good measure.”
He chuckled nervously, shaking his head in disbelief. “Hell of an entrance. Pretty sure I’ll need therapy after the nuke you just dropped in my face.”
She raised a finger, and a blue panel illuminated before her face. “Your vitals appear to be within normal ranges after I healed you. Allow me to assist with this mess, then we can speak.”
She gestured over his body, murmuring a word in her language, “Cleanse.” Warm light flared briefly, and the mess on the floor and his clothes began to glow, disintegrating into fine particles. Even the lingering stench vanished as if it had never existed. Relief mingled with embarrassment as he realized the chaos had left him more soiled than he’d noticed. Still, it was no time to dwell on his dignity.
The light faded, leaving him feeling strangely whole. “Who... are you, and why am I here?” he asked, his voice breaks, unsteady, constantly aware now, of the creatures shifting just out of sight.
The woman stood and gestured for him to rise. “I am System Administrator ALPHA013022. You may call me Bryn. My role is to assist in your induction into this world and its system. You are a foreign soul, one that should have gone through the normal process of reincarnation—your mind and soul scoured clean before being reborn. But something interfered. You were left wandering the space between, changed by the process but not fully erased. My presence is required to register you with the world system and resolve any conflicts. Additionally, you are entitled to compensation for lacking the inherent advantages of native-born individuals. Do you have any questions, or can we begin?”
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His mind reeled from the flood of information. Struggling to cope with everything that was happening, he kept looking into the dark, hoping he wouldn’t see what he knew was there, before focussing back on the woman in front of him ‘Focus! She seems to have come to get you out of here. Do whatever she says and get going!’
“Go ahead,” he managed squeak out between gritted teeth, sweat running down his temples. ‘Does she not care about the monsters all around us…am I imagining them?’ He dared to hope for a second, before looking at the crushed remains, barely more than a meter away. ‘No they’re definitely real, I am not going crazy.’
Bryn nodded briskly. “Say the word ‘Status’ aloud, and you’ll see a summary of your existence. Go on.”
He hesitated before speaking the word. A massive blue panel flared into existence before him, larger than any he’d seen so far. His eyes widened in mounting dread as he read.
Status
Name
N/A (ERROR)
Title
N/A
Age
N/A (8540 years)
Race
Human (Earth) - Haven (Aes#@-ERROR)
Class
Not Selected (ERROR)
Professions (#/2)
1. N/A (Highschool Teacher.) (ERROR INVALID)
2. N/A
Stats
Health - N/A (ERROR)
Mana - N/A (ERROR)
Free Stats
+17,080 (ERROR)
Strength
N/A (ERROR)
Vitality
N/A (ERROR)
Dexterity
N/A
Intelligence
N/A (ERROR) [11]
Wisdom
N/A (ERROR) [11]
Charisma
N/A (ERROR)
Traits (#/3)
1. Breaker of Chains (Unique) (ERROR)
2. Gift of Myriad Tongues (EpicERROR)
3. N/A
Skills
43 invalid entries detected. (ERROR UNQUANTIFIED SKILL PARADIGM)
The sea of red errors stabbed at his optic nerves, each line a glaring warning that something was fundamentally wrong. His head spun as he struggled to make sense of the symbols, but it was as if his very mind rejected the meaning. He leaned against the wall, his chest tightening.
Bryn’s tone softened, though her words came faster now. “It’s a mess, yes, but nothing we can’t resolve. Most of these errors stem from differences between your world and ours. Your listed age reflects the time your soul has existed without proper reincarnation. I’ll reset it to twenty-five to minimize dissonance.”
As Bryn spoke, he noticed faint vibrations in the air, he was sure that if there was a glass of water here, it would have ripples across the surface. 'What the hell, is there a freaking dinosaur coming? How big does it need to be to literally cause vibrations in the air. The polished walls reflected the soft light of her glowing orb, but shadows seemed to creep closer at the edges of his vision, almost as though they were alive—stretching, curling, as if drawn to the faint warmth of the light. He glanced around uneasily, his instincts screaming that something was wrong, something beyond the numerous spider abominations waiting in the dark, something far worse was coming.
Bryn continued, her voice sharper now. “We must hurry. This place is dark for a reason, and my light is already drawing attention. I’ll keep it brief. You won’t keep your seventeen thousand free stats—it’s an imbalance we cannot allow. Compensation will be discussed later.”
'She does know! I'm not crazy, she feels them too!' The air around him felt heavier, squeezing the oxygen from his lungs, and Bryn's light seemed to be getting dimmer with each passing moment, the shadows and chilling cold creeping in as the light faltered. His heart pounded in his ears, a rapid thump-thump drowned out the scrapes and scuffles steadily closing in on them, it wasn't enough to cover the unmistakeable thud-thud-thud getting closer and shaking the floor as it approached. Bryn’s light seemed to grow brighter, but even that warmth felt like it was struggling to push back the encroaching cold.
Her movements became brisk, her words clipped. “Your stats will reset to ten. A clean slate. Your unique trait, ‘Breaker of Chains,’ is a problem. It shouldn’t exist here. I’ll offer substantial compensation for its removal, but refusal is not an option.”
The air grew even colder, and growing thud-thud-THUD became unbearable in their ears. He could hear the creatures as the earth shaking beneath his feet intensified, they squealed shrill screams of defiance and fear; some greater creature was coming for their prey, an apex predator, and it would not be denied. The cold intensified, biting against his skin as the shadows pressed harder against the dwindling light. He had to make a decision and he had to do it NOW.
“Fine. Remove it,” he rasped, his voice trembling despite his best efforts to hold it steady.
She gave a slight smile at his response and nodded. “Good choice. It explains why your other trait is enhanced. You’ve gained an excellent adaptation modifier.”
Bryn glanced over his status screen, tapping her fingers in the air. The blue light around them flickered briefly, but for a moment, the shadows seemed to shift with a purpose. The vibrations in the air grew stronger, as if something deep in the space was waking, shifting toward them. He could hear it now, the sharp skitter of chitinous legs just out of sight. It was as if the very darkness was alive, growing impatient.
“Your incompatible skills will also be removed, and I shall provide recompense. Now, let’s finalize this and leave. Time is no ally here and we have drawn the attention of a terrible beast..”
She flicked her hand dismissively at the panel in front of him, her movements quick and practiced, though a flicker of urgency was evident in her eyes. "Please observe the following list of changes I’ve made and the compensation you’ve received," she instructed, her voice just a shade quicker now, "then we’ll discuss the currency exchange. We need to move swiftly."
Total compensation for soul displacement and integration.
--- --- --- --- ---
Total Memory Modification - +25,000
Profession Removed - +9,000
Free Stat Removal - +34,160
Stat Point Reset - +3,200
Trait Removal - +150,000
Skill Removal - +21,500
Disadvantaged Integration Bonus – 10,000
--- --- --- --- ---
Total Compensation – 252,860’
Currency Exchange
--- --- --- --- ---
Free Stat Points Per Race Level – 2,500 (0/2) 10,000 (0/1)
Class Specific Points Per Class Level – 2,500 (0/2) 10,000 (0/1)
Profession Specific Points Per Profession level – 5,000 (0/2) 20,000 (0/1)
Stat Efficiency +10% - 5,000 (0/2) 10,000 (0/2) 15,000 (0/2)
Trait Slot – 10,000 (0/1) 100,000 (01)
Trait Upgrade Token – 15,000 (0/1) 20,000 (0/1) 25,000 (0/1)
Race Upgrade Token – 25,000 (0/1)
Class Upgrade Token – 25,000 (0/1) 50,000 (0/1)
Profession Upgrade Token - 10,000 (0/2) 20,000 (0/2)
Skill Upgrade Token – 5,000 (0/5)
The Hero’s Beginning Integration Pack – 250,000 (0/1)
The Warrior’s Crucible Integration Pack - +50,000 (0/1)
--- --- --- --- ---
Total Compensation – 252,860’
The enormity of his new reality hung over him, but the sudden revelation of his compensation package was an unexpected balm to his turmoil. Despite the bitterness that lingered from the loss of a clearly powerful trait, the rewards before him were significant. However, choosing was hard—he couldn’t quite understand what some of these rewards meant, and making a wrong choice now could have dire consequences. 'I do not have time to mess around, I need to make these choices and go, I definitely don't want to be here when this big bastard shows up.'
"What is ‘The Warrior’s Crucible Integration Pack’?" he asked, he tried to keep his voice from trembling as he looked Bryn in the eyes.
She smiled slightly, though her eyes were sharp, calculating, the usual calm of her demeanour tinged with something more—something urgent... afraid. "That’s a challenge pack, designed specifically for people like you. It will test your limits, force you to grow faster than most. It will provide starting equipment, but..." Her words trailed off as she glanced toward the shadowy distance, then quickly refocused. "Choosing it will place you in an area with enemies far stronger than your current level. The world will actively send wave after wave of challenges your way. It’s not for the faint of heart, though... you’ve already proven you can survive creatures well beyond your strength."
His pulse quickened. He had the chance to be stronger than anyone else, to become a true warrior in this new world. His chest hardened, his resolve solidifying like molten metal. He couldn’t pass this up.
Bryn, noticing his resolve, spoke quickly, more sharply now. "I can see you’ve made your choice. Don’t bother selecting; I can already see it in your mind. Just say the word, and I’ll update your status." Her voice was quick, almost brisk now, urging him on. She had been remained outwardly calm until now, but there was an edge to her tone—a feeling of true fear creeping in. The dark air around them felt heavier, pressing against them as time seemed to stretch. The sound was right on top of them now, no longer in the distance, the sound of the creature stepping closer shook their eardrums, THUD-THUD-THUD, the stone of the floor and walls shaking around them, before stopping suddenly. He could feel the frost building on his skin now.
A deluge of notifications burst into his vision, overwhelming in both speed and volume. He flinched back, and the flood of information vanished with a resounding ding.
Bryn’s gaze flicked to the distance, and for a brief moment, her expression shifted entirely—dread, unmitigated and unrestrained fear of what stood just beyond the light. "If you wish to adjust how your system functions, think about it. There will be a period of adaptation, but soon it will operate according to your preferences." Her voice was clipped now, ragged, with urgency. "Shall we continue?"
A loud snort echoed down from the shadows in front of them, less than five metres away. It stood there, out of sight.
He took a deep breath, and nodding, cracking the thin layer of ice built up around his neck and shoulders and steeled himself for whatever was coming next.
Without warning, Bryn jumped into action, raising her hands and shouting words in an indecipherable language, thrumming with power. A blinding explosion of light and sound overwhelmed him, sending his senses into chaos. The darkness around them seemed to recoil, twisting violently, as a strange scraping noise echoed in the air, followed by a chorus of heavy thuds and gnashing teeth. The light reached a new intensity, pushing back the darkness and revealing an abomination. A wall of scaled flesh, standing bipedal on digitigrade legs, it towered over them. Standing in silence, the creature was an imposing sight, it looked upon them with black, dead eyes, peering out from a ridged and plated face; liquid oozed from its mouth in thick ropes, dropping to the ground and hissing like acid on contact. To his horror, a layer of frost appeared on the ground and spread slowly towards them.
He was beyond fear now, beyond terror. He knew in this moment that he would die. Something inside him broke and rebelled against the despair building upon him. Something hot and liquid like magma burning inside his veins and shaking the frost from his bones. He got full to his feet, clenching his fists. If he was going to die, he would do it fighting and on his terms. He pushed off the wall and ran at the creature with unnatural speed, shouting his challenge through strained vocal cords.
The creature stepped forward, creating one last room shaking THUD, before lowering its body and bringing its terrible maw forwards and bellowing with a force greater than he'd ever felt. The air warbled and distorted as the sound hit him like a physical force, throwing him bodily past Bryn.
The creature righted itself and ran forwards on titanic limbs. Death approached, shadows and frost incarnate.
The entire room shook once more as it moved.
Bryn’s hand shot out, a barrier of light flaring into existence between them and the approaching abomination. The air crackled, sharp with energy as her voice rang out, urgent, commanding. "Stay back! I acknowledge your bravery wanderer, but this creature is far beyond either of us, especially in my current state."
The barrier shimmered with power, but it flickered as though the weight of the encroaching threat was too much for it to hold for long. The monsters’ steps continued to shake the hallway as it approached, screaming its fury at the one who would dare to defy it.
Then, with a sudden pulse of energy, Bryn’s expression hardened, and she spoke swiftly. "Begone wanderer. For you, Death is not come. Grow strong, fight well for honour and glory in his name"
Before he could respond, an immense flash of light enveloped him. His body was jerked from the ground as if the very air beneath him had been torn away. He felt a charge building in the air, light and dizzying colours built from the periphery of his vision and he saw with horror as the creature hit Bryn's barrier, shattering it in an instant. Unimpeded, it continued to charge, impaling her upon scythe like claws. Lifting her from the ground as her body started to freeze.
Bryn looked back at him, defiance in her eyes and spoke a phrase with grudging acceptance, "Wings of valour, enfold me in steel!”
He saw the unassuming woman who had been wearing a simple robe, transform. Liquid metal poured from her skin, solidifying into shining armour, covering her from head to toe. She shouted back to him, "I will hold it back while the transport charges."
Liquid metal, flowed down her arm and a blade appeared, grasped firmly in her palm, shining with radiant light.
As the Valkyrie’s trembling hand gripped the hilt of her blade, the abomination loomed before her, its grotesque form defying the natural order. She whispered a final prayer to the all-father, her voice steady despite the chaos.
"With my life..." Her blade began to glow, runes igniting across its surface, burning brighter than the stars.
"You..." She drew the sword close, the energy surging around her, armour shattering as light erupted from every fracture.
"Are... unmade!"
With a roar that echoed like thunder, she drove the blade into her own chest. Her body exploded in a blinding conflagration; the power of countless battles past unleashed in a single, devastating moment. The abomination let out a wail of despair as it was consumed, its monstrous form disintegrating under the force of her sacrifice.
He felt the shockwave and heard a scream of triumph and rage, defiant of that which would reap her life; before he felt the world twist and he was thrown across the vastness of the cosmos, far from his would-be saviour.