Klav sprinted to Daniel, who lay sprawled on the blood-drenched cobblestones, his breath faint, clinging to life. The village square smoldered, flames crackling through ruined homes, the air heavy with smoke and death's stench.
Klav dropped beside his friend, ripping off his torn shirt and wrapping the strips around Daniel's wounds. He pressed hard against a gaping hole in Daniel's chest, blood soaking the fabric, warm and slick beneath his shaking hands.
Klav's gaze darted around, heart racing, and he realized Valthor was gone. No body, no weapon, nothing. "Where is he?" he stammered, voice trembling.
Daniel's lips curled into a weak smile, blood staining his teeth. "He's dead. My curses consumed him. His soul's wiped from existence."
Klav froze, a chill gripping him. Relief clashed with dread. Valthor's defeat was a victory, but the raw power of Daniel's curses, capable of erasing an A-rank BattleMage, horrified him. He swallowed hard, shoving the thought aside, focusing on keeping Daniel alive.
Footsteps pounded closer, urgent and heavy. Klav turned to see Father Howard, his face etched with worry, and Saint Torren, radiant in holy armor, at his side. They rushed to Daniel, kneeling swiftly, their hands glowing with divine light as they began to heal him.
Daniel's wounds were severe, flesh torn and bones shattered, but Saint Torren's eyes held certainty. He could still be saved.
Before Daniel's eyes, invisible to the others, a translucent system notification flickered into view.
---
[System Notification]:
You have successfully eliminated Valthor Vayren.
You have successfully eliminated a curse.
Due to Valthor's existence erasure, by the curses, you have now unlocked another sealed aspect of your identity.
You have successfully unlocked your second inborn skill.
---
Another window appeared, displaying Daniel's updated character status, a new skill gleaming among his abilities.
---
[Character Status]:
Name: Daniel Vaelwyn
Race: Human
Age: 5
Rank: D+
[Attribute]:
-> Strength: 22
-> Speed: 17
-> Durability: 20
-> MP: 20
-> INT: 20
-> MP Regen: +10%
[Skills]:
[Inborn-Skills]:
Absolute Lightblade (ZZZ-tier Awakened | Power: F-tier)
Allows the user to summon the True Blade of Light, crafted by Goddess of Light. The blade is made up of mana, which cannot be dispelled. The blade pierces all darkness, nullifies corrupted energy, and strikes with divine precision.
MP: 10,000
Passive Drain: 100 MP/min while active
---
Claim (ZZZ-tier Awakened)
Allows the user to Claim one defining aspect of a target's existence, including a unique skill (inborn or otherwise), racial or passive trait, any attribute, or a memory fragment.
Limitations: Claim is blocked if an ally, summon, or external power interferes. The system displays a selection screen with the target's status; only one aspect may be chosen. The user's body endures intense pain during the transfer of the attribute, trait, or skill.
---
Daniel's lips curled into a faint smile, despite the pain searing through his body. Saint Torren's healing light bathed him, knitting torn flesh and easing the ache of broken bones, but his focus was on the system window.
Claim. A ZZZ-tier skill, just like the Lightblade, its power vast but shackled by his cursed mana. The thought of stealing a piece of Valthor's existence, an A-rank BattleMage's strength, sent a thrill through him.
One curse down, and a new weapon gained. He was still weak, still bound by his limits, but this was a step toward breaking free.
As Father Howard and Saint Torren worked, their hands glowing, and Klav watched with anxious eyes, another window shimmered into existence before Daniel.
It pulsed with dark energy, Valthor Vayren's status laid bare, every attribute and skill glowing like treasures in a vault. The system's selection screen awaited his choice, the power of Claim ready to seize one aspect of his fallen enemy.
---
[Character Status]:
Name: Valthor Vayren
Race: Human
Age: 25
Rank: A
[Attributes]:
-> Strength: 50
-> Speed: 100
-> Durability: 84
-> MP: 800
-> INT: 47
-> MP Regen: +10%
[Passive Traits]:
Reactive Flow:
-> Movement Speed increases by 10% after evading an attack (stacks up to 3 times)
-> Grants +5% critical rate for 5 seconds after each successful dodge or parry
Mana Thread Control:
-> Allows basic manipulation of mana outside the body, enabling precision control of mana-infused weapons and spell guidance
-> Enhances spell stability and accuracy
[Skills]:
[Inborn-skills]:
Voidstep Assault (S-tier Awakened | Power: A—tier)
The user can instantly close distance to a target within 15 meters, leaving a brief spatial afterimage. Follow-up strikes hits before the enemies can perceive movement. Has a 35% chance to bypass non-magical armor entirely.
MP: 90
Mana Fang (B-tier Awakened | Power: B—tier)
Let's the user channel raw mana into short-blade constructs over both hands. Each strike deals INT-based bonus damage and disables one active buff per hit.
MP: 65
Duration: 8 seconds
[Normal skill]:
Phase Lash (A-tier Awakened | Power: A-tier)
The user can unleash a whip-like arc of condensed mana that lashes out up to 12 meters. On contact, it disrupts enemy movement and delays the activation of their next skill by 1.5 seconds. Deals moderate INT damage and inflicts "Distort", reducing the target's evasion by 15% for 5 seconds.
MP: 80
---
Daniel's smile widened, though pain flared as Saint Torren's healing stitched his wounds. The selection screen pulsed, urging him to choose. His eyes locked on MP: 800. His new 20 MP was a chain, crippling his Lightblade and leaving him reliant on Klav's magic.
With 800 MP, he couldn't unleash the Lightblade's full divine power, but he could channel mana to enhance his strikes, speed, or durability, making him a deadlier fighter. It was the key to surviving the village's chaos and growing strong enough to face the Demon King.
He focused, selecting MP: 800. The system window flared, and pain exploded through his body, a thousand needles piercing his veins. He gritted his teeth, suppressing a scream, as his mana pool expanded, the curses within him writhing in protest.
The transfer was brief but agonizing, his vision blurring, but when it faded, he felt a new strength, a reservoir of mana pulsing within. His status updated, the window flickering to reflect his choice.
---
[Character Status]:
Name: Daniel Vaelwyn
Race: Human
Age: 5
Rank: D+
[Attribute]:
-> Strength: 22
-> Speed: 17
-> Durability: 20
-> MP: 800
-> INT: 20
-> MP Regen: +10%
[Skills]:
[Inborn-Skills]:
Absolute Lightblade (ZZZ-tier Awakened | Power: F-tier)
Allows the user to summon the True Blade of Light, crafted by Goddess of Light. The blade is made up of mana, which cannot be dispelled. The blade pierces all darkness, nullifies corrupted energy, and strikes with divine precision.
MP: 10,000
Passive Drain: 100 MP/min while active
---
Claim (ZZZ-tier Awakened)
Allows the user to Claim one defining aspect of a target's existence, including a unique skill (inborn or otherwise), racial or passive trait, any attribute, or a memory fragment.
Limitations: Claim is blocked if an ally, summon, or external power interferes. The system displays a selection screen with the target's status; only one aspect may be chosen. The user's body endures intense pain during the transfer of the attribute, trait, or skill.
---
The system window faded, its glow dissolving into the smokey air. Daniel's body trembled, the pain of the Claim transfer lingering like fire in his veins, but a surge of power coursed through him.
His mana pool, now 800, radiated from within, a vast network of pathways connecting to each other. He was happy that now he had a large mana pool compared to the five he had before his Claim skill.
Saint Torren's healing light continued to weave through his torn flesh, mending wounds that should have killed him, while Father Howard murmured prayers and Klav watched, his face pale with worry.
Daniel's vision blurred, the edges darkening as his strength waned. The village square, littered with blood and ash, spun around him, the crackle of flames and distant screams fading into a dull roar. His chest heaved, each breath a struggle, but a faint smile lingered on his lips.
I'm finally starting to get stronger. Daniel's faint grin, defiant and fierce, was a silent challenge to the curses that shackled his soul. One curse down, many more to go...
The thought blazed within him, a beacon of unyielding resolve against the malevolent forces that sought to crush him. He pictured a future where his frail five-year-old body, battered and bloodied, would grow strong, tempered by battles yet to come, each step forging him into a weapon against his enemies.
A fleeting image of his wife shimmered in his mind, her gentle smile a piercing reminder of his true purpose. This victory, this single step, was but a spark in the inferno of his ultimate mission: to slay the fucking Demon King, the architect of his suffering. His heart ached with her memory, a wound deeper than the gashes on his flesh.
He reached for the Absolute Lightblade, its weight almost unbearable in his trembling, blood-streaked hand. This sword had been his companion through betrayal, wielded since humanity cast him aside, treating him like filth beneath their boots.
Abandoned, scorned, he'd been nothing until an angel descended, the Goddess of Light breathing life into his broken spirit. Alina, his anchor, had restored his faith, showing him that humanity—flawed, cruel, yet capable of love—was worth saving.
Saint Torren's voice cut through the haze, raw with urgency. "Stay with us, Daniel. Hold on."
But the world dimmed, his body too shattered to resist the pull of unconsciousness. I'll keeping fighting for the loves dear to me: for Mom, for Elira, for Klav, and for Alina. His smile, fragile yet unyielding, lingered as his eyes closed, and he slipped into darkness, alive, his heart pulsing with the promise of a strength that would one day shatter his chains.