Nothingness.

  A void. It stretched endlessly, swallowing time itself.

  STATUS

  HP : ????? 21

  DEFENSE : ????? ??

  MANA : ????? ?2

  Then—pain.

  David’s eyes snapped open.

  Blurry shapes twisted at the edges of his vision. His body screamed in protest, raw and burned from the molten inferno that had consumed him. His breathing was shallow, every intake of air feeling like knives against his lungs.

  But there was no despair—a sign of growth, however small.

  And, out of nowhere—

  A flicker of light appeared. A system notification.

  ? ? ? BREATHING IS IMPORTANT YOU SHOULD TRY IT ? ? ?

  David exhaled sharply—more out of disbelief than anything else. His lips curled slightly despite himself.

  Even with blurred vision and a body on the brink of collapse, he could make out the glowing letters. A slow chuckle escaped him at the system’s sarcastic advice. The movement in his lungs sent pain through his ribs, but at least it confirmed one thing—he was still alive.

  Considering the state he was in, he had to admit—maybe keeping the humor setting at 35% wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

  He tried to move but found that even forming words was impossible. His throat was raw, his body screaming in protest at the mere thought of movement. But that wasn’t a problem. There was one option left.

  He willed the system to process his pending level-up.

  ? ? ? INITIATING LEVEL UP ? ? ?

  The system responded instantly.

  A rush of light engulfed him, his charred skin peeled away, fresh, unblemished flesh forming beneath it. His fractured bones knitted back together with a sensation.

  The sensation was far from pleasant—like molten metal being poured through his veins—but it was bearable. Far better than his previous level-ups.

  That was a good sign. If the process wasn’t agonizing, it meant his body could handle the change. Otherwise, leveling up was nothing short of a nightmare.

  The acrid stench of burnt flesh dissipated as his wounds vanished. His breathing steadied, his senses sharpening. Strength flooded his limbs, and clarity returned to his mind.

  The pain was gone.

  ? ? ? LEVEL UP SUCCESSFUL ? ? ?

  With only a thought, another window followed.

  [ INFO ? QUEST ? INVENTORY ? SHOP ? ]

  PROFILE

  NAME : David

  LVL : 08 [ ? 10/850XP ] or [ ? 85 SU ]

  TITLE : User

  SYSTEM UNITS : 130

  STATUS

  HP : ????? 2??

  DEFENSE : ????? 2??

  MANA : ????? 2??

  STATS

  STRENGTH : 13 ?

  AGILITY : 10 ?

  STAMINA : 10 ?

  INTELLIGENCE : 91 ?

  POWERS

  LIGHT POWER : D Class [ ? 30 SU ]

  DARKNESS POWER : D Class [ ? 30 SU ]

  SKILLS

  ACTIVE SKILLS

  ? ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS [ ? LVL 1 ]

  PASSIVE SKILLS

  ? STRATEGIC MIND [ ? LVL 2 ]

  David flexed his fingers, feeling the renewed energy surging within. The crater he had been blasted into stretched high above him, jagged and unforgiving.

  Time to climb.

  With a flex of his power, gravity shifted around him. He launched himself upward, using short bursts of momentum to propel himself from one rock to another. The broken edges crumbled beneath his grip, but it didn’t matter—he wasn’t relying on them.

  A move—an exact imitation of what he had seen. The captain was its true master.

  He moved effortlessly, scaling the crater walls with smooth precision.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  One final leap.

  He landed at the crater’s edge in a controlled motion, his presence barely disturbing the air.

  Azrikal and Zephiron had already turned away, ready to leave. Their interest in him had vanished—he was nothing more than a footnote in their battle.

  Their mistake. They thought it was over.

  David landed with a quiet, almost unnatural grace. The quiet shift of his weight upon solid ground was barely perceptible, but Zephiron—ever the observer—noticed. He didn’t turn, but a knowing smile curled at his lips.

  Azrikal, however, remained oblivious.

  David exhaled, stretching his fingers around his blade’s hilt. Then, casually, he spoke.

  "I appreciate the humor," he said, addressing the system.

  Azrikal froze mid-step.

  A slow turn. His molten eyes narrowed, confusion flashing before rage overtook his features.

  "Humor? You mock me?" His voice was a low growl, thick with restrained fury.

  David smirked. "I wasn’t talking to you."

  Azrikal’s gaze darkened, but before he could speak, David tilted his head, his expression mocking.

  "But since we’re talking—leaving in the middle of a fight? That’s just sloppy. What, did your master never teach you how to finish what you start?"

  A muscle twitched in Azrikal’s jaw.

  "You still draw breath?" He paused. "No… you should be dead."

  Zephiron remained expressionless.

  Azrikal’s fury boiled over.

  "You should have stayed dead," Azrikal snarled. "You’re nothing but a fading ember. Let me extinguish you."

  His stance shifted—not just his posture, but his molten veins darkened into abyssal flames. He drew his blade—the very one he had used against Svarog.

  The ground beneath Azrikal cracked as his abyssal flames erupted to life, wrapping around his form in violent tendrils. His blade ignited, pulsing with the same cursed fire that had ended Svarog.

  David said nothing.

  His own blade flared to life—a radiant contrast to Azrikal’s flames.

  The battle resumed.

  Clash of blades. Azrikal attacked first.

  Abyssal flames surged toward David in a spiraling arc, warping the air with unbearable heat.

  David moved.

  He sidestepped, his blade carving through the black fire, parting it like mist. The force of the impact sent sparks flying, but he was already pivoting, dodging a follow-up strike aimed at his ribs.

  Azrikal’s assault was relentless. Each swing of his blade carried weight, precision, and raw fury. David wasn’t controlling the pace, but he was matching him.

  Azrikal’s frustration grew.

  Perhaps it was the failure to end him earlier in his master’s presence.

  "You were at death’s door!" he spat, his abyssal energy surging. "Now you match me?"

  David met his strike head-on, parrying with enough force to send a shockwave through the battlefield.

  "Yeah, funny how that works," he said, smirking.

  Azrikal’s expression twisted in barely restrained anger. His abyssal flames surged, burning hotter. His strikes grew wilder, his precision starting to slip.

  David pressed forward, weaving through the onslaught. He wasn’t overpowering Azrikal—he was outmaneuvering him.

  For the first time, Azrikal hesitated.

  It made no sense.

  Moments ago, David had been on the brink of death. Now, he was moving with ease, seemingly full of energy.

  Had he been hiding his healing abilities? No. That wasn’t it.

  Zephiron, watching in silence, finally spoke.

  "Azrikal."

  The voice was calm, but it cut through the battlefield like a third blade.

  Azrikal stiffened.

  Zephiron remained motionless, observing with quiet amusement.

  "The only reason you aren’t getting through," he said, "is because you’ve lost your composure."

  Azrikal’s grip on his blade tightened.

  Zephiron’s silver eyes gleamed. "Otherwise, the gap in your strength is still this vast."

  Azrikal’s eyes burned with fury, but his body betrayed his doubt.

  David tilted his head. "You know, he’s not wrong." His smirk widened. "You were a lot scarier when you weren’t this pissed off."

  Azrikal’s rage reached its breaking point.

  With a roar, his abyssal flames surged wildly, consuming everything in their path. His blade lashed out in an explosion of raw destruction.

  David braced himself.

  He barely twisted out of the way as Azrikal’s abyssal flames roared past him, searing the air where he had stood a heartbeat ago.

  That was too close.

  He landed harshly, skidding backward across the scorched ground, his breath ragged. His knees nearly buckled, but he forced himself to stand.

  I need an edge. Now.

  Gritting his teeth, David made a decision. He had been holding onto his system units, waiting for the right moment. But there was no luxury of time anymore.

  "Show me my stats," he commanded mentally.

  A translucent window materialized in front of him.

  STATS

  STRENGTH : 13 ?

  AGILITY : 10 ?

  STAMINA : 10 ?

  INTELLIGENCE : 91 ?

  David’s eyes flicked across the numbers. Not good enough. He needed more strength—now.

  "Boost my strength by 20 points."

  Nothing happened.

  ? ? ? BOOST UNSUCCESSFUL ? ? ?

  David's brow furrowed. What…? Why? I have more than enough system units!

  ? ? ? THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE ? ? ?

  ? ? ? THE SYSTEM WILL NOT PERMIT AN INCREASE OF THAT MAGNITUDE ? ? ?

  ? ? ? YOUR BODY CANNOT WITHSTAND THE STRAIN ? ? ?

  David clenched his jaw. Of course, there were limits. He just hadn’t run into them before.

  "Fine. Then how much can I push it?"

  ? ? ? CURRENTLY, THE MAXIMUM LIMIT IS 15 ? ? ?

  Only fifteen? That’s only two points! The difference wasn’t much compared to what he wanted, but at this point, every bit counted.

  "Do it. And also boost both my Agility and Stamina by three points each."

  ? ? ? BOOST SUCCESSFUL ? ? ?

  STATS

  STRENGTH : 15 ?

  AGILITY : 13 ?

  STAMINA : 13 ?

  INTELLIGENCE : 91 ?

  David exhaled sharply.

  He was still outmatched—but now, at least, he had a fighting chance. Or at least, that’s what he thought.

  "Alright, let's see if this makes a difference."

  From the side, Zephiron watched, arms crossed, unreadable.

  “You’re an anomaly,” Zephiron spoke. “That much is certain.” His silver eyes gleamed, calculating. “And yet… weak. How does a man like you can remain standing in front of Azrikal?”

  David tensed. He kept his expression neutral.

  "Maybe... I'm just too stubborn to fall."

  Or perhaps just too stubborn to give up on the shard, he thought, keeping his true intentions buried in the back of his mind.

  I'm taking that shard—no matter what, a hidden thought that pressed deeper, even if I have to crawl for it.