Standing there in the ruin of his dorm room, Kael stared at the floating droplet of Corruption Essence—the last trace of the zombie he had killed.
It pulsed in the air like a blackened heart, veined with red light. Alive in a way it shouldn't be.
"So… you're telling me I can absorb this?" Kael asked, eyeing the thing like it might lunge at him.
"Yes," Seraphiel's voice murmured in his mind, calm as always. "But I already told you—too much of it, and you'll throw the balance off. Your soul wasn't built to swim in the void."
Kael narrowed his eyes, reaching toward the Essence. It hovered just inches above his palm, humming softly.
"And what about the good stuff?" he asked. "You know. The not-going-to-rot-my-soul kind of power."
Seraphiel chuckled, a dry whisper of sound. "The System calls it Ascension. Divine progression. You earn it by surviving, killing, learning. Every enemy you defeat gives off neutral essence—small traces of their life force. The System collects it, refines it, and adds it to your growth."
Kael frowned. "So I just need to kill things… and not touch too much corruption?"
"Exactly. Let your kills flow through the System, and you'll walk the path of light. Kill those of corruption, absorb their essence and you'll keep your balance."
Kael nodded slowly. "Makes sense. Sort of. So how do I absorb this?"
A pause.
Then—
"You swallow it."
Kael blinked. "I what?"
"Swallow it," Seraphiel repeated. "There's no ritual. No prayer. No ancient chant. Just will… and a strong stomach."
He stared at the droplet again. It pulsed once, as if taunting him.
"Like a pill?" he muttered.
"Like a grenade," Seraphiel said, amused. "But yes, basically."
Kael sighed, bracing himself. "Alright. Here goes nothing."
He reached up… and closed his fingers around the Essence.
It didn't resist.
Didn't fight.
Just slipped into his palm—weightless and cold—and sank into his skin like ink through paper.
Taking the droplet to his mouth, Kael bit down. It was hard—crunchy, like a jawbreaker.
He swallowed, forcing it down with a sharp gulp.
The moment it hit his stomach, a weight settled inside him—dense and wrong.
Then came the cold.
A wave of ice surged through his veins, and Kael staggered.
"Arghhh—" he grimaced.
His knees buckled, hand slamming against the wall to keep from collapsing. It wasn't just cold—it was invading. The Essence slithered through him like frostbite with claws, carving its way into every nerve.
Then—heat.
Blistering. Violent. Like someone had poured molten iron into his gut.
Kael gasped, choking on his own breath as the two forces collided inside him—void and flame, corruption and divinity. The seal around his soul flared to life, silver-grey fire pulsing outward in jagged bursts.
"Hold on," Seraphiel's voice echoed, tight with strain. "I've got it. Don't fight—just endure."
Easy for her to say.
Kael bit down hard, teeth grinding as the pain peaked. His vision blurred. His heartbeat stuttered. And then—like a snapped cable—the tension broke.
A ripple of pressure rolled off him.
The cold vanished.
The heat dimmed.
He exhaled shakily, smoke curling from his lips.
[System Response: ERROR – Anomalous Integration Detected]
Kael stared at the message, chest still rising and falling with uneven breaths.
"…That was not just a pill," he muttered hoarsely.
"I said you're going to swallow it like a pill—not that it is one. Anyway, take a look at your status."
[STATUS — Kael Riven]
Class: Pactbearer of the Forsaken Light
Race: Human (System Anomaly)
Order: Unkown
Level: 5
Titles: [???]
Bound Entity: Seraphiel [Warden Fragment – Active]
[ATTRIBUTES] (2 Points available to add)
Vitality: 12
Strength: 10
Agility: 11
Endurance: 14
Focus: 16
Willpower: 20
Divinity: ??? (Locked – Requires Divine Fragment)
[SKILLS]
[Bearer of Flame] (Bless by the Fallen Angles's Flames of Seraphiel ignite yourself and bring your righteous justice through flame.)
[???][???]
Warning: Skill framework corrupted. Data inaccessible.
Awaiting system patch or further soul synchronization...
[CURRENT STATE]
System Sync: 5%
System Stability: Fragile (Stable under Pact Shield)
Corruption Risk: Low (Neutralized via Bound Flame)
Divine Hostility: EXTREME
Peering at his stats, Kael couldn't help but mutter,
"Level 5, huh? So that one droplet leveled me four times. Is that good… or just normal?"
Seraphiel's voice hummed in his mind.
"It's solid. If you were bound by the System's path, it would've taken you a 100 zombies at level 1 to reach level 5."
Kael gave a low whistle.
"I'd say that's better than just grinding corpses."
He stepped into the hallway, boots crunching faint ash beneath him.
"What about these two points? I'm assuming I can add them to my stats?"
"Yes," Seraphiel replied. "But note this—you only gain two points every five levels. And fifteen is the average for a normal human. So just doubling a baseline stat would take forty levels."
Kael nodded slowly.
"So... I need to be careful where I put them. Makes sense. What do you suggest?"
A pause. Then Seraphiel answered, firm and sure.
"You already carry a powerful flame. If you want to wield it properly, invest in Agility, Strength, and Vitality. Power is nothing if your body can't keep up."
"Fair enough." Kael hovered a finger over the stat screen.
"I'll go with Agility and Strength, then."
He tapped each one, and the points shifted.
Agility: 11 → 12
Strength: 10 → 11
Instantly, his body responded.
A sharp pressure passed through his muscles—like someone had compressed a week of training into a heartbeat. His limbs felt lighter. His balance shifted. Every motion felt... smoother.
Kael flexed his fingers, a faint grin tugging at his lips.
"Whoa."
"Get used to that feeling," Seraphiel said. "You've got a long path ahead—especially if you intend to make God pay."
"Oh, trust me, I know. This isn't a battle—it's a war. And I've got the greatest general by my side."
"Warden. Greatest Warden," she corrected.
Kael rolled his eyes. "Whatever. So, what's your call, Warden?"
"For now? Keep your head down. I don't know how other System users will react to you wielding pseudo-Corruption. So avoid contact. Focus on growing stronger. I'll work on masking our presence within the System framework."
"Got it."
Kael smirked and took off down the hallway, moving fast, his body still humming with residual flame. He didn't know what waited ahead, but he knew one thing for certain—he had to make the most of this beginning. Right now, everyone else was still figuring out how to survive, how to even use the Hexagon Cubes.
Pushing forward, Kael checked each corner, each doorway. Most students would be in class… but not all of them.
"Anyone in there?" he called, pausing at a room. "If you're alive, stay put. I'll find help. Close your windows and hunker down. I'll be back as soon as I can."
He didn't wait for a response. He repeated the message at every door he passed—not because he was playing hero, but because he didn't want someone's System prompting them to attack him.
After checking each room, Kael finally reached the stairwell. Being on the top floor meant he still had three more levels to sweep.
Descending to the next floor, he spotted a scene that stopped him cold—just a few doors down, one lay splintered off its hinges, the floor around it smeared with blood.
But it wasn't a zombie this time.
A large, wolf-like creature stood there, its hulking frame cloaked in black and grey fur, mottled like smoke.
"GRRRRRHHH!"
The beast growled deep in its throat, claws raking violently at the door as it tried to break through.
It didn't get the chance to finish.
Kael's flaming fist struck first—silver-grey fire erupting on impact, searing into the creature's hide and igniting streaks of light through its fur.
The wolf yelped in pain, staggering back as the flame licked across its body. Then, with a snarl, it turned and lunged.
But Kael didn't back down.
He let the adrenaline take over, muscles responding like coiled springs—faster than he'd ever moved in his life.
The wolf lunged like a bolt of muscle and fury, jaws wide and eyes gleaming with feral hunger.
Kael twisted to the side, just barely dodging the snapping teeth. Its breath was rancid—like rot and sulfur—and the sheer force of its leap cracked the tile beneath its claws.
"Strike low," Seraphiel's voice cut through the chaos. "Hamstring it."
Kael ducked, pivoted, and swung a blazing arc toward its hind leg. His fist connected, silver fire tearing into sinew and fur. The wolf howled, staggering sideways—but not down.
Too strong. Too fast.
Before he could reposition, the beast spun and lashed out. Its claws raked across Kael's side—burning pain flared as blood sprayed, his shirt torn open.
He cried out, stumbling back, hand clamping down on his ribs. The wound wasn't deep, but it hurt.
"Focus!" Seraphiel snapped. "The pain is real, but so is the flame. Let it guide you."
Kael gritted his teeth, eyes narrowing. The wolf circled him now, low to the ground, growling—a predator testing its prey.
But Kael was done playing prey.
He exhaled. Let the fear go. Let the fire in.
His fists ignited, brighter this time—silver flames streaked with hints of violet, pulsing with rhythm. The wolf leapt—Kael met it head-on.
A fist slammed into its snout mid-air, staggering it mid-leap. The beast hit the floor hard—just long enough for Kael to drive his foot into its side and follow with a searing punch to its exposed ribs.
A burst of fire bloomed—burning deep. The wolf let out a choked howl, then crumpled into ash, its body twisting in a swirl of silver flame.
Kael dropped to one knee, gasping, hand still pressed to his side where blood leaked through his fingers.
The silence returned—brief and brittle.
Then—
Clink.
Another Hexagon Cube rolled free, settling near his boot.
Kael stared at it through a haze of adrenaline and pain.