--
"Trash like you doesn't deserve to dream."
Kaien's fingers curled into fists as cold water splashed over his head.
The senior adventurer tossed the empty bucket aside, laughing.
"Stick to cleaning the floors, rat. This world's not for losers with zero stats."
Kaien didn't speak.
He was used to it.
Born in the slums of Elaria, he had no parents, no magic lineage, no powerful blessing from the gods.
When he was old enough to test for his System Interface, the crystal read:
> Name: Kaien Arclight
Class: None
Magic Affinity: 0
Combat Skill: 0
Special Traits: None
Potential: Unknown
Unknown.
A word that meant worthless in a world where everything was measured in numbers.
---
At night, Kaien sat on the guild's rooftop, eating a half-rotten apple he'd found in the trash.
His childhood friend, Lyria, found him there.
She was different. Her healing powers had been noticed early, and she was already an official C-Rank Adventurer, beloved by the guild and the church.
"Kaien…" she said gently, sitting beside him. "You don't have to keep suffering like this."
He looked at her, tired.
"They don't even see me as a person anymore."
"You're more than your stats."
"Not in this world," he whispered.
She hesitated… then handed him something wrapped in cloth.
Bread. Warm and fresh.
"...Stole it for you," she smiled.
Kaien laughed softly for the first time that day.
"Thanks."
---
That night, he couldn't sleep.
The stars above seemed to whisper… change.
And then, he heard it.
A rumor.
An unclaimed dungeon.
Hidden deep within the Whispering Woods—forbidden territory, said to be cursed.
But inside it… a treasure unlike anything else.
A weapon that could rewrite fate.
Most called it a fairy tale.
But Kaien had nothing to lose.
---
The next morning, just before dawn, Kaien packed what little he had and stood at the forest edge.
A voice called out.
"You idiot."
Lyria stood there, in her white robe, her staff slung across her back.
"You're going to die."
"I don't care."
"You're seriously going to just wander into a dungeon?! You don't even have a weapon—!"
Kaien turned, eyes burning for the first time.
"If I die, at least I'll die fighting for something."
Lyria was silent.
Then she sighed.
"…Then I'm going with you."
---
They moved through the fog-choked woods.
Beasts cried in the distance.
Time seemed to warp the deeper they went.
And then—
They found it.
A door carved into a cliff, covered in ancient runes glowing faintly red.
The Dungeon of Forgotten Souls.
Kaien reached for the handle.
It opened on its own.
---
Inside was darkness.
Total silence.
No monsters.
No traps.
Just stairs, descending deeper and deeper.
Hours passed.
Finally—they reached the core chamber.
In its center…
A sword.
Floating in the air.
Black. Glowing faintly.
And whispering.
Kaien stepped forward, pulled by something he couldn't explain.
Lyria reached out. "Wait—something's wrong."
But Kaien had already grabbed the hilt.
---
The dungeon screamed.
The air exploded with energy.
Kaien's body lifted into the air, eyes wide.
> SYSTEM BOOTING…
CLASS: ??? UNLOCKED
WELCOME, CHOSEN OF THE BROKEN BLADE.
STAT SYSTEM: ACTIVE
TALKING WEAPON: BOUND
ABILITY: LEVEL THROUGH PAIN. GROW THROUGH DEFEAT.
The sword's voice echoed in his mind.
"You who were abandoned by fate… I name you my master. Now rise—and take back what the world stole from you."
Kaien landed, kneeling, the blade in hand.
The black sword pulsed.
His screen flashed.
> STATS UNLOCKED.
LEVEL 1 → 5
SKILLS GAINED: SHADOW SLASH, PAIN CONVERT, REBIRTH EDGE
SWORD LEVEL: 1 [TALKING MODE ENABLED]
"…Wh-What is this?" he whispered.
The sword laughed.
"We begin now, Master. Let's burn this world."
---