The wind howled through the broken arches of Ish'thar's Keep as Cedric wrapped a stolen cloak around his shoulders. He had made a crude camp in one of the upper chambers, the shattered roof above letting in cold starlight. Here, where the last Demon Lord fell by his hand—and where betrayal seared his soul—he would begin his ascent.
But the past refused to lie still. Memories of the seven flared in the dark: Roland's laughter, Seraphine's quiet prayers, Dren's booming voice. All masks. All lies.
His thoughts were broken by the System's chime.
> NOTICE: New Function Available
Function: Threat Scan (Passive)
Effect: Highlights enemies within a 20-meter radius. Color-coded by danger level.
The world shifted slightly. Cedric blinked as faint outlines shimmered around him—two small shapes below, outlined in pale green. Wildlife. No threat. But something flickered to the edge of his vision… red.
He rose quickly, sword in hand, and slipped toward the stairs. The system pulsed again.
> WARNING: Threat Level — RED (Above Recommended Combat Tier)
He descended cautiously, steps light against broken stone. The light from his scan grew stronger—and then, he saw it.
A hulking creature, easily nine feet tall, lumbered through the keep's courtyard. A mutant ogre, its body warped by corrupted mana. Half its face was missing, revealing a skull-like grin. Rotten patches of flesh clung to its limbs, and its right arm ended in a jagged bone blade.
It sniffed the air. Then turned—directly toward him.
Battle Start.
Cedric dashed forward before hesitation could take root. He activated Quick Strike, sliding low and slashing at the ogre's ankle. Blood sprayed, but the beast barely staggered.
> Damage Dealt: 47 (Flesh Wound)
The ogre roared and swung its club-like arm. Cedric barely ducked, the blow grazing his shoulder with the force of a falling tree.
> HP -34
Current HP: 71/105
He rolled away, panting. His regeneration hadn't unlocked yet. Mistakes would get him killed.
The creature lunged—far faster than expected. Cedric raised his blade in time to block, but the force flung him backward. He crashed against a crumbled pillar, pain flaring in his ribs.
> HP -19
Current HP: 52/105
Condition: Fractured Rib (Minor)
He coughed blood. "Damn it…"
A normal hero would die here. But Cedric wasn't a normal hero anymore.
He pushed himself up, scanning the battlefield. Crumbling walls, loose bricks, unstable ledges. He couldn't overpower the beast—but maybe he could outthink it.
The ogre charged again, but Cedric didn't meet it head-on. He sprinted toward a side stair and vaulted up two levels. The creature followed, howling. At the ledge, Cedric turned.
"Come on," he whispered.
The ogre lunged—right into the weakened stone. Cedric dodged aside as the balcony collapsed beneath the beast's weight. With a deafening crack, the monster plunged into the debris below, buried under tons of rubble.
Silence fell.
> XP +122
Level Up! Level 4
+2 Skill Points Earned
Condition: Fractured Rib persists. Healing required.
New Unlock at Level 5: Threads of Magic Alignment Function - Active
Cedric staggered to his knees, breathing hard.
That wasn't a victory of strength. It was a victory of desperation. He'd nearly died—and that wasn't a feeling he'd forgotten, even after thirty years of stasis.
---
Later, with the fires of the ogre's corpse burning low, he found a broken shard of crystal embedded in its heart. Tainted with mana. He pocketed it.
"Why was this creature so close to the keep?" he wondered. "Was it drawn to the system's presence? Or mine?"
The wind howled again through Ish'thar's ruins. Cedric stood alone in the dark, bruised, bloodied, but breathing.
And vengeance still burned in his chest.