The streets below were chaos and steel.
Arka followed the girl as they leapt from rooftop to rooftop. She moved like a shadow—silent, efficient, deadly. Arka tried to keep up, but his body was still adapting. Each step echoed pain through his joints, but something inside him refused to stop.
Finally, they reached a half-collapsed building with glowing barriers at its entrance. As soon as they stepped through, the noise outside vanished—like they'd crossed into another world.
Inside, the building was alive with technology. Screens floated in mid-air. People in strange armor studied maps and charts. Some had glowing tattoos, others carried weapons too large for their size. Everyone seemed... powerful.
The girl turned to him. "Name?"
"Arka."
"Alright, Arka. I'm Kaelara. Vanguard-class Hunter. And this—" she gestured to the room, "—is Outpost Delta. One of the last safe zones in Central Shard."
"Central... Shard?"
Kaelara frowned. "You really don't know anything, do you?"
Arka shook his head. "I remember my name. That's it."
She sighed, tapping a screen beside her. A holographic map appeared—fractured lands, floating cities, and zones marked in red.
"This world was once balanced. But ten years ago, something broke the Level System. Skills began mutating. Monsters started evolving. And some of us—Players—were chosen by the System to fight back. But the System itself… is no longer stable."
[QUEST UNLOCKED: Identity Unknown]
Objective: Discover your origin.
Reward: System Stability +1
Another blue screen popped up in front of Arka. Kaelara saw it too.
Her eyes widened. "You got a System Quest? Just like that?"
"Is that... rare?"
"No one's had a personal quest since the Collapse. You're not just a lost Player, Arka. You're something else."
Arka felt a chill. He looked down at his hands. They were still shaking.
"I didn't ask for any of this."
Kaelara's voice softened. "No one did. But you're here now. And that means you're part of the fight."
Suddenly, an alarm blared through the outpost. Red lights flashed.
WARNING: Corrupted Swarm Approaching. Estimated Time: 4 Minutes
Kaelara drew her blade. "Ready or not, you're about to get your second kill. Stick close. Don't die."
Arka clenched his fists. A shadow beneath him stretched unnaturally, responding to his thoughts.
"Let's do this."