In one of the most remote corners of the Kingdom of Ocxi, in a little-known, dusty, and impoverished village, life always flowed in the same cycle. Waking with the first rays of the sun, villagers would rush to the fields, cultivating the soil with their calloused hands, and return to their homes, weary, when evening fell. This village was home to F-level mages, the lowest rung of the mysterious power system called "Ancient Glyphs," and even those with no glyphs at all. To be born here meant to be branded in the eyes of society, condemned by fate to the heaviest labors.
Diego Fruz was part of this destiny. He was eighteen years old, and his stature far surpassed the other young men in the village. His six-foot-three height, combined with a muscular body shaped by long hours in the fields and heavy loads, made him appear strong from the outside. His black hair fell across his forehead, and in his eyes, a weary expression, too deep for his age, was hidden. Yet, behind this outward appearance, lay the cruel label society had given him: F-level.
Since the day he first learned of "the System," this glyph had pursued him relentlessly. When he was nine, like every child, he saw the mysterious interface appear in his mind. When he saw the A, B, and C glyphs materialize next to the names of other children, a spark of hope ignited within him. Perhaps he, too, like his mother and father, would at least have a D-level glyph. But what appeared on Diego's screen was only a single letter: F. The weakest, most worthless glyph. From that day on, the other children in the village began to avoid him, and adults looked at him with pity or contempt.
Diego had learned to live with this label. He would go to the fields in the early mornings, carry the heaviest sacks, and plough the most stubborn soil. As he sweated under the sun, that small spark within him never extinguished. He was insecure, yes. The feeling of worthlessness society had imposed on him had permeated the depths of his soul. But Diego's will was like steel. He never gave up. He always wanted to be better and worked tirelessly for it. This was his way of clinging to life.
His mother, Elara, and father, Kael, were Diego's only support. Although they were D-level mages, they had no power and had worked in the fields of this village their entire lives. But their love for their child was boundless. They saw Diego's potential, that invisible spark, better than anyone else. At dinner, while eating his mother's simple but delicious meals, his father would always tell him the same thing: "No matter what your glyph is, my son. What matters is the strength in your heart. And your heart is as brave as a lion's."
Diego's greatest motivation was to provide a better life for his family. He wanted to escape this poverty, to erase the weary lines on his mother's face, to lighten the burden on his father's back. For this, he needed to earn money. But as an F-level mage, leaving the village and finding work in the city was almost impossible. Registering with the Hunters' Guild was a distant dream for him. Who would trust an F-level individual with a mission?
One evening, returning from the fields, he noticed a strange redness in the sky. This redness, which should normally have been the warm tones of sunset, resembled the color of blood more closely. He felt a strange uneasiness within him. As he approached the village entrance, there was a peculiar smell in the air; it wasn't the smell of earth, nor of flowers. It was more like a disgusting mixture of raw meat and sulfur.
When he reached the village square, his heart froze. A few villagers were running around in a panic. "Creatures!" an old woman shouted, her voice trembling. "They're coming from the forest!"
Diego's eyes widened. Creatures... They had never come this close before. They were usually seen in the border regions of the Kingdom of Ocxi, but this village was deep within that border. This was a first. Instinctively, he started running towards his home. His mother and father... He had to protect them. Even if he was F-level, he had to do his best. That small spark within him was now turning into a fireball. Little did he know, tonight not only the fate of his village but the fate of the entire world would change.