Chapter 2 - The Darven legacy

Kael sat silently beneath the endless darkness.

His father's final words continued to echo through his mind.

You'll know everything else from the ring.

Kael slowly raised his hand.

The strange ring rested on his finger.

He stared at it for several seconds before remembering his father's instructions.

“Let's see what you left me, Dad.”

Kael concentrated on the ring and tried pushing his mana into it.

Nothing happened.

He frowned.

He tried again.

This time, the strange symbol engraved on the ring began glowing.

Hum.

A faint vibration spread through his finger.

Then the space in front of him distorted.

A translucent screen appeared.

[Darven Bloodline detected.]

[Bloodline authentication successful.]

[Space Ring activated.]

Kael's eyes widened.

“Space Ring…”

Before he could touch the screen, objects began appearing around him.

One after another, they fell onto the grass.

Boxes.

Books.

Weapons.

Containers.

Two metallic rings.

And finally, a long wooden case.

Kael immediately recognized the symbol carved into the case.

The Darven family crest.

His heart tightened.

He slowly opened it.

Inside lay a katana.

The weapon was beautifully crafted.

Its blade was dark silver, almost black beneath the strange light of the forest.

The handle was wrapped in traditional Darven bindings, and the guard carried the ancient family crest.

Kael carefully picked it up.

The moment his fingers touched the handle, a strange sensation travelled through his body.

It felt familiar.

Like the sword recognized his blood.

Kael stared at it.

“This belonged to the Darven family…”

He carefully placed the katana beside him.

There were still several objects left.

Two rings.

Kael picked up the first.

A small inscription was engraved inside it.

Storage Ring — Food and Medical Supplies

He activated it.

His consciousness entered the ring.

Kael's mouth fell open.

The storage space was enormous.

It was filled with food, water, medicine, clothing, camping equipment and countless other necessities.

There was enough to survive for approximately a year.

He activated the second ring.

His expression changed again.

The entire storage space was filled with materials.

Iron.

Mithril.

Adamantite.

Rare magical ores.

Unidentified metals.

Some of them gave off faint magical fluctuations.

Kael finally understood why his father had told him not to waste anything.

These weren't ordinary resources.

They were enough to create weapons.

Then Kael noticed something else.

A small black crystal.

He picked it up.

The crystal immediately activated.

A familiar face appeared above it.

His father.

Kael froze.

“Dad…”

The recording showed his father sitting inside the family study.

He looked calm.

Healthy.

As though the massacre had never happened.

“If you're watching this…”

His father's expression became solemn.

“…then I failed to protect you.”

Kael's fingers tightened around the crystal.

His father continued.

“About one month before the attack, I noticed something strange.”

“My Danger Sense had begun reacting constantly.”

“At first, I thought it was merely an error.”

“But the feeling became stronger every day.”

“I realized that something enormous was approaching.”

“Something capable of destroying the entire Darven family.”

His father leaned back.

“I discussed it with the elders.”

“Every elder agreed.”

“We didn't know who would attack us or when.”

“But we knew we had to prepare.”

“So the entire family made a decision.”

“We would use everything we had.”

“We sold our resources.”

“Our properties.”

“Our treasures.”

“Everything that could be converted into resources.”

“We gathered every capable member of the family.”

“Warriors.”

“Blacksmiths.”

“Mages.”

“Researchers.”

“Everyone.”

“All for one purpose.”

“To prepare everything we could for you.”

Kael looked around at the enormous collection of supplies.

His father's voice continued.

“Now you need to understand our bloodline.”

“Every major bloodline family possesses a special bloodline ability.”

“Ours is Metal Control.”

Kael looked toward the Darven katana.

“The Darven family has possessed this ability for generations.”

“It allows us to manipulate metal and use it to create weapons.”

“That is why our family became famous for producing swords, firearms and other weapons.”

His father raised his hand.

A small piece of metal floated above his palm.

It twisted.

Changed shape.

And became a simple firearm.

“Our bloodline develops as our level increases.”

“Every ten levels represents a major threshold in our ability to create weapons.”

“The first stage allows basic firearms.”

“The next allows more advanced assault weapons.”

“Then precision weapons.”

“Then heavy weapons.”

“Then increasingly powerful weapons.”

“The exact possibilities depend on the user's control and the materials available.”

Kael listened carefully.

His father then became more serious.

“But there is something you need to understand about your awakening.”

Kael's attention sharpened.

“Everyone can awaken a System.”

“Normally, awakening occurs somewhere between the ages of thirteen and twenty.”

Kael looked confused.

“Then why…”

His father continued.

“The rusty sword.”

Kael's eyes moved toward a second weapon lying among the supplies.

Unlike the beautiful Darven katana, this sword looked ancient.

Its blade was covered in rust.

It looked almost worthless.

“This sword is an awakening artifact.”

“It can force the awakening process earlier than normal.”

“But that isn't its only purpose.”

“It can strengthen the bloodline of the person undergoing the awakening.”

Kael stared at the rusty weapon.

“My research suggests that the sword will significantly increase your mana and Metal Control.”

His father paused.

“For example, if you are Level 10…”

“Your mana capacity could reach the equivalent of approximately Level 13.”

“But your Metal Control could become far stronger.”

“Possibly equivalent to around Level 30.”

Kael's eyes widened.

His father smiled faintly.

“Your overall level will not become 30.”

“Your body won't suddenly become that strong.”

“Your combat experience won't increase.”

“Only your bloodline's Metal Control will be dramatically enhanced.”

“That distinction is important.”

Kael looked at the rusty sword.

His father continued.

“You'll need to use the rusty sword to awaken.”

“Once the awakening is complete, the sword will have done its job.”

The recording changed.

His father's expression became more serious.

“There is another reason we prepared the books.”

Kael turned toward the enormous container.

“There are hundreds of books stored there.”

“Magic theory.”

“Monster information.”

“Materials.”

“Alchemy.”

“Blacksmithing.”

“Magical engineering.”

“And most importantly…”

“Weapon formulas.”

Kael's eyes widened.

“Gun formulas.”

“Advanced firearms.”

“Magic-infused weapons.”

“Different methods of combining Metal Control with magic.”

“Learn them.”

“Your System will help you understand and develop them.”

His father paused.

“And because of the enhancement from the rusty sword, your Metal Control may allow you to create weapons beyond what your level should normally permit.”

Kael clenched his fists.

He finally understood.

His level wouldn't tell the entire story.

Then his father said something that made Kael's expression change.

“There is one final inheritance.”

“The pocket world.”

Kael looked up.

“The pocket world is not part of the ring.”

“The ring only contains the key and the means to access it.”

“Inside that world…”

His father's expression became grim.

“…our family has imprisoned three legendary beasts.”

Kael stared at the recording.

“Three?”

“They have been imprisoned for thousands of years.”

“They are powerful enough that even our strongest ancestors couldn't safely kill them.”

“So they were sealed away.”

His father raised one finger.

“Do not release them casually.”

“They are not ordinary monsters.”

The recording displayed the first beast.

A gigantic lion.

Its body was covered in black fur, while crimson energy flowed across it like flames.

Dark shadows twisted around its enormous body.

Legendary Beast — Shadow Lion

Primary Attribute: Shadow

Combat Type: Offensive

The image disappeared.

A gigantic serpent appeared.

Its scales were black and green.

Its body was covered in strange patterns, and its scales looked almost impossible to damage.

Legendary Beast — Verdant Serpent

Primary Attribute: Defense

The third image appeared.

A towering skeleton wearing ancient armor.

Blue flames burned inside its empty eye sockets.

A massive magical staff rested in its hand.

Around it stood dozens of smaller skeletons.

Legendary Beast — Bone Sovereign

Primary Attribute: Mage

Ability: Skeleton Summoning

Kael stared at the three images.

His father's voice continued.

“Each beast possesses one offspring.”

“Three beasts.”

“Three offspring.”

“If you can defeat the beasts and obtain the offspring's contracts, they may become your companions.”

“One could fight beside you.”

“One could defend you.”

“And one could become your mage.”

Kael looked fascinated.

“But defeating them is almost impossible.”

His father's expression became serious.

“That is why we prepared the ring.”

“The ring contains an ancient ability.”

“A single-use effect.”

“Legendary Immortality.”

Kael's eyes widened.

“For a maximum of one hundred days.”

“One hundred days where your life cannot be ended by ordinary means.”

“But remember…”

His father raised a finger.

“You only get one chance.”

“Once the effect is used, it can never be activated again.”

“You'll have to decide when to use it.”

The recording began to flicker.

His father looked directly at Kael.

“If you choose to enter the pocket world…”

“Prepare yourself.”

“You may never return.”

Kael remained silent.

His father smiled sadly.

“But if you survive…”

“You will have something our family could never achieve.”

“Three legendary companions.”

The recording began fading.

His father's final words echoed through the forest.

“Kael…”

“Become stronger.”

“Learn everything you can.”

“Use the inheritance we left you.”

“And never forget…”

“You are a Darven.”

The crystal went dark.

Silence returned.

Kael stared at it for several seconds.

Then he looked at the rusty sword.

He picked it up.

It felt incredibly old.

Almost dead.

Nothing about it suggested that it could awaken a System or strengthen a bloodline.

Kael remembered his father's warning.

He took a deep breath.

“Let's do this.”

He followed the instructions in the recording.

The moment the awakening process began, a strange force spread through his body.

His bloodline reacted.

His mana began surging.

His Metal Control suddenly became stronger.

Pain overwhelmed his senses.

Kael gritted his teeth.

He refused to stop.

He thought about his father.

His mother.

His family.

Everyone who had died.

I have to survive.

The strange energy continued spreading through his body.

Then—

DING!

A voice echoed inside his mind.

[System awakening detected.]

Kael's eyes widened.

[Host identified.]

[Name: Kael Darven]

[Age: 11]

[System awakening successful.]

Kael stared at the translucent screen.

Another notification appeared.

[Bloodline detected: Darven]

[Bloodline Ability: Metal Control]

[Bloodline enhancement detected.]

[Mana capacity enhanced.]

[Metal Control greatly enhanced.]

Kael's breathing became heavier.

Then another notification appeared.

[Congratulations.]

[You have awakened your System.]

Kael stared at the screen.

Everyone could awaken a System.

But most people awakened between thirteen and twenty.

He had awakened at eleven.

And because of the rusty sword, his bloodline had been strengthened far beyond what his level would normally allow.

Kael slowly looked toward the Darven katana lying beside him.

Then toward the countless books.

Then toward the two storage rings.

Finally, he looked into the darkness of the forest.

His father had left him everything he needed.

Knowledge.

Weapons.

Resources.

A strengthened bloodline.

And eventually…

Three legendary beasts.

Kael clenched his fist.

“I'll survive.”

His voice was quiet.

“But survival isn't enough.”

He picked up the Darven katana.

“I'll become stronger.”

He looked toward the endless darkness.

“Strong enough to return.”

“And when I return…”

Kael's eyes hardened.

“…the people who destroyed my family will learn what a Darven can become.”