"Status open..."
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Name: Kael
Class: Warrior [Lv. 1]
HP: 300/300
MP: 500/500
Strength: 20
Intelligence: 25
Agility: 20
Endurance: 20
Dexterity: 20
Stamina: 20
Vitality: 20
[Titles/Traits]
Kaiser's Soul (Trait)
A trait granted by the Soul God Kaiser. Grants immunity to soul-based control, resistance to soul debuffs, and enhanced connection to the soul, boosting physical and mental capabilities.
[Skills]
Soul Regeneration (Lv. 1) [Passive]
An advanced regenerative ability directly linked to the soul. Rapidly heals wounds and recovers from physical damage over time.
Blood Manipulation (Lv. 1) [Active]
Allows the user to manipulate and control blood, shaping it according to their intent.
Soul Insight (Lv. 1) [Active]
Allows the user to perceive souls, see information about them, and detect hidden or cloaked entities.
Soul Predator [Active/Passive]
Allows the user to nsense and consume souls, gaining their power to grow stronger.
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His was completely fixated on the screen before him as he spoke to himself.
"Ok since I have the soul of a god now... I guess that proves one thing... Seems like it really did try to possess me back there...." Kyle pondered as he walked along the dirt tracks. "Which means with I'm either insanely lucky to be in control or something went absolutely wrong..."
He let out another sigh and continued reading. "But this trait is crazy as hell too..."
'Guess I should thank it for making me practically invincible.' but he remembered the events from earlier and waved off the thoughts.
As he continued, Kael almost dropped a jaw at description of his other soul skills, sure blood Manipulation was nice but [Soul insight], [Soul Regeneration] and [Soul Predator] were what Immediately caught his attention.
"Wha- wait how the hell did I even get [Blood manipulation] isn't that a blood related skill?! I mean it's a Soul god right?—"
But unbeknownst to him, he had strayed away from the dirt path that led to the next settlement. Kyle snapped his head up, only to realize he'd wandered off the dirt path leading to the city. Around him, the forest had grown denser, shadows thickening between the trees.
"Damn I've gotta head back--"
But His words were cut short as the shuffle of leaves reached his ears. and from behind him 3 creatures emerged from the bushes. The most noticeable feature about them were their green hides and crimson eyes. What stood before weren't humans but monsters.
'Goblins...' Kyle thought as his chest tightened. This was his first time leaving town, this was also his first time encountering monsters in a fight. What would count as his first time was a complete slaughter where he was just lucky to survive, but that didn't matter here. One slip-up and he was dead, but he couldn't afford to die.
He swallowed hard and reached for the sword at his side, hands trembling despite the adrenaline surging through him. He was scared, terrified in fact, he wanted to run away, but he didn't. He was alive for a reason, he got his upgrades for a reason, if he ran right now he would be no different from the gods that deserted them years ago.
The goblins hissed, circling him, claws scraping against the earth. Kyle's heart hammered, but deep down, something cold and sharp clicked into place—he was ready.
"A-alright then… come at me..."
His voice trembled, as air leaving his lungs in rough shallow bursts. The goblins hissed, baring jagged teeth as their crimson eyes glinted at him.
The goblins hissed, a guttural, uneven sound that made Kael's muscles tense in fear. The one with the club stepped forward first, swinging it clumsily but with surprising force. Kyle barely dodged it's attack, the heavy wood smashing into the dirt where he had just been standing.
Kael barely had time to react. He swung his blade in a wide shaky swing as his steel scraped across rough green skin. The goblin shrieked and stumbled back, clutching its now shoulder.
Adrenaline flooded his veins. He hit it. His heart pounded, faster, harder. The next came at him, screeching. Kael increased his grip and swung with even more force this time—steel met flesh, and the goblin's neck split halfway open, crashing to the dirt with a wet thud.
[You have slain a Goblin]
[You have gained +5 experience points]
He stood frozen, his chest heaving from sheer adrenaline. He eyed the blood dripping from his sword, a feeling of pride coursing through him, but the moment of awe vanished when a growl erupted from behind him.
The last goblin was already mid-leap and roaring from his blind spot. Kael noticed and turned but he was too late. Claws raked across his side, tearing through his tunic and skin alike as pain exploded through his body, knocking him to the ground.
[–15 HP]
"Ghh—dammit!" He rolled aside just as another strike slammed into the dirt where he'd been just a second ago. His vision blurred, and his breath ragged. Instinct screamed at him to run, but he forced himself up, tightening his grip.
"I'm not dying here…" he muttered through clenched teeth. 'Not like I can run in this state anyways.'
He charged, screaming more from fear than courage. His blade met the club of the first goblin. The impact reverberated through his arms as raw strength clashed against desperation. Kael pushed, every ounce of his muscle trembling in pain, but the monster's strength overwhelmed him.
With a sharp crack, his sword was smacked from his grasp and sent flying into the dirt. The goblin snarled mockingly, swinging again at him. Kael barely dodged, the blow grazing his shoulder, dislodging it from its joint. He stumbled back as well placed kick to his chest slammed him back into a tree.
[-16 HP]
[-50 HP]
[...]
[You are bleeding]
[...]
He coughed up blood almost instantly. Looking at his enemy, he was dazed, the creature raised its club high above him. He wanted to dodge but his body refused to move. In that moment, everything—the fight, the pain, the noise—blurred into a single pulse of terror.
[...]
It's club finally came down—
SWOOOOSH!
A shadow cut through the air and Steel split flesh. The goblin's body jerked violently before being hurled aside, cleaved clean in half by a massive axe.
Kael blinked. Dazed and helpless, as his breathing ragged. His eyes caught the giant of a man who arrived just in time, standing between him and the goblin's corpse, his presence was solid just as the weapon he wielded.
From the treeline, another sharp sound rang out—thwip!—and an arrow tore through the skull of the other goblin that had injured earlier. It collapsed silently, leaving behind only the faint hum of wind and Kael's shallow trembling breaths.
His senses finally returned to him—the smell of blood, the ringing in his ears, the dull ache spreading across his ribs. His knees buckled, as he slid down the tree.
I... almost died.
His fingers twitched, still trying to grasp a sword that wasn't there. The shame hit harder than the pain. For all his talk of strength, all his new power… he'd been helpless. If this man hadn't come, he'd be nothing but meat for the scavengers.
A heavy voice broke through his thoughts.
"Are you alright, lad?"
Kael looked up. The man with the axe loomed over him, rough and broad, with eyes sharp beneath the slits in his helmet. He reached out a hand to Kael, prompting him to take it.
Kael hesitated. His chest still burned, blood seeped from his side and his pride crumbled under the weight of his failure. He wanted to say something—anything—but his throat tightened.
"…Yeah," he muttered weakly, taking the man's hand. "I'm… fine."
The man's brow furrowed, unconvinced. "Doesn't look like it. You're lucky we were close."
Kael managed a shaky breath, the forest spinning around him. "Lucky…" he whispered. "Yeah… guess so."
But inside, he didn't just feel lucky—he felt small. And for the first time, he truly understood firsthand just how close his dream could stand with death and from the looks of it he was walking straight to his demise.
"Is something wrong?" the man with the axe spoke up with his rough grumpy voice while reaching out a hand to Kael.
Calling him a little guy might've seemed much, but given his size there wasn't much room to argue as his thick and towering frame easily dwarved Kael even if he stood upright before him, Even the helmet he wore added to his imposing frame as Kyle spotted a sharp pair of eyes peek through the slits of his helmet. Other than the enormous axe on his right, the man wielded a shield that was easily as half as tall as Kael was.
The battle from before had broken him in more ways than one, both physically and mentally, so much that he couldn't even properly reply to the man before him only staring down in frustration at his own weakness.
'I guess this proves just how weak I am huh...' he thought, cursing himself even further. 'I might not have survived this if it wasn't for whatever that tin can did to me... Pathetic.'
"Come on Gareth, you're scaring the life out the kid." Came the voice of another lady that seemed to appear from behind a tree. "You should really consider how you approach people."
Unlike the man in heavy armor this lady wore a light attire, her black hair and dark clothes coupled with the daggers strapped to her side gave of the subtle air of an assassin or some other agility-based class.
She smiled warmly at Kael, a gesture that reminded him painfully of his sister, stirring feelings he thought he'd buried.
"Took you long enough brat," another voice came from the side, prompting Kael to face it as his eyes met with a red haired swordsman who looked like he was about to start a fight with him. At least until the lady next to him delivered a quick kick to his shin. One that would probably sting for a while too.
"Honestly, just shut up Adam!" the blonde lady next to him warned, pulling his ear tightly then faced Kael once more with a warm smile. "Sorry about this guy he's a bit of a handful."are you alright?"
By now Kael was already on his feet and staring at the party before him in silent awe.
"I'm fine," he muttered, shrugging, though the lingering pain from the fight still gnawed at him.
Before he could say anything else, a bottle of red liquid was thrown at him by the armored man.
"Drink that... You'll bleed out at this rate." He muttered, finally removing his helmet for Kael to see his face. "I'm Gareth." He continued. "The captain of this party, and you are?"
"...Kael." he replied hesitantly as he drank the potion. Almost immediately he could feel the bleeding stop while the wounds began to mend themselves, albeit at a faster rate while a thought crossed his mind.
'These guys are...'
After seeing him drink the potion, Gareth decided introduce his party to the boy. "This here is Elise," he pointed to the black haired assassin. "That's Hazel and next to her is Doran."
"By any chance are you..."
"That's right," Gareth cut in lodging his axe behind him. "We're a party of adventurers."