The dark beast knelt before the cracked altar, its scaled head bowed low. Shadows writhed along the temple walls as the air itself seemed to grind like nails on stone.
"We have one of them, my lord," the beast murmured, voice hushed. "He carries the bloodline, though… different from the others. Perhaps your blood could bind to him. Perhaps he could become the vessel you've sought."
A voice answered from the darkness, rasping and jagged, like rusted metal dragged across glass.
"He may be worthy. Or he may be worthless. The Doctor will decide. If he survives the examination… he may yet serve as my flesh."
The beast bowed lower. "As you command, my lord."
Leo woke to the stink of iron and damp stone. His wrists burned — chains bit into his skin. Panic flared.
Where am I? Was that a dream? It was too vivid to be a dream, so all that happened is real. Shit!
"Aaaaaahhhhh!", Leo screamed. "Let me go, you filthy mutt! Get your hands off of me!" screamed Leo.
"Shut up, you rascal," yelled the beast before knocking him out again.
"Why is it that I always get the loud ones to kidnap? Like being enslaved to an evil overlord wasn't enough," muttered the beast.2 hours later, when it finally reached the residence of The Doctor. "Doc, you there?" yelled the beast.
"What do you want, Joe? Did you bring any?" yelled The Doctor, walking out of his house, facing the beast.
"I told you to stop calling me Joe! I don't like it. Here's the boy. Don't send me to get more things for your damn project," growled the beast.
"Dude. That was totally uncalled for. You could have just asked me nicely," said Leo drowsily, waking up from being unconscious.
"Shut up, will you? I'm sure you wouldn't have listened anyway," scolded the doctor.
"Yeah, yeah, sure. Now, is anyone going to fill me in? Why am I here in the first place? You gonna experiment on me or something, ya creepy lab-coat? And you overgrown mutt. I'm going to get you if it's the last thing I do!" declared Leo.
The Doctor shook his head. "By the time I'm done with you, your soul will have ceased to exist from the pain."
'Not cool! I like having a soul' thought Leo.
"I'll leave the two of you to it", said the beast before jogging off.
The Doctor grinned evilly and took a pair of surgical scissors and a scalpel in his hand before getting to work on Leo.
"No.. What are you doing? No!" What should I do now? Oh god help me.
"Please! Don't–" Leo's screams echoed, raw and desperate, through the Doctor's house — until even the stone walls seemed to shiver.
******************
"Slow down, Arin. Power isn't everything. A skill is just the beginning — you have to train it, shape it, master it. Go into a dungeon, fight, fail, improve. Only then will you be ready to face real danger."
Arin winced, lowering his practice blade. "Right.. I forgot." He sighed, "I just want to rescue him."
"Rushing will only kill you faster," Kirt said." "But I think it's time that you enter your first practice mission. Here," he said, tossing him a golden token. "This will open a dungeon. Time there is frozen — the world outside won't move until you return."
The eagle spoke up, "One more thing: never let arrogance blind you. However strong you think you are, you're still fragile."
Arin caught the token, his jaw tight. "Got it. Thank you, Senior. Wish me luck." He looked at Kirt and the Eagle once more, tapped the token and vanished with a flash.
The eagle perched nearby and tilted its head. "Did we tell him about the system?"
Kirt froze. "No."
"The AI?"
"No."
"The weapons?"
"Ah.."
******************
This feels so weird. I just vanished and was transported. It feels like I'm the wind. Do I even really exist in this form?
[You have entered the Archive Dungeon]
[Your chance of survival is 23%]
[Skills: Shadow Step Lvl:1]…..
"No, No, stop, stop! What is this? Why are all these things popping up?"
[You see, Arin, Kirt and Eagle boy forgot to explain the basics. You should really be happy right now. You, genius, now have a gamer system.
What! How are you? What am I supposed to say?
[You're supposed to say cool, you fool]
"You can hear my thoughts as well?!" yelled Arin.
[Of course I can. I exist in your mind and soul.]
"That's cool.. I guess. What's your name then? Can I see you?" asked Arin, his eyes glimmering with excitement.
[You have to give me a name. And since you want to see me, here."
In front of Arin appeared a tall 14-year-old boy in a tracksuit.
"You want a name, right. Hmm, how about we go with Max? It's simple and easy to remember," said Arin after thinking thoughtfully for a minute. "Also, why are you in a tracksuit?"
[You see, Arin, I didn't have anything to do for a while. By that, I mean many millennia. So, because I can finally go somewhere and have fun, I decided to appear in this. If you want, I can change my appearance into your celebrity crush or your favourite anime waifu.
"Dude, you can chill out. Stay as a male. Isn't it time for our training arc now? Can we begin?" asked Arin, frowning.
[Oh yeah. By the way, I can sense some monsters around your level nearby. Also, start interacting with me in your mind. Monsters can hear, and they'd be with us any moment.] Also, is there any way I can get to know my abilities? I don't know what my areas of improvement are.
[Ok]
[Stat Sheet]
Level: 3
Exp: 0/200
Mana:225/225
Title: Archive's disciple (10% exp boost)
Strength:9
Dexterity:14
Agility:14
Stamina:14
Luck:10
[Stat Sheet end]
[For your information, 10 is the default for an average adult in everything unless they have some skill issue.]
Oh great. Doing all that parkour and gymnastics has helped out.
[Yep. You're an active dude, it seems. Would you like to see your skill sheet next?]
No. I know I only have 1 active skill.
[OK. So, what's the plan?]
Smack them with my fist. If that doesn't work out, get creative.
[Punch them to death or get creative. I like it. Seems like you follow the: 'The best plan is no plan' ]
Yes, I do.
Arin squared his shoulders. "Well, let's begin."