Impact never came.
Instead, Ethan landed in tall silver grass beneath a sky streaked with violet clouds. Two moons hung overhead—one full, one fractured.
Wind carried unfamiliar scents—iron, ozone, something ancient.
The System pulsed.
[WORLD DETECTED: ETHEREAL]
[Atmospheric Mana Density: High]
[Environmental Threat Level: Moderate → Escalating]
[Emergency Adaptation Triggered]
Pain exploded in Ethan's chest.
He gasped as something ignited within him—like a star collapsing inward.
[Mana Core: Initializing…]
Veins of pale blue light spread across his skin before fading.
[Mana Core: Awakened – Rank F]
Ethan staggered upright.
"Okay," he muttered. "I'm alive. New world. Magic lungs. This is fine."
A low growl answered him.
From the silver grass emerged creatures resembling wolves—but their bodies were composed of cracked stone veined with magma. Their eyes burned like furnaces.
[Threat Identified: Emberfang Wolves]
Level: 5
Danger Assessment: Lethal
"There's more than one, isn't there?" Ethan whispered.
Six shapes stepped forward.
Calamity Affinity pulsed.
His heartbeat slowed.
The fear sharpened into focus.
[Calamity Detected]
[Stat Growth Multiplier: x3]
[Emergency Skill Generated]
New text flared into existence.
Skill Acquired: Death's Echo (Passive)
— Survive lethal damage once per day.
— Damage resistance increases proportionally to proximity to death.
Ethan exhaled slowly.
"Well," he said, cracking his neck. "Let's test the refund policy."
The first wolf lunged.
Time seemed to stretch.
Ethan moved—instinct guiding him. He ducked beneath snapping jaws, rolled, grabbed a shard of broken obsidian rock from the ground.
The second wolf swiped.
Claws tore across his chest—
Pain. Heat. Blood.
But not fatal.
[HP Reduced: 62%]
[Damage Resistance Increased]
Ethan felt it—the surge.
Strength flooded his limbs.
He drove the obsidian shard into the creature's molten eye.
The wolf howled and shattered into smoldering fragments.
[Enemy Defeated]
+120 EXP
Level Up!
Level: 2
Stat Points Awarded: 5
The remaining wolves circled warily.
Ethan grinned, blood running down his chin.
"Okay," he said softly. "I think I understand how this works."
They attacked together