Jay and Nathan stood side by side, staring down at the demon's corpse. Up close, it was even worse than they'd thought. The flesh was an ugly gray, split by deep gouges oozing black ichor that clung to everything. A sickly, coppery stench filled the air, so strong Jay nearly gagged.
"Remind me why we're doing this?" Jay muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Because," Nathan said grimly, "somewhere inside this thing is a power stone. And you're gonna need it."
Jay exhaled shakily, trying not to breathe through his nose. "Great. Nothing like elbow-deep monster guts to finish off the evening."
They crouched down together. Nathan used a broken shard of metal to slice open more of the demon's torso. It split with a wet, tearing sound. Steam rose from the wound, carrying an even stronger reek that made Jay's stomach churn.
"Oh god—seriously, I'm gonna puke," Jay groaned, turning his face away.
"Not yet you're not. Help me."
Together, hands trembling, they reached into the monster's chest cavity. The inside was slick and hot, packed with organs that felt horribly alive. Jay swallowed bile as his fingers slipped over something pulsing.
"Damn it, it's like reaching into a sewer full of warm meat," Jay muttered.
"Lovely imagery," Nathan grunted. His own hands were slick with black blood.
After a minute of fumbling around inside the grotesque remains, Jay paused, glancing at Nathan. "So… you gonna tell me what it felt like? Your Awakening, I mean."
Nathan didn't look up, still digging carefully. "Honestly? Worst pain I've ever felt. Like my bones were cracking open and something was pouring inside. I thought it was going to burn me alive from the inside out."
"Sounds… awesome," Jay said dryly. Then, more seriously, "You found your stone in that lab, right?"
"Yeah." Nathan's jaw tightened. "It was just sitting there. Figured it was my only shot to keep us from dying, so I swallowed it. Then it felt like I was dying anyway."
Jay let out a weak laugh. "Man, that's reassuring."
"Better than being demon food."
Suddenly, Nathan's eyes widened. His hand closed around something hard and slightly warm. Carefully, he pulled it out, coated in thick strands of black sludge.
"Found it," Nathan breathed.
He wiped it on a piece of torn cloth. Beneath the gore, the stone was an ugly red, almost like a chunk of congealed blood. It pulsed faintly in his palm.
Jay stared at it, throat dry. "That's… really it."
"Your turn," Nathan said, holding it out.
Jay didn't take it right away. He studied the stone, watching it throb as if it had a heartbeat of its own.
"What if this goes wrong?" Jay whispered. "What if I end up with something worse inside me than that thing?"
Nathan met his eyes steadily. "Or what if you end up strong enough that nothing like this ever scares you again?"
Jay hesitated a heartbeat longer. Then, jaw tightening, he reached out and took the stone from Nathan's hand. Its surface was hot, almost like living flesh.
He swallowed hard.
"Alright," Jay murmured. "Let's see what the hell fate's got in store for me."
Jay took a breath, feeling the warm, pulsing weight of the power stone on his tongue. It tasted metallic and slightly bitter. Before he could second-guess himself, he swallowed.
He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for agony like the kind Nathan had described. Seconds ticked by. Nothing happened.
Jay let out a slow breath. "Huh… Maybe it didn't—"
The pain hit like a sledgehammer. It started in his chest, a burning spike that raced outward in all directions, igniting every nerve in his body. His muscles locked up. He tried to scream, but no sound came out. Instead, white-hot lightning shot up his spine and slammed into his skull.
His vision exploded into a storm of colors. Sound vanished. The world simply fell away, leaving him floating in a sea of pure, blistering agony.
Am I dying? he thought wildly. Is this it?
Then—mercifully—it ended.
Jay collapsed forward, gasping. Sweat poured down his face, mixing with tears he hadn't even realized were there. His entire body felt hollowed out, like something had scraped him clean from the inside.
Slowly, carefully, he opened his eyes. The world was blurry at first, shapes dancing in the darkness. Then he heard it—distant, almost underwater.
"Jay…! Jay, answer me, dammit!"
Nathan's voice.
Jay blinked hard. His vision cleared. Nathan was crouched over him, hands on his shoulders, shaking him.
"I'm… I'm here," Jay rasped.
"Holy shit, man. I thought that was it. You were out for nearly a minute—stiff as a corpse."
Jay tried to smile, but then he noticed something strange. Floating just in front of his face was a faintly glowing blue window, transparent and edged with delicate silver runes.
His eyes widened. "Nathan… do you see that?"
Nathan frowned. "See what? You're freaking me out."
Jay's heart raced. Slowly, he read the text that shimmered on the strange window.
[Congratulations, you have unlocked the system.]
[You have acquired your first skill: Weapon Master (F).]
Jay's mouth dropped open. He reached out a trembling hand, and to his surprise, his finger actually touched the window—like pressing against cool glass. More text unfurled before him.
[Name: Jay Orlen]
[Level: 1]
[Enhancement Points: 0]
[Skills: Weapon Master (F)]
[You can upgrade skill ranks using Enhancement Points.]
[You will gain a new skill slot every 10 levels.]
[Inventory: (Empty)]
Jay laughed weakly. It was all so absurd, so impossible—yet undeniably real. He tapped the listed skill.
A smaller window popped up.
[Weapon Master]
[Rank F]
Allows the user to wield all weapons competently. The higher the rank, the greater the precision, speed, and intuition in combat.
Nathan was watching him like he'd lost his mind. "Alright, Jay. Talk to me. You're smiling like a lunatic."
Jay snapped his gaze to Nathan, grin splitting across his face. "I… I think I just hit the jackpot."
"Meaning…?"
"I've got a system, Nate. Like, an actual RPG system. It's listing my level, my skills—hell, it says I can learn a new skill every ten levels!"
Nathan's brows shot up. "You serious? That's not normal. I don't see any damn windows floating around."
Jay laughed again, shaking his head. "Guess it's something only I can see. But it's there, clear as day. And my first skill—'Weapon Master.' Says I can use any weapon, and the higher I level it up, the better I get."
Nathan let out a low whistle. "Well, shit. That's more than I got. My Awakening just… gave me the mist. No handy menu telling me what I can do next."
Jay clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Still saved my ass. And with your shadows and my weapon skill? I'd say we make one hell of a team."
Nathan cracked a tired smile. "Yeah. You got that right."
Jay stood up, feeling a strange new energy thrumming through his veins. The pain was gone, replaced by a restless electricity, like his body was itching for a blade in hand. He looked at his empty inventory window and smirked.
"Looks like I'm gonna need to find myself a sword."
Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "You're a real lunatic, Jay Orlen."
Jay flashed him a wide grin. "Yeah, but now I'm a lunatic with a system."