My Arcane System

Chapter 2: The Martyr’s Ledger

The transition from the world of the living to the world of the dead was supposed to be a quiet one. Kaelen had expected a fading light, a final silence, or perhaps a judgment from the gods he had never dared to pray to.

Instead, he got a headache.

It wasn't a dull ache, but a sharp, rhythmic pulsing that synchronized with a sound—a high-pitched, crystalline ping that echoed inside the cavern of his skull.

[Warning: Physical Integrity at 4%.]

[Warning: Core Temperature dropping below sustainable levels.]

[Detection: Extreme psychological trauma detected. Converting... Converting...]

Kaelen’s eyes snapped open. He wasn't in the afterlife. He was facedown in the muck of the riverbank, his lungs burning as if he had swallowed molten lead. He coughed, a violent, racking sound that forced frigid river water and bile out of his throat. Every muscle in his body felt like it had been shredded and stitched back together with rusted wire.

“Stop… coughing…” he wheezed, his voice a broken rasp. He looked at his wrists—the raw, red marks of the rope were still there. Valen. The bridge. The laughter.

“Oh, stop being so dramatic, mortal. Dying is incredibly bad for your credit score.”

Kaelen froze. The voice didn’t come from the wind. It was inside him—sharp, energetic, and laced with an annoying amount of perkiness.

“Who…?”

“I am the Arcane Ledger! Your personal accountant and the only thing standing between you and a very permanent grave. Honestly, you should be thanking me. Do you have any idea how much effort it took to stabilize your vitals after those nobles used you as a buoy?”

A translucent, blue-tinted screen flickered into existence before his eyes.

[User: Kaelen]

[Current Status: Near-Death / Hypothermic / Malnourished]

[Arcane Ledger Balance: 1,250 Despair Points (DP)]

“Despair… Points?” Kaelen pushed himself up. His fingers sank into the freezing mud. The memory of the medicine vial shattering—the medicine his mother needed—hit him harder than the river water. He groaned. “I’m finally dead, and my brain is just… making things up.”

“I assure you, I am very real,” the voice chirped. “You see, Kaelen, the world runs on Mana. But the Ledger? The Ledger runs on the things the gifted throw away: failure, shame, and pure, unadulterated misery. And you, my dear investor, are a tycoon of tragedy! You’ve spent eighteen years accumulating the most exquisite collection of humiliations. It would be a crime to let it go to waste.”

[Urgent Quest: Stay Alive.]

Objective: Reach a heat source or ignite a flame.

Time Limit: 10 Minutes.

Reward: 100 DP + First Transaction Discount.

“I can’t,” Kaelen whispered. The cold was moving into his bones. His thoughts drifted to his mother. She would be waiting. She would be gasping for breath, wondering why her son hadn't come home. "I failed her. I have nothing."

“Ugh, there you go again! +15 DP for self-loathing. Fine, if you won’t help yourself, I’ll force you to invest. Open the Shop!”

Kaelen didn't know how he did it, but the thought of the word 'Shop' caused the screen to expand.

* [Lesser Heat Circulation (Passive)] – Cost: 500 DP

* [The Beggar’s Fortitude (Attribute)] – Cost: 300 DP

* [Bitter Spark (Active Skill)] – Cost: 200 DP

“A spark?” Kaelen’s breath hitched. “I tried… I tried to cast a spark for years.”

“That’s because you were trying to use Mana, you silly boy. Mana is for people with full bellies. You have Spite. Buy the Spark, Kaelen. Use the memory of Valen’s boot on your chest. Turn that fire inward.”

Kaelen touched the 'Y'. A sensation like a needle of ice drove through his veins, trailing a path of heat.

[Skill Acquired: Bitter Spark (Level 1)]

“Now,” the System commanded. “The driftwood to your left. Focus on the feeling of the water filling your lungs while those nobles laughed. That is your fuel.”

Kaelen crawled toward the wood. He snapped his fingers.

Snap.

A jagged, violet-black streak of energy hit the wood. A small, dark flame began to lick at the bark.

Kaelen stared, mesmerized. “I… I did it.”

“We did it,” the System corrected. “Now, huddle up. That fire is costing you 2 DP per minute. Misery doesn’t grow on trees, you know.”

As the heat returned, Kaelen looked at the distant, glowing spires of the Academy. Yesterday, he would have looked at them and wept. Today, he looked at them and felt the "Bitter Spark" in his chest grow brighter.

“You said my life is an investment,” Kaelen said. “What does that mean?”

“It means every time someone mocks you, every time you’re beaten—it’s a deposit. Altheria is a cruel city. There’s enough suffering in those streets to turn you into a god, if you’re brave enough to harvest it.”

[Quest Completed: Stay Alive]

[New Quest: The Return of the Ghost]

Objective: Return to the city. Secure a place of 'Rest'.

Constraint: Encounter three people from your past without revealing your power.

Kaelen stood up. He looked like the same broken boy who had been thrown into the water. But as he turned back toward the city gates, his eyes weren't empty anymore.

“The merchant,” Kaelen muttered. “The one who shortchanged me for my mother's medicine.”

“Oh? Revenge?”

“No,” Kaelen said, a dark smile tugging at his mouth. “I’m going to let him do it again. I need the points. My mother needs the cure, and the Academy is going to pay for it.”

The System let out a delighted giggle. “I knew I picked the right one! You’re going to be a beautiful, miserable monster.”

[Balance: 642 DP]

[Status: Stabilized]

[Current Thought: 'Hit me again. I can afford it.']