Primordial System Awakening

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Run or Fight

I stared at the dead guardian lying at my feet. Its blood still felt warm on my hands. The new numbers in front of my eyes made me feel different, sharper, like I could do more than I ever thought possible. But the voices coming closer told me I had no time to celebrate.

"Spread out! The guardian’s scent is fresh!"

"Find whoever did this!"

Torchlight danced on the tunnel walls. I counted at least fifteen men. Most carried swords or axes. A few had crossbows. These were not simple scavengers like the three I killed earlier. They looked organized, like a real team hired by some rich merchant or minor noble.

My heart raced. Running deeper into the ruins might lead me into worse trouble, but staying here meant facing all of them at once. The System words waited patiently.

New quest available: Escape the hunters or face them.

Reward: Hidden primordial shard.

I took a deep breath and made my choice. I turned and ran down the dark path ahead. My legs moved faster than before. Each step felt light, almost easy. The new agility from leveling up helped me dodge fallen stones and jump over cracks in the ground.

Shouts echoed behind me.

"He’s running! After him!"

A crossbow bolt whistled past my ear and shattered against the wall. I pushed harder. The tunnel twisted and turned. I followed the faint glow of the black stone in my hand. It seemed to pull me forward, like it knew the way.

The path opened into a large chamber. Moonlight came through cracks in the ceiling high above. Broken pillars stood like silent guards. In the center of the room sat a small stone pedestal. On top of it rested a glowing shard, no bigger than my thumb. It pulsed with the same red light as the relic I carried.

The System spoke again.

Hidden primordial shard detected. Claim it to unlock further growth.

I ran straight for it. My fingers closed around the shard just as the first hunters burst into the chamber.

"There he is!"

I spun around. Five men charged at me with weapons raised. The rest were right behind them. I had no place to hide.

The hunger from the System rose again, stronger than before. It whispered that I could take them. That I should take them.

I gripped the shard tight. Warm power flowed into my arm and spread through my body. My muscles tightened. My skin felt harder, like the scales I had just absorbed.

The first man swung his sword at my head. I raised my arm. The blade bounced off with a loud clang. No cut, no pain. Only a small scratch that healed almost instantly.

Scale Armor activated.

The man’s eyes widened in shock. I punched him in the chest. He flew back and crashed into two others. All three went down in a heap.

More men came. I moved between them like water. My fists broke bones. My kicks sent men sliding across the stone floor. Each time I landed a hit, the System took a little more essence.

Strength +1

Vitality +1

I felt myself getting stronger with every second. But there were too many. A heavy axe caught me in the side. Pain flared hot and sharp. I staggered but did not fall.

Blood ran down my ribs. The leader of the hunters, a tall man with a thick beard, pointed his sword at me.

"Give us the relic and the shard, boy, and we might let you die quick."

I wiped blood from my mouth and smiled. Something inside me had changed. The old Zephyr who ran from trouble was gone. The new one wanted to see how far this power could go.

I stepped forward.

Before I could attack, the ground under us shook hard. Cracks spread across the chamber floor. Ancient stones groaned and shifted. A deep voice, much older than the System’s, boomed from below.

Who dares disturb the slumber of Nethralis?

The hunters froze. Some looked ready to run. The tall leader shouted orders, but fear showed in his eyes.

I looked down. The cracks glowed with the same red light as my relic. Something huge was waking up beneath us.

The System words appeared, calm and cold.

Boss entity awakening. Level 15 threat.

Recommendation: Survive or grow stronger.

The floor exploded upward in a shower of stone and dust. A massive claw, bigger than any man, reached out and grabbed the nearest hunter. His scream cut off fast.

Chaos broke out. Hunters scattered in every direction. Some ran back the way they came. Others turned their weapons toward the hole in the floor.

I stood in the middle of it all, the shard and the black relic both pulsing in my hands. The huge claw pulled back, dragging more stones with it. Two glowing eyes, far bigger and brighter than the guardian’s, opened in the darkness below.

They looked straight at me.

My body screamed to run, but the System hunger pushed me to stay. To fight. To devour.

The massive creature roared, and the entire chamber began to collapse.

I had only one thought as I braced myself.

This was going to hurt.