The Upgrade System,Rise of an Ordinary King

The King's Offer

Chapter 3

Pain flared through Kiny’s shoulder as consciousness returned in brutal waves. He groaned, blinking through the pounding in his skull. Dim torchlight flickered across stone walls. Chains rattled as he tried to move.

Where…?

The cell was cold. Iron shackles bound his wrists to the wall, though loosely. His clothes were soaked in dried blood, and a foul taste coated his mouth. But what shook him most wasn’t the pain. It was the silence in his head.

The system had gone quiet.

No voice. No updates.

For the first time since the fight with Valen…he felt alone.

A heavy iron door creaked open.

Boots echoed down the corridor. Three guards entered, led by a tall man with silver-threaded robes and a golden circlet resting above his sharp eyes.

Kiny tried to sit up straighter, his body protesting every inch.

“You’re awake,” the man said, voice calm but layered with authority. “Good. I would have been disappointed if the ‘Ordinary King’ couldn’t survive one noble brat’s tantrum.”

Kiny’s breath caught. “Who are you?”

The man stepped closer, studying him like one might study a rare artifact.

“I am Lord Veylan, High Advisor to the King of Ironcrest. And as of today…” He narrowed his eyes. “Your fate depends on how you answer what I’m about to ask.”

Kiny tensed. “I didn’t mean to attack Valen. He forced me into the arena. I—”

Veylan raised a hand, silencing him.

“I don’t care about that pampered fool,” he said flatly. “He was drunk on entitlement and needed a humbling. What I care about... is what happened to you in that pit.”

Kiny’s eyes darted to the guards. “I—I don’t know.”

“You moved like a phantom,” Veylan said, circling. “Dodging fatal strikes. Wounding a trained warrior. And then…you disappeared into thin air and reappeared behind him. Tell me, was it magic? Alchemy? Blood pact?”

Kiny hesitated. He couldn’t explain the system. Not yet. Not until he understood what it truly was.

So he said the only thing that felt safe.

“I don’t know. It just…happened.”

Veylan stared at him for a long moment.

Then he chuckled. “Lying. Or perhaps you truly don’t understand what awakened inside you.” He waved at the guards. “Leave us.”

The two soldiers saluted and stepped out.

When the door slammed shut, Veylan lowered his voice. “Listen carefully, boy. I’ve seen many things—mages, warlocks, possessed knights—but you... are different. Something ancient is in you.”

He knelt, eyes gleaming. “And that means you have two paths.”

Kiny’s throat went dry. “What paths?”

“One,” Veylan said, holding up a finger, “you die. We execute you quietly to avoid political scandal, and your secret dies with you.”

“Or?”

“Two… you serve the kingdom. Directly under me. As a hidden blade.”

Kiny blinked. “You want me to be… an assassin?”

“No,” Veylan said with a sly smile. “A weapon. One that only I control. You will be trained, fed, healed… and used. In return, I’ll keep the royals off your back and give you access to the truth behind your power.”

Kiny’s heart raced. He had no reason to trust this man. But what other choice did he have?

He was bleeding in chains. If Valen’s father learned of his injury, Kiny would be executed.

The system had chosen him. But he couldn’t rise without surviving first.

“…Alright,” Kiny said. “I’ll serve. But only until I understand what’s inside me.”

Veylan smiled. “Smart boy.”

[SYSTEM BOOTED]

>> Host response detected: Will to Survive confirmed

>> System evolution unlocked

• Hidden Trait Gained: “Breaker of Chains”

• Alignment Shift: Path of Sovereignty

[Welcome back, Kiny.]

A warmth returned to Kiny’s mind. He nearly gasped. The system—whatever it was—was alive again. And it was listening.

Veylan’s eyes narrowed. “You felt something just now, didn’t you?”

Kiny said nothing.

Veylan stood. “Rest. Tomorrow, we begin.”

☀️ The Next Day – The Forgotten Courtyard

The sun was barely rising when two masked figures dragged Kiny to a secret training yard buried beneath Ironcrest. The courtyard smelled of dust and rusted steel. The walls were lined with dummies, enchanted blades, and magical sigils.

“Welcome to the place where monsters are born,” Veylan said, arms outstretched.

A scarred man with one eye approached. “Name’s Garran. I break bodies and rebuild warriors. And you're next, trash.”

Kiny winced but nodded.

Veylan gestured. “You have one week. If he survives, he lives. If not…” He made a slicing motion.

Then he left.

The training began.

Day one was pain.

Garran pushed Kiny beyond his limits. Sword drills with dull blades. Dodge drills with blunted arrows. Endurance training until his legs gave out.

Kiny collapsed ten times. Threw up twice.

But he refused to stop.

[SYSTEM UPDATE]

• Passive Trait: Endurance I unlocked

• Skill Progression: Shadow Step 5/5 uses → Upgrade Available

• New Ability Tree: “Phantom Footwork” Unlocked

• HP Cap Increased: 10 → 15

• XP Progress: 42/200

By the third day, Garran muttered, “You're not normal.”

Kiny smirked through bruised lips. “I know.”

Day five, they brought in a sparring partner—a trainee knight named Dorien. Kiny held his own. Dodged more than he hit. But he was learning.

Day seven, Dorien struck too hard, snapping Kiny’s shoulder out of place.

He passed out.

[System Alert: Critical Trauma]

• Activating Upgrade Protocol: Adaptation Level 2

• Bone density increased

• Pain resistance +20%

• Trait Unlocked: “Tenacious”

Kiny woke up that night stronger. Body aching, but sharper. Tougher.

He grinned in the dark.

He was evolving.

🔥 That Night – Advisor’s Tower

Veylan watched from a magic mirror as Kiny slept.

A robed woman entered behind him. “He’s dangerous.”

“He’s needed,” Veylan said. “The royal court is crumbling. The King is dying. A power vacuum is forming.”

She frowned. “And you think that boy can shift the balance?”

Veylan smiled. “He won’t just shift it. He’ll rewrite the game.”

⏳ The Next Morning – A Test of Blood

Garran tossed Kiny a dagger. “Time for your final test.”

“What kind of test?” Kiny asked.

Garran opened the gate to a dungeon chamber. Inside, a chained beast—a mutated ogre hybrid—snarled and lunged against its bonds.

“You kill it… or it kills you.”

Kiny stared.

The thing was three times his size. Muscles layered over bone. Runes burned along its skin. And its eyes… were human.

“What is it?”

“A failed experiment,” Garran said. “But it bleeds.”

The chains dropped.

The beast charged.

Kiny dashed aside—Shadow Step activated—appeared behind it.

Too slow.

It whirled, backhanding him into the wall.

Bones cracked.

Blood sprayed.

Kiny staggered up.

[HP: 3/15]

[SYSTEM OPTIONS: FIGHT or FLEE]

His grip tightened on the dagger.

“I didn’t survive Ironcrest to die in a hole.”

He ran up the wall, flipped behind the beast, and drove the dagger into the creature’s neck.

It roared.

Clawed his side.

He twisted the blade deeper.

Black blood poured out.

The beast slammed him down.

Vision fading—

[SYSTEM BREAKTHROUGH]

KILL CONFIRMED: XP +122

Skill Absorbed: “Savage Instinct (Passive)”

Boosts reaction speed by 15% during combat

LEVEL UP!

• LV 3 → LV 4

• Strength +2

• Speed +1

• HP restored to 75%

The beast collapsed.

Kiny stood, bloody and shaking, but alive.

Garran nodded once. “You passed.”

As Kiny limped out of the pit, the Advisor stood waiting.

“Welcome back, Kiny,” Veylan said. “The King wants to meet you.”

Kiny’s breath caught. “Why?”

Veylan’s eyes glinted.

“Because you’re no longer just a servant. You're now Ironcrest’s most dangerous secret.”